# Exploiting the Value of Active and Multifunctional Facade Technology through the IoT and AI
## 5 Discussion  
To clarify the current state of the art for MF systems and define which aspects could facilitate their market adoption, an analytical assessment is carried out on issues dealt with during the design, manufacturing, and utilization stages. From this practical experience, two main issues clearly emerged.  
On the one hand, the technical feasibility of advanced MF systems is confirmed. As demonstrated by several projects, the integration of active and passive technologies is no longer a technical barrier. Although the complexity of the integration largely depends on the type of technology to be embedded, a widespread knowledge of technical aspects and the high level of engineering of the facade companies allow for a wide degree of flexibility. In this regard, it is necessary to point out how the development of a supply chain capable of dialogue with designers and manufacturers could represent a pivotal aspect. This could also have direct effects on the reduction of costs related to MF systems, still considered one of the main barriers to widespread market adoption. The cost of the MEZEroE MF, also due to the ad hoc engineering of some components, is still high (ranging from 1000 to 1500 EUR/sqm), placing it in a narrow market niche and making it difficult to scale up on large building estates.  
On the other hand, the novelty of this design lies in the integration of IoT and AI algorithms for facade automatization. Compared to previous MF projects, this study focuses more on new services enabled by data than on physical integration issues. Indeed, moving towards the digitalization of services, an IoT infrastructure for a building facade could increase product value through higher knowledge, flexibility, and customization.  
Although these benefits are clarified, further analysis needs to be conducted to address the following issues:  
* Design complexity. Developing a fully integrated IoT infrastructure in a building facade requires experts with cross-cutting skills during the design phase. In this context, the \"engineer to order\" type of manufacturing means that several design aspects have to be redesigned each time, increasing the complexity. Aspects related to the energy consumption, physical integration, aesthetics, maintenance, and cost-effectiveness of IoT infrastructure need to be considered according to the specific building requirements. To this end, further exploration in the development of modular and scalable IoT solutions must be carried out.
* Supply chain. The integration of IoT technologies in the MF systems expands the number of stakeholders involved during the design and manufacturing process. Today, the lack of professionals in the field of IoT automation for building systems causes a major difficulty in the development of non-standard projects. In the case of the MEZero prototype, three external developers (hardware developer, software developer and data communication in KNX, software developer and data communication in Mobdus) were involved in tackling a complex challenge.
* Interoperability. The interoperability with different technologies, design tools (e.g., BIM), and existing BMS is an aspect still to be solved. The lack of \"plug & play\" technologies for MF systems requires specific actors for collecting different data in a common data lake. This results in a constant commitment of IoT practitioners in the manufacturing and installation phases. In the MEZero prototype, setting up the communication system required more than a week's work.
* Cost. Although the cost of individual sensors is limited compared to the cost of the facade, the development of a fully integrated IoT infrastructure is still an impactful factor in the market adoption of the technology. Due to a higher design complexity and the lack of ad hoc technologies for building facade products, the global cost of development of a customized infrastructure is still high. To address this issue, it will be necessary to develop modular low-cost technology and quantify the potential savings in economic terms.