iCity is a smart business center under construction in Moscow City, covering approximately 250,000 square meters. Its distinctive feature will be a unified digital environment with virtually unlimited functionality, and contractor Unicorn has already made a significant contribution to its creation by developing the intelligent concept.
The core of the complex will be a platform that will become the heart of a unified digital environment. It will serve as the link between all peripheral services and systems, including management systems:
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organization;
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object;
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hotel;
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waste, etc.
In addition to the core solutions, it allows for the implementation of specialized services directly during operation. The platform is designed so that its intelligence will gradually increase and, so to speak, evolve. For example, it could be used to create dedicated services for catering establishments, such as online table reservations or food delivery orders via iCity, etc.
The system is also capable of tracking the behavioral habits of all visitors to the complex as soon as they enter. By accumulating data with each visit, it can create personalized solutions and recommend services that best suit each individual. For example, if someone comes to iCity to work out in the gym, the system will suggest taking the stairs to get there, providing a good warm-up before their workout. Meanwhile, an elevator will automatically take an office worker to their desired level.
To develop this platform, the contractor's specialists examined six primary user roles, over 70 sub-roles, and behavioral scenarios. Alexey Yuzhanov, one of Unicorn's founders, commented on the company's work in this area, explaining that engineers spent several months studying various global practices, accumulated experience in operating smart systems, existing trends, and futurological forecasts. They also monitored a wide range of solutions offered by global vendors.
He noted that a huge advantage of iCity was the fact that the concept, as well as the technical features, were carefully thought out and developed early in the skyscraper's construction. This enabled optimal and reliable project implementation solutions to be found, ensuring the smooth operation and interaction of the system's components. Thanks to such careful attention to iCity's implementation, both towers—the 257-meter Time Tower and the 141-meter Space Tower—will remain state-of-the-art not only upon their opening but for many years to come. As a result, every resident and visitor to the skyscraper will experience a high level of convenience and service, and will have a positive experience interacting with the tower's infrastructure. The idea was dubbed "digital chic."
iCity developer MR Group, represented by its Commercial Director Alexander Surmenev, called the construction of iCity as a digital skyscraper complex a challenging task. He argued that there are currently no ready-made solutions in this area. Therefore, the company faced a lengthy search for a partner who could gather the existing global experience in this field, structure it, and create the best solution for the iCity digital building. He noted that MR Group is fully confident that the experience of Unicorn engineers will enable this to be fully realized.
As a reminder, Unicorn is a resident of the Skolkovo Foundation's Energy Efficiency Technologies Cluster. Nikolai Bulatov, Senior Project Manager for this Cluster, noted that developing smart building and even smart city solutions is one of their key areas of focus. After all, creating a unified digital environment is of interest to many developers, including those constructing both commercial and residential properties. This will enable them to create the most comfortable conditions for residents, tenants, and guests of such properties, as well as improve the efficiency of management companies.
iCity should become a model for implementing such a solution. A major advantage of the platform created by Unicorn is its openness. This will allow it to integrate a wide range of solutions, including those developed by other Skolkovo Foundation members, such as smart engineering systems, IoT devices, and a host of other services for building residents.
