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Challenges of a smart building project

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23.05.2024

Can you call yourself an expert and still do something for the first time? We are convinced of this and the smart building project at the Zurich Children's Hospital has proven it.

Due to the constant change in technologies and the constant adaptation to the latest functions and possibilities, you have to be an expert in agile reactions.

What challenges did we overcome in the project?

The challenge of asset management

Dynamically mapping moving assets in the asset management structure was a real challenge that our engineers mastered. Traditionally, assets are assigned to fixed floors or rooms and cannot move independently. However, in order to fully utilize the asset tracking use case, assets must be displayed in the structure where they are actually located. In Eliona, they are now assigned live in the structure to the floors or rooms where they are located.


Collaboration & communication

Compared to traditional general contractor projects, smart building projects require collaboration with many different trades. Electrical, ceiling construction, carpenters, painters, etc. are suddenly sitting at the table during construction meetings and have a say. On a large construction site like the Zurich Children's Hospital, this requires a good sense of communication and a high degree of flexibility.


Function follows form

Architects love form, we love function. And if the architect is a celebrity, then function follows form. This presented us with challenges for the entire sensor system for asset tracking and people counting. As these were not allowed to be visible in certain places for architectural reasons, they had to disappear behind the ceiling. However, certain types of ceiling restricted the functionality of the sensors, which in turn resulted in creative solutions.

Theory vs. practice

Practice determines whether the theory works or not. Asset tracking is based on triangulation to determine the position of the object. Quite simple in theory - in practice, there are suddenly corners, metallic objects, curves or blind spots that suddenly complicate triangulation or make calibration more difficult. Together with Localino, our hardware and sensor supplier, we were ultimately able to achieve maximum area monitoring with a minimum of sensors.

To summarize, we can say the following: We are experts ...

  1. ... when it comes to the integration of smart building projects

  2. ... in terms of flexibility and creativity in implementation on the construction site

  3. … in the engineering of customized software solutions and can implement them in an agile manner

We are ready to contribute the knowledge and experience we have gained to future projects and to further exploit the possibilities of smart technologies.