Transforming Building Infrastructure into Communication Systems for Smart City: A Conceptual Analysis of Metallic Structures as Antennas

Nurmayanti Zain; Farhan Rezki Arifin; Lompo Ramos Emakarim

doi:10.37899/journallamultiapp.v6i6.2431

Nurmayanti Zain Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Cokroaminoto Makassar, Tamalanre, Makassar, South Sulawesi, 90245, Indonesia
Farhan Rezki Arifin Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Cokroaminoto Makassar, Tamalanre, Makassar, South Sulawesi, 90245, Indonesia
Lompo Ramos Emakarim Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Cokroaminoto Makassar, Tamalanre, Makassar, South Sulawesi, 90245, Indonesia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.37899/journallamultiapp.v6i6.2431

Keywords: Conceptual Analysis, Metallic Structures, Passive Antenna, Smart City, IoT Network

Abstract

The transformation of building infrastructure into intelligent communication systems is a key enabler of smart city development. This paper investigates the feasibility of utilizing metallic structural elements such as steel reinforcement bars, hollow sections, and galvanized steel as embedded antenna within building frameworks. To provide validated evidence, this work incorporates full-wave electromagnetic simulations using Ansys HFSS to analyze resonance behavior, impedance matching, radiation patterns, and gain performance in the sub-GHz band, particularly around 700 MHz for IoT applications. The simulation results demonstrate that selected building materials can achieve stable resonance and nearly omnidirectional radiation characteristics, with realized gains up to 0.47 dBi and bandwidths sufficient for LPWAN technologies such as NB-IoT and LoRaWAN. These findings confirm the dual functionality of structural metals, offering both mechanical strength and communication capability. The study provides a validated basis for future experimental prototyping and integration of antenna- embedded infrastructures in smart building environments.

Author Biographies

Nurmayanti Zain, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Cokroaminoto Makassar, Tamalanre, Makassar, South Sulawesi, 90245, Indonesia

Nurmayanti Zain is a lecturer at the Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Agriculture Technology, Universitas Cokroaminoto Makassar. Her research interests include wireless communication, antennas, and smart city systems.

Farhan Rezki Arifin, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Cokroaminoto Makassar, Tamalanre, Makassar, South Sulawesi, 90245, Indonesia

Farhan Rezki Arifin is a lecturer at the Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Agriculture Technology, Universitas Cokroaminoto Makassar. His research interests include applied mathematics, statistics, graph, network, communication and data analysis.

Lompo Ramos Emakarim, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Cokroaminoto Makassar, Tamalanre, Makassar, South Sulawesi, 90245, Indonesia

Lompo Ramos Emakarim is a lecturer at the Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Agriculture Technology, Universitas Cokroaminoto Makassar. His research interests includes antennas, energy of processor, data center, and IoT.

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