President’s Blog - Smart Buildings Show highlights bright future for the building controls sector

Having attended the recent Smart Buildings Show, I came away from the event feeling very much enthused about the future of the Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS) sector.

The two-day event, that took place at London ExCeL on Wednesday 9th and Thursday 10th October, brought together many of the building controls industry’s leaders and decision-makers, leading to more than 13 hours of thought-provoking debates, discussions, and speeches – all aimed at enhancing the sector and furthering the drive towards sustainability.

The 2,000+ visitors were treated to some incredible conferences and panel discussions from more than 100 speakers, ranging from the leveraging of digital services to harness the energy efficiency of smart buildings and how LoRaWAN is transforming buildings and outdoor spaces, to the future of building automation and the CO2 impact of hardware for sustainability projects in smart buildings.

Alongside the engaging and inspiring debates and discussions, more than 90 of the industry’s leading names and manufacturers displayed some of their latest and most fascinating products that are sure to shape the industry in the coming years.

With sustainability, energy efficiency, and quality at their core, the products, systems, and software presented by the talented designers and creators left me in no doubt that the industry remains one of the world’s drivers of technology and innovation.

I was also delighted to host the BCIA  panel debate, featuring input from Andrew Cooke, Co-Director of Industrial Decarbonisation and Energy Trading at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Tony Small, Head of Engineering Services at University of Liverpool, Joanna Harris, the UK and I Hard FM Ambassador at Sodexho, and Jon Belfield, InTandem Systems’ Managing Director.

The lively discussion identified the challenges of turning existing buildings into smart buildings, including financial misconceptions, the need for greater government policy-making and support, and the benefits of closer collaboration between all members of the industry.  

BCIA’s Young Engineers Network also hosted a CPD session. Delivered by Paul Fahy of Tridium, the Network explored the fast-moving convergence of Operational Technology and Information Technology and how this will impact how BMS Controls Engineers plan projects. 

There is no better opportunity than meeting existing and potentially new members, clients and suppliers in-person, with Smart Buildings Show a must-do event in the BCIA’s calendar. 

BCIA breakfast series further highlights hurdles industry must overcome

As we’ve approached exhibition season, we’ve also been keen to take BCIA out to members and held four successful member breakfasts during September.  Aimed at providing members with an opportunity to discuss the key issues and challenges the industry is facing, such as the mounting skills shortage in the built environment, the series of breakfast meetings saw many new initiatives and approaches discussed and explored.

Indeed, the focus on talent attraction and retention saw members highlighting the challenges associated with retaining members in specific building controls areas, such as pre-commissioning, project management, controls engineering, and technical support. As a result, fast-track/bootcamp-style entry pathways were suggested as a way of bringing people in from other industries or backgrounds.

With so many more talented professionals needed in the industry in the near future, it was also recommended that employers pro-actively attend initiatives such as career’s days. The BCIA will look to develop and provide materials for members to support them going into colleges and schools in the coming years.

The other major talking-point from the breakfast series was that of accountability, with members revealing a lack of understanding about building controls specification from those outside the industry. To facilitate a drive for greater quality, consultant-specific controls training, BCIA codes/best practice standards to encourage witnessing for sign-off of projects, and manufacturer video guides to improve installation quality were all suggested and discussed.

All attendees came away from the breakfasts with a stronger drive to provide empowering and rewarding work environments and increase accountability and quality standards across the industry as a whole.

The feedback to this new initiative has proved positive and we are already planning more for 2025. 

The future of the building controls sector is bright, but we all need work together to make sure that people, both inside and outside the industry, know that too.