GECAD Building N, Portugal
GECAD’s Building N, located at the Polytechnic Institute of Porto (ISEP/IPP), Portugal, is a fully instrumented smart building living lab designed for real-time energy monitoring, control, and automation. The building consists of nine office rooms, designated N101 to N109, along with common areas such as corridors and shared spaces. It accommodates more than 30 researchers who use the facility daily, providing a realistic operational environment for energy monitoring and management.
The building is equipped with a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, multiple energy meters, Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), and an extensive IoT-based sensor network. There are six energy meters installed throughout the facility, which measure electricity consumption and generation. Three meters track the energy consumption of different office zones, while one meter measures the corridor’s electricity usage. Another meter records the total energy consumption of the building, and a final meter monitors the total photovoltaic (PV) system generation. The Modbus RS485 protocol is used for serial communication between the meters and the SCADA system, ensuring seamless data acquisition and analysis.
Environmental monitoring within Building N is achieved through a network of sensors that continuously collect real-time data on temperature, humidity, CO₂ levels, occupancy, and lighting conditions. These sensors provide detailed insights into indoor environmental quality and allow for intelligent adjustments to building operations. A centralized web-based dashboard and touchscreen interface enable direct visualization and control of key building systems, including HVAC, lighting, and other electrical loads. The facility’s infrastructure allows for automated control actions and remote management, ensuring a high level of energy efficiency and operational flexibility.
Building N’s integrated automation and data acquisition infrastructure enables continuous monitoring of energy performance under real-world conditions. The facility operates as a fully digitalized testbed, where all electrical and environmental parameters are systematically logged and analyzed, providing a controlled environment for evaluating the performance of smart building technologies. Its technical setup supports detailed investigations into energy consumption patterns, load control strategies, and the impact of automation on building operations.
GECAD’s research using Building N focuses on advancing intelligent energy management, digitalization, and smart grid integration by leveraging real-time data acquisition, AI-driven analytics, and automation technologies. The building serves as a living lab for developing and testing energy forecasting models, demand response strategies, and optimization algorithms under real-world conditions. Studies conducted in Building N include machine learning-based energy consumption forecasting, real-time optimization of HVAC and lighting control, and the development of digital twin models to simulate and improve energy performance. Additionally, the facility supports experiments in peer-to-peer energy trading and decentralized energy management, exploring how buildings can dynamically interact with the grid and contribute to energy communities. By integrating IoT, predictive control, and automation, GECAD’s work at Building N bridges the gap between theoretical research and practical implementation, demonstrating how digital transformation can enhance the intelligence, sustainability, and efficiency of modern buildings.