Digitalization enables smart buildings to understand their surroundings and interact with their users. The key here is data. Lots of data. “In the past, it was all about connecting a few dozen data points in a building. Today, we’re usually talking about tens of thousands, sometimes even hundreds of thousands of data points,” says Andrea Hofmann, Product Manager, Building Twin, at Siemens. The trend: upward.

Everything that’s going on in a building is being monitored and recorded with ever greater precision: building technology systems, electrical installations and thousands of sensors continuously deliver information about things like the current status of the systems and general conditions within the building. This data can then be used to save energy, optimize the comfort of those in the building or ensure maximum security. But even more is possible. “We believe that in a few years buildings will be able to adapt themselves to human needs,” says Andrea.