There are many cities investing money and resources into smart and green technology. All of these cities are prioritizing building green and smart buildings for better energy efficiency and conversation. This includes large cities like London and Taipei. 
Smart buildings are not only intelligent, but they are environmentally friendly. These buildings use a lot of technology to make them good for the environment. From retrofitting an existing building or starting a brand new project from scratch, smart buildings are paving the way to a better future. However, you may wonder what a smart building needs to do to be not only smart but also green? 

1. Renewable Energy

Smart buildings are typically made to be increasingly self-sufficient over some of the older options. For instance, Deloitte has its headquarters in Amsterdam. This building is capable of generating energy through solar panels featured on the rooftop. The building produces a lot more energy than it uses. There are third-party environmental agencies and they gave it a score of 98.4% for being the most sustainable building that’s been scored. Along with this, you will find a building like the massive 128-story tower in Shanghai, China that uses solely wind power. It gets this power from on-site turbines that are strategically located at the top of the tower. This energy is used for lighting the building and for lighting the parking areas. The turbine is capable of generating a whopping 10% of the entire building’s electricity. You will also find one in Seattle that has massive solar panels that produce all of the building’s electricity and more despite Seattle being known for rainy weather year-round. 

2. Smart Controls Increase Efficiency

A lot of the buildings that are competing with one another for being the world’s smartest building uses a lot of smart controls with real-time data. This real-time data gives the smart systems the information the building needs to regulate and conserve energy. For instance, there is a building in Chicago that’s deemed the “smartest in the city” and it’s entirely retrofitted. All of the older and outdated thermostats were changed with wireless thermostats that are fully connected to a cloud-based AI system that manages all of the conditions remotely. This type of system allows for real-time data to be used to alter temperature controls and more within the building. There is also an example of this in London that uses various metering and monitoring systems to give interactive screening in the reception area. 

3. Energy Efficiency

It doesn’t matter how much renewable energy the building can produce, it needs to be energy efficient. This is the main thing you want to look for when it comes to a smart building. This type of efficiency typically comes from different forms. From having zones to choosing air conditioning levels to swap out lighting fixtures, there are plenty of ways you can reduce the energy consumption of a building. It only gets even more critical when the building is located in a place with rough weather conditions. For instance, the Manitoba Hydro Place is deemed “Canada’s most important building.” This building uses 60 to 70% less energy than other buildings that are of similar size because it has an optimal energy-conservation system in place that makes it more energy efficient.
Looking Forward 
Real estate continues to change. As it adapts, there continue to be more challenges presented. These challenges include increasing energy costs, climate change, and more. Any forward-thinking developer can come up with better solutions and integrate them into their buildings for smarter and greener properties. Technology continues to be at the forefront of this change. Leveraging technology and smart systems is the single best way to experience all of the benefits that smart buildings can deliver.