Journey to 500: Leadership in Smart Buildings

12/10/21: CEO Mark Lawrence focuses on two aspects of TClarke’s technology story. In the second article he looks at the emergence of smart buildings and the company’s long term focus on this marketplace.

Without smart buildings we will not achieve national or global climate change goals. A smart building is generally one in which the buildings systems are controlled and optimised for efficiency and sustainable low energy use. 

If you understand that fact, then you realise that whether you are talking about the largest commercial buildings in London or homes, schools and hospitals across Britain, the need for smart buildings is another mega trend which will dominate our industry over the next decades.

At TClarke we have spent a decade and more moving towards the point we are at today, when we can say that we are a UK leader in engineering services for smart buildings. 

Over a decade ago we won the contract to put in the data infrastructure for the 2012 Olympic Stadium. At the same time, we were designing some of the first smart home systems for the homes we provide with electrical, plumbing, media, and security systems. TClarke Intelligent Buildings is not an overnight creation but a division which has been built steadily in scale and capability through the last 15 years and which now has under its belt a world class client list including the biggest technology companies as well as schools, house builders, commercial offices, and hospitals across the UK.

Over the years, in one area of our expertise after another, what was innovative and leading edge has become a mainstream requirement. Meanwhile on major projects we move the leading edge of innovation forward.

What sets us apart – in the hospital market as much as the housing and commercial offices market – is that as well as having the software engineering expertise in house, we also have the engineering services expertise to deliver the mechanical, electrical, security and data systems which are controlled by software. This expertise in practical buildability is a substantial advantage for our clients. This is demonstrated by the fact on many of our newer projects we have successfully secured the important role of the ‘MSI’ Master Systems Integrator.

As we move through the next years, climate goals, legislation, pressure from activists, public demand, and the growing strength of ESG investment thinking is all leading in one direction – the shift towards smart buildings technologies for every building. It is another mega-trend with opportunities that TClarke will be able to benefit from.