Intelligent Buildings in Kenya

Abstract

Buildings have a profound impact on the quality of our lives and on the world around us. They have enhanced our communities and enriched our well-being. On the commercial front, they support and house the operations of our businesses. Intelligent Buildings (IBs) have been touted to be a significant milestone in office buildings with the potential for increased efficiency in the management of building services, energy savings and positive returns on investment. Despite these benefits, the uptake and application of the IB technology in Kenya is still very slow. Consequently a pioneer study was undertaken to identify the elements of IBs technology adopted and their applications in Kenya. Moreover, the study investigates the benefits of IBs - to developers, occupants and property managers and lastly establishes the challenges of implementing intelligent technologies in Kenya. The study employed a case study approach of the few intelligent buildings which are rich in information. Purposive sampling was accordingly used to select two case studies which were subjected to intensive analysis. The study recommends the complete integration of all building services to the Building Management System (BMS), sensitization of the stakeholders and proper documentation by pioneer projects as a way of creating general awareness and demystifying wrong perception about IBs. This may eventually lead to a paradigm shift from reactive to proactive management of building services and utilities for the benefit of developers, managers and users of commercial buildings