How To Approach Modern Building Automation

Rittenhouse Communications Group was recently featured by Bisnow in an article entitled, ”Redefining Industry Standards’: RCG’s 3-Pronged Approach To Building Automation.” This interview got us thinking about the different ways we help owners plan, manage, and deploy technology across their properties, and we wanted to share further information here on our blog. 

The article covers our Design-Only, Design + Project Management, and Turnkey Design-Build models, along with some of the technology behind the work. That includes app-based access control, Power over Ethernet, IoT systems, and other tools that can make a building easier to operate.

Those technologies are useful, but the core conversation starts much earlier. Owners and developers have to decide what they want the building to do, which systems belong together, and how much responsibility they want one technology partner to carry. At RCG, we help answer those questions for new construction, retrofits, adaptive reuse projects, and major property upgrades.

If you have a building project on the boards, we would be happy to talk through the technology side with you. We are national leaders in building automation, network cabling, adaptive reuse, and much more. 

What Do You Want the Building to Do?

We have sat through plenty of technology conversations that begin with a product somebody likes or a platform somebody saw at another property. We usually prefer to start somewhere simpler: what needs to work better in this building?

For a multifamily property, that could mean giving residents mobile access from the garage through the front entrance and into their units. Management may also need an easier way to grant temporary access to maintenance workers and outside vendors, while the security team wants access events to line up with surveillance footage. When those needs are considered together, the technology choices become much easier to sort out.

Think About the People Who Use the Building

Residents, staff, vendors, visitors, and property managers use the same building in very different ways. A resident may care about getting through the front door without pulling out a key, while a manager may care more about removing a former resident’s credential or giving a contractor access for two hours.

We try to map those everyday situations before the team gets too far into hardware selection. That gives everyone a much better picture of what the access system, network, intercom, cameras, and other technology need to support.

Solve Operational Problems First

The best automation projects usually address annoyances the property team already understands. Maybe management has one login for cameras, another for access control, and another for resident communication. Perhaps guest access requires too much staff involvement, or credentials are difficult to manage across several properties.

Those are useful places to start because they give the project a purpose. From there, we can look at which systems should communicate with each other and which ones are perfectly fine doing their own job.

Build the Network and Low-Voltage Foundation First

Every connected building relies on a lot of infrastructure that residents and tenants never see. Cabling, network architecture, wireless coverage, telecom rooms, switches, racks, and pathways sit underneath the more visible technology, and all of those pieces need enough capacity to support what gets added later.

A property may eventually have hundreds or thousands of connected endpoints between wireless access points, IP cameras, access control devices, intercoms, AV equipment, and IoT hardware. Looking at those demands together gives us a much better basis for network and low-voltage design.

Plan Cabling, Wi-Fi, and Network Capacity Together

Power over Ethernet is a good example of why early coordination helps. Depending on the equipment, PoE can carry both data and power over low-voltage network cabling, which can simplify certain installations and give the design team more flexibility.

We look at where those devices are likely to go, how much bandwidth they will use, where the network equipment belongs, and how the pathways will reach each part of the building. That broader view also helps prevent a situation where several individual systems work fine on their own but collectively put too much pressure on the infrastructure underneath them.

Give the Building Room to Change

Buildings rarely use technology exactly the same way for their entire lives. Ownership changes, tenants change, amenities get renovated, security needs evolve, and new devices show up that nobody was discussing when the property was designed.

For that reason, we pay attention to pathway capacity, rack space, telecom room layouts, bandwidth, and the ability to add endpoints later. A little extra thought during the design phase can make an expansion several years down the road much easier to manage.

Decide Which Systems Should Work Together

We do not try to connect every device simply because integration is technically possible. The better question is whether connecting two systems makes the property easier to operate or improves the experience for the people using it.

Access control and visitor entry are an obvious example. Lighting and occupancy data may be another. The useful combinations depend heavily on the property.

Connect Access, Security, and Visitor Entry

A resident credential might provide access to the garage, lobby, elevator, apartment, fitness center, coworking space, and package room. Behind that simple experience, several systems may be working together.

Visitor entry adds its own requirements. An intercom can help a resident identify a guest, a camera can provide another layer of visibility, and temporary permissions can give that guest access to the parts of the building they actually need. When these decisions are mapped out together, the experience tends to be much smoother for residents and staff.

Use IoT Where It Helps the Property

IoT systems can connect lighting, occupancy sensors, environmental controls, and many other devices. We like to tie those capabilities to a practical use case.

An amenity room, for instance, may sit empty for much of the day. Occupancy information could help a property understand when the space gets used, while automated lighting or environmental controls can respond to actual activity. Other properties may care more about remote visibility or the ability to manage several buildings from one place.

The best use cases vary, which is why we start with the building rather than a predetermined list of automation features.

Bring the Resident Experience Into the Plan

Multifamily and hospitality properties also have a user-facing side that deserves attention early in the process. Residents interact with access control, amenities, deliveries, maintenance teams, visitors, and building staff throughout the week, and those interactions can become surprisingly fragmented when every function has its own platform.

PropKey is one way RCG brings those experiences together. Depending on the property, residents can use the app for mobile access, amenity reservations, package activity, maintenance requests, concierge requests, and other day-to-day interactions. When we know that type of experience is part of the plan, we can design the underlying building technology around it from the beginning.

Keep Owners in Control of Their Technology

Owners should understand what they are buying, how their platforms connect, and what choices they will have several years from now. We spend a lot of time on those questions because the software agreement can matter just as much as the device mounted on the wall.

Favor Open Technology Where It Fits the Project

RCG often favors open-platform technology because it gives ownership more flexibility as the property changes. Depending on the system, that can make it easier to add integrations, replace individual components, or consider another vendor later without rebuilding an entire technology stack.

We also look closely at licensing, recurring fees, hardware dependencies, and the way data moves between platforms. Those details can have a major effect on what the system costs and how easy it is to manage after turnover.

Plan for Operations After Turnover

Construction teams naturally put a lot of attention on opening day. Owners and property managers will live with the technology for years afterward, so we also talk through training, system administration, documentation, troubleshooting, and future adjustments while the project is still underway.

For example, a new property manager should be able to understand how credentials are issued without tracking down someone who worked on the original construction project. The same goes for access control changes, camera management, network questions, and routine support. We build those operational needs into the project rather than treating them as an afterthought at closeout.

Choose the Right Level of Technology Support

RCG uses three service models because projects come to us in very different circumstances. An owner may already have local contractors they trust but need help with the design. A national developer may want one technology standard carried across several markets. Another client may prefer one company to handle the entire technology scope.

The Bisnow feature looked closely at how we structure those options.

Design-Only

Design-Only works well for clients that need an experienced technology team to develop the plan while preserving their preferred procurement or installation approach.

We can develop schematic designs, construction documents, technology master plans, preliminary budgets, and other documentation that gives the project team a clear direction. Architects, MEP engineers, GCs, and local contractors can then work from the same coordinated set of expectations.

Design + Project Management

We use Design + Project Management frequently when an owner wants consistency across different markets.

Imagine a developer with multifamily properties in Philadelphia, Dallas, and Los Angeles. They may want the same access control philosophy, network standards, security approach, and resident experience in each building while relying on different local trades to perform portions of the work. RCG can develop the technology standard and stay involved with those local teams through project management, review, commissioning, training, and support.

That gives ownership a familiar technology approach even when the construction teams change from city to city.

Turnkey Design-Build

For projects in markets where RCG provides direct deployment, many clients prefer one technology partner from the first design meeting through final installation.

Our team understands the reasoning behind the design because we were involved when those decisions were made. That continuity makes coordination easier when field conditions change or questions come up during construction, and the owner has one team responsible for carrying the technology plan through deployment.

Real-World Applications of This Approach

How might this approach look for your development project? We’ve included a number of hypothetical scenarios below. Of course, we do not expect these to cover every possible use-case, so please get in touch with inquiries.

A New Multifamily Development

Imagine a developer planning a 250-unit apartment building with structured parking, coworking space, a fitness center, package storage, and several resident lounges. The technology scope could include unit access, perimeter access, intercoms, cameras, Wi-Fi, telecom rooms, AV, and resident-facing systems.

This is the kind of project where early design pays off. RCG can help map out those systems while doors, pathways, power, room locations, and other building details are still being coordinated. If PropKey is part of the plan, we can also think through the resident experience from the start instead of trying to layer it on after construction is nearly complete.

An Office-to-Residential Conversion

A former office building may already have useful telecom risers and network pathways, but the rest of the technology was designed around office tenants rather than residents.

An office-to-residential conversion changes the access pattern, wireless needs, intercom requirements, amenity spaces, unit-entry strategy, and overall user experience. RCG can review what is worth keeping, identify where upgrades are needed, and develop a retrofit plan that works with the building instead of automatically replacing everything.

A National Ownership Group With Properties in Several Markets

A national owner may want the same access control, surveillance, network, and resident technology standards across properties in several states.

Local vendors can still play a role, but ownership may prefer one team to set the technology standard, review the work, and keep the overall approach consistent. This is where Design + Project Management can be especially useful. RCG can develop the plan and stay involved with local teams through implementation, commissioning, and support.

A School or Campus Upgrade

A school may need to replace older access control and surveillance systems while classes continue. The project could involve new credentials, camera upgrades, better wireless coverage, and changes to the existing network.

The challenge is often less about one specific product and more about how to phase the work, maintain operations, and keep several systems aligned. RCG can help build that plan around the school’s day-to-day needs rather than treating each upgrade as a separate project.

A Hotel Modernization

A hotel may want to improve guest access, reduce front-desk friction, upgrade Wi-Fi, modernize surveillance, and bring several back-of-house systems into a cleaner technology plan.

That could involve mobile access, guest communication, intercoms, network upgrades, and more centralized management tools. RCG can help the ownership team decide which systems belong together, what infrastructure needs to change, and whether Design-Only, Project Management, or Turnkey Design-Build makes the most sense for the project.

New Buildings and Retrofits Need Different Plans

New construction gives us a chance to work alongside the architect, MEP team, GC, and ownership while major decisions are still open. We can coordinate network infrastructure, telecom rooms, doors, access control, pathways, wireless coverage, IoT systems, and tenant-facing technology while the building itself is taking shape.

Retrofit and adaptive reuse projects usually start with a completely different set of questions. We might walk into an occupied apartment building with solid existing doors but outdated access control, or an office conversion where the telecom infrastructure was designed for a use that no longer applies. Older properties can also have limited pathways, unusual construction, or systems that ownership wants to keep in service during the renovation.

Our first job in those cases is to understand what is already there. From there, we can identify which infrastructure still has value, where upgrades are worth the investment, and how to make the transition without creating unnecessary work elsewhere in the building.

Avoid These Common Building Automation Mistakes

Don’t Buy Products Before You Have a Plan

A product can be excellent and still be wrong for the property. We prefer to work through the use cases, infrastructure, integration requirements, and management needs before the project becomes centered on a particular piece of hardware.

Don’t Let Every System Become Its Own Island

A property with separate platforms for access, visitor management, surveillance, amenities, and resident communication can create a lot of extra work for the staff who use those systems every day. We look for places where integration can simplify that workload without creating unnecessary complexity.

Don’t Underestimate the Network Infrastructure

Cameras, access control devices, wireless access points, intercoms, IoT equipment, and AV systems all add demands to the network. Those demands become much easier to support when bandwidth, switching, cabling, telecom rooms, and pathways are part of the technology conversation from the beginning.

Don’t Wait Until Construction to Resolve Technology Decisions

Late decisions tend to show up in very physical ways. A telecom room may turn out to be too small, an access control device may need power that was never planned, or a pathway may collide with another trade above the ceiling.

Technology design gives the project team a chance to work through those issues while changes are still relatively easy to make.

Don’t Forget About Training and Long-Term Support

A building can have excellent technology and still frustrate the property team if nobody knows how to use it well. We include training, documentation, commissioning, and support in the broader conversation so that ownership has a workable plan once construction wraps up.

Call RCG For a Successful Building Automation Project

The best building automation projects start with fairly ordinary questions. What is difficult about operating this property today? What should residents or tenants be able to do more easily? Which systems need to share information? What infrastructure will support those systems five or ten years from now?

Once those answers are clear, hardware and software decisions become much easier to make. The project team can also choose the level of outside support that fits the job, whether that means technology design, design plus project management, or one partner carrying the work through deployment.

We support owners and developers with building automation, integrated technology design and engineering, access control, network infrastructure, retrofit planning, PropKey, and related building systems. If you are planning a new property or figuring out how to modernize an existing one, contact RCG and tell us what you want the building to do. We can help you work out the technology plan from there.