Washington, D.C., the Future of Buildings

Washington, D.C. is fast becoming the hub of smart building innovation. According to the U.S. Green Building Council’s Annual Top 10 States for LEED Green Building report, the region has been described as the epicenter of green building. Indeed, if Washington, D.C. were a state (which it should be), it would have the highest per capita LEED-certified gross square footage of any state—19.3 (compared to 3.4 in Illinois, for example). Of course, some say Washington, D.C. should never be compared to a state. Yet the city only trails 5 states in total LEED-certified floor space.

One path to greener buildings is through more intelligent buildings. When the systems that run buildings are better able to sense and react to real-world conditions, they are able to use less energy and create a healthier, more comfortable environment. This has translated into the steady expansion of sensors and controls that connect to each other and to the Internet—see Guidehouse Insights’ Internet of Things (IoT) for Residential Customers report for a more in-depth view. Though better connected buildings solve some problems, increased Internet connectivity can create substantial cyber security threats.

To Security and Beyond

Historically, buildings systems—such as lighting, HVAC, and security and access controls—have existed on their own isolated networks. Integrating them together not only provides opportunities for efficiencies in management, it also creates a rich source of data for analytics and optimization. To accomplish that, these once-isolated networks need to connect to the Internet.

On the face of it, there doesn’t seem to be a threat for anything more than a nuisance. What is the problem if someone alters the temperature in a building? The problem is that once a device on a building network is compromised, it can be used as a point of attack for other devices on the network. As a result, the increased convergence of building systems and IT systems can leave companies’ entire IT systems vulnerable to attacks routed through building systems.

Though these cyber vulnerabilities threaten intelligent buildings themselves, they may not threaten Washington’s reign over smart building installations. Washington, D.C. could see $1 billion in cyber venture funding in 2016. As industries that rely on things connected to the Internet—such as robotics, the IoT, and intelligent buildings—continue to flourish, the need for advanced security will drive investment.