Proximus, BESIX and i.Leco create Aug∙e, smart building app platform

BESIX, Proximus and i.Leco have announce the creation of Aug∙e, a smart building application platform combining their respective expertise in building, ICT and energy.

Aug∙e follows the acquisition by BESIX and Proximus, leading actors in construction and ICT, of stakes in i.Leco, a tech start-up specialising in buildings’ energy management.

With Aug∙e, BESIX, Proximus and i.Leco are bringing to the market state-of-the-art solutions in the field of smart buildings, which will contribute to making buildings a significant actor in the energy transition. These solutions include the most innovative technologies to improve the energy performance and environmental impact of buildings, facilitate their long-term maintenance, and increase their users’ comfort.

Jan Van Steirteghem, General Manager Europe, BESIX Group, commented, "The concept of smart buildings consists of creating buildings that are both physical and digital: we create the digital twin of a building. These twins are connected and interact with each other in such a way that a change in the properties of one applies automatically to the other.

In combining the respective expertise of Proximus, i.Leco and BESIX in ICT, buildings energy management and construction and renovation, we have created Aug∙e. Aug∙e is a platform that connects the physical building to a series of useful digital applications that allow building users and facility managers to optimise energy consumption and reduce carbon footprint, which will help combat climate change, to improve comfort in the workplace and to facilitate efficient operations."

The creation of Aug∙e results from a twofold investment. The first one is direct, through a capital contribution and the acquisition of stakes by BESIX and Proximus in i.Leco, a European specialist in the innovative energy management of buildings and local energy communities. The second investment relies on the extensive integration of the legacy and existing technical and technological expertise of the three companies – an illustration of this integration is the transfer of talent from BESIX and Proximus to Aug∙e. Ultimately, the current i.Leco platform will naturally be absorbed into Aug∙e.

"As a climate-neutral company since 2016, Proximus is willing to help its customers to use energy smarter and reduce their carbon footprint. The energy transition, and in particular the contribution of buildings to a more sustainable world, is at the heart of our initiative to create Aug∙e. Aug∙e will help us to bring to the market an unprecedented ecosystem of solutions that will set a new standard for the way we think about user experience in buildings and will actively contribute to reduce their ecological footprint. In these buildings, data will be truly at the service of tenants, users, employers, facility managers, etc," commented, Anne-Sophie Lotgering, Chief Enterprise Market Officer.

Aug∙e, whose name ‘Augmented Energy’ reflects a purpose dedicated to energy transition, now offers the most complete and future-proof solutions in the field of smart buildings. The applications developed by Aug∙e have been designed to be easy to use and available on both smartphones and computers. With the support of Proximus, BESIX and i.Leco, it will continue to expand this ecosystem, particularly in three main areas: sustainability, comfort and maintenance.

Sustainability

Aug∙e will allow developers and tenants to significantly increase the share of renewable energy in the energy consumption of assets.

With Aug∙e, smart buildings can also learn from past experience and anticipate their own needs. By constantly analysing and adapting the use of electricity, smart buildings can proactively reduce energy consumption by up to a third and significantly reduce the ecological footprint of cities.

With Aug∙e, it is also possible to go further by enabling buildings to communicate with each other and integrate them into grids and networks, thus creating interconnected local energy communities in which buildings become both producers and consumers.

Comfort

Smart buildings optimise user experience, enabling a new kind of collaborative workplace. Aug∙e's solutions, which are modular, allow users to interact with the building at any time and from anywhere, e.g. to adjust the temperature or ventilation, contact colleagues, charge their cars, book meeting rooms...

Maintenance

Smart buildings simplify maintenance, for example by allowing every aspect of the building to be inspected at any time. They even enable the most effective preventive maintenance thanks to automated anomaly detection.

Stefan Lodeweyckx, CEO of i.Leco and Aug∙e, said, "The combination of the expertise of BESIX, Proximus and i.Leco is unprecedented. With Aug∙e, smart and truly intelligent buildings are not about the future: we build them today, seamlessly, with data science as their foundations. i.Leco and its teams, along with our new colleagues and expertise, will be absorbed over time into Aug.e in order to offer our clients first-class services in a simple, autonomous and highly transparent way, as well as to promote a collaborative and co-creative approach with all our respective ecosystems."

Because Aug∙e is striving for impact in the global quest against climate change, the partners are already taking Aug∙e to the international level via the BESIX network. Aug∙e solutions will be presented at the opening of the Belgian Pavilion of the Dubai World Expo, which will be held from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022 in the United Arab Emirates.

Since 2018, BESIX and Proximus have been developing innovative solutions in the field of new generation smart buildings. Their partnership is based on the complementarity of the two companies. BESIX has century-long experience in the design, management and execution of the most complex construction projects.

For its part, Proximus relies on extensive expertise in ICT technologies, including those required for smart buildings such as IoT applications, digital workplace and security solutions. This entry into the energy sector is fully in line with Proximus' strategy of diversifying into new growth areas such as banking, education and smart buildings through strong partnerships.