Singapore-based infrastructure company Surbana Jurong has installed 3,000 Sigfox sensors at Temasek Polytechnic in Singapore. Local IoT provider and Sigfox operator UnaBiz has provided the sensors, as well as the airtime to connect them. The sensors will feed data into a digital twin model of the technical university’s facilities to identify faults and anticipate risks in various connected mechanical and electrical systems across the entire campus.
Government-owned Surbana Jurong won a tender from Temasek Polytechnic to deploy “one of Singapore’s largest” digital integrated facilities management (IFM) service platforms on its 30-hectare campus in the town of Tampines, on the eastern side of Singapore. Sensors will be distributed across buildings, landscape, and ‘linkways’ on the campus. UnaBiz has been appointed as ‘technology partner’ on the project.
A statement said Sigfox sensors will be attached to air conditioning and mechanical ventilation systems to monitor and manage temperature and humidity levels, and fixed across the campus infrastructure to identify occupancy and usage patterns, and to re-configure the campus to be more energy efficient and cost-effective to operate.
The work is in line with the Singapore government building and construction authority’s vision for ‘integrated digital delivery (IDD), also a key plank in the government’s ‘construction industry transformation map’, to digitally combine building operations and maintenance work streams. It is also aligned with Singapore’s focusses on raising digital skills, by tapping into students at the site, and integrating technology through “design, construction, and operations”.
Gary Png, director of estates and facilities management at Temasek Polytechnic, commented: “We have 49 buildings spread across a 30-hectare campus, so it makes sense to pursue and implement smart facilities management. This will not only be sustainable and save on resources, but will also benefit our students in integrated facility management, who will get hands-on experience.”
James Chan, managing director at Surbana Jurong’s facilities management arm SMM Pte, said: “We are stepping up our service delivery with an innovative digital solution. One distinct benefit of our solution will be enabling Temasek Polytechnic to receive real-time information of the environment as well as the health condition of the various mechanical and electrical systems, and to rectify them before they become faulty or waste unnecessary energy and cost as a result.”
Jonathan Tan, managing director at UnaBiz in Singapore, said: “The convergence of digital twin, IoT, and machine learning [technology] will allow facility managers to transform data into actions. Real-time access to accurate data [will] empower facility managers to respond to issues immediately, predict and prevent breakdowns, optimise building performance, and increase energy efficiency. These are the key drivers of sustainability at large.”
