How data can drive better designed buildings
Data provides insights that are not always obvious and can change the way we design our buildings, says CoreLogic’s chief technology officer, Greg Dickason.
The “deluge of data” now available at our fingertips allows savvy building owners, operators and designers to test their assumptions and change how they think.
Dickason, who runs the overall CoreLogic digital and data strategy, says building managers have been optimising operations for years through the use of data.
“We are seeing proactive maintenance solutions based on micro electricity leakage detection from smart meters, HVAC monitoring that allows for prediction of failures, and the integration of smart phones into building management systems to allow people to control their local heating and cooling requirements,” Dickason says.
But the transformational insights come from analysing existing data sets in new ways, and also from combining different data sets, he explains. Think sensor data matched with weather patterns or data from personal smart phones meshed with traffic reports.
Dickason points to the design of shower cubicles in end-of-trip facilities as an example.
“Would you think about the size of the shower cubicles in change rooms when designing your next office building? Why would you?”
“Yet, if we look at the patterns of how people use buildings, it quickly becomes evident that our designs are nowhere near optimal.”
By analysing data from access cards and correlating this to water consumption at just one building, CoreLogic has found that shower cubicle design works better for men than women.
“In the female cubicles, we found a much lower use of water per occupant, which on further investigation showed women were having much shorter showers than men.”
The reason? Women dressed in the shower cubicle rather than outside in the general change room and as a result felt under pressure, as they had to shower and dress while others waited for them.
Men, on the other hand, dressed in the open change room area and only used the cubicles to shower. They took longer showers but spent less time in the cubicle.
“A simple change to future building designs can address the imbalance: make men’s shower cubicles smaller and add more showers for the women.” Although, if water saving is part of your business strategy, perhaps forget about the extra showers for the women, he adds.
“Would a designer have considered this without the data and insights it provides?”
Dickason’s call to action is clear.
“Data and its analysis are driving efficiency improvements everywhere, providing unique insights and helping businesses to meet customers’ needs in real time. If you don’t have a data strategy you will be left behind by those that do.”