Framework for assessing the smart buildings intelligence degree

Assessing the intelligence degree of smart buildings is a complex challenge that has aroused researchers' interest. In the researched literature, many indicators and factors used to assess building intelligence are generic and give rise to different interpretations. Furthermore, few studies establish criteria for measuring indicators, most of which are difficult to measure. Aiming to contribute to filling this gap, we proposed a framework for evaluating the intelligence degree of smart buildings and their systems, formed by indicators identified from extensive and detailed bibliographical research, which meets the premises of being easy to use, reducing the complexity of the evaluation process and enable a single interpretation by evaluators. The framework was organized by considering 91 indicators grouped into 11 sets relating to smart building systems, and it allows for the evaluation of the intelligence degree of four types of buildings: commercial, corporate, office, and apartment. We also propose a way to operate the framework through an electronic spreadsheet, mainly because electronic spreadsheets are commonly used and because the framework's table format was easily translatable into an electronic spreadsheet. The results showed that all indicators were assessed as relevant, corroborating the view of the researchers who published on the topic. Also, the indicators were considered most relevant for commercial buildings, followed by corporate buildings, office buildings, and apartment buildings. They also show that the respondents considered the instrument adequate.