Latest from Building Automation

Modular Building Institute

Property-Management Giant Launches Smart-Building Portfolio Management System

Nov. 18, 2011
Facility- and property-management firm Jones Lang LaSalle has launched an integrated building-management solution that combines cloud-based, smart-building technology with a team of engineering and operations professionals to enable real-time remote monitoring and control of its facilities and portfolios worldwide.

Facility- and property-management firm Jones Lang LaSalle has launched an integrated building-management solution that combines cloud-based, smart-building technology with a team of engineering and operations professionals to enable real-time remote monitoring and control of its facilities and portfolios worldwide.

Jones Lang LaSalle provides facility- and property-management services to more than 250 major corporations totaling 1.8 billion square feet of real estate globally.

The IntelliCommand portfolio management system enables real-time monitoring and control of worldwide portfolios to deliver seamless solutions from a central location. IntelliCommand's continuous commissioning feature monitors the performance of building systems and equipment, from HVAC to air compressors, to ensure that all systems operate at peak efficiency individually and in combination with one another.

IntelliCommand is designed to:

• Identify anomalies in building systems that might otherwise go unnoticed until they become significant expenses

• Provide continuous commissioning by constantly monitoring all systems to ensure they are within parameters for optimal operating conditions

• Monitor worldwide portfolios from a central location to allow immediate response where and when it is needed

• Diagnose possible causes of an issue, so that energy and facility professionals can show up with the right tools and equipment to make repairs efficiently.

“IntelliCommand allows companies to achieve unprecedented gains in efficiency and productivity across their portfolios that show up on the bottom line,” said Chris Browne, international director of integrated facilities management (IFM) at Jones Lang LaSalle. “With the advent of so many innovative technological breakthroughs—from cloud computing to robotics—the real estate industry is beginning to take notice of smart-building potential. IntelliCommand is one of the first solutions to fully leverage this power.”

“IntelliCommand more than pays for itself in a short time based on energy-savings alone, estimated at 18 percent within 18 months of implementation,” said Dan Probst, chairman of energy and sustainability services at Jones Lang LaSalle. “In addition to the cost savings generated, IntelliCommand supports corporate sustainability goals by reporting and reducing the carbon footprint through its ability to measure energy consumption and greenhouse gases in real-time.”

IntelliCommand is designed to give a “voice” to each facility so that buildings can help eliminate their own inefficiencies. Direct benefits include significantly reduced energy costs, lower facility management costs over time, faster response times to facility issues, and enhanced control over information for strategic planning purposes.

“With IntelliCommand, building equipment and operational issues are resolved before they become complaints, problems, or failures,” Browne said. “The solution minimizes business disruption, increases the lifespan of equipment, and mitigates risk, but also contributes to the success of the business by improving employee comfort, satisfaction and productivity.”

IntelliCommand is powered via several command centers located across the globe that extract data from the building automation systems of buildings. This data is then analyzed through algorithms to spot trends, patterns, and anomalies. Using this information, the IntelliCommand team then diagnoses and resolves any issues in real-time using Jones Lang LaSalle's IFM platform, or the issue is resolved remotely and operations are fine-tuned for optimal performance through proactive and continuous monitoring.

IntelliCommand delivers managed services using Pacific Controls' Galaxy enterprise service delivery platform and Gbots, which are cognitive software robots, deployed across networks to accomplish diverse engineering tasks to assets across the world. Global assets are connected in real time to the firm's Enterprise Cloud using its M2M gateways.

“IntelliCommand, is a paradigm shift in the way buildings are managed and optimized," said Dilip Rahulan, chairman and CEO, Pacific Controls.