Smart Home Technology Fundamentals. This edition summarizes smart building technology. It starts by defining what a smart home is. Then it described the basic components - as structural and technological. It relates smart building technology to today's buildings. it posited some innovations leveraging the technology. The digest briefly explained the delivery process; the various smart home solutions and future possibilities.

1. B L A Z E A C A D E M Y
S M A R T H O M E
T E C H N O L O G Y
F U N D A M E N T A L S
I N T R O D U C T O R Y I N S I G H T S I N T O
S M A R T B U I L D I N G T E C H N O L O G Y
b l a z e t h r e a d . c o m / b l a z e - a c a d e m y @ B l a z e T h r e a d s
B L A Z E M O N T H L Y D I G E S T S - J A N U A R Y E D I T I O N

2. P R E F A C E
The most interesting thing about Architecture
is how it evolves from generation to
generation. I mean, what would the pages of
history look like without Architectural
Innovations? Some come as novel, some as
modification of its predecessor, and yet some
others as total opposition to older movements.
Every civilization expresses herself via an
Architectural movement, it seems.
Yet, Architecture in all her glory is a very slow
adopter of Technology. Thus, this
introductory book is a high-level insight into
how technology can be optimized for better
building delivery...
A N C I E N T
A R C H I T E C T U R E
When the Egyptians
were constructing the
pyramids, they were on
top of their game. You
ask me why? They were
pushing the resources
they had to
unimaginable extremes –
thousands of years and
those structures still
stand as wonders of the
ancient world – that’s a
testimony to the fact
that they were on top of
their game...
M O D E R N
A R C H I T E C T U R E
When the first industrial
revolution birthed the CAD
technology, it came with a
sweeping paradigm shift
towards the entire building
delivery. Coupled with the
accompanying
technological
advancements, buildings
grew in size, and uses -
commercial, corporate etc.
Unfortunately, so grew
their environmental
impacts; thus, the need for
sustainability, efficiency etc.
T H E S M A R T
A R C H I T E C T U R E
We live in an Information
Age. The internet protocol
has made us all next-door
neighbors. Devices keep
getting equipped with
capabilities unimaginable
just few years back. Since
every civilization expresses
herself via an Architectural
movement, how do this
Information Age do
likewise?
Is she doing so already?
Let's find out...

3. W H A T I S A S M A R T H O M E ?
Blaze defines a Smart Home as an integrated,
intelligent ‘device’ holistically-designed and
prefabricated - merging Architecture,
Technology and the Context.
Smart Building Technology has been defined
as the process of conceiving, designing,
constructing, commissioning, and operating
buildings, leveraging technology to optimize
the goals and objectives of the built
environment. (Sinopoli, 2010).
R E D U C E D
C O N S T R U C T I O N
C O S T
Smart Building Delivery
is a Holistic Process. This
in turn lends itself to
lesser wattages during
construction, as a result
of better collaboration
among the various
professionals...
R E D U C E D P O W E R
C O N S U M P T I O N
Smart Building
Technology is founded
on Sustainability. A
focal Technology
System integrated into
holistic smart homes is
the Electric Power
Management System
(EPMS). This monitors
and optimizes power
consumption...
B E T T E R P R O J E C T &
F A C I L I T Y
M A N A G E M E N T E T C .
A fundamental precinct
of Smart Building
Technology is Building
Information Modeling
(BIM). This makes smart
building delivery a
digital process; and
avails this digital
information to the
project and facility
manager during and
after construction...

4. B A S I C C O M P O N E N T S O F A
S M A R T H O M E
The basic components of a Smart Building are
the Building Structure/Fabric and the
Technology Systems. The Building Fabric
encompasses the structural and aesthetic
elements, while Technology Systems
encompasses the end, control and
administrative devices.
The Technology Systems of a Smart Home are
completely integrated with the building fabric
– for Holistic Smart Homes – to produce unified
products...
E N E R G Y S Y S T E M S
Energy Management is a
fundamental advantage
of technological
integrations in buildings.
This is provided by such
technological systems as
HVAC Systems, Lighting
Control Systems and the
EPMS...
F A C I L I T Y
M A N A G E M E N T
S Y S T E M
The BIM data gotten at
the end of the building
construction is primarily
utilized for the facility
management. Facility
management tools
usually come in the form
of enterprise software
packages offered by
facility management
companies - with web
interface/dashboards...
A U D I O - V I S U A L
S Y S T E M E T C .
The audio-visual system
is the most user-friendly
amongst all the
technology systems
integrated into smart
homes. This provides the
primary user interface
through which the end
users interact with the
smart home - for
entertainment, comfort
etc.

5. P R E S E N T D A Y S M A R T
H O M E S
It is a rising debate in the industry who owns
the future of Smart Buildings: Custom
Integrations Industry or the GAFA
Conglomerate? The former is globally
represented by such organizations as AVIXA
(formerly InfoComm) and CEDIA; while the
latter is basically Google-Apple-Facebook-
Amazon.
The question however is: "how smart is the
present day smart homes?"
C U S T O M
E L E C T R O N I C S
I N T E G R A T I O N
What is popularly referred
to as Smart Homes today is
mostly made possible by
the immense services
provided by this "small"
sector in the building
industry. A relatively high
level of specialty knowledge
is required here, and her
solutions are geared more
towards the luxury
populace – such systems as
Hi-fi Audio...
G A F A S O L U T I O N S
This solution is provided
by the innovative giants of
the century - unleashing
what could be
termed 'the 3rd industrial
revolution'.
A relatively lesser level of
specialty knowledge is
required here, and the
solutions are geared more
towards the younger
populace, and all – such
products as Apple Home
Kit…
T H E H O L I S T I C
S M A R T H O M E
Holistic Smart Homes
however is the smart
home of the future. The
solution here is basically
providing homes as a
unified single product -
same way Apple
products, for example
are unified single
products. This is only
achieved through an
Integrated Approach to
Building Delivery...

6. I N N O V A T I O N S T O S M A R T
H O M E S
It was a battle between Thomas Edison and
Nikola Tesla over which electricity model
should power the world – who won? Tesla
might have won on the commercial scale, but
guess what? A smart Home is a piece of a
residential gadget.
What Operating System do you think these
gadgets would run on..?
D I G I T A L
A R C H I T E C T U R E
Smart Homes maximize
technology in all facets. A
direct impact of this is the
delivery process. Smart
Homes are prefabricated;
thus, the delivery process
is almost completely
digital. The other digital
impact is the aesthetic
feel to smart homes.
These gadgets are
finished to reflect the
digital nature of the
Architecture...
O P E N - S O U R C E
A R C H I T E C T U R E
The technology systems in a
smart home are all based on
the standard open protocol -
the Internet Protocol, IP. This
brings about standardization
and interoperability amongst
all the technology systems.
The cabling infrastructure of
smart homes are also uniform
- the CAT cabling system. A
direct impact of this is that
the various devices and
gadgets of these systems
have IP address and can be
remotely monitored...
S U S T A I N A B L E
A R C H I T E C T U R E E T C .
Because smart homes are
unified gadgets, they can
be powered by Direct
Electricity, DC - thus saving
an immense amount of
power. The primary source
of this electricity would be
solar - whereby a solar grid
powers a network of smart
homes. Also, the materials
used in the building
fabrication are context-
sensitive and locally-
sourced...

7. T H E D E L I V E R Y O F A
S M A R T H O M E
The vehicle that delivers a smart home - from
programming phase to post-occupancy - is
innovation.
The entire process is an advancement on
the traditional building construction, and the
driving forces are efficiency, cost, and
ultimately, user satisfaction. The process is
centered on the following: The Team; The
Design; The Data – BIM; The Documents; and
The Fabrication.
P R E F A B R I C A T I O N
Prefabrication entails
assembling building
components offsite in sub-
assemblies, before erecting
the building onsite – these
components could be
digitally-fabricated or
traditionally-manufactured.
Some people refer to this as
Modular Architecture. The
success of this entire
process still lies on the
Building Information Model;
hence the need to
implement a BIM execution
plan...
D I G I T A L
F A B R I C A T I O N
Most of the components of a
smart building are digitally-
fabricated. This is achieved
either through additive
manufacturing or
subtractive manufacturing.
The information fed into the
Automated Machine Tools -
such as 3D printers - are
originated from the BIM
software. This brings about
numerous advantages, such
as speed, lesser wastages,
and ability to create
complex forms easily...
T H E A S S E M B L Y
L I N E
After the individual
components are
fabricated, the Smart
Home Delivery Company
‘reduces’ these
components into sub-
assemblies via an
assembly line in a Home
Fabrication Factory. This
parallels what is found in
car manufacturing
companies. In essence,
the entire building is
sub-assembled – ready
for final assembly onsite...

8. S M A R T H O M E S O L U T I O N S
What are the various applications for Holistic
Smart Home Delivery?
T I N Y H O M E S
Tiny Homes cater to the
middle-class – such middle-
class percentage that has an
eye for DIY. This mostly
entails the conversion of
shipping containers to
homes, and similar
innovations. In this solution,
the client is highly involved
in the entire delivery process;
and sometimes, supplies the
various materials. This is a
budget solution. The homes
here are also mostly one
floor – and are typically very
small in size...
L U X U R Y H O M E S
This solution caters to the
luxury class – the Tech-savvy
percentage of the of the
luxury class. The clientele
are not as involved in the
entire delivery process as
the Tiny Homes solutions.
There’s a high level of
technology integrations
here; and the homes could
be as high as three floors.
The fabrication technology
is also more advanced here –
featuring the most
advanced technologies
within budget...
S M A R T E S T A T E S E T C .
This is the hallmark of
Technology Infrastructure.
Smart Estates typically
would have more than one
typology/option for the
clients to choose from; as
well as support facilities that
make for a complete living
experience within the
estate. This solution could
go higher than three floors,
depending on such
constraints as land, location
etc. However, it is ideal to
stay within three floors...

9. T H E F U T U R E S M A R T
H O M E S
Based on this introductory insights, what do
you understand sets the future smart homes
apart from the present day smart homes?
I N T E G R A T E D
B U I L D I N G
T E C H N O L O G Y
The fundamental
difference between the
future smart homes and the
present day smart homes is
The Design and Delivery
Process.
Every professional involved
in the delivery process
collaborates via BIM tools,
according to a generally-
agreed BIM execution plan.
with their respective
specifications compliant
with industry standards...
C O V E R T S Y S T E M S
In the future, building
technology systems won't
just be 'interfaced' with the
building fabric; rather the
technology systems and the
building fabric will be Totally
Integrated. For example, the
Audio-visual devices will be
recessed into the building
fabric - only appearing when
needed; the surveillance
cameras will be just lens
integrated covertly into the
building fabric; IP telephones
will be just touchscreens on
the walls etc.
E F F I C I E N C Y E T C .
The future smart homes will
be very efficient facilities.
Firstly because diverse
Simulations and Analyses are
carried out during the design,
and various constraints are
measured and tested against.
Also, by utilizing such
innovative approaches as
solar power supply and DC
electricity, the power
consumption gets highly
optimized. Energy
consumption is also
monitored and controlled,
both actively and passively...

10. T H A N K Y O U !
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Copyright © 2018 Blaze Academy Ltd. All rights reserved.

11. A B O U T T H E A U T H O R
Udeze Onyema Daniel is a Young Visionary
Architect.
He is currently a Systems Designer at Hausba
Smart Homes: http://hausba.com
He is also a BIM Evangelist at Blaze Academy.
He has passion for continuous learning and
research, especially on ways to utilize
technology to optimize the AEC Industry and
the building delivery process.
M S C ,
A R C H I T E C T U R E
He bagged MSc, Architecture
from Obafemi Awolowo
University, Ile-Ife.
http://netque.oauife.edu.ng
C E R T I F I E D
T E C H N O L O G Y
S P E C I A L I S T
A Certified Technology
Specialist (CTS), awarded by
The Audio Visual and
Integrated Experience
Association (AVIXA):
http://bit.ly/AVIXA_CTS_Udeze
A U T O D E S K
C E R T I F I E D
P R O F E S S I O N A L
He is also an Autodesk Certified
Professional (ACP) for Autodesk
Revit Architecture – Revit
Architecture 2016-2018 – awarded
by Autodesk:
http://bit.ly/Autodesk_ACP_Udeze