Emergency
Systems
Not long ago, buildings were
simply dumb boxes containing
isolated systems with limited
abilities to communicate
information or status. Although
over the past decade there has been
much greater attention given to
dashboards and certain levels of
automation for core building
systems (i.e., HVAC, lighting,
plumbing), there has still been
a large disconnect with how,
or even if, these systems should be
more engaged with other commonly
used technology systems, sensors,
or for that matter the occupants
8 I ICT TODAY
Digital
Credentialing
Interactive
Media Biometrics
Help Desk
Support
Fault
Detection
Diagnostics
Communication
Mobility and
BYOD
Analytics Personal
Geo-location
BMS/BAS Digital
Parking
Security &
Surveillance
Digital
FIGURE 1: Intelligent building technology systems.
of the building. There are many
justifiable reasons why facilities
engineers, responsible for
maintaining very complex building
systems, would argue to keep
the core building system segmented
and simple. One of the most
common reasons heard repeatedly
is that when more advanced
“automation” has been attempted
in the past (e.g., integrating
lighting, HVAC, occupancy sensors)
someone ends up sitting in a room
with lights that go off unexpectedly
and a temperature that will
not regulate properly.
ICT professionals should be
able to relate, as a similar
phenomenon occurred with the
slow adoption of integrated voice
and data systems. However,
unifying voice and data
communications has happened,
and the unified communications
(UC) evolution of integration
is far from over. Today, data
is everywhere in a building with
every system from the breakroom
refrigerator and coffee maker
capable of communicating
information to other systems
and to the outside world. This really
is the era of the intelligent building.
WHAT IS THE DEFINITION
OF AN INTELLIGENT
BUILDING AND WHAT
DOES IT MEAN FOR ICT
PROFESSIONALS?
While waiting for the ongoing
maturation of the market,
which according to the
Telecommunications Industry
Association (TIA) is expected
to grow to $32 billion by 2022,
it is beneficial to understand
what should be considered basic
intelligence features and more
advanced intelligence features
of a building. BICSI and other
associations are updating existing
IB standards as well as developing
guidelines and specifications
needed by those involved
in IB design. While these
efforts present the opportunity
to volunteer, even those
not directly involved would
benefit from keeping abreast
of these developments.