PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — United Technologies (NYSE: UTX) hosted a grand opening ceremony on Tuesday for its new $115 million UTC Center for Intelligent Buildings, located here about 80 miles north of Miami. The state-of-the art facility showcases industry-leading building products, serves as a connected work space for employees, and is designed to be an environmentally sustainable building.
The 224,000-square-foot, glass-enclosed center is the global corporate headquarters for UTC’s Climate, Controls and Security division, as well as the regional headquarters for Otis Americas.
The center’s technology shows how UTC employees “take challenges that some would think impossible, and are building the possible,” UTC Climate, Controls and Security Division President Bob McDonough said at Tuesday’s opening event, Sun Sentinel reported.
Among the building’s highlights are devices designed to reduce energy use by 60%, water use by 36%, carbon dioxide (CO) by 60%, and outside water by 100%.
The facility houses up to 500 employees and expects to host 5,800 visitors this year alone, including UTC customers and students. UTC Climate, Controls & Security has 55,000 employees around the world and net sales of $17.8 billion.
Construction of the center, designed to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Platinum standards, was substantially completed in February and employees began moving in March.
Smart technologies and UTC brands used in the building include:
- A Lenel mobile-phone app that works like an employee badge, giving access to enter the building, the floor where the employee works and common areas. The technology also helps communicate temperature and lighting preferences.
- Carrier chillers that chill water to cool and dehumidify air. The chilled water is transported by pumps and pipes that are connected to air-handling units and air-conditioning systems.
- Ductless air-conditioning systems in the ceiling.
- Glass-encased, energy-efficient Otis elevators and escalators.
- AutomatedLogic automation system, the “brains” of the building, links and monitors the environmental, energy, security and safety systems.
The center is designed to indoor air quality conditions found by Harvard University researchers to double occupants’ cognitive function test scores compared to a conventional building environment. You can learn more about the center in the following video.
