Smart Building Solutions Leverage Big Data to Enhance Operation Efficiency
善用大數據 智能屋宇方案提升營運效率

A staunch supporter of Hong Kong’s smart city development, ATAL is on the leading edge of innovative building technologies, with its unique combination of E&M expertise and information technology capabilities. Our Fault Detection and Diagnostics (FDD) solution and the “IoT Hub – Smart Building Platform”, both developed inhouse and acclaimed by customers, are just two examples.

“While the social and economic costs of the COVID-19 pandemic have been high, the crisis has spurred the Government, businesses and the public to embrace technology much more readily, accelerating our smart city development,” says Mr Dave Chan, Chief Executive of Information, Communication and Building Technologies. Meanwhile, customers who adopted ATAL’s smart building solutions in recent years are already reaping the benefits, with improvements in energy saving, E&M performance, user experience and overall productivity.

Our FDD software leverages big data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) to provide automated diagnosis of air-conditioning system faults. It detects and identifies both hard faults and unnoticed faults, and investigates root causes and recommends solutions, making customers’ HVAC systems greener and more efficient.

ATAL’s R&D work on FDD has gained industry recognition, with a paper to be published in the Energy and Buildings, a reputable international journal devoted to energy use and efficiency in buildings.

To capture new opportunities arising from Internet of Things (IoT) technology and big data, ATAL has built a holistic “IoT Hub – Smart Building Platform” that enables customers to monitor all of a building’s E&M devices and analyse related real-time data, such as temperature, humidity, indoor environment quality (IEQ), energy consumption and water leakage, on one single platform. As a web-based solution, it is accessible via mobile apps on a mobile phone or computer, allowing building operators to manage their facilities, anywhere and anytime.

The platform provides automated fault detection, along with alarm functions for immediate action. It also generates user-friendly data visualisation of historical statistics to track and predict a building’s performance and allow building owners to optimise operational efficiency and tenant experience for continuous improvement.

A fully integrated platform, the “IoT Hub” supports diverse applications, which can encompass smart facility management, sustainability, preventive maintenance, AI-based energy optimisation, IEQ assessment and human comfort prediction, and smart toilets, just to name a few. The architecture is also easily scaled, both when new applications or E&M systems are added and across multiple buildings within a property portfolio.

For building owners, the “IoT Hub” brings convenience and enhances sustainability. Efficiency is improved as all E&M systems monitoring, automated fault alerts and, indeed, all control functions take place on one single platform. Energy and water consumption can be better monitored and controlled, and equipment outage due to water leakage can be avoided. Customers may also use the platform’s data to apply for WELL certification, a globally recognised rating of health and well-being in buildings. Tenant comfort is taken care of, too, as our market-leading 15-in-1 IEQ sensor can improve air, thermal, lighting, spatial/occupancy and acoustic quality.

Several renowned property developers in Hong Kong have already adopted the platform at their Grade A office buildings with great success. Works are also in progress to install the platform at several government and public sector buildings.

“ATAL has confidence in Hong Kong’s smart city development and is delighted to play a key role via this platform and other R&D applications,” Mr Chan says.

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