With 100 years of experience in the construction industry, people at JE Dunn know the ins and outs of buildings and the processes that go into creating and maintaining them. They know that a smart building is only as “smart” as how efficiently its systems connect. That’s why 10 years ago, JE Dunn created a division, Aptitude™: Intelligent Integration (then known as Systems Integrated Solutions), to fill a need that’s increasingly common in construction projects — a customizable, full-scope building connectivity solution designed to let owners, operators, and occupants get more value out of their buildings. Aptitude coordinates and manages every part of the technology package, from design through commissioning, providing a single source of truth for the entire project.
Although Aptitude is a JE Dunn sub-brand, it can work with any general contractor or external client, enabling the increased efficiencies and cost-saving possibilities it can provide to any project. The Aptitude team — which has grown significantly in both size and skill over the brand’s decade-long existence as technology has evolved — also has access to the expertise and scalability of a large, nationwide general contractor in JE Dunn.
With more than 60 subject-matter experts that support 26 markets across the U.S., Aptitude helps bridge the gap between development, construction, and information technology. By having one point of contact managing all the technological aspects of a project starting with consultation and pre-planning to technology design to project installation to end-user trainings, Aptitude can reduce up-front costs and significantly decrease the chance of add and change risk. Using intelligent integration, building systems and services can function to serve one another, revealing relationships, patterns and dependencies that can be used to increase operational efficiencies, reduce maintenance costs, and enhance the comfort and safety of a building’s occupants.
“There are a plethora of technology systems in buildings today, but too often there is waste and inefficiency, and the building doesn’t operate the way it was intended because of the poor planning or siloed approach to those systems. What we’re trying to do is simplify the complexity and reduce friction by treating technology as one project,” said Sam Holt, Aptitude National Managing Director. “With this approach, we’re able to connect people, places, and technology and help our clients reach their connectivity goals with better outcomes and reduced cost.”