NEW FRONTIERS:
Focusing on technology in
facilities engineering and design
By Russell Clarke and Greg Powell
Special to Florida Construction News
The continued infiltration of tech-
nology into our daily lives has
brought with it advanced capabilities,
new efficiencies and greater connec-
tivity on many different levels. It has
also brought headaches along the
way. This same dynamic (of technol-
ogy advances causing heightened ex-
pectations and complexity) is
occurring in today’s facilities and
buildings industry—driving the need
for skilled technology-focused engi-
neers to design, integrate, maintain
and maximize the increasingly com-
plex, integrated and connected sys-
tems. Technology design and system in-
tegration expertise is developing into
a prerequisite for engineering firms
focused on vertical buildings, allow-
ing firms with strong system integra-
tion skill sets and user-friendly
analytical tools to capture a growing
market need.
Key benefits accrue to those firms
that can extend their technological
expertise and capabilities across a
broader range of the facility project
life cycle—spanning the upfront de-
sign, systems integration and ongo-
ing technical service needs. This
depth of expertise positions the
provider as the first call for new pro-
jects, as well as the trusted advisor
for future facility needs.
What Is driving the change?
Simply put, today’s buildings are
more complex and sophisticated
than in the past, and people have
higher expectations from their build-
ings. No longer are well-functioning
HVAC systems, smart lighting, strong
Wi-Fi, video-enabled meeting rooms
and classrooms, and easy controls
things that building stakeholders
want—these are now things they
have come to expect. New buildings
are designed and built with the latest
technology systems, and owners are
retrofitting older building stock with
new technologies. These systems
have made significant strides from
those even five years ago, and now
stakeholders expect them to interact
and function seamlessly as one.
Analysts predict there will be over
25 billion connected things in use in
2020, a major increase from the 4.9
billion in 2015. Sensors and systems
are interacting to deliver optimal tem-
perature, air quality, lighting levels
6 – DECEMBER 2018 - JANAURY 2019 — Florida Construction News
and security. As these traditionally
separate systems are integrated and
controlled as one, the ability to en-
able effective inter- action is more
critical than ever before.
Garry Montgomery, vice-president
and head of technology at Dynamix
Engineering, states, “It is also the
most rapidly changing building sys-
tem. Technology systems impact
workflow, efficiency, expectations,
safety, communication, connectivity
and so many other things.”
The skill set needed to design and
then blend multiple systems to func-