Smart Buildings: Pioneering Solutions for Climate Change Mitigation

doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-4506185/v1

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Smart Buildings: Pioneering Solutions for Climate Change Mitigation

https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4506185/v1

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The increase in the demand for buildings to cater to the rising population and urbanization has contributed to extreme climate change due to the continuous emission of greenhouse gases during the construction and operational stages of the building. Therefore, this study seeks to investigate the potential of smart buildings as a tool for combating climate change and mitigating its adverse impacts on the environment. A mixed-methods approach of interview guides, an observation checklist, and a questionnaire were used for this study. A total of ten buildings from various countries were chosen using the purposive sampling approach. Structured interviews and questionnaires were conducted and administered to building industry professionals to understand how smart buildings help mitigate climate change. Findings indicate that smart buildings help keep an eye on energy consumption, thereby lowering the quantity of greenhouse gases released while the building is in use. Also, research shows that the integration of smartness in buildings through material and method use lessens the environmental impact of building construction and operation and contributes to a more sustainable built environment. The research concluded that, due to the increasing climate change, the integration of smartness into our buildings is of utmost importance in addressing climate change and its effects. This will also provide a more sustainable and resilient environment while accommodating future population growth.

Building

climate change

greenhouse gases

mitigation

and smart building

Climate change is one of the biggest issues facing humanity in the twenty-first century and has detrimental effects on the environment, human health, and the economy on a worldwide scale [1, 15, 8]. According to the IPCC report, the biggest contribution to climate change comes from increased carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere since 1750 [89]. The building sector is one of the major contributors of carbon dioxide emissions, accounting for 25–40% of anthropogenic greenhouse emissions in typically developed countries like the OECD countries; 40–95% of these emissions will come from operational energy use, with construction and demolition accounting for the remaining portion of emissions [38, 70, 80]. This quota is expected to increase due to global population growth and wealth accumulation, particularly in Asian and African regions [54, 44], along with the need for housing upgrades in highly urbanized areas [79]. With these changes, energy use and related emissions may double or even triple [99, 3]. Even if the emission is stopped immediately, the temperature will continue to rise for centuries because the greenhouse gases emitted by human beings in the past have already existed in the atmosphere [87, 100]. This suggests that structures that should be constructed in the present era must be planned to function well in both the present and the future climate, as well as to lessen the carbon footprint they leave behind for present and future generations [75]. Passive buildings, low energy consumption buildings, green buildings, modular construction, information modeling, and smart building technology (SBT) have become the main trend [27, 90].

Recently, the adoption of smart buildings has come to the spotlight due to its benefits in the construction industry for developed and developing countries [30]. The smart building employs a range of interconnected technologies to optimize everything from water use, energy management, air conditioning, access, automation, lighting, remote monitoring, and communication networks, while simultaneously creating a more amenable working environment [50, 94]; The concept of smart buildings is nothing new, nevertheless, there are limited works of literature on smart buildings as the pioneering solutions for climate change mitigation and the ones available focus on: A systematic review of the smart energy conservation system: From smart homes to sustainable smart cities [56]; Smart lighting: The way forward [21]; Smart buildings feature and key performance indicators [4]; A review of enabling technologies and applications [50]; Smart buildings: Systems and drivers [35]. However, the recent effect of climate change is becoming more overwhelming and this complex problem needs complex response measures. In this situation, smart buildings have become crucial to mitigate climate change and its effects while reflecting the new possibilities in sustainable practice development. Thus, this study examines how smart buildings can mitigate climate change and its effect while accommodating the projected population increase.

The Impact of Climate Change on Building

Climate change pertains to the alterations in the worldwide climate that have taken place since the 1900s, along with the continuous rise in greenhouse gas emissions that cause the disasters linked to these changes [26, 32]. Fawzy et al [33], define climate change as a change in climate patterns primarily brought on by greenhouse gas emissions from human activity and natural systems. However, Paehler [74], stipulated that changing climate is caused majorly due to man-made greenhouse gases. Thus far, human activity has raised global temperatures by about 1.0℃ over pre-industrial levels; if current emission rates continue, this warming is expected to increase to 1.5 °C between 2030 and 2052 [19, 47].

There is no denying that buildings are affected by climate change. Scholars like Hedlund et al. [39], Lawrence et al. [58], and Huang & Zhai [43], have noted that although the precise scope of these effects is unknown and will vary greatly between and within regions, climate change is predicted to have a significant impact on the built environment. Increased rainfall, permafrost thawing, an increase in wildfire frequency, strong storms, and floods are some of the effects of climate change on the built environment [24, 93, 29, 63, 68]. Nonetheless, a lot of buildings are susceptible to extreme weather events and climate change, and the location of built assets determines how vulnerable they are [29, 64, 68], without making investments in resilience, this vulnerability will inevitably grow [28].

Climate change also directly affects the building industry by delaying and raising the costs of construction, varying the length of the construction season, and increasing energy demand due to higher temperatures [84, 81]. Besides, the occurrence and intensity of heat waves are increasing, which affects architectural design. This could require altering current building designs or their architectural approaches [18]. Furthermore, a different Australian study emphasized the primary consequences of climate change on buildings. These included higher temperatures leading to higher energy consumption, the detrimental health effects of overheating, stronger tropical cyclones and storms, and a higher chance of damage from stronger winds, drier soil, more ground movements and cracks on pipelines and foundations, as well as a higher risk of flooding and forest fires [9]. According to another review from Malaysia, there will be consequences from climate change for building energy systems, energy demand, and internal services. These consequences include those related to indoor environmental quality, building sustainability, traditional HVAC systems, heating and cooling energy consumption, peak demand and building electricity consumption, and building carbon emissions [98, 34]. Moreover, in several US research studies, the effects of climate change on buildings go beyond heatwaves [42] and include an increase in the demand for power grid capacity [91]. In addition, heat island effects (UHIs) will result from climate change [48, 36], and the operation cost of buildings will increase dramatically, potentially disrupting the already fragile energy supply system, unless significant modifications are made to the way buildings are designed, built, and operated in the ensuing decades [25].

Concept of Smart Buildings

The idea of "smart buildings" is not new; rather, it is starting to take shape as smart systems, smart sensors, smart appliances, cloud computing, and ubiquitous connectivity become more commonplace [77, 92]. The term "smart building" refers to a variety of technologies that are being incorporated into structures; it is frequently used synonymously with "intelligent building," although the two terms do not always mean the same thing [41]. According to Belani et al. [11], a smart building is an amalgam of systems, materials, design, and technology that provides users with an environment that is dynamic, flexible, interactive, economical, integrated, and productive. Batov [10], opined that the term is mainly understood in terms of the advantages it offers, including comfort, security, health, energy and time savings, assistive domotics, and embedded systems. Smart buildings, on the other hand, combine the best features of automated and simple building systems with real-time user needs adaptation provided by sensors [49, 94]. Beyond just turning things on and off, smart buildings also gather information about how and when they are used and provide a real-time picture of the buildings' condition [67]. According to Kiliccote et al. [55], smart buildings are both self-aware and grid-aware, collaborating with a smart grid while emphasizing greater control granularity and real-time demand side response. These definitions of smart buildings consider the goals of the buildings as well as the means of achieving them. One could argue that increasing a building's value is what motivates building development [14]. This value is dependent on the building's category and context. Still, it typically stems from themes related to building performance, comfort, and satisfaction of occupants, as well as the building's overall cost during construction and operation [83, 17].

In addition to embodying the notion of "smartness," smart buildings also represent the idea of "sustainability" through their balanced interactions with the city, particularly with energy conservation, infrastructure, smart technologies, and information and communication technologies (ICT) [23, 70, 35]. A sustainable building can be achieved by using computers and intelligent technologies to find the best combinations of overall comfort level and energy consumption [96]. Moreover, the development and application of novel frameworks, such as building management systems, facilitate the gathering of information about the use of a building and give a real-time picture of its condition [85, 5, 82]. Furthermore, the data collected enables smart buildings to adapt their physical form and operations by getting ready for events in advance [51]. A smart building's successful operation depends on its capacity to adjust in response to data obtained from building use [14, 49]. When occupants make choices that increase their level of comfort and satisfaction, the building's systems learn from their experiences over time by analyzing data from previous usage and making adjustments [14]. According to Brown et al. [13], the buildings are occupant-based, because they encourage active engagement by incorporating input from users regarding how they use the space and by providing methods of inherent control through intelligent systems and integrated enterprise.

Energy Efficiency in Building

Energy-efficient buildings strive for the lowest possible energy requirements while utilizing reasonably available resources [78, 97, 71]. A building's energy demand can be influenced by various factors such as climate zones, building materials, ventilation systems, artificial lighting and appliances, building design, and the traits and behaviors of building occupants [20]. Despite their potential to significantly affect thermal comfort and energy consumption in buildings, these factors can be managed through the implementation of energy-efficient measures [66]. According to Ganda and Ngwakwe [37] and Lackner [57], energy efficiency is using less energy to achieve goals previously accomplished with a given amount of energy. It can also be defined as a method of using energy so that building services require less energy to provide [22, 31]. Energy efficiency is often seen as the first step toward attaining sustainability in buildings because it lowers rising energy costs, increases the value and competitiveness of buildings, and lowers greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions [60, 40, 62].

Energy efficiency is seen as the best strategy in many developed and developing nations to address and overcome the ever-increasing energy needs [6]. Energy efficiency measures are best implemented in a building during its operational phase and can be classified as either active or passive solutions, according to Sun et al. [88]. Enhancing HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems and other energy-intensive systems is one of the active solutions [76]. The goal of passive solutions is to increase building envelope energy efficiency [72, 65]. Numerous studies have acknowledged the potential energy savings achieved by using active solutions [62, 52]. On the other hand, researchers have recently become interested in passive solutions as a means of enhancing the energy-efficient design of façade systems. For example, the transmittance of a double-skin façade can reduce the heat gains and losses of a building in comparison to a single-skin façade [7]. Not to mention, passive solutions are more economical that is, their investment costs are smaller than their potential energy savings [16].

Numerous techniques were put forth to enhance the façade system, which can be categorized into two typical approaches. The first tactic is to use a façade system to instrument shading devices to lower the amount of heat gained from sunlight [5, 59]. Conversely, the second approach looks into how façade systems' thermal transmittance affects energy efficiency [16]. The goal of these two approaches is to use less energy in design elements, suitable and ambitious technologies, and optimized facility management throughout the building life cycle can all lead to energy savings.

The study adopted a mixed methods of qualitative and quantitative research approach using an interview guide, observation checklist, and questionnaire to obtain data from the selected buildings and respondents. Ten (10) buildings including commercial and residential were selected in different countries using the purposive sampling method. The selection was based on the smartness features of the building that can help mitigate climate change and was done using an observation checklist. A structured interview was also conducted with 30 practicing architects in the building industry who are well-learned in the area of smart and energy-efficient buildings and has been practicing for a minimum period of twenty years. The respondents who were purposively selected were interviewed on smart buildings as an approach to mitigating climate change. The interview technique used made sure that every interviewee received the same questions, which allowed for a thorough examination of the subject and gave the interviewer and interviewee the chance to go into great detail about the topic of interest. A sample size of five hundred and thirty-six (536) was considered sufficient for the study as determined by Marshall et al. [65]. The study used a stratified random sampling method to administer the questionnaire and determine the sample size. Three hundred and seventy-five (375) copies of the question were returned, yielding a 70% return rate which was considered adequate for analysis in qualitative research according to Boddy [12]. Descriptive statistics from SPSS software were used to compile and analyze the data, and the results are shown in tables and charts.

Building Envelope

A building envelope is a physical barrier separating a structure's unconditional and conditional environments. One of the most important components of climate change mitigation is the building envelope. Building envelopes for smart buildings are made of materials like advanced membranes, vapor barriers, phase change materials, dynamic glazing, high-performance insulation, and high-performance cladding. In the study, 50% used dynamic glazing systems, 20 % of the building made use of high-performance cladding and 30% of the building used sustainable and recyclable materials as shown in Figure 1 below. These materials capture useful daylight while reducing glare and unwanted solar heat gain, allowing them to adapt to the outside environmental conditions and user requirements while providing higher energy performance. By doing this, the building's CO2 emissions are decreased and the amount of energy used is decreased. According to respondents, the building envelope is crucial to achieving effective climate change mitigation as the design provides comfort without the use of mechanical aid that can contribute negatively to the environment.

Building envelope contributes significantly to energy efficiency and the overall reduction of greenhouse gases. It is also a key factor that determines the quality and control the indoor conditions irrespective of transient outdoor conditions. This was supported by 80% of the respondents as it was equally noted that smart building envelopes demand lesser heating and cooling systems because the building envelopes in place lower the overall energy usage and associated greenhouse gas emissions. Respondents also noted that by implementing high-performance materials, and innovative technologies, for the building envelope, the building contributes to energy efficiency, thermal comfort, and sustainable building practices, thereby addressing the environmental impact of building operations. This was stated by some of the respondents.

Respondent 17: Smart building envelopes often incorporate a variety of advanced materials that help optimize energy efficiency, occupant comfort, and overall building performance.

Respondent 23: the glazing solutions as a building envelope in smart buildings can adapt to changing external conditions while enhancing occupant comfort.

Respondent 6: The material used as building envelope in smart buildings often helps to improve thermal inertia and reduce temperature fluctuations

However, 10% of the respondents disapproved of the notion that building envelopes lower greenhouse gas emissions in buildings. Other factors like the type of sizes windows and orientation of the building are the major considerations. Even though these factors also contribute to energy efficiency in buildings, the material and method of construction of building envelope is a major contributors to whether there will or will not be greenhouse gas emissions in buildings. Also, respondents fail to understand that the window is a part of the building envelope. Besides, through the use of high-performance insulation, advanced glazing systems, airtight construction, and thermal bridging mitigation, smart buildings optimize the building envelope to minimize heat loss during colder months and heat gain during warmer months.

Furthermore, the nature of the material used for smart building envelopes is durable and long-lasting. The materials are built in such a way that they minimize the need for premature replacements or major renovations. By extending the lifespan of building elements, smart buildings reduce material consumption, construction waste, and associated environmental impact, contributing to sustainable building practices and mitigating climate change. 90 % of the respondents noted that smart building envelopes reduce the emission of greenhouse gases because the materials align with green building standards and support sustainable construction practices. The building envelope in smart buildings integrates with advanced building management systems to continuously monitor and optimize its performance.

Renewable Energy Integration

Renewable energy sources play a pivotal role in powering smart buildings, enabling them to operate efficiently, sustainably, and with reduced environmental impact. It was observed from the study that 60 % of the building is powered by solar while 40% is by geothermal energy as shown in Figure 2, which are all renewable energy sources. The solar energy system utilizes solar panels to convert sunlight into electricity while geothermal energy is used for heating and cooling, providing a sustainable alternative to traditional HVAC systems. Respondents opined that most of both sources of energy emit far lower carbon dioxide than those produced by other renewable and fossil-based energy.

The integration of renewable energy in smart buildings contributes significantly to the reduction in the emission of greenhouse gasses as these energy sources do not produce carbon emissions as part of the electricity generation process. Respondents equally noted that the integration of these renewable energy sources into smart buildings often involves advanced energy management and control systems to optimize their usage. However, some of the respondents believe that renewable energy cannot effectively mitigate the emission of CO2 causing climate change. This suggests that some of the respondents are not fully aware of the usage of renewable energy in advanced technology buildings. Renewable energy does not only reduce the emission of greenhouse gasses during the operational stage of the building it also aligns with broader sustainability goals of achieving net-zero energy or carbon neutrality as stated by some of the respondents which is achieved by combining robust building designs with efficient renewable energy systems,

Respondent 8: Smart buildings serve as examples of sustainable and environmentally conscious construction and operation practices.

Respondent 21: The increased investment in renewable energy contributes significantly to the larger goal of sustainable development.

The incorporation of renewable energy sources, such as solar power, wind energy, geothermal solutions, biomass/biofuels, and even hydroelectric power, into smart buildings is a major step toward lowering carbon emissions, promoting sustainable development, and mitigating climate change. Smart buildings demonstrate a commitment to environmentally responsible operations and serve as beacons of sustainable architecture and urban development.

HVAC System

HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) systems are an integral part of the building that plays a pivotal role in maintaining a pleasant indoor environment. They are therefore designed to achieve the environmental requirement of comfort for the occupant while reducing the amount of energy used. Generally heating and cooling systems burn some types of fossil fuel for energy which leads to the emission of greenhouse gases. However, the situation is quite different with smart buildings as these buildings play a crucial role in mitigating climate change by lowering energy consumed in buildings. Smart building integrated smart HVAC systems such as variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems, heat pumps, energy recovery ventilation, and advanced air handling units for controlling the heating and cooling system. The building examined shows that 40% of the buildings used a geothermal heat pump, and 60 % solar heating and cooling system, as shown in Figure 3. All these are smart HVAC systems that are integrated seamlessly into the building design.

Apart from the integration of smart HVAC systems, smart buildings use passive means such as operable windows and shading. These are intended to reduce solar heat gain and reduce glare. The respondents equally noted that, in addition to temperature control, operable windows offer free cooling and ventilation when the surrounding conditions are suitable. The ventilation guarantees the continuous exchange of stale indoor air with fresh outdoor air, eliminating pollutants, odors, and excess moisture. Ninety percent of those surveyed concur that having enough ventilation helps to keep pollutants like CO2 and volatile organic compounds from building up and causing climate change. On the other hand, daylighting which is a primary lighting source helps reduce lighting power by maximizing daylighting. In providing a visually comfortable indoor environment smart buildings promote the optimization of natural light levels and reduce dependency on artificial lighting that can lead to the emission of greenhouse gases. 75% of the respondents noted that the harvesting of daylight helps to maximize natural light utilization while minimizing glare and solar heat gain.

Smart buildings prioritize indoor air environmental quality through efficient ventilation, air quality monitoring, and optimized thermal comfort. By creating healthier and more comfortable indoor environments, smart buildings can reduce the overall energy demand for heating, cooling, and ventilation while enhancing occupant well-being. Adjusting the heating, cooling, and ventilation operations, in the building emission of greenhouse gases is drastically reduced. 85% of the respondents agree that addressing HVAC operational issues promptly, will lead to minimizing energy waste and contribute to sustainable building operations with reduced environmental impact.

Respondent 2: Controlling the humidity is responsible for roughly half of the energy related to emission while the other half is from controlling temperature.

Respondent 29: Smart buildings utilize sophisticated HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) systems equipped with sensors and actuators to regulate indoor temperature, humidity, and air quality in real time.

Respondent 16: The advanced control adjust HVAC operation is based on factors such as occupancy patterns, outdoor conditions, and indoor air quality, ensuring a comfortable and healthy environment while minimizing energy consumption.

Additionally, according to the respondents, buildings should be designed to satisfy the needs of their users while also having no detrimental effects on the surrounding environment. Even though the concept of smart HVAC in smart buildings is not widely known, it is clear from the various responses given by the respondents that the concept of Smart HVAC can effectively reduce the emission of greenhouse gases from buildings through energy-saving even though it wasn’t clearly stated.

Advanced Building Automation

The automatic monitoring, control, regulation, and optimization of building equipment is known as a building automation system (BAS). Building automation, which integrates all facets of the building, is the most significant component of smart buildings, according to the cases studied. It combines energy management, fire safety, lighting, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, and other building services into a single comprehensive system. In the building studied different BAS were integrated into the building however, their functions are alike. 20% of the buildings made use of BAS Metasys, 20% made use of BAS Varasys 30 % made use of BAS BCPro and 30 % integrated the BAS facility explorer for the building as shown in Figure 4.

The integration of BAS into the building makes the provision of information and communication possible for all sensors on a single platform. The information provided enables the owner to fully utilize their building and make informed decisions. Respondents noted that technology has opened a unique innovation door in building that can help in reducing the emission of greenhouse gases causing climate change.

Building Automation Systems (BAS) enhances the building's operational efficiency and offers a means of lowering resource and energy usage. According to the respondents, automation systems are essential for mitigating the effects of climate change because they read and control energy use in buildings. For instance, smart lighting automation enables you to monitor and manage the lighting system in your building through the use of a smartphone or online application. According to respondents, BAS is an effective means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions through proper monitoring of energy consumption.

Respondent 7: By ensuring that systems only run when necessary, automated scheduling reduces the amount of energy wasted during off-peak hours.

However, BAS extends beyond merely regulating lighting and temperature. Users can also track their energy usage in real-time with their energy monitoring and analytics capabilities. This data is helpful in pinpointing areas that require improvement and maximizing energy use. The use of Smart interfaces empowers occupants to provide real-time feedback on indoor environmental conditions, enabling them to communicate preferences or issues related to temperature, lighting, air quality, and comfort. Building management systems can use this feedback to iteratively refine environmental settings and ensure that occupants’ comfort needs are met on an ongoing basis. By addressing these factors, smart buildings help reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that a building emits while also promoting healthier and more comfortable indoor environments. Furthermore from the building analysis done, it was noted that apart from providing information on the energy usage BAS also facilitates quicker maintenance operation. Because these maintenance plans save replacement costs, and increase the equipment's lifespan.

Respondent 15: Users can better understand their energy usage patterns with real-time energy monitoring.

Respondent 28: Finding malfunctioning machinery or systems enables quick fixes, preventing expensive malfunctions.

Benefits of Smart Buildings in the Built Environment

In examining some of the benefits of smart buildings in the built environment the respondent was required to respond to questions to obtain their perception about the benefits of adopting the new form of building in the built environment. The result is presented in Table 1.0 where it appears to show the major benefit of a smart building is considered to be energy management and optimization three hundred and ten respondents strongly agree with the benefit

The weighted score of 1 to 4 was allocated to the rating options of adequacy based on the perception of the respondents regarding the variable measured;

Very Adequate 1

Adequate 2

Inadequate 3

Very Inadequate 4

Using the Likert scale of measurement, the mean calculation of respondents obtained from the analysis of the questionnaire is presented in Table 2.0 below.

1.0 – 1.49 Strongly Agree

1.5 - 2.49 Agree

2.5 - 3.49 Disagree

> 3.5 Strongly Disagree

In determining which benefit is considered the most accepted benefit the mean score for the selected opinions was calculated and it could be observed from Table 1.0 that energy management and optimization was considered as the most agreed benefit of smart building in the built environment with the mean score of 1.296. Table 1 also shows that variables regarding sustainable development and lowering of greenhouse gases were equally strongly agreed with, this shows that smart building reduces carbon emissions in building. This can also be interpreted that the reduction of energy use in buildings has a modest effect on carbon emitted to the environment. Again, apart from smart buildings lowering the emission of carbon which is a primary pollutant in the environment, it also focuses on preserving the environment which leads to sustainable development practice. In one of the interviews with the respondents, most respondents stated that smart building is one of the methods for sustainable development practice.

Respondent 15: through the focus on energy efficiency buildings become more sustainable

Respondent 23: the implementation of advanced building technology that manages energy consumption leads to sustainable practice.

The improved security was rated disagree with a mean score of 2.5573333 as presented in Table 1. Even though, the incorporated technology provides occupants with real-time information about their building. However, most respondents believe that security could be compromised and the use of a centralized network makes it harder to maintain control of the building. Other variables were agreed with. This shows that the adoption of smart buildings has a lot of benefits that could be harnessed for the betterment of the environment.

Table 1.0 Respondent opinion on the benefit of smart buildings in the Built Environment

Item Description	Strongly Agree	Agree	Disagree	Strongly Disagree	Total	Sum	Mean	Interpretation
Lowering of greenhouse gases	295	46	24	10	375	499	1.3306667	Strongly Agree
Improved indoor Air Quality	200	85	64	26	375	666	1.776	Agree
Adaptive and resilient infrastructure	254	60	32	29	375	586	1.5626667	Agree
Predictive maintenance and equipment optimization	190	85	34	66	375	726	1.936	Agree
Occupant center satisfaction	181	99	57	38	375	702	1.872	Agree
Acoustic comfort solution	176	100	52	47	375	720	1.92	Agree
Wellness and productivity of occupancy	203	130	16	26	375	615	1.64	Agree
Adaptive thermal comfort control	168	88	63	56	375	757	2.0186667	Agree
Energy management and optimization	310	35	14	16	375	486	1.296	Strongly Agree
Community engagement and education	173	102	67	33	375	710	1.8933333	Agree
Saving operational cost	157	100	47	71	375	782	2.0853333	Agree
increased assets value	191	57	89	38	375	724	1.9306667	Agree
Sustainable development	317	20	20	18	375	489	1.304	Strongly Agree
Improved security	67	120	100	88	375	959	2.5573333	Disagree
Carbon print tracking and reporting	167	85	70	53	375	759	2.024	Agree

Global climate change is the biggest single threat to the ecosystem in the ensuing decades. The effect of which is a continuous one, which could better be imagined than experienced. In other to cushion this effect, buildings need to be smart by resolving the problems associated with them. The integration of smartness into the building is an effective way of mitigating the problems emerging from building by controlling the gases that are generated in the society. Incorporating smart features such as HVAC systems, automated lighting, and real-time monitoring not only improves energy efficiency but also lowers operating expenses and improves occupant comfort. Smart buildings are shining examples of environmentally friendly architecture and cutting-edge technology, providing a bright future with greater resilience and sustainability. Through the utilization of cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, data analytics, and the Internet of Things (IoT), smart buildings present an effective way to lower energy costs, cut carbon emissions, and encourage sustainable practice. Moreover, the adoption of green building design principles further underscores the potential of smart buildings to mitigate environmental impact and support climate resilience. As these innovative structures become more prevalent they become scalable solutions in the global fight against climate change.

Competing interest

The corresponding author states that there is no competing interest in the research work

Ethics Statement

This research project was conducted in accordance with the ethical guidelines laid down by Helsinki Declaration of 1964. All procedures involving human participants were approved by the Ethics Review Board of Adekunle Ajasin University. All participants provided informed consent before participating in the study, and all personal information was kept confidential.

Data Availability Statement

The data generated during this research is part of a larger ongoing project. As such, the data is not currently available publicly, but may be made available upon reasonable request to the corresponding author. The authors confirm that all data underlying the findings are fully available without restriction.

Consent to Participate

All individuals included in this study provided informed consent prior to their participation.

Funding

There is no funding available for the project

Authors' contributions

The corresponding author was involved in all the work stages from the conceptualization of the topic to the final draft and review of the research

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No competing interests reported.

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Smart Buildings: Pioneering Solutions for Climate Change Mitigation

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