Summary of "Smart Buildings: What 'smart' really means" (Draft 2)

In the article “Smart Buildings: What 'smart' really means”, Lecomte (2019) states that having certification with standardized metrics is fundamental for smart buildings to wholly emerge in the 'built environment'. Lecomte mentions that the lack of unanimity from various stakeholders has delayed the drafting of standardized rubrics. Hence, private and public sectors design their own metrics to assess smart buildings but their rubrics vary from one another. However, current private and public metrics were unsuccessful in tackling the complicated and expanding aspect that buildings will perform in ‘smart cities’. Lecomte emphasizes that one crucial component to be included in the standardized rubrics would be cyber risk management as cyber threats ‘increase exponentially’ along with more advanced and integrated technology in smart buildings. Lecomte concluded that holistic and reliable 'smart building certifications and rubrics' will be the foundation of a 'functioning market for smart real estate'.

(145 words)

Lecomte, P. (2019, January 29). Smart Buildings: What 'smart' really means. Retrieved September 2019, from The Business Times: https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/opinion/smart-buildings-what-smart-really-means

I agree with Lecomte that cyber risk management should be one of the key components to be included in the standardized rubrics.

Summary of "Smart Buildings: What 'smart' really means" (Draft 1)

In the article ’Smart Buildings: What 'smart' really means‘, Lecomte (2019) states that a standardized metric is required for smart buildings to wholly emerge in the 'built environment'.Currently, private and public sectors use their own standards to assess smart buildings but their rubrics vary from one another. Private sector standards are biased to their sponsors, while public sector Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is exclusive to engineering features. Efforts to standardize rubrics is unsuccessful as different parties involved could not agree on a standard rubric.

Lecomte also emphasized the importance of including the assessment of cyber-risks in the rubric. There was an incident where hackers managed to steal millions of dollars (USD) from a corporation. Such risks increase exponentially along with more advanced and integrated technology. All in all, reliable ‘smart building certifications’ will be a critical element of a ‘functioning market for smart real estate’.

Formal Letter Assignment

Subject: Self-introduction

Dear Professor Blackstone,

This is Koh Yuan Kai from your effective communication class (SIE2016 – Group 5). I am writing this letter to share some background information about myself. In 2017, I graduated from Ngee Ann Polytechnic with a Diploma in Environmental and Water Technology. During my time in polytechnic, I heard many news about our Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) breakdowns and the inconvenience these breakdowns had caused to the commuters. Knowing this, I became more interested in railway engineering and would like to contribute in this field in the future. Therefore, I am currently pursuing a Singapore Institute of Technology degree in Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering (Land).

Despite being a shy and introverted person, I have a good speaking voice projection. Based on personal experience, when giving a presentation in school, some lecturers praised me on the volume of my voice. In addition to that, I also managed to maintain good eye contact when presenting or speaking to people. These traits are crucial in communicating effectively because they not only display confidence but also allow me to better connect with my audience.

However, when it comes to having a group project discussion, I tend to be very quiet and have difficulties sharing any idea or opinion on the project. I believe this is due to my shyness and lack of confidence in myself. Besides, I am also facing trouble initiating conversations with strangers or people who are not close to me. I find this a big disadvantage as it affects my chance of making new friends, especially in a new college.

To conclude, my goals in this effective communication module are to gain confidence in communicating with strangers as well as to be able to articulate my thoughts in a more confident and clear manner. At the same time, I would like to improve on my grammar in both, my spoken and written English.

I am looking forward to working with you in this module.

Best regards,

Koh Yuan Kai



Commented on: Zhi Qi , Jocelyn & Chek Eu

Task 3: The Importance of communication skills for engineers

Hello there!

I came across this quote in class and would like to share my opinion on it.

"I contend that we (engineers) are undervalued because of our widespread inability to explain what we do to the general public (and why it is so important). It is one of the hardest goals to accomplish, to be able to boil down difficult concepts into a short and easily understood presentation or elevator pitch." Marybeth Miceli, President, Miceli Infrastructure Consulting, USA (2011)

Personally, I do agree that engineers' inability to explain what they do to the general public may be one of the reasons why they are undervalued. Engineering tends to consist of many challenging concepts and those concepts can be rather dry and even boring to those without any engineering background. As a result, trying to boil down difficult concepts to the general public is probably not effective. Instead, they should try to be as layman as possible and focus more on their success stories and how it affects people's lifestyle now. This way, the general public can better relate and understand what engineers have contributed. Engineers need to market themselves better.

Edited: 10/09/2019, 11:45AM
Commented on Chek Eu's blog