The smart doors of the future will allow automatic contact with visitors
President of the General Council of Industrial Engineers, Miguel Iriberri Vega, gives us an interview where he talks about the buildings of the future.
What happens if a friend or a delivery agent arrives early and we’re not at home? The automatic doors of the future offer a solution. For friends they can be opened with our authorisation, while for deliveries they’ll allow access to a smart mailbox where goods can be left. This will be one of the features incorporated into buildings in the future, alongside energy efficiency, domotics and sustainability, according to Miguel Iriberri, President of the General Council of Industrial Engineers.
What are the main trends that we’ll see in buildings over the coming years?
The buildings of the future are already nearly here. They’re equipped with active and dynamic elements, in contrast to the purely static and passive buildings of the past. These are fully interactive buildings, designed for the use of the people who will live and work in them. And this is possible thanks to the application of technology which will enable adaptation to all situations, usages and people.
Alongside technology, will energy efficiency be one of the key features of these buildings?
Definitely. Buildings involve heavy energy consumption, especially for elements such as heating, cooling and electrical equipment. New trends and legislation mean we are heading toward zero or near- zero consumption buildings, and even buildings with installations that can feed energy back into power supply networks. Buildings will no longer just consume energy but will also take advantage of all the technology available to generate energy.
What contribution will the automatic and motorised door sector make to the buildings of the future?
I would distinguish between two lines. On the one hand, there are what we might call smart locks. And, on the other hand, there are smart doors, capable of allowing automatic contact between home or business owners and their visitors.
Communication is vital in today’s connected world, and the key element that connects buildings, homes and premises to their surroundings is their front doors. We already have telematic opening systems, smart devices, alarms and alerts, as well as face and fingerprint recognition devices. But a second phase would be incorporated to the telematic operation of doors. If a friend arrived or a delivery agent came to make a scheduled delivery and there’s no one at home or in the office, they could be given access automatically, viewed with cameras and sensors, or sent to a smart mailbox that allows delivery of goods. Another possibility will be communication with the front door itself, using different devices to organise purchases, receive alerts and interact with the temperature, lighting and other elements. And this is all possible thanks to developments such as big data, artificial intelligence and simulation systems.