Case Study: Modular Buildings

Portakabin worked with Aireavu to revolutionise the performance of its modular buildings using trustworthy AI and multi-site IoT monitoring. The programme spans multiple buildings across 5 cities and demonstrates how intelligent automation can cut energy waste at scale.

The Challenge

Portakabin needed a unified digital platform to understand how energy, air quality and occupancy varied across a wide range of modular building types. User-driven energy misuse was causing significant unnecessary cost and carbon impact, while customers were demanding better sustainability performance and more comfortable environments. The challenge was to deliver consistent, accurate insights applicable across different use cases from healthcare, and education, to construction and commercial sites without disrupting operations.

Our Approach

Aireavu deployed a comprehensive IoT and AI solution across the full building portfolio, integrating energy, air quality and occupancy data into a single real-time analytics platform. This included multi-site sensor installation, high-uptime data infrastructure and AI-powered optimisation tools designed to reduce waste while maintaining occupant comfort. Independent assurance validated the system’s reliability and transparency, ensuring automation enhanced — not replaced — user control.

Project Outcomes

Key Impact Highlights

• Up to 87% reduction in user-driven energy waste enabled by trustworthy AI.

• 60% reduction in wasted energy achieved through automated optimisation.

• 99% system uptime, ensuring consistent and reliable performance.

These results provide Portakabin with a scalable, evidence-based model for high-performance modular buildings, demonstrating how AI-led optimisation can improve comfort, cut emissions and materially reduce operating costs.