Honeywell extends collaboration with Hamdan Bin Mohammed smart university by deploying healthy buildings solutions to enhance occupant wellbeing

Latest advanced solutions comply with hygiene and social distancing policies and enable business continuity

Sets a benchmark for the region’s education sector in line with HBSMU’s drive for innovation and digital transformation

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Honeywell (Nasdaq: HON) announced today the Middle East’s first proof of concept project for its integrated Healthy Buildings solutions portfolio at Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. These advanced technologies will support HBMSU’s strategic goal of creating a healthier and safer environment for building occupants through the deployment of integrated air quality, safety and security solutions along with advanced analytics that monitor both the building environment and building occupants’ behaviors.

Honeywell’s solutions help support business continuity, and minimize the risk of disease transmission and the spread of other pathogens. The solution installed at HBMSU enhances indoor air quality, and also integrates security systems that analyze facility usage with thermal screening, social distancing and mask detection analytics.

“As the first accredited smart university in the UAE, we are committed to providing our learners, faculty and administrative staff with an environment that conforms to the highest standards of health, security and safety on our campus and support business continuity, said Dr Mansoor Al Awar, chancellor of Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University. “The launch of the first Honeywell project in the region demonstrates the effectiveness of integrated solutions for healthy buildings and is compelling evidence of the high international confidence in our University. It highlights HBMSU’s commitment to adopting best practices that support sustainability within the education sector as well as harnessing the most advanced technology to provide better learning environments for innovators and creators of the future.”

“In the current environment, there is a greater need for building operators and managers to reassure occupants. Our Healthy Buildings Solutions at HBMSU will enable multi-level assurances for students and staff as they return,” said George Bou Mitri, president, Honeywell Building Technologies Middle East, Turkey and Africa. “We’re proud to partner with HBMSU as the first pilot project in the region and support its continued drive for sustainability and establishing regional best practice.”

The deployment contributed to the International WELL Being Institute (IWBI) accrediting HBMSU with its WELL Health Safety Rating. It is the first university in the UAE and Middle East to achieve this milestone. HBMSU met all requirements for criteria including cleaning and sanitization procedures, emergency preparedness programs, health service resources, air and water quality management, and innovation. 

Delivering Healthy Buildings Solutions that create safer buildings

Honeywell’s Healthy Buildings Solutions focus on two main elements: facilitating safety and security and improving indoor air quality.

The key technologies deployed at HBMSU include:

• Thermal cameras to detect elevated body temperature in building entrances, and deep learning video analytics with real-time alarms for non-compliance with masks and social distancing policies. The latter can be used by building owners and operators to adjust interior infrastructure and minimize close-contact hotspots.

• Indoor Air Quality sensors measuring temperature, relative humidity and of contaminant concentration, with real time reporting to the Building Management System for adjustment of filtration, ventilation and other air quality parameters.

• Electronic Air Cleaner (EAC) with UV-C disinfection technologies, applied directly on existing building HVAC systems, this helps to improve air quality in two ways. EACs trap particles while UV lighting helps inactivate attached pathogens.

Central to these building systems, the Healthy Buildings Dashboard analytics provide real-time alerts to building owners and operators for dynamic decision-making of non-compliance issues or dealing with infection-related incidents. The dashboard can be provided to occupants in a simplified view to provide visibility into what is being done to improve the building environment’s health and safety.

The technologies were applied to HBMSU’s existing building management system which uses a third-party system, demonstrating the platform’s open architecture and hardware agnostic capabilities.

The proof of concept project is an extension of Honeywell’s collaboration with HBMSU to be its preferred technology provider. In early 2020 at HBMSU, the company launched Honeywell Forge Energy Optimization, a cloud-based, closed-loop, machine learning solution that autonomously and continuously studies a building’s energy consumption patterns and automatically adjusts to optimal setpoints for the building  without compromising occupant comfort levels. During the pilot deployment demonstrated an initial 10% in energy savings, along with a reduction in complaints related to overcooling.

About Honeywell Building Technologies

Honeywell Building Technologies (HBT) is transforming the way every building operates to help improve the quality of life. We are a leading building controls company with operations in more than 75 countries supported by a global channel partner network. Commercial building owners and operators use our hardware, software and analytics to help create safe, efficient and productive facilities. Our solutions and services are used in more than 10 million buildings worldwide.

Honeywell (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 technology company that delivers industry-specific solutions that include aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings and industry; and performance materials globally. Our technologies help aircraft, buildings, manufacturing plants, supply chains, and workers become more connected to make our world smarter, safer, and more sustainable. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywell.com/newsroom.

This release contains certain statements that may be deemed “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that we or our management intends, expects, projects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Such statements are based upon certain assumptions and assessments made by our management in light of their experience and their perception of historical trends, current economic and industry conditions, expected future developments and other factors they believe to be appropriate. The forward-looking statements included in this release are also subject to a number of material risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to economic, competitive, governmental, and technological factors affecting our operations, markets, products, services and prices. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results, developments and business decisions may differ from those envisaged by such forward-looking statements. We identify the principal risks and uncertainties that affect our performance in our Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

© Press Release 2021