One Albert Quay - harnessing the power of IoT to deliver Ireland's smartest building

Project overview

One Albert Quay in Cork, Ireland is Johnson Controls’  global headquarters. A new construction on previously 

derelict ground, it is designed to demonstrate the full 

range of possibilities smart, connected Internet of 

Things (IoT) technology can offer across the security, fire 

prevention, HVAC, building management and facilities 

management spectrum. 

Innovative, integrated technologies, which govern 

everything from security of access systems to the menu of 

the in-house restaurant, are deployed across the building’s 

170,000 square feet. Making the most of the available 

data, the IoT systems work in conjunction with each other 

to provide employees and building visitors with improved 

health and safety, streamlined building access and real-time updates on key matters including local traffic, parking 

spaces, lunch menus and room bookings.

One Albert Quay points to a smarter future in which connected devices and data gathering will revolutionise routine tasks and provide helpful efficiencies and services. 

The Grade A building has also brought new opportunity and investment to the city of Cork. Johnson Controls is on track to build a 500-person workforce and One Albert Quay also plays host to a number of major international companies including PWC, Investec, Arup Engineering, Malware Bytes and Hortonworks helping to boost Cork centre’s reputation as an international business hub. 

Designed to Gold LEED standard, the building is widely known for embracing new technology to benefit its occupants and the environment.

Product and services applications 

Highest level of building solutions and services:

• Victor platform: including fire, CCTV and access control
• Fire: Tyco Zettler Profile
• Cameras: Tyco - American Dynamics
• Building management system: Johnson
• Controls Metasys
• HVAC: Hitachi
• Lifts: Schindler
• Access control: Tyco CEM Systems AC2000
• Fire suppression
• PA and VA
• OpenBlue: Effective space utilisation, minimised energy consumption and optimised equipment performance

Highest level of building integration with:

• External temperature and humidity
• Ambient noise
• Gases: CO, CO2, NO2, O3
• Particulates
• Wind speed and direction
• Rainfall

Customer needs

The designers of One Albert Quay aimed to make the 

building as sustainable and energy efficient as possible. This would include the implementation at construction level of energy saving insulation, rainwater collection, automatic power use management and sustainably-sourced building materials. Almost a fifth (18 per cent) of total UK carbon emissions come from non-domestic buildings. One Albert Quay needed to send a message that office buildings can be a part of the solution rather than the problem.

Once constructed, the building needed to incorporate 

IoT systems to process and connect data from access 

management, CCTV, lifts, room reservations and traffic 

movement, in order to improve facility management and 

security capabilities. It was also essential to ensure that 

data was stored securely to avoid the danger of an 

information breach. 

OpenBlue technology deliver optimised space utilisation through data insights from the building, energy audit and advisory brings recommendations and through measurement, monitoring and evaluation demonstrates progress towards carbon emissions and net zero goals.

The designers also aimed to provide the best possible 

employee experience for those working in the building. This would include installing IoT-based information-gathering capabilities to monitor employee transport methods, parking, progress through the building, restaurant purchases and energy use.

Finally, these systems had to drive a real-time update 

service providing employees with information on every 

aspect of the building and the immediate surrounding area. This in turn would help them plan their day and maximise resources - for example, by helping them avoid arriving at the building’s car park when it is already full.

Johnson Controls solution

Johnson Controls delivered Ireland’s smartest building in a 

rapid 16 months from breaking ground to completion.

“When we decided to develop Ireland’s smartest building, 

Johnson Controls was the obvious partner,” commented 

Martin O’Brien, project manager at John Cleary Developers 

Group. “Johnson Controls’ unrivalled expertise in fire and 

security, along with their new breed of connected systems 

and IoT platforms, meant that our building was both future 

proof and a pioneer in integrated systems. Our tenants, a 

mixture of tech and financial companies, all feel like One 

Albert Quay is a perfect fit for their business needs.”

“As one of the world’s leading engineering and design 

consultancies, Arup aims to shape a better world. Choosing to locate our office in Cork at One Albert Quay, the smartest building in Ireland, created the opportunity for us to be part of an exemplar development,” Liam Luddy, director Arup Engineering. “At One Albert Quay we have a smart and energy efficient environment. This enables our staff to deliver to their full potential while realising their individual ambitions as we deliver innovative and creative solutions for our clients.”

One Albert Quay is highly energy efficient, and was certified Gold under the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) scheme. The accreditation dictates that at least a 36 per cent saving must be achieved in energy-related operating costs across the building. To reach this target, Johnson Controls installed rainwater harvesting and treatment facilities, highly efficient solar-reflective external glazing, LED lighting with lux-level sensors throughout and solar thermal collectors to pump natural heat into the building.

The development also has a glazed central atrium which brings light into the centre of the building, reducing the need for artificial lighting. Internally, the building’s advanced integration of a wide range of Johnson Controls and Johnson Controls IoT solutions means that access management, CCTV, lifts, room booking and payment systems are all linked to one another, giving managers a single comprehensive view over the whole facility.

As an example, when someone enters the building, the 

AC2000 Linux-based access management system identifies which floor they are booked to visit and, in tandem with Schindler’s smart lifts, directs them to the lift which will get there first, saving on time and energy. Once arrived at that floor, the system will only let them into meeting rooms for which they have been pre-approved, reducing the risk of information breaches. The car park also has number plate recognition technology installed to ensure that only employees or registered guests can gain access.

The building’s stairways, corridors and wider floors also 

have capabilities to provide information on employee 

health and flow through the building to help inform items 

such as restaurant meals based on accumulative activity 

levels. The restaurant operates a cashless system, providing transaction data to aid in development of menu options. In addition, these information discovery practices allow management to ensure evacuation procedures are safe and effective and improve the use of office space throughout the building.

This has helped boost flexible working habits, as employees can now be pre-warned when their floor is particularly busy, and helped to find desk space elsewhere. All the information collected is anonymised before processing and storage to ensure the highest level of security and privacy, and employees can choose to opt-in to specific programmes involving data collection for 

research and development purposes. The system’s integrated, unified architecture points to the future of office block management, when central intelligence will manage all companies in the building from one dashboard. However, tenants’ systems are kept segregated behind separate firewalls to ensure internal privacy.

‘We’re extremely proud of the way in which the One 

Albert Quay development demonstrates the impact of 

integrated, connected technology for security and facilities 

management,’ said Donal Sullivan, vice president and 

general manager at Johnson Controls. ‘We believe that 

this is not only an exciting development for Tyco, providing 

an advanced global headquarters from which to manage 

the company’s recent merger with Johnson Controls, but 

also for businesses at large looking forward to the future 

of working environments. By integrating access, fire and 

security systems with innovative new data-gathering 

techniques and site management tools, businesses can 

massively reduce their administration costs, save on energy and improve employee experience. Connected technology is here to stay, and as One Albert Quay proves, it is the key to a highly efficient and stimulating business environment.’