Buildings get smarter with data-driven architecture
Improving energy efficiency in the European building sector, where nearly 40 % of the EU’s energy is consumed, is of paramount concern. Advances in big data, AI and the internet of things (IoT) are creating new opportunities for exploiting data-driven solutions in smart building energy management. The EU-funded MATRYCS project delivers big data applications that align architecture and vocabularies to strengthen interoperability in the smart building ecosystem.
MATRYCS reference architecture
The MATRYCS architecture reflects scientific, technological and business objectives that have been validated in 11 large-scale pilots. The demonstration sites involve diverse constituencies with respect to region, scale and perspective. According to project coordinator Francesco Saverio Nucci: “Results from our pilots are relevant to many different energy consumption aspects, such as building energy performance and building design, but also policy and funding mechanisms in areas where buildings are located.” MATRYCS promotes building information management (BIM) in a number of ways. Aligning schematic vocabularies delivers improved interoperability in data management. Scientific and technological applications rely on exploitation of machine learning and digital twins to optimise analytics. These advances are in service to policy makers and the smart building business community, enabling wiser governance and investment. Building on the reference architecture, MATRYCS offers stakeholders a one-stop-shop analytics toolbox. Nucci says: “The most promising result of the project is the MATRYCS modular toolbox. It realises a holistic, state-of-the-art AI-empowered framework for decision-support models, data analytics and visualisations for digital building twins.”
Big data alliance
In addition to many technical achievements, the project has advanced communication and dissemination of information within the smart building sector. In the course of the project, the consortium started a new community called the big data alliance (BDA). BDA is a structured collaborative space for stakeholders to come together to work on problems facing smart building energy management. One of the biggest challenges facing the building sector is access to data. There is a great deal of data relevant to smart buildings, but the low degree of interoperability in systems makes it difficult to exploit the full potential of big data analytics. Nucci states that: “We have pushed and continue to push citizens, policy people and local governments to face this problem and to communicate the importance of access to data and to improve synergies in sharing them.” MATRYCS has organised and managed two online meetings of BDA members as well as the first in-person event. The project has made sure that BDA members are actively engaged in workshops related to toolbox replication. The alliance is a critical initiative for amplifying the dissemination of project results and will ensure the work of the project continues. Other avenues through which MATRYCS achievements will carry forward include other EU-funded projects, such as ENERSHARE. Buildings that leverage big data, AI and the IoT are essential to meeting Europe’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. Currently, their potential is being underutilised. MATRYCS, with a focus on big data architecture, helps to realise the full potential of smart buildings.
Keywords
MATRYCS, AI, big data, interoperability, reference architecture, smart buildings, building information management (BIM), schematic vocabularies, MATRYCS toolbox, big data alliance (BDA)
