London’s smartest building, 150 Holborn, was the setting for the Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA)’s Young Engineers Network (YEN)’s latest event – giving over 30 young engineers the chance to experience some of the most innovative and sustainable solutions in the flesh.
Utilising the latest smart building technology, the Sidara headquarters features a fully integrated Workplace Management System, Computer Aided Facility Management, and a mobile application tool to enable occupants to effectively engage with the building’s systems and infrastructure.
In fact, the building’s sustainability solutions and initiatives fully support collaboration, productivity, sustainability, and occupant wellbeing.
Featuring more than four hours of networking, panel discussions, group activities, demonstrations of software and hardware platforms, and a building tour, the event was a tremendous success, with attendees taking away:
- Knowledge of future sustainability initiatives – with 150 Holborn being London’s smartest building, attendees got a glimpse of the strategies and schemes in place to cut emissions
- Hands-on smart building technology experience – innovative smart building technology, including BEMS hardware and software, was demonstrated
- Appreciation for new approaches – inspired by the building and the company, attendees had the opportunity to explore different ideas and think outside the box
- Connections and relationships – attendees took part in group activities and presentations, sharing ideas and working collaboratively with fellow professionals
Employers also benefitted from:
- Inspired employees – young professionals eager to develop and inspired to create smarter and greener buildings in the future
- More knowledgeable talent – BEMS engineers coming back to the company with greater understanding and enhanced expertise
- A greater focus on innovation – individuals keen to incorporate cutting-edge technology and solutions into building design and construction.
Lucy Gale, Customer Success Specialist at Schneider Electric, arranged the event and was delighted with how it had been received. She said: “It was a fantastic day and it was a pleasure to see the young engineers sharing ideas and working collaboratively to enhance an already incredibly smart building. Events like this are so important in inspiring the next generation of building services professionals. The energy, curiosity and creativity on display were truly impressive. It was also a great example of how collaboration across the industry can drive innovation and promote more sustainable practices in building controls. We’d also like to say a huge thank you to Sidara, Schneider Electric and BCIA for the support they provided.”
Josh Steel, Chair of the YEN, couldn’t hide his delight at getting to explore London’s smartest building and emphasised how important this sort of event was for the young engineers in attendance. He said: “I’ve been blown away by the design of this building and it’s very insightful to see the level of planning and detail that goes into it.
“What an unbelievable day we had. It was superb and it’s important to acknowledge these days are all put on for young engineers. They really took away an awful lot and it was so helpful for their development and appreciation of just how technology can improve building efficiency.”
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