WZMH Architects, based in Toronto, California, has been accepted into Microsoft’s global Internet of Things (IoT) Insider Labs – a program designed to assist businesses in transforming the way people, devices, and data interact.
WZMH’s ‘Intelligent Structural Panel’ (ISP) offers a “plug and play infrastructure” that collects real-time data from localized surroundings and enables a range of devices such as lighting, HVAC, elevators, smoke alarms, and security systems to react and respond to the environment according to changes in movement, touch, sound, sunlight, room temperature, and personnel flow. The ultimate goal is to leverage the connectivity of technology to help make buildings more energy efficient, user friendly, barrier free, accessible, and safe. The ISP can be applied to numerous building types across a number of different sectors and is intended to be a prefabricated and modular solution that is cost effective and would reduce construction schedule and long-term operating costs. It would also allow the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) and the integration of all IoT connected devices.
“The Intelligent Structural Panel technology re-imagines the traditional approach to the design and build process, taking a critical look at how buildings are built from the inside out. Bringing smart technology directly into the fabric of the structure instead of applying it as an afterthought will improve the quality of the building’s performance,” said Zenon Radewych, principal, WZMH.
The Insider Labs program seeks out start-up and established firms to work alongside Microsoft experts from three bases in Redmond, USA; Shenzhen, China; and Munich, Germany. More information about the Microsoft Internet of Things Insiders Labs, including details on how to apply for the program, can be found here.