Below view of trees and the glass wall of a tall building to the sky.

Intelligent building control using smart data technology

Deka Immobilien is relying on smart data technology to improve energy efficiency and promote decarbonisation. An intelligent building control system uses a digital twin to manage building operations optimally.

We use intelligent, scalable solutions in order to significantly reduce our portfolio’s energy consumption and CO2 emissions in the long term. MeteoViva is one of the partners helping Deka Immobilien achieve our ambitious sustainability goals.

Marcus Kohnke Head of Sustainability & Governance

Optimised indoor climate, lower operating expenses

Many buildings consume energy unnecessarily by allowing technical systems such as heating, cooling and ventilation to run even though the user does not need them at the time. Higher operating costs for the building and a worse carbon footprint are the result.

Digitalisation and connectivity measures make it possible to reduce a building’s ecological footprint compared to the average. This is where the smart data technology MeteoViva Climate developed by MeteoViva comes in. The tech company from Jülich, Germany, has developed building control software that amalgamates relevant operating data (such as energy and service prices, building physics and technology, as well as weather forecasts) in a dynamic digital building model and analyses it to proactively optimise the management of building services equipment.

Future environmental conditions and utilisation parameters are anticipated and used as a basis for calculating the most favourable settings for the building’s systems in order to achieve the desired indoor climate. The simulation model determines the ideal operating parameters for the systems and then intervenes directly to help control them. As a result, just the right amount of heating, cooling and fresh air flow into the building interior at the proper time to create the desired indoor climate.

Video MeteoViva Climate: MeteoViva Climate smart data technology gives buildings the right “intelligence”:

 

Smart data solution for greater well-being and energy efficiency

This technology provides a variety of benefits for anyone who uses a building.

  • Lower operating costs by adapting energy consumption to users’ needs

  • Reduced CO2 emissions throughout the building

  • Optimised indoor climate conditions and fewer employee complaints

The use of innovative smart data technology can save between 15% and 45% of indoor climate-related energy costs on average. We are initially aiming for this digital solution to help 100 Deka Immobilien portfolio properties achieve a real reduction in CO2 emissions of up to 15,000 tonnes per year.

Forward-looking examples of a sustainably optimised indoor climate that reduces energy consumption

The two Hamburg office and commercial buildings “Fleethof” and “Hohe Bleichen 7” are among the first fund properties to be equipped with MeteoViva’s smart data technology. Initially launched in Germany, the partnership was extended to include buildings in other European countries and the US in 2021.

Fleethof building in Hamburg during the day, with a radiant blue sky in the background. At the top left is an energy-saving icon reading “44% reduction in energy costs”. At the bottom right is a CO2 icon reading “444 tonnes saved”.

Fleethof, Stadthausbrücke 1–3 in Hamburg

Area: 15,664 sqm
Type: Six-storey office and commercial building with atrium
Technology: District heating, chillers and ventilation systems, building control system connected via BACnet-IP
Result in the first year: Energy costs reduced by 44% and 444 tonnes of CO2 emissions saved

Hohe Bleichen 7 office and commercial building in Hamburg

Area: 12,744 sqm
Type: Seven-storey office and commercial building with shops on the ground floor
Technology: District heating, chillers and ventilation systems, building control system connected via BACnet-IP
Result in the first year: Energy costs reduced by 22% and 68 tonnes of CO2 emissions saved

Hohe Bleichen building in Hamburg during the day, with a radiant blue sky in the background. At the top left is an energy-saving icon reading “22% reduction in energy costs”. At the bottom right is a CO2 icon reading “68 tonnes saved”.
Friedrich Carré in Berlin during the day, with a radiant blue sky in the background. At the top left is an energy-saving icon reading “34% reduction in energy costs”. At the bottom right is a CO2 icon reading “256 tonnes saved”.

Friedrich Carré 1 and 2 in Berlin

Area: 35,542 sqm
Type: Six office and retail buildings in an eight-story complex in Berlin-Mitte
Technology: District heating for static heating, ventilation system for heating, cooling and fresh air
Result in the first year: 256 tonnes of CO2 emissions saved. The controllable energy costs were reduced by 34% – significantly more than the forecast figure of 20%

GAP 15, Graf-Adolf-Platz 15 in Düsseldorf

Area: 43,722 sqm
Type: Office tower with 24 upper floors and low-rise building with four upper floors
Technology: District heating, chillers and ventilation systems, individual room temperature sensors
Result in the first year: Energy costs reduced by 19% and 260 tonnes of CO2 emissions saved

GAP building in Düsseldorf during the day, with a radiant blue sky in the background. At the top left is an energy-saving icon reading “19% reduction in energy costs”. At the bottom right is a CO2 icon reading “260 tonnes saved”.
The Tower 185 in Frankfurt am Main, with a radiant blue sky in the background. At the top left is an energy-saving icon reading “19% reduction in energy costs”. At the bottom right is a CO2 icon reading “487 tonnes saved”.

Tower 185 in Frankfurt am Main

Area: 102,905 sqm
Type: 50-storey high-rise building with office space and conference rooms
Technology: District heating and chillers. Ceiling heating, radiators, cooling ceilings and ventilation systems
Result in the first year: Energy costs reduced by 19% and 487 tonnes of CO2 emissions saved

Das Schloss shopping centre in Berlin

Area: 41,329 sqm
Type: Used as a shopping centre from basement 1 to floor 2. The leasable area on floors 3 and 4 has been fitted out as office space.
Technology: District heating, chillers and ventilation systems, individual room temperature sensors in retail units, additional room sensors fitted to office space
Result in the first year: 184 tonnes of CO2 emissions saved. The controllable energy costs were reduced by 20%

Das Schloss shopping centre in Berlin, with a radiant blue sky in the background. At the top left is an energy-saving icon reading “20% reduction in energy costs”. At the bottom right is a CO2 icon reading “184 tonnes saved”.
The Westend Sky building in Frankfurt am Main, with a radiant blue sky in the background. At the top left is an energy-saving icon reading “27% reduction in energy costs”. At the bottom right is a CO2 icon reading “193 tonnes saved”.

Westend Sky in Frankfurt am Main

Area: 15,736 sqm
Type: Office building with conference rooms, foyer and bistro area
Technology: Heating: Ceiling heating with individual room control, static heating
Ventilation: Ventilation and air conditioning systems with heat recovery, heat generated by gas boilers
Result in the first year: 27% reduction in energy costs and 193 tonnes of CO2 emissions saved

One St Peter’s Square in Manchester

Area: 26,585 sqm
Type: Offices, restaurant and café
Technology: Ventilation systems with fan coil units, gas boilers, vapor-compression chillers, floor heating (lobby), BACnet/IP
Result in the first year: 29% energy saving on heating and cooling, and CO2 emissions reduced by 108 tonnes

One St Peter’s Square in Manchester, with a radiant blue sky in the background. At the top left is an energy-saving icon reading “29% reduction in energy costs”. At the bottom right is a CO2 icon reading “108 tonnes saved”.
Solatys, Rue de Vienne/Rue du Rocher in Paris, with a blue sky in the background. At the top left is an energy-saving icon reading “38% reduction in energy costs”. At the bottom right is a CO2 icon reading “133 tonnes saved”.

Solstys, Rue de Vienne/Rue du Rocher in Paris

Area: 32,227 sqm
Type: Offices, restaurant and café
Technology: Ventilation systems with ceiling heating and cooling, district heating, vapor-compression chillers, floor heating (foyers), Modbus
Result in the first year: 133 tonnes of CO2 emissions saved and energy costs reduced by 38%

1999 K Street in Washington D.C.

Area: 25,276 sqm
Type: Offices and conference rooms
Technology: Ventilation systems with fan-powered VAVs and electric heater batteries, vapor-compression chillers, BACnet/IP
Result in the first year: Energy costs reduced by 27% and 157 tonnes of CO2 emissions saved

1999 K Street in Washington D.C., with a radiant blue sky in the background. At the top left is an energy-saving icon reading “27% reduction in energy costs”. At the bottom right is a CO2 icon reading “157 tonnes saved”.

Implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Icon of an eye with the earth as the pupil on a green background. At the top left is the number 13. To the right of the number are the words “climate action”.

13 Climate action

Each roll-out of this technology leads to a reduction in the property’s carbon footprint.

Icon of four buildings of different sizes on an orange background. At the top left is the number 11. To the right of the number are the words “sustainable cities and communities”.

11 Sustainable cities and communities

The roll-out of MeteoViva leads to increased user comfort in existing buildings.

Icon of an infinity symbol that includes an arrow on a dark orange background. At the top left is the number 12. To the right of the number are the words “responsible consumption and production”.

12 Responsible consumption and production

The use of MeteoViva reduces energy consumption while increasing user comfort.

Data-based building management gains importance in certification

For the real estate industry, planning, building and managing buildings sustainably is the order of the day. That is why certifications for sustainable buildings – such as DGNB, BREEAM or LEED – play an ever more important role. They enable a structured approach to rating buildings based on social, ecological and economic criteria while also acting as an external indicator of a building’s sustainability.

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