VUB Learning & Innovation Center

For the Vrije Universiteit Brussel Learning & Innovation Center (LIC), Connect-D delivered a fully integrated smart building ecosystem focused on user experience, operational efficiency, sustainability, and digital innovation.

The project combined multiple technologies and operational systems into one centralized intelligent environment, integrating access control, climate management, facility management systems (FMIS), smart lighting, and workplace experience applications into a seamless digital platform for students, staff, and facility operators.

A key component of the implementation was the deployment of advanced PoE lighting infrastructure powered by Signify, including intelligent sensor technology throughout the building. The solution enables real-time occupancy detection, environmental monitoring, energy optimization, and data-driven facility management while contributing to a highly flexible and sustainable campus environment.

In parallel, Connect-D developed and integrated a digital workplace application that allows students and staff to easily interact with the building and campus services through a single intuitive platform. The application enables users to reserve meeting rooms and study spaces, control room functionalities, perform indoor wayfinding, report technical issues, and dynamically grant access to buildings and specific rooms directly from their mobile devices.

To create a unified digital ecosystem, the complete platform was fully integrated with the Microsoft environments of both Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Université libre de Bruxelles. This integration enables centralized identity management, secure authentication, workplace synchronization, and seamless interoperability between university systems and smart building technologies.

By combining intelligent infrastructure, smart building technologies, and user-centered digital services, Connect-D helped transform the VUB LIC into a future-ready educational environment where technology actively supports collaboration, sustainability, flexibility, and innovation.