Michigan-based Kode Labs’ smart buildings operating system is being rolled out across the King’s Cross regeneration project in London.

King’s Cross will be the first in the UK to deploy fully a unified control and intelligence layer: a single, cloud-based interface to monitor and control all building systems in real time, with the ability to write back securely to these systems. This allows King’s Cross not only to view data from these systems, but also to manage them remotely through one interface.

By taking a unified approach, the system can reduce energy use through AI-powered automations, improve operational efficiency with live visibility over all systems, and create a scalable foundation for future innovations, such as predictive maintenance and integration of IoT sensors.

Office users at King’s Cross will also be given direct log-in access to the platform and can connect their own systems to Kode OS, gaining real-time insights into the performance of their HVAC equipment, energy usage, indoor air quality, occupancy and other critical metrics. This means tenants can actively participate in the sustainability strategy of the estate as well as supporting their own ESG objectives.

In a typical building, each system – for example, HVAC, metering and IoT sensors – would usually have its own separate database and controls interface. Although this provides the ability to control the individual systems in buildings, it does not easily allow data from one system to inform operation of another system, for instance, using data from occupancy and air quality sensors to optimise ventilation in live time. By bringing data from multiple systems together into one place, King’s Cross teams can create bespoke visualisations, run analytics and implement energy-saving automations on buildings across the estate, all through one interface.

Kode OS will ingest live data on all relevant mechanical and electrical systems at King’s Cross, collecting, cleaning and storing roughly 2.5 billion data points each year in perpetuity. Gathering this volume of clean data in one place puts King’s Cross in a strong position to take advantage of the opportunities that technologies such as AI create over the short and long term. Kode OS is a foundational technology platform that should power King’s Cross to higher levels of energy efficiency and towards its commitment to being net zero by 2035.

“As part of our ongoing efforts to be at the forefront of innovation in real estate, we are committed to integrating innovations that enhance the experiences of businesses, residents and visitors alike,” said Jack Sibley, head of proptech at King’s Cross. “The adoption of Kode OS will empower operational teams at King’s Cross to enhance our building performance through improved data-driven decision making, strategic deployment of automation and by providing a centralised data platform that allows us the flexibility and scalability to pilot new use cases, such as new types of wireless sensors and AI-driven predictive maintenance. This technology is a critical foundation in our longer-term vision for King’s Cross as a sustainable, net zero carbon neighbourhood.”

Edi Demaj, co-founder of Kode Labs, added: “Continually evolving developments like King’s Cross, with multiple systems, data points and use cases, are ideally suited for Kode OS. Our platform is flexible enough to address today’s use cases and adapt to future needs. Much like the ongoing transformation of King’s Cross, it will evolve with client goals at the centre. We look forward to working with the King’s Cross team to deliver invaluable insights, automate key processes and define a new standard for optimal building performance on this estate and beyond.”

King’s Cross (kingscross.co.uk) is London’s creative neighbourhood and comprises 67 acres of businesses, architecture, destination retail and dining and a vibrant cultural scene. It has almost 1750 private, rental, student and affordable homes and, once complete, 41,000 people will live and work in the neighbourhood.

Founded in 2017 by Edi Demaj, Etrit Demaj and Gentrit Gojani, Kode Labs (kodelabs.com) specialises in transforming real-estate management and experience through its Kode OS data-centric operating system. This smart building platform leverages a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model to optimise building performance, integrating data from building management systems, IoT and operational systems into a unified, cloud-based offering.