13.3.4.4 Smart Architecture
In the age of the IoT, “. . .buildings and cities are now expected to be ‘smart’ and
provide digital utility in the form of service to users and operators” (Rossi 2016).
Buildings and cities entering the virtual world bring about a transformation of
architecture in the age of Smart Cities. While the physical infrastructure is still
designed by architects, “. . .a different kind of architects now takes a prominent role
in the build of digital environments and their underlying IT-based systems” (Rossi
2016). Latest IT modelling tools take into account the complexity of “an
interconnected system of systems” (Rossi 2016). Building systems, security systems, and fire systems are all integrated into this kind of tools, allowing their
providers to offer tailor-made services to Smart City planners (Rossi 2016).
Smart City architecture is also associated with increased density due to “smarter,”
smaller, more ecological, and lower-cost housing for future cities which are supposed to be restricted in space (Kane 2016). This might include smart buildings
including Smart Homes, i.e., homes furnished with remote-controlled connected
appliances, devices, and sensors capable of interacting among themselves (Bhati
et al. 2017). A Smart Home equipment may include air conditioners with temperature sensors interconnected with a web-based management system including smart
meters connected to energy providers who can give behavioral feedback in favor of
efficient energy usage (Bhati et al. 2017). So, consumers can monitor their electricity
consumption in a flexible way along with lifestyle changes to save electricity. Selfregulating Nest thermostats can track whether you are at home or away to adjust the
temperature and control other Smart Home devices (Newman 2016). Windows of
smart buildings automatically darkening themselves on a sunny day, sensors
detecting if a room is empty, thus making the heating automatically turn off, and
humidity sensors may improve the occupants’ quality of life and worker productivity (Harvard Business Review 2016; Robinson 2012; Perry 2017). Smart security
features like smart motion sensors and cameras can make buildings burglarproof
(Bhati et al. 2017).
A really smart building should be ecological on several accounts. The material for
the construction of a smart building (walls, doors, and window frames) and the kind
of coloring for the coating surface should equally take into consideration energy
efficiency and the health of the inhabitants (Bhati et al. 2017). For the urban
population with high-rise buildings, it is crucial to consider both environmental
well-being and energy efficiency which may be done by rooftop solar energy making
smart cities households self-sustaining in their energy requirements as well as
through the design of the architecture with balconies, terraces, and green spaces
for vertical gardens (Bhati et al. 2017).
Promoting the construction of many new homes in Smart Cities by the argument
that cities lacked affordable and energy-efficient living space is pushed to the
extreme in some large US-American Cities like San Francisco by architects propagating shrinking smallest living spaces by one-third, planning to “pack” thousands
of young high-tech workers into “. . .12-by-12-foot boxes in high-rises. . .” (Niesner
13 The Role of Smart Cities for the Realization of. . .
221
In the age of the IoT, “. . .buildings and cities are now expected to be ‘smart’ and
provide digital utility in the form of service to users and operators” (Rossi 2016).
Buildings and cities entering the virtual world bring about a transformation of
architecture in the age of Smart Cities. While the physical infrastructure is still
designed by architects, “. . .a different kind of architects now takes a prominent role
in the build of digital environments and their underlying IT-based systems” (Rossi
2016). Latest IT modelling tools take into account the complexity of “an
interconnected system of systems” (Rossi 2016). Building systems, security systems, and fire systems are all integrated into this kind of tools, allowing their
providers to offer tailor-made services to Smart City planners (Rossi 2016).
Smart City architecture is also associated with increased density due to “smarter,”
smaller, more ecological, and lower-cost housing for future cities which are supposed to be restricted in space (Kane 2016). This might include smart buildings
including Smart Homes, i.e., homes furnished with remote-controlled connected
appliances, devices, and sensors capable of interacting among themselves (Bhati
et al. 2017). A Smart Home equipment may include air conditioners with temperature sensors interconnected with a web-based management system including smart
meters connected to energy providers who can give behavioral feedback in favor of
efficient energy usage (Bhati et al. 2017). So, consumers can monitor their electricity
consumption in a flexible way along with lifestyle changes to save electricity. Selfregulating Nest thermostats can track whether you are at home or away to adjust the
temperature and control other Smart Home devices (Newman 2016). Windows of
smart buildings automatically darkening themselves on a sunny day, sensors
detecting if a room is empty, thus making the heating automatically turn off, and
humidity sensors may improve the occupants’ quality of life and worker productivity (Harvard Business Review 2016; Robinson 2012; Perry 2017). Smart security
features like smart motion sensors and cameras can make buildings burglarproof
(Bhati et al. 2017).
A really smart building should be ecological on several accounts. The material for
the construction of a smart building (walls, doors, and window frames) and the kind
of coloring for the coating surface should equally take into consideration energy
efficiency and the health of the inhabitants (Bhati et al. 2017). For the urban
population with high-rise buildings, it is crucial to consider both environmental
well-being and energy efficiency which may be done by rooftop solar energy making
smart cities households self-sustaining in their energy requirements as well as
through the design of the architecture with balconies, terraces, and green spaces
for vertical gardens (Bhati et al. 2017).
Promoting the construction of many new homes in Smart Cities by the argument
that cities lacked affordable and energy-efficient living space is pushed to the
extreme in some large US-American Cities like San Francisco by architects propagating shrinking smallest living spaces by one-third, planning to “pack” thousands
of young high-tech workers into “. . .12-by-12-foot boxes in high-rises. . .” (Niesner
13 The Role of Smart Cities for the Realization of. . .
221