What Will the Buildings of Tomorrow Look Like?

Author: Brett Knox
December 12, 2024 - 5 MIN. READ

Buildings are evolving, becoming increasingly energy-independent and automated. Although this trend impacts new construction, it also drives upgrades in existing buildings.

Understanding these shifts is crucial for contractors to navigate the commercial market and better serve building managers and owners.

Explore the trends shaping building electrification and what the buildings of tomorrow will look like.

Why Smart Buildings Are the Future

Smart connected systems offer significant investment for building owners. These systems enhance energy control and enable remote monitoring. They also gather data that gives them a better understanding of building usage and performance.

Examples include:

• Connected HVAC solutions. Upgrading buildings with a smart electric HVAC system opens the door to automating temperature adjustments and monitoring heating and cooling remotely.
• Smart lighting. These systems use sensors to detect occupancy and adjust lighting accordingly. It’s an affordable and effective way to cut lighting costs while enhancing safety.
• Smart security systems. Smart buildings often use connected security systems with occupancy and movement sensors as well as remote monitoring.

For contractors, installing these smart solutions and performing electrical upgrades to power them is an exciting opportunity. In fact, experts predict the smart building market to grow at an annual growth rate of over 28% by 2030.

Building Automation: Streamlining Systems

Building automation refers to the use of digital tools to monitor and control key building systems, including HVAC, lights, access, shading, alarms, and more.

The first step to automating a building system is to install one of the smart solutions described above. The next step is to design and implement a digital layer that gathers data from these connected solutions and sends automated actions to the building.

For instance, building automation systems can:

• Adjust heating and cooling based on occupancy: If employees are working on the third floor while the fifth floor is empty, smart systems redirect cooling to save energy. This ensures comfort where it’s needed and reduces waste.
• Control window shades to optimize temperature: Smart sensors close shades in sunny conference rooms during peak heat, preventing overheating and lowering HVAC usage. It keeps the space comfortable and energy-efficient.
• Enhance security with restricted access: Only users with the right keycards or biometrics can access secure areas like storage rooms. This boosts safety and helps clients meet compliance standards.
• Create an integrated smart environment: An automated system can dim lights in empty hallways and lock down areas during security breaches. These interconnected features save energy, improve safety, and streamline building operations.

Designing, monitoring, and maintaining these automated systems is a skill that is highly in demand. Contractors willing to upskill will find plenty of opportunities as building owners look to upgrade their properties.

By implementing automation, contractors can offer ongoing building monitoring and maintenance plans, boosting recurring revenue and strengthening client relationships.

Unlock Efficiency With Building Information Modeling

Building information modeling involves creating a digital twin of a physical building. During the construction phase, it helps architects and engineers optimize the building’s design for energy efficiency.

There are benefits to working with building information modeling after the initial construction phase:

• It helps project energy consumption with accuracy.
• It makes identifying cost-effective electrification and automation upgrades easier.

Commercial contractors who partner with building information modeling experts can help plan these building upgrades.

Energy-Independent Buildings and Building Electrification

Net zero buildings are on the rise. These buildings produce as much energy from renewable sources as they consume. For existing buildings, retrofits and renewable integration help managers achieve environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals and embrace commercial building electrification.

For commercial contractors, energy-independent buildings represent a wide range of opportunities:

• Solar installations are in high demand. In fact, commercial solar installations went up by 6% from Q2 2023 to Q2 2024.
• Buildings can sell excess energy to the grid through net metering programs or store it for later use. Storage is often the best option from a financial perspective, leading to demand for battery storage installation.
• Microgrids are becoming more common. These interconnected systems can produce energy, store it, and power key circuits independently from the grid.
• Smart electrical panels are another important component of building electrification, along with load management solutions. Smart electrical panels can manage energy consumption, ensure that key circuits are always on, and switch between energy sources.

Energy-independent buildings combine energy transformation technologies and building automation. Solar panels, batteries, smart panels, and other components can interact with each other to automatically store energy, switch between battery storage and the grid, or route backup power to crucial circuits during an outage.

Once energy-independent building upgrades are in place, renewable energy becomes a cost-effective way to power new applications, including electric HVAC and EV charging, which in turn creates more opportunities for contractors.

Explore Commercial Contractor Opportunities With Raiven

From smart connected systems and building automation to renewable energy solutions, the buildings of tomorrow require a diverse skill set and a deep understanding of integrated technologies. For contractors ready to embrace these changes, the evolution of commercial buildings presents an exciting opportunity.

Raiven empowers you to stay ahead in an industry that is rapidly evolving. Discover how our digital supply chain network simplifies access to electrification and automation technologies and join a community of forward-thinking suppliers and contractors.

Summary: Buildings are changing. Between building automation and electrification, commercial contractors who embrace these changes can grow their businesses through exciting opportunities.