Construction & Civil Engineering Issue 228 - July 2026 | Page 19

_______________________________________________________________________________________________ Smart Buildings
is now deeply embedded into everyday operations. Access control systems are managed via smartphones and mobile credentials, while sensors monitor occupancy, energy usage and environmental performance in real time. Likewise, building management systems increasingly control lighting, HVAC, lifts and surveillance.
All this is delivering enormous operational benefits, but it is also reshaping risk and introducing vulnerabilities.
AI and automation are redefining building risk
A significant trend is the adoption of AI-driven automation across security and operations, which is moving at a heady pace as smart buildings become autonomous.
Systems can now automatically adjust environmental controls based on occupancy, identify unusual access patterns, optimise energy usage and trigger alerts without human intervention.
But this also creates dependency, which us mere humans take for granted. Disruption to one platform can quickly affect wider operations, and If an automated building management system is compromised, manipulated or taken offline, the consequences can extend far and wide.
The National Cyber Security Centre( NCSC) and The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency( CISA) in the USA have been quite vocal on the risks to smart infrastructure, highlighting
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