Advancing digital innovation in the management of buildings

OpenBlue

Launched in 2020, OpenBlue was designed with agility, flexibility and scalability in mind, to enable disparate building systems to work together and communicate with one another. It comprises a catalogue of both software and connected products that use technology to connect, predict, manage and optimize building operation and business outcomes. OpenBlue stretches across the company’s entire portfolio and spans industry verticals, solution suites, software and technology, and beyond. This includes energy-efficient YORK® chillers connected to the OpenBlue cloud with AI, thus allowing for remote diagnostics and predictive maintenance; as well as comprehensive packages to deliver a broad set of outcomes, such as OpenBlue Healthy Buildings and OpenBlue Net Zero Buildings. The digital innovation in the company is advanced by OpenBlue Innovation Centers across the world, working round-the-clock and showcasing how advanced technologies are creating smart buildings of the future. The network is expanding and now, Johnson Controls has nine OpenBlue Innovation Centers, including in Cork, Ireland; Pune, India; San Jose, USA; Singapore; and Wuxi, China. All of the centres are designed for seamless, expeditious collaboration between expert teams.

OpenBlue Innovation Center in Singapore

The OpenBlue Innovation Center in Singapore is a key node in this global network, leveraging the rich ecosystem of innovators in Singapore and the region. In collaboration with National University of Singapore (NUS) and Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), the centre was launched in 2020 with four key pillars:

• Solution innovation and co-creation
• Platform and solution engineering
• Research and innovation
• Ecosystem orchestration

Located at SDE4 in NUS, the 240m2 centre is a living laboratory for a new breed of customisable, contact-free applications built on OpenBlue. The centre is packed with sensors to measure temperature, humidity, Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and occupancy levels, and other parameters, within facilities. It deploys Johnson Controls Metasys Building Automation System and will have the OpenBlue Enterprise Manager (OBEM) software, enabling SDE4 to further reduce its carbon footprint. The digital twin of the centre serves as a model and showcase for integrated operations. Through both third-party and Johnson Controls solutions, the digital twin provides real-time data on a slew of key wellness and environmental parameters, when it fully integrates with OBEM. This will offer more insights on IAQ and wellness, further supporting the joint research by Johnson Controls and NUS on occupant experience.

The centre has brought together academics, students, industry leaders, small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups, to innovate. Some of the achievements to-date include:

• About 300 use-cases developed in the areas of sustainability, digitalization and wellness, through co-innovation and design workshops with industry players.
• Encouraging ecosystem partners by showcasing their work. Seven startup solutions have been deployed in the centre.
• A research collaboration agreement signed with NUS, in 2021, with the joint commitment to invest SGD 5 million for research in the Built Environment sector.
• The training of 34 mid-career individuals on ‘Digital Transformation in the Built Environment’, in collaboration with SkillsFuture Singapore. Four of the
  trainees have secured full-time employment in Johnson Controls.
• Scaling up solutions to other parts of NUS, e.g., the School of Medicine.

Achieving digital transformation and a green economy Johnson Controls has a sizeable installed base in Singapore, with around 40% of commercial buildings carrying the company’s solutions or using its services, to-date. Large property developers, major banks and many mission-critical facilities are among the customers. The company also recognises the need to nurture more talents for the digital transformation of the Built Environment. The company has been appointed by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) as the SkillsFuture Queen Bee in the Built Environment sector. Over a three-year period, commencing in 2022, Johnson Controls will mentor small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the sector to develop digital capabilities to transform their businesses and kickstart their sustainability journeys. Since 2021, Johnson Controls has been collaborating with Ngee Ann Polytechnic to run the SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways Programme on digital transformation in the Built Environment - another initiative under SkillsFuture Singapore. Singapore is also a focal market in Asia Pacific, for the company’s most advanced offerings such as the OpenBlue Net Zero Buildings, a turnkey solution.

The article was first published on The Singapore Engineer Magazine