Managing Sites

Why Sites Matter

A Site is a specific physical location within your Estate. Think of it as a container for one or more buildings at a particular address.

Without Sites, you have:

• A list of buildings but no geographic organization
• No way to separate “London HQ” from “Manchester Branch”
• All floor plans and assets jumbled together

With Sites, you have:

• Clear separation of locations (ideal for multi-site organizations)
• Organized floor plans and assets grouped by location
• Easy navigation and reporting by site
• Ability to manage permissions site-by-site (some teams only access specific sites)

Real-World Examples

School Campus

• Estate: “Lincoln Academy”
• Sites: Main Building, Sports Complex, Science Block (three separate locations on campus)
• Each site has its own buildings, floors, assets

Office Network

• Estate: “TechCorp Ltd”
• Sites: London HQ, Manchester Branch, Edinburgh Office
• Each site has separate floor plans and asset inventories

Retail Chain

• Estate: “Fashion Retail Group”
• Sites: Store #1 (London), Store #2 (Manchester), Store #3 (Bristol)
• Each store’s equipment tracked separately

Mixed-Use Campus

• Estate: “Central Park Campus”
• Sites: Corporate Tower, Research Building, Warehouse, Parking Structure
• Different building types, different layouts, different asset profiles

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Adding a Site

1. Open Your Estate

Navigate to the Estate where you want to add a site. You’ll see the “Add Site” button or a + card on the sites list.

2. Click “Add Site”

A dialog appears with the site creation form.

3. Configure Site Details

1. Name (required) - A clear, descriptive name

   • Good: “London Headquarters”, “Manchester Branch”, “Research Building”
   • Avoid: “Site1”, “Building”, “Location A” (unclear after you have many sites)

2. Postcode (required) - Your postcode/ZIP code

   • The system geocodes this automatically to get GPS coordinates and full address
   • If you don’t have a postcode, toggle “Manual location mode” to enter coordinates directly

3. Address (optional) - Full street address

   • Automatically populated from postcode lookup
   • You can edit this if needed
   • Useful for disambiguation if two addresses share a postcode

4. Site Type (optional) - Classification for your site

   • See Site Type Guidance below
   • Purely organizational - does not restrict features
   • Can be changed later

5. Coordinates (optional) - Latitude and Longitude

   • Auto-populated from postcode lookup
   • Manually enter if you don’t have a postcode (toggle “Manual location mode”)
   • Use decimal format (e.g., 51.5074, -0.1278 for London)

4. Click “Add”

Your site is created and added to the estate. You’re ready to add buildings and floor plans.

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Site Type Guidance

When creating a site, you can optionally classify it with a Site Type. This helps you organize and understand your portfolio at a glance.

Common Site Types

Type	What It Represents	Carbon Impact	Example
Office	Commercial workspace, headquarters, regional offices	High electricity, moderate heating	Corporate office, business park
Warehouse	Distribution centers, storage facilities, logistics	High electricity (lighting, refrigeration if needed)	Distribution hub, cold storage
Retail	Shops, shopping centers, boutiques	High electricity (lighting, HVAC)	High street store, shopping mall
Manufacturing	Production facilities, factories, plants	Very high (heavy equipment)	Car plant, food processing
Residential	Apartments, housing, dormitories	Moderate (heating, hot water)	Student housing, residential block
Data Center	Server farms, compute facilities	Very high (cooling systems)	Cloud provider facility
Research	Labs, universities, R&D facilities	Very high (specialized equipment)	University campus, research institute
Healthcare	Hospitals, clinics, medical facilities	Very high (24/7 operation, specialized HVAC)	Hospital, diagnostic center
Hospitality	Hotels, restaurants, event venues	High (24/7 heating, kitchen equipment)	Hotel, conference center

When Site Type Matters

Use Site Type when:

• Managing a diverse portfolio (different building types)
• Grouping for reporting (all offices vs. all warehouses)
• Setting default configurations by building type

Don’t worry about Site Type if:

• All your sites are the same type
• You have a simple portfolio
• You plan to manage everything the same way

Can you change it later? Yes. Open the site and edit its details anytime.

Real-World Example: School Campus

A university might classify sites as:

• Main Campus → Residential (student accommodation)
• Academic Building → Research (lecture halls, labs)
• Sports Complex → Generic (fitness equipment, sports facilities)
• Cafeteria → Hospitality (kitchen and dining)
• Parking Structure → Generic (just vehicles, minimal assets)

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Site Hierarchy and Structure

Sites contain a hierarchical structure of buildings, floors, and rooms. Understanding this hierarchy is essential for organizing your assets.

The Full Hierarchy

Estate (your organization's portfolio)
│
└── Site (one physical location)
    ├── Building (a structure at that location)
    │   ├── Floor 0 (Ground/Basement/Level names)
    │   │   ├── Room 1
    │   │   ├── Room 2
    │   │   └── Assets (placed on floor plan)
    │   ├── Floor 1
    │   └── Floor 2
    └── Outside (outdoor assets not in buildings)

Components Explained

Site - The top level in this hierarchy

• One physical address/location
• Contains one or more buildings
• Contains outdoor areas (e.g., solar panels on roof, ground-mounted equipment)

Building - A structure within a site

• One or more floors
• Can have a footprint (boundary polygon) on the site map
• Examples: “Main Tower”, “Annex Building”, “Warehouse A”

Floor - A level within a building

• One floor plan image
• Multiple rooms
• Floor numbering: Ground, 1st Floor, Basement, etc.
• Example floor names: “Ground Floor”, “Basement -1”, “Level 3”

Room - An indoor space

• Defined by a boundary drawn on the floor plan
• Contains assets (equipment)
• Optional - you don’t need to define rooms if you don’t want to

Outdoor - Assets outside all buildings

• Ground-mounted solar panels
• Rooftop equipment
• Parking structures
• Fenced enclosures

Real-World Example: Multi-Building Campus

Lincoln Academy (Estate) └── Main Building (Site) - 100 Main Street ├── Building 1: Classroom Wing │ ├── Ground Floor │ │ ├── Room 1.G1: Reception │ │ ├── Room 1.G2: IT Lab │ │ └── Room 1.G3: Storage │ ├── Floor 1 │ │ ├── Room 1.1: Classroom A │ │ ├── Room 1.2: Classroom B │ │ └── Room 1.3: Office │ └── Floor 2 │ └── (3 more classrooms) │ ├── Building 2: Sports Complex │ ├── Ground Floor │ │ ├── Gym │ │ ├── Pool Area │ │ └── Changing Rooms │ └── Basement │ └── Equipment Storage │ ├── Building 3: Science Block │ ├── Ground Floor │ │ └── Labs │ └── Floor 1 │ └── Prep Rooms │ └── Outdoor ├── Solar Panels (Roof) ├── Parking Lot Lights └── Generator (Ground)

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Understanding Topology Setup

Topology is the geographic and structural layout of your site. It includes:

• Building locations (footprints)
• Floor plans with assets
• Room definitions
• Site boundaries

Why Topology Matters

Topology is how the system understands “where things are”:

• Asset position tracking (“This HVAC unit is in Building A, Floor 2, Room 3”)
• Space utilization analysis (“How much equipment in each area?”)
• Work order organization (“I need to work on all assets in the east wing”)
• Carbon tracking (“Which areas consume the most energy?”)

Building Relationships

How Buildings Relate to Floors and Rooms:

Building
├── Contains one or more Floors (vertical structure)
│   └── Each Floor has a floor plan image
│       └── Rooms are drawn on the floor plan
│           └── Assets are placed in rooms
└── Has a Footprint (boundary polygon)
    └── Shows where the building sits on the site map

Example: Three-Story Office Building

Main Office Tower (Building)
├── Basement (-1)
│   ├── Server Room (Room)
│   ├── Electrical Room (Room)
│   └── Mechanical Room (Room)
├── Ground Floor
│   ├── Reception (Room)
│   ├── Conference Rooms (4 rooms)
│   └── Open Plan Office (Room)
├── Floor 1
│   └── Offices (multiple rooms)
└── Floor 2
    └── Offices (multiple rooms)

Building Footprint = Rectangle showing where building sits on site
Floor 1 Floor Plan = Image of office layout with room boundaries drawn

Setting Up Topology

When creating buildings and floors:

1. Create the Building - At the site level

   • Name it clearly (“Marketing Building”, “North Tower”)
   • Optional: Set building usage type (office, warehouse, etc.)
   • Optional: Place it on the site map (building footprint)

2. Add Floors - Inside the building

   • Name each floor (“Ground”, “1st Floor”, “Basement”)
   • Order them from bottom to top

3. Upload Floor Plans - For each floor

   • One floor plan image per floor
   • Draw room boundaries if needed
   • Place assets on the floor plan

See Floor Plans for detailed floor plan workflow.

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Real-World Estate Structure Examples

Example 1: School Campus (Simple Multi-Building Site)

Organization:

• Lincoln Academy (Estate)
• Main Campus (Site - single location with multiple buildings)
  • Classroom Building, Sports Complex, Science Block (3 buildings)

Setup approach:

• Create 1 Estate
• Create 1 Site (the campus location)
• Within that site, create 3 buildings
• Each building gets floor plans and room definitions

Why this structure:

• All buildings at same address (one site)
• Different building purposes (separate buildings)
• Logical grouping by location

Example 2: Office Network (Multi-Site Organization)

Organization:

• Global TechCorp (Estate - the company)
• London HQ (Site), Manchester Branch (Site), Edinburgh Office (Site)

Setup approach:

• Create 1 Estate (the company)
• Create 3 Sites (one per city)
• Each site contains its own buildings/floors

Why this structure:

• Different locations (separate sites)
• Different physical infrastructure at each location
• Ability to manage sites independently
• Easy to compare energy use across sites

Example 3: Shopping Complex (Single-Building Multi-Floor Site)

Organization:

• Westfield Shopping Center (Estate)
• Shopping Complex (Site - one location, one large building)
  • Floors 1-4 all contain retail shops

Setup approach:

• Create 1 Estate
• Create 1 Site
• Create 1 Building
• Create 4 Floors (one per level)
• Define rooms/shop units on each floor

Why this structure:

• One shopping center at one location (one site)
• One large building (vertical complex)
• Multiple floors for different stores

Example 4: Hospital Campus (Mixed Multi-Site)

Organization:

• NHS Trust Portfolio (Estate - manages multiple hospitals)
• City Hospital (Site), County Clinic (Site), Research Institute (Site)
• Each site has multiple buildings

Example: City Hospital (Site)

• Main Building: Emergency, Inpatient, Surgery
• Research Wing: Labs, offices
• Support Building: Morgue, storage, laundry
• Parking Structure: Multi-level parking

Setup approach:

• Create 1 Estate (the NHS Trust)
• Create 3 Sites (one per facility)
• Each site contains 3-4 buildings
• Each building has multiple floors with rooms

Why this structure:

• Different physical locations (separate sites)
• Complex infrastructure at each location (multiple buildings)
• Organizational separation by facility
• Ability to track carbon per facility

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Site Workflow: From Creation to Assets

Here’s the typical journey:

1. Create Site - Enter name, postcode, optional type
2. Create Building - Add a building to the site
3. Add Floors - Create floor structure (Ground, 1st, 2nd, etc.)
4. Upload Floor Plan - Add floor plan image for each floor
5. Define Rooms - Draw room boundaries on floor plan (optional)
6. Place Assets - Add equipment/assets to rooms

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Managing Multiple Locations

When to Create Multiple Sites (Not Recommended for Simple Cases)

Create a new site when:

• It’s a different physical address
• It requires independent management
• Assets at this location won’t interact with other locations

Examples:

• Regional offices (separate sites)
• Warehouse at a different address
• Manufacturing plant in another city

When NOT to Create Multiple Sites

Use buildings instead when:

• Multiple structures at the same address (use one site, multiple buildings)
• Same management area (keep together for reporting)
• Shared infrastructure/utilities

Example:

• ❌ WRONG: Create site “Office Building A” and site “Office Building B” at the same address
• ✓ RIGHT: Create site “Corporate Campus”, then add Building A and Building B within it

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Site Visibility and Filtering

The sites list supports search and filtering to find sites quickly:

• Search - Find sites by name or address
• Sort - By name, creation date, or last updated
• Display Options - Show/hide columns like postcode, creation date

This is particularly useful for organizations with many sites.

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Site Status and Publishing

After you’ve set up buildings, floors, and floor plans, you need to publish your topology for it to be live.

Publishing means:

• Your building layout becomes official
• Assets can be positioned on the published topology
• Changes become visible to other users

See Floor Plans for topology publishing details.

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Common Site Setup Mistakes

Mistake 1: Creating Multiple Estates When You Need Multiple Sites

Problem: New user creates “Estate: London” and “Estate: Manchester” Result: They’re completely separate portfolios, can’t compare or manage together

Solution: Create one Estate, then add multiple Sites within it

Mistake 2: Not Naming Sites/Buildings Clearly

Problem: Sites named “Site 1”, “Building 1”, “Floor 1” Result: Confusing when you’re working with multiple assets

Solution: Use clear, descriptive names (“London HQ”, “Main Tower”, “Ground Floor”)

Mistake 3: Misunderstanding the Hierarchy

Problem: User creates a site for every building Result: Site list is cluttered, all at same address

Solution: One site per location, multiple buildings within each site

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Troubleshooting

Can’t find my site in the list

Solution:

• Use the search box to find it by name
• Check that you’re viewing the correct estate
• Make sure it’s not filtered out by the display options

Postcode lookup failed

Solution:

• Check that the postcode is correct for your country
• Try entering the full address manually
• Toggle “Manual location mode” and enter coordinates directly

Can’t add buildings to a site

Solution:

• Site must be created first
• You need to navigate into the site
• Check that you have permission to edit this site

Site appears but no buildings showing

Solution:

• Buildings haven’t been created yet
• You need to add them in the site details
• Or they exist but are displayed on the floor plan level

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Permissions

By default:

• Estate Managers can create, edit, and delete sites
• Site Managers can view sites they have access to
• Users can view public sites

See Granting Access for detailed permission setup.

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What’s Next?

Once you’ve created your sites:

Upload Floor Plans

Add floor plan images to your buildings. Learn more →

Add Assets

Place equipment and assets on floor plans. Learn more →

Manage Buildings

Understand building structure and topology. Learn more →

Invite Your Team

Grant access to specific sites. Learn more →

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Related

• Floor Plans - Upload and manage floor plans
• Estate Structures Domain - Technical reference
• Creating Your Estate - Set up an estate first