The School of Engineering at the University of Tokyo has set up the Smart Building System Research Initiative with industry partners.

Launching this week, the initiative brings together Dai-Dan, Kandenko, Kyudenko, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Shinryo, Taikisha, Takasago Thermal Engineering, Tokyo Electric Power and Tonets.

This research initiative aims to expedite the realisation of green transformation (GX) by fostering collaborative research on smart building systems, aiming for building services technology to contribute towards achieving GX, including carbon neutrality. Additionally, by promoting the advancement of academic fields and nurturing talent in smart building systems, it aims to enhance and deepen engineering capabilities in the field of building services.

Annual energy consumption during the operational phase of buildings constitutes approximately 30 to 40% of total societal energy consumption, with a significant portion of energy usage in commercial buildings attributed to building systems, particularly air conditioning. At the same time, building systems can play a crucial role in energy conservation by optimising their operation, harnessing renewable energy sources for greater self-sufficiency, and contributing to grid stability through demand response mechanisms.

Building systems play a pivotal role in addressing the societal challenge of GX. Moreover, making building systems smarter is necessary for the effective realisation of GX.

To achieve GX, continuous monitoring of indoor conditions and equipment status using high-resolution sensors, coupled with emulation (digital twin cyber system) synchronised with real-world conditions, is vital. These efforts are essential for offering innovative services and proposing value, such as creating comfortable human-centric environments, reducing CO₂ emissions and costs, and influencing behaviour change.

Traditional building systems, often implemented as isolated products lacking detailed emulation, have hindered holistic studies for value creation. However, through the emulation capabilities developed in this initiative, the partners hope to facilitate the creation of diverse services and algorithms and generate training data for AI, thereby accelerating the transition to smarter buildings while serving as a catalyst for establishing new businesses that drive societal transformation.

Through the initiatives undertaken, the partners will work towards enhancing the value of smart building systems that cater to diverse needs and explore new markets. Moreover, they say they are committed to constructing and institutionalising an innovative academic framework for smart building systems, providing a solid foundation to support the ongoing development and deployment of skilled professionals in creating and managing smart building systems.

For more information about the School of Engineering at the University of Tokyo, go to www.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/soe.