From medieval castles to modern stadiums, Europe’s iconic landmarks are more than cultural treasures: they’re also opportunities to lead in energy efficiency and smart building innovation. Honeywell is helping to modernise these sites with integrated technologies that preserve history while powering a sustainable future.

Buda Castle

Since its construction in 1247, Buda Castle has been an iconic symbol of Budapest. Over the centuries, it was rebuilt, expanded and modernised, and in 2000, it was time to upgrade its information technology (IT) systems. Given the historic, delicate nature of the building and the scores of precious artifacts it housed, the new systems had to be installed with the utmost care and consideration.

Honeywell stepped in with state-of-the-art solutions that streamline automation system operations, connect data sources and processes, and better protect the castle’s cultural heritage. The integrated system includes alarms, building access, surveillance, cooling and heating operations, communications, lighting and other components of the site’s centralised IT network. Uniting these solutions within a single system enables greater visibility, faster responses by Buda Castle’s IT team and more efficient operations for the landmark.

The Johan Cruijff Arena

While it doesn’t share the same history as Buda Castle, the Johan Cruijff Arena (JCA) in Amsterdam is known in the Netherlands and abroad as the home of the AFC Ajax and the Dutch national football teams. When it opened in 1996, it was already one of the most sustainable stadiums in the world: its energy storage system was created from used electric vehicle batteries, it was powered by more than 4,200 solar panels and one wind turbine, and it processed waste as efficiently as possible.

In recent years, the JCA identified challenges with its central database and building management system. It used a central database for gathering and processing data from facility systems such as ticketing, safety and security, energy consumption and more. It needed a building management system that could integrate all that technical data into operations to further improve performance and fan experience.

The arena partnered with Honeywell on an integrated building solution driven by analytics and Internet of Things-enabled technology. It taps into the stadium’s network of sensors, which monitor the building’s energy storage system as well as other connected equipment throughout the complex. Using machine learning, the platform connects data from assets, processes and third-party applications to generate actionable insights for the arena’s operations staff.

The improved database functionality from this innovation enables prompt responses to issues within the stadium and data-driven decision-making. As a result, the JCA’s teams can enhance customer experience, bring down costs and energy usage, and propose and act on new ideas in the smart building space.

Thanks to modern solutions like Honeywell’s, both of these renowned structures and countless others will be around for decades, if not centuries, to come, all the while contributing to a sustainable future for Europe and the rest of the planet.