A smart office building in the UAE and a sports and entertainment centre in California are among the first winner of Johnson Controls’ OpenBlue Pioneers innovation awards.

Each OpenBlue Pioneer has proven instrumental in driving the future of smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, innovating with Johnson Controls AI-enabled OpenBlue technology to transform their spaces, businesses and communities. In recognition, the winners have each been awarded a Blueprint of the Future Industry Award which recognises examples of visionary thinking and digital transformation.

The first recipients are:

• BEEAH Headquarters, pioneering the path for offices of the future towards one of the world’s smartest workplaces: The BEEAH Headquarters, based in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, is an example of what can be achieved with visionary thinking. Featuring intelligent edge systems and software designed to optimise energy efficiency, the building is the first fully AI-integrated building in the Middle East. It is equipped to be net zero and operates to Leed Platinum standards. Employees and visitors experience seamless interaction with the building at all times through OpenBlue Companion. Features include facial recognition for seamless movement between spaces, frictionless access to promote the health and safety of employees, comfort control, and intelligent concierge services to support day-to-day tasks.
• Chase Center enhances fans’ health, comfort and safety through one intelligent platform: The Chase Center, in San Francisco, California, is a future focused Leed Gold certified sports and entertainment centre. Partnering with Johnson Controls, the centre optimises the digital capabilities of its equipment, systems and connected technologies through Metasys building automation system, communicating data in real time and powering smart building decisions as well as reducing energy and the arena’s carbon footprint.
• The village of Patchogue is setting the gold standard for community revitalisation: The visionary village of Patchogue, on Long Island, New York, is preserving a green tomorrow for future generations with smart environmental offerings. Showcasing a future-focused mindset and a passion to preserve natural resources, improve quality of life, and protect the ecosystem, the village will save $8.2mn in the next 25 years through Johnson Controls energy efficient upgrades to HVAC, lighting and temperature control systems.
• The Powerhouse Alliance, the world’s northernmost net energy-positive building: Powerhouse Brattørkaia in Trondheim, Norway, is a model for transformational design and development worldwide. As the most net energy-positive building in the northern hemisphere, it sets a standard for buildings by focusing on environmental considerations and reducing its carbon footprint. Powerhouse, a Norwegian collaboration set up to drive innovation in energy, collaborated with Johnson Controls to create a building that produces more energy than it consumes.
• Colorado State University Pueblo becomes first campus in Colorado to reach net zero electricity with solar power: Colorado State University Pueblo has become greener, more independent and more resilient. This campus is leading the industry in sustainability and energy consumption and has exceeded three of the four greening government goals. Powered by a 23-acre solar farm with battery storage that supplies 12 million kilowatt hours of electricity, it is the first campus in Colorado to reach net zero electricity for all the academic facilities. Collaborating with Johnson Controls, it has created a net zero campus, a sustainable, energy efficient and healthy environment that should reduce energy costs for the next two decades and passes these savings on to its students and the community.

“The recognition of our first OpenBlue Pioneers casts a spotlight on some incredible businesses and organisations demonstrating outstanding leadership in transforming buildings globally,” said Rodney Clark, vice president at Johnson Controls. “What they prove is that a concerted focus on decarbonisation, electrification, efficiency and digitisation can deliver net zero buildings, alongside communities that are smarter, safer, more sustainable and affordable. This first group of OpenBlue Pioneers will be followed by many more as the momentum for the digital transformation of the built environment accelerates. It also proves that doing the right thing can be exactly the same as doing the sensible thing from a business perspective.”