Lighting the open-protocol future

Smart integration capabilities will power the next generation of Emergency Lighting Technology. Mohammed Sufiyan, General Manager for Teknoware Middle East FZCO, explains how

The digitalisation of built spaces is becoming a key factor, within the real estate industry. Safer, smarter, more livable, and easier to operate buildings, are ticking every box in the long wish list of optimisations and enhancements in real estate assets — residential or commercial.

Emergency lighting — a critical life safety aspect of any modern building, which has finally come to the smart building party — can now be seamlessly integrated with other assets and systems, using state-of-the-art, intelligent integrated building management systems (iIBMS).

Digital transformation of real estate

The Middle East has proven to be fertile ground for digitalisation sweeping across every industry and sector globally. The region’s real estate sector, in particular, is setting the example for the rest of the world to follow, in integrated technology adoption. In the past, the real estate industry in the Middle East was primarily known for creating iconic and globally unique buildings. Today, that drive for excellence is reflected in the adoption of tech-enabled solutions that focus on sustainability, and optimising the energy efficiency of buildings; as well as allowing digitally-enhanced operations and maintenance, and personalised occupant experiences.

Dubai-based Teknoware Middle East FZCO, the regional office for Finnish Emergency and Vehicle lighting manufacturer, Teknoware Oy, recently launched the company’s Seven Series line of centralised emergency lighting control panels, along with other state-of-the-art luminaire solutions, in a ceremony at the iconic Burj Khalifa, on September 1. The event featured several industry thought leaders and dignitaries, joining in-person; as well as with online attendees from over 25 countries. The launch ushers in next-gen cloud-enabled, centralised building emergency lighting solutions in the region — the latest in a series of tech-enabled enhancements to be incorporated into the Middle East real estate sector.

“The previous generation of Emergency Lighting solutions was not entirely compatible with the capabilities that the digital transformation of real estate is unlocking, regionally and around the globe,” says Mohammed Sufiyan, General Manager for Teknoware Middle East FZCO. “We are proud that Teknoware’s solutions have been approved by all six GCC Civil Defence authorities.”

“The new generation of emergency building lighting solutions are being developed with a focus on enhanced performance and comprehensive remote monitoring and control. Perhaps the most impressive feature, which they deliver, is the ability to achieve absolute and seamless integration with iIBMS, giving building owners and operators real-time control over every aspect of performance”.

Full-spectrum of digital control

Full integration with other building systems is a task in itself; but the ability to monitor, manage, and optimise, in real-time, is yet another level of capability. The launch of Teknoware’s new generation of products will enhance just that. Seamless integration with smart cities, made possible through compatibility with the Netix NEO smart controller, makes Teknoware the first emergency lighting manufacturer to achieve absolute integration with all BMS brands — enabling true vendor neutrality, a key enhancement in contemporary real estate technologies.

“The future belongs to technologies that are plug-and-play, open-protocol, and which can seamlessly integrate with other systems, regardless of which vendor has developed them”, states Sanjeevv Bhatia, Managing Director and Partner of Teknoware Middle East FZCO. “Modern buildings are an extremely complex combination of hardware and software assets, developed by specialised vendors. And this complexity becomes even greater across an entire portfolio of assets managed by a single business. This is why cloud-compatible solutions, and the ability to integrate with centralised control platforms, are non-negotiable, as real estate evolves to the next level.”

Secure remote monitoring and control, are features that building owners and operators have come to expect of their automation and assets. But the next generation of emergency lighting control panels also generates detailed and immediately accessible performance reports locally, remotely as well as globally — including error logs and test results. In addition, they offer flexible connection options and selectable output circuits, to address any site-specific needs, no matter how demanding.

Optimisation and transparency

Despite being an industry that occupies a key position in most economies — in terms of GDP contribution and employment generation – real estate was, until recently, lagging in digitalisation. This has changed dramatically, in recent years. Browse through the portfolio of virtually every venture capital firm on the planet, and you will find an impressive list of Proptech startups. And, given the shift in priorities towards delivering more personalised services, more sustainably, this was an inevitable evolution.

Climate change concerns, the sheer economic benefit of unlocking unprecedented efficiencies in such a massive sector, and the financial pressures that the sector is dealing with post the recent global pandemic, have accelerated the rate of the transformation. “The impact of digitalisation, on our societies and economies, will be looked back on as a turning point, in the future”, Sufiyan reiterates. “These are exciting times in the Middle East real estate sector, as it embraces the entire array of future-ready innovations, across functions. And the enhanced digitalisation of emergency building lighting will play a critical role, in this transformation.”