Technology has made our lives a lot easier, can help us save money and make our buildings safer. When it comes to building with smart technology, Arch Myhkee Yee is a good person to work with.
Arch Mhykee’s family was in design and construction, but after graduating with an Architecture Degree from UP Diliman and placing 13th on the architecture board exams, Mhykee decided that he would go into I.T. business instead because the economy didn’t need architects. When he graduated, salaries for a draftsman were below minimum wage – a number reflecting the poor construction industry at that time. “It’s not the right time yet,” he said.
Instead, he put up a chain of internet cafés called I.T Log Park. He started small with no start up and just investment from friends and six computer units (some second hand, some on credit) but then started to expand. He was the first internet café chain that focused on 24/7 gaming at that time. On his 5th year he opened for franchising. As the number of branches grew to 43, he was able to put his studies to good use, supervising the construction of different branches at minimal cost. With high entrepreneurial acumen, he also started other businesses such as a home service spa, medical clinic and is also on the board of the social enterprise Jacinto and Lirio.
His business partners saw his ability and started to ask him to do residential and commercial because of the trust and his tested abilities. As he got more projects through referrals, Arch. Mhykee decided to give construction his full attention.
He also worked with his family, doing seven resorts in Boracay where he lived for almost 6 years. By the end of 2017, Boracay closed so his work stopped. During his time in Boracay, Arch Mhykee saw the importance of Sewage Treatment Plants (STP) – how the slow dirtying of the water led to the eventual close of Boracay. Not everyone used these treatment facilities in Boracay, and across the country. Hopefully today people have learned their lessons and use STPs
Upon getting back to Manila, Arch Mhykee tried several ventures such as a Crypto Currency Trading and Mining company before fusing his love for technology with construction. Today they have ITC CORP (Internet of Things + Construction) – an internet of things construction company that can merge technology seamlessly with buildings.
The tech they have, such as automatic and remote controlled lights, door access, security, air conditioning, and other systems help save energy at home. With energy use in cities now one of the biggest sources of carbon, smart technology can definitely help make things easy and save on electricity – not only that but it can save hotels and other buildings a LOT of electricity and manpower costs.
Imagine guests or family members leaving the AC on while they are rushing in and out of a room – leaving the AC on for 12 -16 hours is an unnecessary use of energy and money. Automatic sensors in Arch Mhykee’s tech shuts AC and other unnecessary equipment off once people vacate the room – similar to your computer’s sleep function when you don’t use it for a few minutes. One more benefit of this system is that you can have all switches in one area, including 3 way or more switches, thereby reducing the length of wires and conduits needed. Voice commands – Using iPhone’s Siri or Alexa, are part of his offerings that can make any space feel state-of-the-art. You can also control your home or business via phone, tablet or computer. With today’s increasing carbon pollution and global warming due to carbon, this kind of technology also provides ecological value, alongside financial benefits.
This same technology with sensors is also applied to gas and water leaks – imagine the savings if you have a system that tells you if something is leaking or used unnecessarily and monitor electricity usage in real time.
Another dynamic of the smart buildings he can build are the wireless CCTVs AND FDAS (Fire Detectio and ALARM System) that he includes in the design. Products like these are popular and have been applied to spas and other recreational spaces.
Technology isn’t the only angle Mhyke has to make the buildings more energy efficient and produce less carbon. He also uses his creativity in up cycling wood and has even designed their office out of recycled materials, SOME ARE FROM WATER HYACYNTH OR COMMONLY KNOWN AS WATER LILLY.
So if you build in the future, consider smart technology that can increase convenience and reduce energy consumption and POSSIBLY SAVE of MAN POWER – technology good for people and plane AND YOUR POCKET ( P P P!)
HERE’S A LIST OF THEIR SERVICES:
DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION
Architectural
Interior Fit Out
Mechanical
Electrical
Plumbing and Sanitary
Fire Protection
Structural
AUXILIARY SYSTEMS INTEGRATION
IOT (Internet of Things) SMART AUTOMATION
CCTV with remote Access
Door Access Control & Security
Structured Cabling
Wi-Fi Access Points
Audio and Video Intercom
Paging, Public Address and Background Music (PABGM)
Fire Detection and Alarm Systems (FDAS)
Private Automatic Branch Exchange Telephone System (PABX)
IPTV and CATV
Computers, Servers, and Networking Devices
Room Management Systems (GRMS)
If you want to continue the conversation with Arch MhkyeE, please email him at m@itc.ph.