Bengaluru tops India smart buildings tally: Honeywell-IMRB Survey

BENGALURU: Bengaluru has invested the most in smart buildings owing to newer construction, while Mumbai can do more, a new study of 2,000 buildings across India by Honeywell and research-specialist IMRB International revealed.

Thes study showed that government, building owners and service providers need to invest more in smart building technologies to better serve India’s rapidly urbanizing population and help create sustainable cities and infrastructure.

While the country’s airports and hotels are leading the way with smart building technologies, the survey found that in general the smartness of buildings in India is low. It marks the debut of the new Honeywell Smart Building Score, a global tool that evaluates buildings based on each facility’s use of technologies to make the building green, safe, and productive – three key aspects of smart buildings.

The survey findings were accompanied by a white paper from Honeywell and Ernst and Young, 'Smart Buildings Make Smart Cities,' which details how targeted investment in smart buildings can be used to drive economic and environmental benefits, protect human life and building assets, and support India’s goal to develop 100 Smart Cities.

"The Indian government’s 100 Smart Cities plan is a forward-looking initiative that aims to improve quality of life and make the country a smarter place to live. We are pleased that Honeywell is taking an active role in this Smart Cities project through its Smart Building Score,” said US Ambassador Richard Verma at an event.

“Implementing smart building solutions can make facilities more connected and adaptive, reduce energy and operating costs, and improve the safety and quality of life for occupants and users,” said Alex Ismail, President and CEO of Honeywell Automation and Control Solutions. “The Honeywell Smart Building ScoreTM makes it simple and easy for building owners and facility managers to identify the right technologies to make their buildings greener, safer, and more productive. Although we have applied the Honeywell Smart Building ScoreTM first in India, we are planning similar initiatives around the world.”

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he 2,000 buildings participating in the survey covered 10 key building verticals: airports, hotels, hospitals, private offices, retail, surface transport, government offices, education and social spaces, public services, and residential. These buildings are located in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Pune.