[News Terms] What is the 'SmartPlus Building Alliance'?

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong attended the launch ceremony of the Smart Plus Building Alliance held at LG Science Park in Gangseo-gu, Seoul on the 2nd, where he experienced a serving robot demonstration. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The 'Smart Plus (+) Building' refers to a building equipped with spaces, structures, and facilities that enable the smooth operation of 4th Industrial Revolution technologies such as Urban Air Mobility (UAM), autonomous driving, and robotics. For example, in the case of UAM, to efficiently operate, each building must install a vertiport, a vertical takeoff and landing pad, so that various large and small aircraft flying over the urban building forest can take off and land. This requires changing the structure and function of the building.

As Smart Plus Buildings become widespread, it will be possible to implement 'Last-Inch Service,' where various services are continuously provided both inside and outside the building. While 'Last-Mile Service' refers to mobility and delivery services between transfer/logistics centers and the roads in front of buildings, Last-Inch extends services not only outside but also inside the building.

If Smart Plus Buildings are first applied to public buildings, it is expected that national disaster response capabilities will be greatly enhanced, as police officers and firefighters can quickly move to disaster sites without traffic congestion using UAM, and broadcasting stations can promptly deliver disaster broadcasts using various advanced technologies.

Our government announced on the 2nd that it will sufficiently prepare the architectural environment for the rapid commercialization of UAM and other technologies by launching the 'Smart Plus Building Alliance,' which includes both public and private sectors.

The alliance co-chairs are Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong and Professor Ha Heon-gu from Inha University. Also, private companies in robotics, UAM, autonomous driving, IT, architecture, and business fields such as Naver, LG Electronics, Hyundai Motor Company, Woowa Brothers, and Socar, as well as academia including the Architectural Space Research Institute, the Korean Institute of Architects, and the Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement, and public institutions such as Seoul City, KBS, and Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) participate. The alliance plans to prepare a roadmap for revitalizing Smart Plus Buildings within the first half of the year and will operate in a way that the government supports through institutional improvements and investments when the private sector proposes leading models.