KanAm Grund Group’s Cloud-Based AI Optimisation Strategy for Stronger Asset Performance

Case Study: Quartermile 3, Edinburgh

Space: 9 000 m² | Year of Construction: 2018 | Type: Office | Data Points: 11 500

The KanAm Grund Group, an internationally active investment manager with a strong commitment to sustainable real estate, continues to demonstrate how forward-looking digital strategies can materially strengthen asset performance. At Quartermile 3 in Edinburgh, aedifion’s cloud-based platform enabled advanced automation and dynamic energy management, delivering measurable improvements in efficiency, cost control, and operational resilience – without compromising occupier comfort.

Project Objective

The ambition at Quartermile 3 was to enhance energy efficiency while maintaining a high-quality user experience. A central goal was to take advantage of favourable night-time electricity tariffs and introduce more flexible, intelligent room automation.

This required rethinking how the building responds to tariff structures, occupancy levels, and climatic conditions – while ensuring comfort was never compromised.

Results Delivered

Quartermile 3 achieved a notable improvement across key performance indicators:

• 13% lower energy costs (5.64 €/m²/a)
• 13% lower energy consumption (24.5 kWh/m²/a)
• 13% fewer CO₂ emissions (0.38 kg/m²/a, energy-related)

Beyond percentage improvements, the building recorded:

• 221 MWh/year of energy saved (11.5% of annual consumption)
• 3.4 t CO₂/year avoided
• €50,830/year in operational cost savings

These results confirm the value of combining intelligent automation with time-of-use tariffs and demonstrate the potential for significant efficiency gains in existing buildings.

Client Perspective 

“Working with aedifion on the Quartermile 3 project was a complete success – not only due to the active operational optimisation. Thanks to intelligent energy management, we were able to calibrate our time-of-use tariff effectively, reduce energy consumption, and actively benefit from electricity price fluctuations. This has allowed us to make building operations at Quartermile 3 significantly more efficient.”

Nicolas Vollmer, Asset Management Europe, KanAm Grund Kapitalverwaltungsgesellschaft mbH

How the Improvements Were Achieved

To meet the project objectives, the aedifion platform was deployed with the .controls and .dynamics modules, interfacing with the existing Trend building automation system via BACnet/IP and utilising over 11,000 data points.

The key measure was the introduction of AI-supported, adaptive room automation and intelligent demand-side management. Energy-intensive processes, particularly preconditioning, were shifted into low-cost night-time hours using predictive optimisation. This reduced peak daytime loads, stabilised comfort levels, and maximised the benefits of flexible tariff structures.

This represented a shift away from static scheduling and towards a dynamic operating model – one in which the building anticipates conditions instead of reacting to them, making more effective use of its infrastructure and energy supply.

Future Strategy

Building on the success at Quartermile 3, the remaining areas of the property are now being equipped with further .controls applications, including advanced scheduling and intelligent load management. This expansion supports fully integrated, predictive building control and marks the next step towards more autonomous, high-performing real estate operations.