BGES group harnesses IoT technology to deliver a healthy learning environment at Barony Campus
BGES Group has transformed performance monitoring at Scotland’s most innovative learning facility, using specialist Internet of Things (IoT) technology.
The new Barony Campus in Cumnock is the biggest and most ambitious capital project ever undertaken by East Ayreshire Council, consolidating five schools into one shared community campus.
The council has prioritised occupant health and wellbeing since design stage, and this continues to be a key focus now that the building is operational. Facilities staff use environmental data reports from specialist consultancy IES to continually optimise internal comfort conditions, as well as identifying energy waste.
However, the previous manual download process for accessing the data allowed potential for data loss and error and was proving time consuming.
BGES Group was asked to provide a specialist technical solution that would automate the download process and improve the reliability of the data for analysis.
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Solution
Across the five buildings on site, BGES Group has delivered specialist installation and configuration of MQTT: an OASIS standard messaging protocol for the Internet of Things.
MQTT is an extremely lightweight publish/subscribe messaging transport that is ideal for connecting remote devices with a small code footprint and minimal network bandwidth. We used functionality of existing software to allow data transfer from site to BGES Group’s cloud-based MQTT broker. We included additional data points to enhance the information and analytics offered. And, to guarantee no onsite disruption to this busy campus, we carried out all the work remotely off site.
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Outcome
BGES Group’s MQTT solution has automated the download process, which not only saves IES a huge amount of time, but also greatly improves the reliability of the data for analysis. IES and site staff now have visibility of environmental data including temperature, air quality, lux levels and humidity. It also gives IES historical data, allowing for well-informed analysis of trends. The data can now be automatically sent to IES’ system rather than being manually added in, improving speed and accuracy.
David McCreath, Senior Engineer at East Ayreshire Council said: “The investment has already paid for itself by allowing IES more time to focus on the analysis of the site. This is the first time East Ayrshire Council has invested in MQTT technology. It has transformed performance monitoring at this complex new build campus and EAC is very happy with the outcome. The team at BGES Group have been very professional, responsive, and proactive. East Ayrshire Council would have no hesitation in working with BGES Group in the future on similar projects.”
To learn more about our recent building optimisation and IoT projects, read our case studies.