Coventry University transforms academic center into a smart building
Coventry University partnered with Schneider Electric and Planon recently to upgrade its Engineering and Computing Building. The university said the upgrade will help to make the building future-ready, improving sustainability, asset resilience and occupant experience, while reducing operational costs.
“One of our main goals is to move away from reactive work, instead resolving issues before they affect our staff and students,” said Nasima Laming, business systems support officer with Coventry University. “Leveraging digital tools, we will monitor the condition of our campus plant and equipment proactively and get recommended actions, many of which we can automate for a smooth and seamless process. The additional aspects of course are the cost and energy savings we hope to benefit from.”
The university selected Schneider Electric and Planon to help set and meet its specific requirements. The join solution is a milestone in the partnership between the two companies, which began in 2019. This is the first project of its kind in the U.K. The solution involves the integration of two smart systems, as described here.
Planon’s Integrated Workplace Management System (IWMS), which enables facility managers to plan, execute and monitor all activities involved in reactive and planned preventive maintenance, space and move management, asset management, operational facility services, room reservations and other customer services.
Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Building Advisor, a suite of analytic monitoring services, that unlocks a building management system’s operational performance so you can remotely and proactively maintain your buildings. It provides insights into building operations by constantly monitoring systems and identifying faults to proactively address a building’s inefficiencies. As a result, there is an impact on operating costs, occupant comfort, and asset value.
The IWMS software automatically processes smart building diagnostics from Building Advisor to determine whether or not an action is needed. It can initiate a standardized workflow or highlight an issue for a manual decision by the facilities team by scheduling and dispatching the work to the field engineers’ mobile phones for execution.
Marcel Groenenboom, Planon’s chief commercial officer, added, “We always strive to provide the best possible solution to our customers and partners. By working with Schneider Electric and its smart building operating and analysis technology, we can bring new benefits to Coventry University. All three parties share a common vision on the role of digital technology and its contribution to create safe, healthy, sustainable, and efficient data-driven buildings. We can’t wait to see the results at Coventry.”
“Buildings of the future must be sustainable, hyper-efficient, resilient, and people-focused,” said Kas Mohammed, vice president of digital energy at Schneider Electric. “The COVID-19 pandemic has added a new dimension to this shift; buildings must support resiliency and continuity. The university clearly understands the need to futureproof its buildings, as it strives to provide the best possible environments for occupants.”
