Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) is a concept of fibre connectivity to residential and commercial buildings that is fast taking root worldwide. The concept entails the installation of fibre optic cables into a new building right from the initial design and building phases. It’s similar to Fibre to the Home (FTTH) but has greater scope and is conceptualized to facilitate the creation of ‘intelligent properties’. Intelligent building is a concept construed to mean integrating technology and process to create a facility (be it residential or commercial) that is safer, more comfortable and productive for its occupants and more operationally efficient for its owners.
Intelligent building is seen as a futuristic concept that is poised to change the way the building and construction industry is driven in years to come. It has various advantages including:
• Energy efficiency – Intelligent properties are green. Owing to their ability to optimize processes and conserve energy, the buildings in this category are termed as energy efficient and productive compared to the traditional/conventional properties. This makes them even more appealing and valuable.
• Reduced operational cost – In intelligent building, one can centralize the essential services to run on the fibre network already installed during the construction time. Services such as CCTV, ventilation, heating, access control, alarm systems etc can be layered on the fibre network thence reducing the overheads otherwise spent on hiring service providers and/or making new installations.
• Aesthetic Integrity - Installing fibre at the construction stage allows architects and project managers’ factor in the connections just like other utilities e.g. electricity cables. This in the end ensures that the original design and finishing of a building is not interfered with hence maintaining its integrity.
AccessKenya is keen on developing this Building Management Systems concept so as to champion the adoption of technology and create futuristic premises that will simplify lives through enhanced efficiency.