Smart Buildings Enabled by 6G Communications

Smart building (SB), a promising solution to fast-paced and continuous urbanization around the world, includes the integration of a wide range of systems and services and involves the construction of multiple layers.  SB is capable of sensing, acquiring, and processing a very large amount of data as well as performing appropriate actions and adaptation. Rapid increases in the number of connected nodes and thereby the data transmission demand of SB have led to conventional transmission and processing techniques becoming insufficient to provide satisfactory services. In order to enhance the intelligence of SBs and achieve efficient monitoring and control, sixth generation (6G) communication technologies, particularly indoor visible light communications (VLC) and machine learning (ML), are required to be incorporated in SBs. Herein, we envision a novel SB framework featuring a reliable data transmission network, powerful data processing, and reasoning abilities, all of which are enabled by 6G communications. Primary simulation results support the promising visions of the proposed SB framework.