How Pythagoras Aims to Become the Heart of Tomorrow's Smart Buildings

It reads like a love story: Their eyes met across a crowded room—in this case, at the International Facilities Management Association (IFMA) event in Stockholm. They connected during the speaker conference when all the event attendees left the hall to listen to a presentation on the modern-day workplace. They spoke about the market and their products and found they had a lot in common.

That was how Nils Morten Ringheim, Sales Director for the Nordics at Disruptive Technologies, and Petter Hellstrom, Chief Product Officer at Pythagoras, met. Many months later, Petter would find one of Nils' dummy sensors in his computer bag and remember the connection. 

Even before Pythagoras and Disruptive Technologies officially entered into a partnership, adding Disruptive Technologies sensor data to Pythagoras's Solution for Building Management, Petter would show the sensors to his customers and saw the jaw-drop reaction. "Our customers were blown away when I explained that this tiny sensor has a 15-year battery life. It's hard to get your head around that something so small can be so powerful and long-lasting."

"In the Proptech world, everyone agrees that sensors are great, but if you have to change the batteries all the time, you're just replacing one problem with another," says Mattias Arnelund, CEO of Pythagoras. "We have worked with other sensor providers, but they were difficult to set up, and the short battery life was a real pain point. It felt like the value was diluted."

Pythagoras, a leading facility management software provider headquartered in Sweden, offers a platform for collecting and managing data from buildings. Based on creating a digital twin of a building or facility, their platform brings together contracts, technical management data, drawings, and other documentation all in one place for one or several buildings. Users can choose the information they want to access and get a direct overview of key figures such as the number of buildings or square meters and energy consumption.

This easy-to-use, visual setup helps users make better decisions regarding building management, from simple topics such as cleaning and maintenance schedules to more considerable strategic planning such as refurbishment and investment.

Occupancy as a Baseline

With reports of corporate buildings with occupancy rates as low as 20%, understanding space utilization has become increasingly important.

"We should not run buildings like before when we use them very differently today. Doing so has huge implications from both a cost and an environmental perspective," says Mattias Arnelund. "Our goal is to provide a single source of truth with easy access to information about an entire building, or fleet of buildings, to maximize space, save energy, and optimize all processes related to building management. At Pythagoras, we aim to become the heart of tomorrow's smart buildings."

With so much involved in managing buildings efficiently and creating a connected infrastructure from the inside out, this sounds like a bold mission. Why does Pythagoras believe the company is well primed to become the heart of tomorrow's smart buildings?

"Pythagoras offers an incredibly versatile solution comprising a series of smart models," explains Mattias. "This allows for seamless integration across all aspects of building management, from energy consumption to maintenance. Imagine viewing energy use in real-time, identifying inefficiencies, and adjusting consumption—all from one user-friendly interface. That's the level of insight and control we deliver."

Many buildings use outdated legacy systems, leading to information gaps and fragmented data across various systems. Pythagoras strives to provide a unified solution—a single source of information—where all relevant data is consolidated and accessible in one place.

Bringing Disruptive Technologies Sensors Into Play

With 90% of Pythagoras' customers already set up with a digital twin, integrating sensor data is a natural next step. "Because our platform is already equipped with facility management data, technical drawings, energy data, and maintenance plans, and because Disruptive Technologies sensors are so easy to set up and integrate, adding sensor data isn't a big leap," explains Mattias.

"We want to work with the smartest technologies, and Disruptive Technologies stands up to the test," says Petter Hellstrom. "Their sensors are not only small, flexible, and wireless but also very, very good. Integrating their sensor data into our platform was a natural fit—a seamless process that enhances our capabilities significantly."

This additional layer of data, provided by the sensors, which monitor desk occupancy, room utilization, temperature, and CO2 levels, helps Pythagoras to provide its clients with an understanding of the dynamics of building usage. "Imagine if you could tailor your cleaning schedule based on actual usage," Petter illustrates. "You shouldn't be spending time and money cleaning a restroom that hasn't been used. However, if usage patterns shift, our platform must adapt accordingly. The sensor data gives us that insight."

Bottom Line

The Pythagoras and Disruptive Technologies partnership, born from a chance encounter, gives building managers a new level of insight and control over building management. By using Disruptive Technologies wireless sensors and addressing pain points like short battery life and complex setups, Pythagoras is even closer to achieving its vision of becoming the heart of tomorrow's smart buildings. 

If you feel that you could be getting more out of your facility, that you could put space to better use, and see the potential to save on running costs, start asking yourself these questions:

1. How much does each square meter in your facility cost?
2. How many people are in the building on any given day?
3. Are there procedures that are being followed out of habit rather than need?
4. How much could you save by utilizing your facility more efficiently?

"These questions," Petter Hellstrom concludes, "are the starting point for reducing waste and saving cost. Pythagoras can give you all the necessary answers and tools, easily accessed from one easy-to-use platform."

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