The region may have grand ambitions when it comes to the development of smart cities, but better integration between buildings is required if they are to achieve these, according to a new study.
The US-based engineering firm Honeywell has unveiled new research providing a Smart Building Score for 620 buildings in seven Middle East cities, which found that few industries were able to integrate data from different buildings within their own companies, let alone between different building owners within geographical areas.
Honeywell partnered with EY and Nielsen on the research, which scored each of the buildings out of 100 on 15 factors related to their safety, sustainability and productivity. These included everything from the efficiency and coverage of cooling systems, fire detection, access control and the reliability of Wi-Fi.
Doha had the smartest buildings of any Middle East city, achieving an average score of 70, followed by Dubai (65). Abu Dhabi matched the overall regional average score of 48, while Jeddah was the lowest-scoring city on 37.
Differentiating between industries, Honeywell said that airports were the only assets whose buildings were not poorly integrated. Airport owners achieved a score of 80 for building integration. High-rise apartment buildings (45) and education buildings (41) were the least integrated building types.
Norm Gilsdorf, the president of Honeywell’s Russia, Middle East and Central Asia region, said that the education sector was a good example of where improvements could be made, as operators in that market owned several buildings.
“You would think that naturally you would want to integrate those to keep common systems, maintenance, training and results,” he said. “The top people have figured that out and done it. The ones at the bottom have not.
“Whichever way you look at it, smart buildings are the fundamental building blocks to a smart city. It’s impossible to have a smart city without smart buildings,” he said.
Honeywell’s recommendations for government and lawmakers is to follow existing examples of best practice in places like Doha and Dubai, and to encourage building owners to make properties smarter.
Honeywell’s research also found that across the Middle East, buildings only scored 68 out of 100 on “asset uptime”, meaning that some element of operations – be it Wi-Fi or an access control system – was often out of action.
Newer buildings were not found to be smarter than older ones, but those that had some form of sustainability certification, such as Leed or Estidama, outperformed uncertified buildings by an average of 28 points.
Saeed Al Abbar, the chairman of Emirates Green Building Council, said that better technology is only one element required to make buildings more efficient. He argued that better training of building managers and operatives was also required.
He said the council wanted to create minimum capability benchmarks for building management. “Educating the building owners and the asset managers and saying, ‘if you’re going to pay Dh15million to Dh20m for all of this technology in your building, you may as well pay people who know how to use it’.”
Mr Gilsdorf agreed, saying there was a “shortage of training and skills, high turnover, maybe not having the right metrics and KPIs and maybe not being so conscientious of what’s required.
“This region does not have an FM [facilities management] industry that goes across the board. Here, a lot of building owners do their own operation and maintenance.”
mfahy@thenational.ae
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Netherlands v UAE, Twenty20 International series
Saturday, August 3 - First T20i, Amstelveen
Monday, August 5 – Second T20i, Amstelveen
Tuesday, August 6 – Third T20i, Voorburg
Thursday, August 8 – Fourth T20i, Vooryburg
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Results:
Men’s wheelchair 200m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 27.14; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 27.81; 3. Rheed McCracken (AUS) 27.81.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Breast cancer in men: the facts
1) Breast cancer is men is rare but can develop rapidly. It usually occurs in those over the ages of 60, but can occasionally affect younger men.
2) Symptoms can include a lump, discharge, swollen glands or a rash.
3) People with a history of cancer in the family can be more susceptible.
4) Treatments include surgery and chemotherapy but early diagnosis is the key.
5) Anyone concerned is urged to contact their doctor
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Financial considerations before buying a property
Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
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Bio
Born in Dibba, Sharjah in 1972.
He is the eldest among 11 brothers and sisters.
He was educated in Sharjah schools and is a graduate of UAE University in Al Ain.
He has written poetry for 30 years and has had work published in local newspapers.
He likes all kinds of adventure movies that relate to his work.
His dream is a safe and preserved environment for all humankind.
His favourite book is The Quran, and 'Maze of Innovation and Creativity', written by his brother.