Whether we see it or not, the environments we live in, or choose to visit, are tailored to meet our needs. From the simple access to an office building through automatic doors, to the paint and pictures we choose to adorn the walls of our homes, we tailor our surroundings to meet the expectations of our own personal lifestyles.
According to Trent Morano, Vice President of Systems at Power Design, Inc., within the last ten years, technology and innovation have played more pivotal roles in creating “perfect outcomes” within the spaces we choose to occupy and spend time in.
“It’s about making where we live, work and visit inviting, comfortable, convenient, and secure,” said Morano, “all made possible by the effective use of smart technology that is intuitive and easy to use.” Morano recently met with us to discuss Systems 2.0, a large initiative the Tampa-based specialty contractor is undergoing in an effort to drive better outcomes for their clients by marrying technology with modern design and aesthetics.
Morano describes Systems 2.0 as the unique ability Power Design has to leverage both existing and emerging technologies for better outcomes with customers and equates going beyond automation to deliver solutions that seamlessly drive adaptability and creativity focused on the end user experience.
“These perfect end user outcomes apply to any building type from multifamily to our smart space division and leverage our core skill sets in cabling to drive that foundation.” The result, according to Morano, are examples that underscore end-to-end holistic user experiences leveraging touch or voice mixed with a complete smart system engineered to be invisible.
What does that experience look like? According to Morano, it means smart buildings that understand the weather and utilization and occupancy rates automatically to optimize the temperature and lighting within each room. But it also means coming home and having your home system wirelessly recognize you, unlock and open the door, and set the blinds in your house to a level you like for that time of day.
But most importantly for Morano is that “it means having more than just bells and whistles but rather leveraging your technology to the fullest extent. Too often we buy all this tech with intentions of enriching our lives and we only use a fraction of it because it is too hard or cumbersome to use.” According to Morano, this philosophy of simplicity while leading with innovation and thought leadership is what sets System 2.0 apart to their clients.
Morano also warns again some of the large challenges to this style of approach, namely dated thinking and partnering with an organization whose culture stunts innovation. “Let me be clear, the 10 to 15-year-old approach still works, but it’s extremely dated. There’s no ability to really understand how you can leverage or look at the network as the platform to deliver advanced technology without the ability to understand how to capture data from these systems and to potentially do something different with that data.”
Whether we see it or not, the environments we live in, or choose to visit, will change to meet existing and unforeseen future needs. Morano hinted to this during our interview when briefly discussing the construction industry in a post-pandemic world.