Beyond the product
Paul McIlvaney, Technical and Marketing Manager at Gewiss, explores why close collaboration between clients, consultants and electrical partners is essential for developing smarter, more resilient, future-ready infrastructures.
Electrical infrastructure is no longer just about power - it’s what keeps modern buildings running, adaptable and future-ready. Every operational and safety-critical system – including power distribution, emergency lighting, data networks, HVAC controls, access systems, and an expanding suite of digital services – relies on a resilient, intelligently integrated electrical backbone.
Yet, all too often, infrastructure design is approached from a product-first perspective. Components are selected based on immediate availability, historical precedent, or upfront cost, rather than on how the system must perform as a cohesive, adaptable whole. This approach may deliver a functioning building on day one, but it frequently falls short of the performance, adaptability, and sustainability required for the years ahead. For owners, operators, and design teams, the big question is: how do you build electrical systems that meet today’s needs without limiting tomorrow’s possibilities?
Dramatic shift
Traditionally, electrical systems have been simply a technical necessity – something that had to be included but rarely seen or considered. Today, however, expectations have shifted dramatically. Buildings must be safer, more energy-efficient, digitally connected, operationally resilient, and environmentally responsible, while also retaining the flexibility to adapt to new technologies, regulations, and user behaviours.
Electrical infrastructure underpins all of this. Its performance directly influences business continuity, energy use, occupant comfort, building usability, and lifecycle cost. Even the briefest of power disruptions can compromise safety, productivity, and reputation. Electrical systems are no longer just background infrastructure – they can drive strategy and performance, but only if they’re designed, integrated, and supported the right way.
A product-first mindset can naturally feel like the easiest, most cost-effective route, but it only works in the short term. Choosing parts in isolation, without looking at the bigger picture or future needs, comes with a number of risks:
- Fragmented systems: Individually, products might meet required standards, but if they’re not engineered to work together, the system as a whole can fall short
- Operational inefficiency: Ineffective controls, poorly matched components, and lack of performance visibility can lead to unnecessary energy use and increased running costs
- Limited flexibility: Siloed, inflexible infrastructure becomes expensive and disruptive to upgrade as technology evolves or occupancy levels shift
- Higher lifetime costs: An initially low cost option can become far more expensive over time due to upkeep, downtime, and the need to replace components sooner than expected
- Missed digital opportunities: If the infrastructure isn’t set up correctly from the start, bringing in smart systems, automation, or advanced metering later can be a real challenge
In a rapidly shifting regulatory, environmental, and technological landscape, electrical infrastructure cannot be treated as a standard fit-out. It must be:
- Tailored to the building’s specific function and priorities
- Designed to work seamlessly with other systems and disciplines
- Scalable to handle growing demands and new technologies as they emerge
- Intelligent enough to monitor, self-diagnose, and optimise performance
- Sustainable across its lifecycle, not just at installation
Achieving this requires early-stage collaboration. When clients, consultants and electrical partners engage from the outset, systems can be engineered holistically rather than reactively.
Reshaping expectations
The rise of smart controls and digital integration continues to reshape expectations for electrical system performance. Modern buildings increasingly require:
- Smart power distribution: Modular boards with real-time monitoring, load balancing and remote diagnostics
- Connected controls: Systems for lighting, HVAC, emergency functions and metering that communicate to enable optimisation rather than simple operation
- Predictive maintenance: Sensor-led monitoring that detects faults early, reduces downtime and supports proactive facilities management
- Energy and carbon visibility: Live data on consumption and efficiency to support compliance, reporting and Net Zero strategies
- Flexible infrastructure: Designed to handle evolving tech needs, from EV charging to IoT and next-gen building systems
A future-ready electrical system isn’t built just by picking the right products. It comes from trusted partnerships – working with specialists who understand more than the components, but who see the bigger picture – the building’s purpose, how it operates day-to-day, its digital goals and where it’s headed in the long-term.
Ultimately, an electrical partner’s true value isn’t in the products they offer, but in the insight, foresight and engineering expertise they bring to the table.
Resilient and relevant
Electrical infrastructure sits at the heart of building performance. In an era defined by digital transformation, evolving regulations and growing sustainability expectations, it’s no longer enough to deliver systems that simply work at handover. Buildings need infrastructures that evolve.
By moving beyond a product-first mindset and embracing early collaboration, integrated thinking and long-term planning, owners and project teams can deliver smarter, safer and more efficient buildings that remain resilient and relevant for decades. For those shaping the next generation of modern buildings, the message is clear – future-ready performance starts with future-ready infrastructure – and that starts with the right partnership.
