Review of the Digital Building of the Future conference

On Wednesday 11 June, the Sustainability Factory in Dordrecht was the stage for the Digital Building of the Future conference. Eleven exhibitors and 84 visitors met at the event that focused on innovation and sustainability in the built environment.

The chairman of the FHI Building Automation sector, Richard Daamen, opens the Digital Building of the Future (DGT) conference on this beautiful sunny day. He takes on the role of chairman with great enthusiasm and says with conviction: “At DGT we flatten it. No difficult words here. FHI stands for practical solutions”.

The large hall on the fourth floor of the Duurzaamheidsfabriek offers a wide view over Dordrecht. Visitors trickle in one by one with a cup of hot coffee in their hands. Richard cordially invites everyone to take a seat inside. “DGT”, he says, “is about technology, about innovation and what is possible now”.

The Sustainability Factory is a clear example of a building with a view to the future. This is where circular thinking and sustainability come together. Creative quiet places alternate with practical spaces full of technical equipment. The versatile building is all about innovative technology that is tested and developed here. The foundation of the Sustainability Factory is the partnership between business, education and government. FHI encourages this partnership and seeks connections.

Five speakers are central today. In addition, there is of course ample time to visit the information square where the exhibitors present their solutions to the visitors.

Leontien de Waal of ABN AMRO gives the opening presentation. Challenged by the chair, she tackles all the major social problems by the horns. From artificial intelligence via shortage of technical staff and challenges in education to network congestion and everything else that is important for the bank. In 25 minutes, the audience is on edge. “We have the necessary challenges ahead of us,” she says with a sense of understatement. And suddenly there is a huge green elephant on the screen: the climate. “We have to make it more sustainable!” is her closing and clear exhortation to the audience.

The visitors walk back and forth from the plenary hall to the information square and back all day long. A short walk. Just enough to stretch your legs and grab a cup of coffee. On the information square, the exhibitors stand in a large square and, as announced in the program, give demonstrations. They gather the visitors around them enthusiastically and they all, one by one, are the center of attention.

After lunch, the chair climbs back on stage and introduces us to Erik Ubels. Erik needs no introduction – everyone knows The Edge in Amsterdam. Erik is a leading thinker in the industry and advocates for the integration of technology in the built environment. His work has a lasting impact on how buildings are designed and managed. In short: a key figure for the digital building of the future.

All the chairs are occupied. No one else can join. The visitors listen to Erik with utmost concentration. He hammers home a fairly simple fact: “The technology exists. Use it! The big challenge is that we have to do the work with fewer people.” In short, he says that we have to work smarter.

Jovial and with a generous laugh, he paints an extremely critical picture. We need to get to work. Standardization! And above all: separate the sense from the nonsense. With a sense of humor, he shows the audience a slide with a picture of an electric toothbrush (including price and countless possibilities) and a set of regular manual toothbrushes (including price). “Separate the sensible from the nonsense,” he throws into the audience.

“We are so old-fashioned,” says Erik. “Endless amount of systems within one building that can hardly or not at all communicate with each other. Listen carefully,” he says with a sense of drama, “this is a cry for standardization.”

Erik receives a huge round of applause. The chairman takes over and points the audience to the FHI expertise group for education and sustainability. “If we want to stay ahead, we have to become smarter, we have to put much more emphasis on education.” FHI has entered into a partnership with various educational institutions and is working hard on the future that we all see for ourselves.

Richard Daamen, the chairman of this wonderful day, concludes: “We are all smart, but together we are much smarter”.

The day is coming to an end. Today's speakers are standing on the information square with a drink in their hands and are busy talking to the exhibitors and visitors present. Outside, the sun is shining. High above the ground, FHI is working together on a future whose contours are visible on the horizon.