South Korean firm LG CNS is to launch its smart building DX business in the USA in collaboration with New York-based SomeraRoad.

LG CNS is a digital transformation (DX) company. It announced its entry into the DX technology sector for US buildings by signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with SomeraRoad, a real estate investment and development firm, and Mastern America, the US branch of Korea’s alternative investment company Mastern Investment Management (www.mastern.co.kr).

The MoU signing ceremony took place at SomeraRoad’s headquarters in New York, attended by Moon Keun Choi, senior vice president of LG CNS; Ian Ross, managing partner of SomeraRoad; Fergus Campbell, managing partner of SomeraRoad; and Joseph Oh, CEO of Mastern America.

SomeraRoad (someraroadinc.com) is a real estate investment and development firm that takes an entrepreneurial and opportunistic approach to commercial real estate across a wide spectrum of asset classes, geographies, investment products and risk profiles, while Mastern America has a track record of developing major office buildings in big cities, including One Madison Avenue in New York’s Manhattan district.

Under the MoU, the three corporations will collaborate on smart real estate initiatives, incorporating DX technologies such as AI, IoT and automation to transform building management efficiency and enhance user experiences. The initiative will focus on investment and development of smart technology into SomeraRoad projects including hotels and luxury condo projects and multi-family residential properties within mixed-use projects in Kansas City, Nashville and other locations. Additionally, they will explore projects that implement DX technology in smart aviation infrastructure, with the aim of expanding and diversifying their business models.

LG CNS will oversee the implementation of DX technology in SomeraRoad and Mastern America’s US real estate development projects, starting with using its Cityhub Building (www.lgcns.com/en/business/smartcity/cityhub) platform to transform hotels, resorts, multi-family residential properties and office buildings into smart buildings. Cityhub Building is an integrated building management platform offering functions such as data collection, facility control and energy management for large structures such as office buildings and factories.

The platform optimises building operations through data-driven insights and the simultaneous monitoring and management of multiple buildings across different locations and time zones. It can centralise the management of various equipment and systems in different buildings globally.

LG CNS provides DX services for employees, visitors and managers of smart buildings. This includes blockchain technology that can be used to create mobile access cards or digital employee IDs, replacing traditional plastic cards for a more convenient way to verify someone’s identity and grant access to offices, meeting rooms and amenities via smartphone. Users can also enjoy convenience by making payments at restaurants and cafes, accessing photocopiers, and boarding commuter buses seamlessly. The mobile access cards and employee IDs are equipped with blockchain-based decentralised ID (DID) technology to ensure secure mobile identity and credential authentication, safeguarding personal privacy and preventing hacking or data leaks.

LG CNS also provides a content management system (CMS) for digital media that enables the simultaneous delivery and management of various types of signage in large buildings. This lets smart building users tailor their digital content to their space and can even deliver important information in emergencies.

LG CNS will also introduce smart poles that collect city data in outdoor areas to support the development of smart cities. These streetlights leverage AI-powered CCTV and IoT sensors to monitor vehicle flow and pedestrian count accurately, enabling more effective traffic management. They can also track environmental factors such as air pollution, temperature and humidity in real time, helping cities better manage urban conditions.

“With demand for smart buildings in the USA on the rise, we plan to expand our smart building DX business nationwide, starting in Kansas City and Nashville, and extending to New York and other locations,” said Moon Keun Choi. “We also aim to broaden our efforts to include smart cities as another way of delivering even greater value to our clients across the USA.”

LG CNS (www.lgcns.com) is a Korean digital transformation (DX) company that pioneers emerging technologies such as the cloud, generative AI, big data, smart factory, smart city, smart logistics and digital marketing.