Build it in: smart building specification for architects and MEP engineers on new construction.
On new construction, Aqueduct is specified at design stage, so the metering plan, the controls points and the data model are right before anyone pours concrete. Architects and MEP engineers write it into the specification, partners install to that spec, and the building runs the Monitor, Measure, Identify, Act, Verify flywheel from handover.
Specify it at design stage, and the building runs the loop from handover.
The metering plan written into the specification
- Sub-metering by design
Meters are placed on floors, lines and major equipment in the drawings, so consumption is attributable from day one.
- Controls points defined
BACnet and Modbus points are named in the spec, so the data model is right before handover.
- Air by zone
Air quality sensors are planned per zone, with coverage matched to how each space will be used.
Partners install and Atria commissions against the drawings
- Partner installation
Installation partners fit meters, sensors and field devices to the specification, not to a guess on site.
- Validated devices
Each device is commissioned with aQ Atria and confirmed reporting before the job is signed off.
- A twin that matches
The digital twin is built from commissioned devices, so it matches the building as it was built.
A baseline and verified results from the first season
- Baseline from day one
Live telemetry builds the expected use from handover, so the first season already has a measured reference.
- Faults caught early
Commissioning issues show up as faults against design intent, routed to the right contractor through the CMMS.
- Metrics for certification
Verified water, energy and air metrics supply the numbers your reports and certifications need.
Retrofit later versus built in from the start
- One meter at the inlet, chosen to satisfy the utility.
- Controls points arrive with names nobody can read.
- Air quality is measured once at handover, then never again.
- The digital twin is a drawing, not a commissioned system.
- Metering gets retrofitted years later at a higher cost.
The Aqueduct way- Sub-metering on floors, lines and equipment is in the drawings.
- Points are named in the spec and read cleanly at handover.
- Air is measured by zone, continuously, from the first occupant.
- The twin is commissioned device by device against the drawings.
- No retrofit later, the building runs the flywheel from handover.
What new buildings get wrong at handover
Most of what an operator struggles with for years is decided in the drawings.
One meter at the inlet
Without sub-metering in the design, nobody can say what a floor, line or machine uses. Retrofitting meters later costs more.
Points no one can read
Equipment is installed, but the controls points are not exposed in a way another system can use.
No air data by zone
Air quality is tested at commissioning and then not measured again.
A digital twin drawn, not commissioned
Devices placed on a drawing rather than tagged at install, so the model drifts from the building.
Where Aqueduct enters the project
Build it in is one of three equal doors. It starts earlier than the other two.
Design
MEP engineers write the metering plan, air sensing per zone and BACnet or Modbus points into the specification.
Procurement
The owner chooses cloud or on-prem, and security questions are answered in our security questionnaire.
Installation
Partners install meters, sensors and controllers to the spec. Technicians commission each device in aQ Atria.
Handover
Every device is tagged to site, floor and zone in aQ Core, and the twin matches the building.
Operation
Baselines build from at least 6 months of data, and the flywheel runs from there.
What to put in the drawings
A starting checklist for the MEP design. Adjust to the building and the owner's outcomes.
| System | Specify | Why it matters later |
|---|---|---|
| Water | Smart meter on the main incomer, sub-meters per floor and major line, and on RO, STP and cooling tower make-up where present | A water balance that closes: main supply equals floors plus fire plus RO feed plus unaccounted loss |
| Electricity | Metered main, sub-metering on HVAC, lighting and plug feeders, and on solar and backup sources where present | An energy balance by feeder, power factor and demand you can act on |
| Gas | Metering on main and major gas loads | Baselines and bills for gas as well as electricity |
| Air | Air quality sensors per zone for CO2, VOC, temperature and humidity, plus occupancy | Air targets checked against occupancy, zone by zone |
| Controls | Equipment exposed over BACnet or Modbus, with a field device network controller | Setpoints and schedules can be adjusted where control is enabled |
| Rotating equipment | Provision for vibration and acoustic sensors on critical plant | Early signs of failure: vibration, sound signature, energy drift |
Copy-ready specification paragraph
Use or adapt the paragraph below in the controls or metering section of your specification. It describes performance, not a product name, so it can sit in a competitive bid.
The facility intelligence system shall ingest telemetry from all water, electricity and gas meters and sub-meters, indoor air quality sensors, and building equipment specified in this project, and shall organize every device in a site, floor, zone and device hierarchy. The system shall communicate with field equipment using BACnet and Modbus through a field device network controller, and with wireless devices using LoRaWAN. The system shall report per-device health, including connection rate and battery or capacitor voltage. The system shall establish weather-normalized baselines for water and energy using regression against cooling and heating degree days, and shall report actual consumption against baseline by site, zone and asset. The system shall detect leaks, anomalies and equipment faults, explain the cause in plain language, and route tickets with a recommended fix to the owner's CMMS. Where control is enabled, the system shall adjust setpoints and schedules only with owner approval, shall prevent conflicting commands through lockouts, and shall maintain an auditable command history recording whether each command executed. The system shall be deployable in the cloud or on the owner's premises.
Check the paragraph against the project's energy code, local rules and the owner's standards before issue.
The three seats
“Can I specify it, install around it and deliver it?”
Yes. The spec uses standard protocols, partners install to it, and aQ Atria guides each device install.
“Will the building I inherit be measurable from day one?”
Yes. Metering, air sensing and controls points are in place at handover, tagged in aQ Core.
“Can new campus water and energy networks be read alongside SCADA?”
Yes. Aqueduct reads alongside SCADA, AMI and historians. Control stays with SCADA.
Why build it in
The building that is designed to be measured is the one that can be verified.
No retrofit later
Meters and sensors go in with the trades, not after the ceilings close.
Clean data model
Site, floor, zone and device defined in the design and confirmed at install.
Verified from the start
Savings and air targets checked at the meter, not estimated.
Your deployment choice
Cloud or on-prem, decided at procurement.
Related terms
Standards and terms designers often reference.
Where teams put it to work
Copy-ready language for the specification
MEP engineers put Aqueduct into the specification with metering, controls points and data model defined, so bidders price the same scope.
Learn more
Your deployment choice at design
Owners decide on cloud or on-premises deployment at design stage, so the network and server room are planned for it.
Learn more
New wings that report from day one
New hospital wings and campus buildings join the existing portfolio model at handover, measured on the same baseline method as older buildings.
Learn moreRelated
Common questions
It is the part of a project specification that defines metering, sensing, controls points and the data system the building will run on. For Aqueduct, it describes what must be measured and how equipment must be reachable.
At design stage, with the architects and MEP engineers, so the metering plan and controls points are in the drawings.
No. The paragraph describes performance and standard protocols, BACnet, Modbus and LoRaWAN. We don't sell hardware as our core business.
Third-party installation partners, working to the spec. Technicians commission each device in aQ Atria.
We supply the metrics certifications need; we don't file them. Check each standard's current rules with your certification consultant.
See Aqueduct on your own facility.
Bring a site, a utility bill or a question. We will show you where the loss is.