As building automation systems have become more popular, some professionals who use them have been expanding their setups to include technologies that monitor structural health and warn of potential problems. These enhancements keep occupants safer while allowing facility managers and others to save money by detecting issues when it is still relatively inexpensive to resolve them.
Launching the World’s Smallest Crack Sensor
Professionals in the building automation industry who are interested in adding structural health monitoring technologies to the locations under their supervision often require space-saving possibilities they can install and integrate in minutes. Those user-friendly options cater to people who want to start seeing results quickly without extensive setup.
A strong example is a crack sensor that offers precision to the hundredth of a millimeter and is waterproof. It also gives users insights about humidity changes and environmental stresses, providing them with the insights necessary to learn about the earliest signs of instability, long before collapses may happen.
One of the company’s clients oversees a small residential building in France. The owner initially opted not to install sensors, even though there were visible signs of deterioration. A collapse occurred due to a lack of maintenance, causing the owner to change their mind and install these sensors on the adjacent façades. That decision to take a proactive approach creates possibilities to save on avoidable expenses arising from instances where the relevant parties do not notice issues in time.
Monitoring Retaining Wall Repairs
Early interventions for failing retaining walls can prevent collapse, safeguard surrounding infrastructure and lower the overall repair costs. Identifying a problem early provides more options for stabilizing the structure with minimally invasive methods.
Collapses happen because people cannot always react in time, and these events may affect surrounding buildings. Such was the case when a retaining wall failed at the railway station that is closest to the Malaysia-Thailand border. Due to the wall’s proximity to both the building and the track, those supervising the repair work determined they needed a suitable remote monitoring solution to show how the activities affected the surrounding infrastructure.
They initially considered alternatives such as optical survey methods, but those would have required surveyors to visit the site twice a day. Leaders preferred sensors that could provide continuous data streams and alert representatives to the slightest changes in the trackbed’s geometry. The chosen solution involved installing 34 tilt-sensor nodes directly onto the railway sleepers in the worksite. Those additions sent data to a cloud-based visualization platform and alerted parties once movement statistics crossed defined thresholds.
Responding to Subsidence Warnings
When a 2024 coastal subsidence study revealed that 35 South Florida buildings were on sites where the ground was sinking or settling, researchers said new construction was worsening the problem. They also confirmed that the subsidence ranged from 2-8 centimeters and found it was especially severe in two areas.
The CEO of a Miami-based structural monitoring company was unsurprised by the findings, noting that the area has a very high water table and a mixed-soil environment. He started his company in 2021 to address the concerns of building owners and residents that their properties may suffer the adverse effects of environmental impacts and leave them ill-prepared for prompt responses.
The business has installed 11 sensors in one of the at-risk buildings identified within the researchers’ coverage. The property owners wanted to monitor the impact of the construction next door, which they can do from the two sensors used. One monitors vibrations, alerting people about those that exceed thresholds or may cause cracks or long-term issues. The other — installed at the building’s foundation — provides real-time feedback about how it moves or settles.
Property owners and others often have building life-cycle assessments performed to determine overall sustainability. These are the best frameworks industry professionals can use for learning how the climate affects the built environment. The process requires gathering data from every project phase and evaluating how easy it would be to dismantle a building and reuse parts of it when the original structure has served its purpose.
Using sensors or other advanced technologies for real-time monitoring is a practical way to maintain sustainability. It helps authorities catch problems early and develop a deeper understanding of how the surrounding environment may shorten the lifespans of their structures if they do not take preventive measures.
Remaining Aware and Prepared
Thanks to examples such as diagnostic code readers used by auto mechanics and disk-space warnings on office computer screens, the world has had products that can diagnose internal problems for some time. However, the rise of buildings that can do the same is a relatively recent development, made possible in part with BAS advancements that allow users to control buildings while simultaneously checking for problems and addressing them before catastrophes strike.
Property managers cannot always recognize the warning signs in time. However, combining their knowledge with technological upgrades brings meaningful results that can reduce costs while improving safety.
