Technology Roadmapfor

Intelligent Buildings

CABAwww.caba.org

The following organizations provided financial support to the preparation of this technology roadmap:

Natural ResourcesCanada

Ressources naturellesCanada

National ResearchCouncil Canada

Conseil nationalde recherches Canada

IndustryCanada

IndustrieCanada

Public Works andGovernment ServicesCanada

Travaux publics etServices gouvernementauxCanada

BACKGROUNDIn the fall of 1999, the Federal Interdepartmen-tal Forum on Construction Technology, whichhas representatives from the departments ofthe Government of Canada with a majorinterest in construction innovation issues,identified the lack of understanding of thechallenges and opportunities in the generalarea of intelligent building technologies as asignificant national issue. This led to theproposal to create the Technology Roadmap forintelligent building technologies.

The Continental Automated Buildings Associa-tion (CABA) was approached by Industry Canadato determine if private industry would partici-pate actively in such an initiative. CABA con-firmed strong industry support, and offered tobring together major industry players in asteering committee. Assured of industrysupport, Industry Canada (IC), the NationalResearch Council (NRC), Public Works andGovernment Services Canada (PWGSC), NaturalResources Canada (NRCan), and CanadaMortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)undertook to support the project.

The Steering Committee, facilitated by CABAwith representation from industry and thesponsoring federal government agencies wasformed, as follows:

McElwain, Kirk. IBM Canada (now TechnicalDirector at CABA) Committee Chair, TechnologyRoadmap Project,

Barr, David. Technology Roadmap ProjectManager, Continental Automated BuildingsAssociation,

Wallace, Brian. Industry Canada, ContractAuthority for Federal Government,

Balmes, Brian. Siemens Energy and AutomationInc.,

Balsamo, Sam. Tridel Corporation,

Choinière, Daniel. Natural Resources Canada,

Cuddy, David. Nortel Networks (now at NaturalConvergence Inc.),

DelZotto, Andrew. Tridel Corporation,

Handfield, Louis. Hydro-Québec,

Harris, Lorraine. Honeywell Limited,

Hetherington, Winston. Public Works andGovernment Services Canada,

Krymalowski, Morris. Industry Canada,

Le Bel, Celyn. Hydro-Québec,

Lecourt, Paul. Bell Canada,

Lim, Edwin. Honeywell Limited,

Marshall, Sandra. Canada Mortgage andHousing Corporation,

Norris, Chris. National Research Council/Institute for Research in Construction,

Parent, Denis. Hydro-Québec,

Storie, Dwight. Siemens Energy and AutomationInc.,

Stylianou, Meli. Natural Resources Canada,

Zimmer, Ronald. Continental AutomatedBuildings Association.

Following a competitive bidding process, acontract was issued to IBI Group to undertakethe Technology Roadmap project, managed byCABA staff under the guidance of the SteeringCommittee. The IBI Group assigned the follow-ing staff to the project:

Spitzer, Frank. Principal Project ResearchEngineer,

Bebenek, Kevin. Project Manager,

Burnie, Erik. Research Assistant,

Koutsoulias, Virginia. Research Assistant.

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada (National Research Council) 2002NR35-26/2002EISBN 0-662-33203-2

Table of ContentsExecutive Summary ........................................................................................................................................ 1

Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 1Intelligent Buildings and Their Technologies ........................................................................................ 1The Benefits ................................................................................................................................................ 1The Challenges ........................................................................................................................................... 2Future Directions ....................................................................................................................................... 3Conclusions and Recommendations ...................................................................................................... 3

Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................... 5What Are Intelligent Building Technologies? ......................................................................................... 6Identification of Stakeholders ................................................................................................................. 6

Intelligent Building Technologies Systems ................................................................................................ 9Basic Building Systems .............................................................................................................................10

Lighting ..............................................................................................................................................10Voice and Data Communications ....................................................................................................10Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning, and Indoor Air Quality ............................................10Energy Efficiency/Energy Management ........................................................................................10Security ...............................................................................................................................................11Elevators And Escalators ...................................................................................................................11Life Safety Systems ............................................................................................................................11Building Condition Monitoring .......................................................................................................12

Integrated Communications ...................................................................................................................12Radio Frequency Technologies .......................................................................................................13Communication Issues .....................................................................................................................13

Current Integration Technologies ..........................................................................................................13Common Communications Infrastructure .....................................................................................14Cabling ...............................................................................................................................................14OSI Seven Layer Communication Model ........................................................................................15Consolidated Communications .......................................................................................................15Current Implementations ................................................................................................................15Distributed Building Control ...........................................................................................................16Intelligent Controllers ......................................................................................................................16Standards and Protocols ..................................................................................................................16BACnet and LonWorks ......................................................................................................................17Vendor Independence .....................................................................................................................18Integration of Systems .....................................................................................................................18

The Benefits Of Intelligent Building Technologies ................................................................................ 21Building Operations ................................................................................................................................ 22

Building Developers ........................................................................................................................ 22Building Owners/Operators ........................................................................................................... 22Building Occupants/Tenants .......................................................................................................... 22Building Practices ............................................................................................................................ 23Owner/Operator and Occupant/Tenant Information Exchange Opportunities ...................... 23

Ancillary Benefits - Suppliers .................................................................................................................. 23Design Engineers ............................................................................................................................. 23Contractors ....................................................................................................................................... 23Equipment and System Manufacturers ......................................................................................... 23

Reference Projects ...................................................................................................................................24Published Documents ..............................................................................................................................24

Challenges Facing Intelligent Building Technologies .............................................................................25Lowest Initial Cost .................................................................................................................................... 26Current Practices ...................................................................................................................................... 26

Developers/Owners/Operators ...................................................................................................... 26Design Processes ............................................................................................................................. 26Redundancy...................................................................................................................................... 26Lifespan Issues ..................................................................................................................................27

Construction Processes ....................................................................................................................27Responsibilities .................................................................................................................................27Supplier Dependencies .................................................................................................................. 28Development of Human Resources .............................................................................................. 28Building Codes ................................................................................................................................. 29Risk and Liability ............................................................................................................................... 29

Assessable Reference Projects .............................................................................................................. 30Overview of Intelligent Buildings Technology Challenges ................................................................ 30

Future Directions of Intelligent Building Technologies .........................................................................33Trends ..................................................................................................................................................... 34

Market Drivers .................................................................................................................................. 34Societal Impacts ....................................................................................................................................... 34Future Technology Impacts ..................................................................................................................... 34Overall System Reliability ........................................................................................................................ 35

Central Control ................................................................................................................................. 35Wireless Dispatch ............................................................................................................................. 3599.999% (Five “Nines”) Reliability .................................................................................................. 36

Conclusions And Recommendations ......................................................................................................... 37Conclusions ...............................................................................................................................................37Recommendations .................................................................................................................................. 38In Closing .................................................................................................................................................. 40

Appendix A Reference Projects ....................................................................................................................41Appendix B OSI Seven Layer Communication Model ................................................................................ 59

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

IntroductionThis Technology Roadmap explores and explainsthe current status and imminent opportunitiesoffered by the accelerating evolution and useof intelligent building technologies. The focusis on commercial, institutional and high-riseresidential buildings, both new projects andretrofits, in a five-year time horizon.

Intelligent Buildings andtheir TechnologiesIntelligent buildings apply technologies toimprove the building environment and func-tionality for occupants/tenants while control-ling costs. Improving end user security, comfortand accessibility all help user productivity andcomfort levels. The owner/operator wants toprovide this functionality while reducingindividual costs. Technologies make thispossible. An effective energy managementsystem, for example, provides lowest costenergy, avoids waste of energy by managingoccupied space, and makes efficient use ofstaff through centralized control and integrat-ing information from different sources.

An efficient integrated system enables amodern, comprehensive access and securitysystem to operate effectively and exchangeinformation with other building systems. Fullyintegrated functionality will include the abilityto open doors, notify responsible staff ofunwanted intrusions and ensure that lighting,fire and other building management systemsare informed of staff that arrive or depart thebuilding. This information can then be used tomanage the local environment and the result-ing energy usage. Life safety systems, notablyfire systems, are heavily regulated by stringentcode requirements. These requirements do nothowever prevent the information from a firesystem being provided to other systems. Thisopportunity can be exploited to open doorsand illuminate a building when fire alarms arereceived. Transducers (detectors) can measuremany building parameters, e.g., vibration, strainand moisture, to continually monitor thebuilding’s infrastructure condition.

To integrate these systems and exchangeinformation effectively, a ubiquitous andreliable communications infrastructure isneeded. These systems are typically managed

by personal computers (PCs) using dataprocessing communication techniques. A heavycommunications emphasis is essential, andboth wired and wireless communicationtechnologies are available. The key communica-tions issues are redundancy, resilience, securityand the assurance for all users that “their data”is secure. Integration considerations may beaddressed through standards and conventions,or manufacturers’ protocols. Since proprietarysolutions permeate the industry, totalinterworking is currently unattainable. Thefuture will require full interoperability, withinformation exchanged among all systems.There is an opportunity for technologies thattranslate protocols and conventions so thatsystems are fully interoperable.

Optimized communications involve designsthat use structured wiring standards withdedicated communications rooms, withequipment sharing a common space and acommon backbone. This infrastructure willadhere to the OSI seven layer communicationsmodel (see Appendix C). Distributed equipmentmust be capable of operating when thecommunications infrastructure fails. Distributedcontrol and distributed diagnostics will ensurethat the functionality of all building systems isrespected, and any single fault cannot invoke ageneralized building failure. Among thecandidates for wide adoption as standards,both BACnet and LonWorks currently exist andhave widespread followings. However, eventhese available systems do not generally fulfillthe requirements for interoperability.

The BenefitsMany of the concepts which are central tointelligent buildings are already commonplace,e.g., the ability to access a building independ-ently and securely outside of normal workinghours. The major benefits of intelligent build-ings are as follows:

• standardized building systems wiringenables simple upgrade modificationsof control systems;

• a higher value building and leasingpotential can be reached via increasedindividual environmental control;

• consumption costs are managedthrough zone control on a time of dayschedule;

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• Occupants/tenants control buildingsystems after-hours via computer ortelephone interface;

• Occupant/tenant after-hours system useis tracked for charge back purposes;

• the service/replacement history ofindividual relay and zone use is tracked;and

• a single “human resources” (hire/fire)interface modifies telephone, security,parking, LAN, wireless devices andbuilding directory, etc.

These useful benefits can be cost effective.Cost savings benefit primarily the developer/owner/operator, while functional enhance-ments are mainly enjoyed by the occupants/tenants. If improved comfort, security, flexibilityand reliability can be achieved along withreduced costs and increased productivity, thusincreasing return on investment, few wouldargue against the deployment of such technol-ogy.

The benefits from projects where thesetechnologies have been exploited are oftendescribed. However, the Technology Roadmaphas found a scarcity of reference projects thatare fully instrumented and documented.Reference projects must apply equivalenttechnologies to new or retrofit projects anddraw careful conclusions regarding the pro-posed investment and the projected return.These projects must identify and quantify therisks and the rewards. These evaluations mustallow for appropriate substitution.

Many intelligent buildings projects have beenshowcase projects, demonstrating specificattractive examples but not seriously quantify-ing the costs and values. Without carefulquantification, the economic case for intelli-gent buildings cannot be made, since the initialcosts are often high. For example, energy costis a key factor and rising energy costs canchange the conclusion. The TechnologyRoadmap has studied published material andcreated a reference library on the CABA Website <http://www.caba.org/trm>.

The ChallengesThe financial impact is always significant,including capital costs, expenses and revenues.Financial implications must be correctly as-sessed, including the time value of money andtax effects. Low initial costs are attractive to

developers, while the owners/operators andoccupants/tenants are more interested inongoing operational costs. Intelligent buildingsoffer major opportunities to increase revenueand offer more value, hence to sell/rent forhigher prices and/or more rapidly. Financialdecisions that compare alternative plansconsidering only initial cost will usually bewrong. If the revenue stream is the same, thenongoing expenses should be judged via themetric present worth of annual charges (PWAC).If the alternatives generate different revenue,(usually the case with intelligent buildings), thecorrect metric is net present value (NPV). Theinitial cost should only be the deciding factorwhen the metrics of alternative plans (PWACwhere revenue is uniform and NPV whererevenue varies) have similar results.

The improved value of intelligent buildingsshould encourage developers/owners/opera-tors and the entire supplier community to takeadvantage of these opportunities. Intelligentbuilding projects will affect the constructionprocesses. The successful outcome requires anintegrated design, with practical solutions withregards to divisional specifications, contractsand the interaction of the design, managementand construction staff on the project. Changesin approach will be needed throughout thesupplier community.

Intelligent buildings must react to componentand system failures more reliably than “conven-tional” systems, using system design to ensureproblem isolation and resolution that improveson “conventional” performance. Education,experience and changed practices will berequired throughout the supplier community,including engineers, designers, architects,contractors, manufacturers, and those whomanage and maintain the systems. Provisionand use of common space, common infrastruc-ture and shared resources are central to theeconomic effectiveness and advantage ofintelligent buildings. A building and its infra-structure typically have a lifespan of 25 years ormore between major retrofits. Intelligentbuildings offer the ability to upgrade functionalcapability more often and much more economi-cally, through upgrading components andequipment items without changing physicalcomponents, e.g., cabling.

Authorities having jurisdiction must ensure thatcodes, practices and conventions support andencourage the deployment of intelligentbuildings, to gain the functional and financial

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value. The advantages of intelligent buildingshighlight the need for the rules and regulationsto encourage the use of intelligent buildingtechnologies while ensuring that public safetyand public service are well addressed.

Future DirectionsThe most successful intelligent buildingsindicate that the greatest advantages comefrom integrating communications and ensuringthat the traditional systems have the ability tointercommunicate and interoperate. A singleoperator interface must recognize status andcontrol information of all available systems. Theprimary benefit comes from the shared space,infrastructure and operating staff. Currenttrends to work from home encourage remoteinteraction with building communications andservices.

These trends are being influenced by technolo-gies and the current market situation. Construc-tion methods and technologies are breakingdown some conventional barriers. Increasingconcern with environmental impacts and withsecurity needs are market forces that influenceintelligent buildings functionality.

Intelligent buildings depend on the increasingreliability of secure and resilient communica-tion infrastructures. Mobile telephones are wellestablished, encouraging mobile communica-tions in many other forms. This technology hasvalue for in-building applications. For theoccupants/tenants and the operators, thesetechnologies yield substantial efficiencies.These evolving concepts will lead to intelligentbuilding technologies that are not yet on thedrawing board.

Conclusions andRecommendationsThe major “actionable” conclusions andrecommendations to promote intelligentbuildings are:

• Intelligent building technologies aregenerally available but are not yet widelyadopted;

• there is reluctance by much of thedevelopment and construction industryto embrace them;

• many changes and initiatives must occurfor these technologies to becomewidespread; and

• there is a need for promotion andeducation at all levels and in all seg-ments of the industry.

This Technology Roadmap recommends manyactions that require co-operation, as is typical ofprogress in technology applications in today’sworld. The adoption of intelligent buildingsoffers major advantages, faces significantchallenges, and is moving forward because ofthe vision and dedication of individuals andorganizations.

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INTRODUCTIONThis section indicates the background that ledto the preparation of this Roadmap, and theprocess and key players that were involved in itspreparation. The definition of intelligentbuilding technologies as used in the documentis provided, and the relevant stakeholdergroups are identified and described.

Developers/Owners/Operators

Traditional solutions to constructing, owningand managing buildings are evolving. Thisreport is designed to describe and encouragereaders to take full advantage of this evolution.

Occupants/Tenants

The demands for functionality and services bythose who occupy buildings are increasing. Thetechnology can deliver what is wanted.

This Roadmap provides a view of intelligentbuilding technologies, including an evaluationof the current state of these technologies anda five-year view of how they are expected toevolve. Intelligent buildings have been madepossible by the use of microprocessors/computers and networks which monitor andcontrol every new or renovated buildingsystem. The role of intelligentbuilding technologies has expandedas available technologies, opera-tional tools and interoperability haveprovided effective and efficientalternatives to traditional buildingapproaches. Data processing andcommunications technologies nowimpact many aspects of building operationsincluding:

• fire and life safety systems;

• heating ventilation and air conditioningsystems (HVAC) management;

• elevators and escalators;

• access control systems and securitysystems;

• lighting management; and

• communications available to occupants/tenants.

The advantages of these applications arehighlighted by the increasing costs of buildingownership and operations. Changes include:

• rising energy costs (averaging about 3%per annum);

• increased labour costs; and

• changing work patterns.

Intelligent building technologies have becomeeconomically attractive, reliable and affordable.

This Roadmap presents the concept of intelli-gent building technologies and provides thebasis and interpretations needed to appreciatethese concepts. The primary objective of thisproject is to promote and encourage the use ofintelligent building technologies in commer-cial, institutional and high-rise residentialbuildings. While intelligent building technolo-gies are evolving rapidly, the design andconstruction cycle for real estate is long. TheRoadmap objective has a five-year horizon,noting that a construction design planned forfive years hence will be frozen well ahead oftime. Some aspects of the Roadmap recognizethe longer-term nature of the intelligentbuilding technologies industry.

“...improvements in building technologies willenhance the daily environment of occupants,increase maintenance efficiency and increasereturn on investment for owners.”

The emergence of the intelligent buildingtechnologies industry is encouraging buildingowners, operators, managers, designers andoccupants to reassess their respective roles,and how they relate to the buildings in whichthey hold an investment. As this innovativeindustry evolves, improvements in buildingtechnologies will enhance the daily environ-ment of occupants, increase maintenanceefficiency for building managers and increasereturn on investment for owners. This Roadmaphas been structured to help each of thestakeholder groups evaluate their roles, and tosuggest appropriate steps to take best advan-tage of the opportunities offered by intelligentbuilding technologies.

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The Roadmap document has assembledintelligent building technologies informationso that stakeholders may easily find the infor-mation related to their interests. The topicoutline is:

• the definition of intelligent buildingtechnologies;

• intelligent building technology systems;

• the benefits of intelligent buildingtechnologies;

• the challenges facing intelligentbuilding technologies;

• the future direction of intelligentbuilding technologies; and

• conclusions and recommendations.

The Roadmap is structured to enable individualreaders to explore those intelligent buildingtechnology topics that interest them. Eachreader can identify and review his/her owninterests and opportunities within the intelli-gent building technologies industry.

What are Intelligent BuildingTechnologies?For the purposes of this report intelligentbuilding technologies have been defined as:

The use of integrated technological buildingsystems, communications and controls tocreate a building and its infrastructure whichprovides the owner, operator and occupantwith an environment which is flexible, effec-tive, comfortable and secure.

The advent of the personal computer (PC) withits many applications now makes it possible tointegrate systems. An Intelligent Building canprovide communication among automatedbuilding systems. The building operator canenjoy a single interface capable of controllinglighting, security, heating ventilating and airconditioning systems (HVAC), fire and otherbuilding systems communicating over a singlebroadband infrastructure, which also supportsthe occupants/tenants’ voice and data commu-nication needs.

To cite an example, the building administratorcan allocate a new building location to anemployee in a single process that also provides

network access, phone access, security accessand parking access. As a result, the newemployee could find the office automaticallylighted and heated after using a personalizedaccess card at the parking lot or in the elevator.

Identification of StakeholdersThe intelligent building technologies industryinvolves a wide range of stakeholders, whichbring with them a great variety of interests,concerns, requirements and potential opportu-nities. To provide structure in considering thesestakeholders, they have been grouped in fourcategories, based on somewhat commoninterests and needs. These categories, andexamples of the groups included in them, asfollows:

A. Developers/Owners/Operators

This includes all who have an ownership andownership-type interest and role in construc-tion projects and in the ownership and opera-tion of commercial and large residentialbuildings which use or could use intelligentbuilding technologies.

B. Occupants/Tenants

This includes all who occupy space in thebuilding, whether as tenants or as employeesof the building owner, e.g., building occupants,tenants and end users of all kinds, includingretailers and restaurants as well as those whooccupy office space.

C. Suppliers

This includes all who supply anything within theintelligent buildings industry, both in newconstruction and retrofit, and in the ongoingoperation of existing intelligent buildings, andincluding suppliers of both goods and services,e.g., the construction industry in all its aspects,architects, design engineers, all specialties,building products suppliers, building equip-ment and system manufacturers, researchersand developers within supplier organizations,support and maintenance organizations,teachers and educators.

D. Authorities Having Jurisdiction

This includes all who regulate, legislate or makerules that affect the intelligent buildingsindustry, including building codes, health andsafety regulations, municipal by-laws that relateto land use and construction and buildings, andthe requirements of fire officials and waste

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disposal officials, e.g., regulatory authorities;building code regulators, health and safetypolicy developers, all levels of government, andother industry agencies.

These groups will sometimes overlap, and theymay often represent conflicting interests.Broader issues will often affect thestakeholders in intelligent building technolo-gies, e.g., policies related to energy efficiency,social policies (e.g., low income housing) andsustainable development policies.

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INTELLIGENT BUILDINGSTECHNOLOGIES SYSTEMSThis section of the Technology Roadmapprovides the reader with an overview andunderstanding of the current and evolvingintelligent building technologies. Thesesystems primarily support and operate variousaspects of the building and its infrastructureincluding lighting, heating, ventilation and airconditioning (HVAC), energy management,security, elevators, life safety systems andbuilding condition monitoring. Integration willbecome more pervasive as these technologiesevolve. This section also considers the some-times conflicting, sometimes co-operativeinterests of the two main stakeholder groups,the developers/owners/operators and theoccupants/tenants.

Intelligent building technologies seek toimprove the building environment and func-tionality for occupants/tenants while control-ling costs. Improving end user security, controland accessibility all help productivity and usercomfort levels. The ability to measure the use ofspecific building resources enables individualusers to be billed for the resources theyconsume. The owner/operator wants toprovide this functionality while reducingindividual costs. Such reduction is possible. Aneffective energy management system, forexample, provides lowest cost energy, avoidswaste of energy by managing occupied space,and makes efficient use of staff throughcentralized control and integrating informationfrom different systems.

An efficient integrated system enables amodern, comprehensive access and securitysystem to operate effectively and exchangeinformation with other building systems. A fullyintegrated functionality will have the ability toopen doors, notify responsible staff of un-wanted intrusions and ensure that lighting, fireand other building management systems areinformed of staff that arrive or depart thebuilding. This information can then be used tomanage the local environment and resultingenergy usage. Life safety systems, notably firesystems, are heavily regulated by stringent coderequirements. These requirements do not,however, prevent the information originatingwith a fire safety system from being provided toany other systems. This opportunity can be

exploited to open doors and illuminate abuilding when fire alarms are received.

The use of transducers (detectors) provides theability to measure and react to many buildingparameters, e.g., vibration, strain and moisture,to monitor the building’s infrastructure condi-tion.

If all the foregoing systems are to be integratedand exchange information effectively, there is agrowing need for an ubiquitous and reliablecommunications infrastructure. Each of theindependent building systems is managed by apersonal computer (PC) using conventionaldata processing communication techniques. Aheavy communications emphasis is requiredwhen an Intelligent Building is developed. Bothwired and wireless communication technolo-gies are available. The key issues when commu-nications are integrated are redundancy,resilience, security and the assurance for allusers that “their data” is secure.

Integration considerations can be challenging.Some may be addressed through standards andconventions, or protocols provided by manufac-turers. Since proprietary solutions permeatethe industry, total interworking is currentlyunattainable. The future will require fullinteroperability, whereby information from onesystem can be exchanged with others. Commu-nication requirements suggest an opportunityfor technologies that translate protocols andconventions so that systems are fullyinteroperable.

Communications may be optimized by design-ing buildings using structured wiring standardswith dedicated communications rooms, inwhich communications equipment shares acommon space and common backbone. Thisinfrastructure will adhere to a standardizedcommunications model, based on the OSIseven layer model. There is a key requirementthat distributed equipment is capable ofoperating even when the communicationsinfrastructure becomes inoperative. Suchdistributed control and diagnostics will ensurethat the functionality of all building systems isrespected, and any single fault cannot invoke ageneralized building failure. Among thecandidates for wide adoption as standards,both BACnet and LonWorks currently exist andhave a widespread following. However, eventhese available systems do not generally fulfillthe requirements for interoperability.

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Developers/Owners/Operators

The basic building systems are the majormechanical and electrical systems. All can beautomated for better management and service,and lower operating costs.

Occupants/Tenants

The basic building control systems can allowthe users to select service functions andcustom tailor these. This will require an en-hanced communication infrastructure. Im-proved services result in improved productivityand ease of use.

Basic Building SystemsWidespread use of computer-based processingenables the automation of all basic buildingsystems. This, in turn, forms the basis forintegration among systems. The value ofintelligent building systems improves dramati-cally as more systems are integrated.

Lighting

Intelligent building technologies for lightinginclude many lighting types and functions.Lighting needs vary with each building. Thefunctional goal is to furnish occupants of thebuilding with the lighting required to completespecific visual tasks effectively and productively.Current lighting systems can:

• automatically turn on and off lights byphotocell or computer schedule;

• modify lighting levels through the use ofphotochromatic windows;

• allow individuals to adjust their lightingthrough computer or telephoneinterfaces;

• link the lighting controller to a graphicuser interface with icons, for centralizedcontrol;

• turn circuits on and off through compu-ter control; and

• manage energy consumption by moni-toring room occupancy and adjustinglighting to suit.

Voice and Data Communications

Voice and data communication capabilities areintegral to the effective operation of a buildingand its occupants. In an intelligent building,data communication is vital to the integrationof all other automated building systems, e.g.,lighting, energy management and HVAC.Generally “data” in the context of “voice anddata”, refers only to end-user data, such as e-mail, Internet and database access. Voice anddata in-building communications include:

• voice services, e.g., telephones, voice-mail and intercoms;

• building systems, e.g., paging, elevatormusic and kiosks;

• video and audio conferencing;

• local and wide area networks, e-mail,internet access, database access;

• ability to access building servicesremotely, e.g., when working fromhome; and

• television systems.

Heating, Ventilation and AirConditioning, and Indoor AirQuality

HVAC systems are generally controlled bybuilding automation systems that can:

• permit individual occupants to adjustworkspace temperatures (withinprescribed limits);

• monitor temperatures, and adjustaccording to a usage profile;

• adjust indoor air quality based on roomoccupancy and building standards;

• adjust humidity, temperature and airflow speeds; and

• use either variable air volume or con-stant volume air distribution designs.The former allows greater individualcontrol.

Energy Efficiency/EnergyManagement

The objective of energy management is toensure maximum efficiency and lowest operat-ing cost. Opportunities for reducing heat gainin the summer and reducing heat loss in the

“...computer-based processing enables theautomation of all basic building systems.”

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winter will lower energy costs. Energy deregula-tion brings opportunities to select the mosteffective source of heat, be it steam, oil,natural gas or electricity. In some buildings,multiple fuels are used together, whereas inother situations, each source of heat generateswarmth in a distinct manner. For example,baseboard electrical heaters may supplementcirculating warm air. Furnaces capable ofburning either natural gas or oil exist, andelectric heater systems compete with the abilityto purchase steam from external sources.

• intrusion detection;

• sensor detection, such as temperature,moisture, glass breakage, etc.;

• guard tours; and

• parking controls.

Many of the functions of an access controlsystem are subordinate to the life safety system,which may deactivate parts of the accesscontrol system in an emergency.

Elevators and Escalators

Intelligent building systems can provideoccupants with improved elevator service.Elevator control can be quite complex, particu-larly with multiple elevator groupings andincorporating traffic patterns into the system.Some elevators may be shut down for part ofthe day to conserve energy. Current designsfrequently include communications within theelevators to permit the use of access controlcards, and closed circuit surveillance is becom-ing widespread. An effective access controlsystem can permit dynamic changes to userprivileges so that, for example, certain floorsmay not be accessible even with an approvedaccess control card, unless there are alreadypeople occupying that floor.

Escalators can save energy by slowing down orstopping when detectors indicate no traffic.This approach to energy savings also benefitsthe mechanical components that need not runcontinuously.

Life Safety Systems

Life safety systems, often called “fire systems”,are typically driven by code considerations.Security systems are required to release doorsper code constraints under emergency condi-tions. HVAC systems are also driven by lifesafety needs, e.g., smoke extraction, stairwellpressurization and elevator recall.

The advent of intelligent building technologiesfacilitates additional functionality. For example,in a fire, lighting can be turned on throughoutthe building, and networks can enhanceinformation provided to individuals, e.g., thestate of the fire system, emergency broadcastmessages, etc. Paging systems, normallyrestricted to being part of the fire system, canbe used in intelligent buildings to broadcastpre-recorded status messages, which can be farmore informative than messages spoken bynervous staff.

“...data communication is vital to theintegration of all other automatedbuilding systems...”

Management of these energy sources dependson the infrastructure that exists within thebuilding, as well as the “spot costs” of each ofthese energy sources. Intelligent buildingtechnologies permit each of the followingenergy sources to be managed based oncriteria that can include the fluctuating pricingof:

• traditional electrical generating anddistribution sources;

• new electrical generating agencies;

• oil;

• gas;

• co-generation; and

• future opportunities that may involvephotovoltaic sources and wind.

Security

Security systems are generally divided intothree sub-components:

• access control;

• intrusion; and

• surveillance.

Effective security systems integrate these threeareas, allowing the building mode, functionand operation to be pre-scheduled or control-led by individual access requests. A typicalsystem will involve:

• access card;

• elevator interface;

• door interface;

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Building Condition Monitoring

Intelligent building technologies facilitatemonitoring of a building’s condition. Sincetransducers or sensors can measure mostbuilding-related parameters, needs will drivetheir specific use. Under appropriate condi-tions, any or all of these may be appropriate:

• areas with heavy snowfalls may monitorthe loads imposed by such snow ontheir roofs;

• monitoring the strain in key structuralmembers may be important with regardsto wind loads, suspension of exhibits,loud speakers, and crowd loading instadiums;

• moisture detectors laid beneath mem-branes in a building can preventsignificant damage;

• monitoring the temperature in fusepanels, electrical switchgear andtransformers can warn of impendingfailure;

• monitoring current flow in conductorscan identify trouble in lamps or otherelectrical devices;

• monitoring vibration on mechanicalsystems can identify bearings needingmaintenance; and

• monitoring conductivity of lubricating oilcan identify metal buildup due to wear.

All of these examples may be built into abuilding condition monitoring system via thesecurity system.

IntegratedCommunicationsThe full benefits of intelligent building tech-nologies are only fully realized through integra-tion, such as:

• building condition monitoring dependson many parameters;

• occupancy monitoring can provide inputfor lighting, HVAC and elevators; and

• voice and data can be integrated forthose who use telephones andcomputers.

The communications infrastructure must bedesigned and developed to support all possibleapplications in the building. These includevoice and data systems, data processing needs,security systems, building automation systems,lighting systems and other systems that com-bine to create an intelligent building. Undercurrent practice, many subsystems in a con-struction project, e.g., elevator monitoring andcontrol systems, voice systems, and securitysystems, are covered by separate constructioncontracts. Each specialty in a constructionproject is a division within the overall contract.As a result, each sub-contractor installs its owncommunication system, with dedicated con-duits, separate communication terminallocations and different staff pulling similarcables.

“The full benefits of intelligent buildingtechnologies are only fully realized throughintegration.”

The Technology Roadmap notes the initiativeto form a separate division within the con-struction administration documents for aconsolidated communications infrastructure.Such a division would be part of the masterspecifications or documents based on thedivisions which are normally included indocuments provided by the CCDC (CanadianConstruction Document Committee) or by theAIA (American Institute of Architects). Thisinitiative is often called Division 17, a termprevalent in the United States but not yetcommon in the Canadian marketplace.

Earlier in 2002, the Construction SpecificationsInstitute (CSI) Executive Committee approveda concept for revising and expanding theexisting 16-division master format specifica-tions system. Although these revisions arebased to a great extent on the Division 17initiative, the actual implementation is quitedifferent. For example, there will be two newdivisions in place of the proposed Division 17to address communications and life safety andfacility protection. The current draft of therevised document can be found at<http://www.csinet.org>.

The effective use of remote, automateddiagnostics helps facility managers andoperators reduce the costs of operations andresources, while also increasing the comfortand safety of the building occupants. Prob-

13

able causes of problems, recommendations forresolution and estimated costs of remedialmeasures can be provided automatically tosupport staff decisions.

Radio FrequencyTechnologies

Many wireless devices and protocols arecurrently being promoted. Burglar alarmsystems for residential applications, patientwandering systems for hospitals and otherapplications of voice systems, such asBluetoothTM or IEEE 802.11b, communicatewithout a hard wired infrastructure.

Wireless communications are particularlyattractive where offices and partitions arefrequently reconfigured, and applicationschange frequently. The wireless solutioncompetes favourably with wired alternatives.HVAC requirements can be economically andefficiently met using wireless controls.

Evolving wireless technologies enable oneantenna to serve a wide range of frequencies,so that a single antenna and wireless infrastruc-ture can serve telephones, pagers, local areanetworks and signalling for building automa-tion systems. The active components of thesewireless systems should be installed in thecentralized communications rooms alongsidetheir wired system equivalents.

Communication Issues

The ability of a standard digital data transmis-sion protocol, e.g., TCP/IP (Transmission ControlProtocol/Internet Protocol) to transmit manyforms of data enables a single infrastructure totransport multiple, independent data elements.Both analogue and digital data can be handled,serving, for example, security, voice andtraditional data processing information. Band-width needs for voice and security applicationsare small compared to data processing, sonetwork performance would not be prejudiced.

vidual IP addresses can be used to uniquelyidentify each device attached to the networkwhile also respecting naming conventions.

Current IntegrationTechnologiesThis section considers trends in standards,protocols and practices that impact the integra-tion of different systems. Some manufacturersare expanding their range of solutions, so that amanufacturer’s building automation system orsecurity system monitors and performs some ofthe functions on sub-systems, e.g., lighting,HVAC, fire, intrusion monitoring, etc. Totalsolutions are hard to find. Not surprisingly,vendors generally have the most completesolutions in their own historic speciality.

Another approach to integration is emergingwhere an umbrella software integrationsolution, sometimes referred to as middleware,provides communications between each of thesubsidiary systems and the host integrationsystem. No changes are required to theindividual systems. The host integration systemundertakes the appropriate conversions,communicating with each system in its own“native language”. Thus, each subsidiary system,module and component can talk to any othersystem, module or component in the system.While this presents a theoretically ideal solu-tion, the functionality is at the mercy of propri-etary changes that may occur in any of thesubsidiary systems. For such an implementation,the vendors must co-operate to ensure continu-ity of the required interoperability.

Experience indicates that the advantages ofsystem integration, providing interoperabilityand functional transparency, accelerate as theinteroperability becomes more extensive andpervasive. There is clearly a marketing opportu-nity here. Customer demand will drive theprovision of the required capabilities. Whencustomers insist on these features, there willbe vendors who will provide what is required.This will not happen instantly, and the earlystages will not be easy, but the requiredproducts will become available with thefeatures and reliability that is required.

No doubt there will be a price differential to bepaid, and this is what will encourage thevendors to provide the products. The competi-tive North American market will ensure that thedifferential is not excessive. There is already

“The effective use of remote, automateddiagnostics helps...reduce the costs ofoperations and resources...”

Security and redundancy needs must be welladdressed, within the network design. Appro-priate protection is essential, to ensure securityand to protect against viruses, hackers andother intruders. A very large number of indi-

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much evidence that the value to the develop-ers/owners/operators and the occupants/tenants will far exceed the price differential ofthe products.

Currently, adherence to standards andprotocols that ensure interoperability amongdiverse systems does not generally exist in themarket place for intelligent building technolo-gies. The ability to create interfaces amongdiverse systems is well established, demonstrat-ing that systems can communicate with foreigndevices. The interaction among systems doesrequire licensing of the protocols and close co-operation among vendors. There is a significantmarket opportunity here.

Some important aspects of interoperabilitydepend on networking that is resilient andreliable, to assure adequate bandwidth for datatransmission. Advantages include thefollowing:

• DDC (direct digital control) controllersmake use of individual controllers forpersonal work spaces cost effective andresult in energy savings which justifytheir use;

• digital sub-metering that allows charg-ing energy utilization to the end user;

• “soft-start” techniques (e.g., gradualstart-up of ventilation fans) reducesoperational and maintenance costs; and

• building automation logs device utiliza-tion, providing data for maintenanceneeds.

Common CommunicationsInfrastructure

Networking technologies enable multiplesystems to share cabling. Data communicationsuse digital protocols, e.g., TCP/IP. These systemscan co-exist, independently and securely, on acommon Ethernet backbone. For example:

• PCs control HVAC systems, lightingsystems and security systems, and canco-exist on a single platform;

• fire safety systems are now addressable,e.g., an Ethernet links sub-panels, eachof which monitors a limited number ofdevices;

• elevator controls are digital, and areoften controlled by a single PC platform.A single vendor may provide a PC

interface for all elevators in a building orcampus, for security and operations staffto monitor and control; and

• there is much publicity on telephonyover a data local area network usingInternet protocols (voice over IP – VoIP);

The individual sub-systems are already available,and their penetration is increasing as newbuildings are designed and old ones retrofit-ted. The widespread adoption of a suitablecommunication standard by the buildingcontrol system industry would enable interac-tion and interoperability among these devices.Experience indicates that the adoption of suchstandards has helped all elements of theindustry. Standards and agreed industry specifi-cations for computer devices have helped usersand the industry grow while ensuring competi-tion. There is a significant marketing opportu-nity here.

Cabling

Separate cabling within a building is typicallyprovided for each system requiring communica-tions interaction, i.e., separate cables areprovided for telephones, local area networks,building automation, fire systems and elevatorcontrols, depending on the systems in thestructure. The cabling required for intelligentbuilding technologies applications should, tothe extent possible, adhere to a number ofbasic criteria for integration. In the future,individual cables will not be needed becausethe communications systems will be integrated.Most integrated cable systems will:

• multiplex or otherwise consolidate thecommunication needs between differ-ent systems;

• use a single, common communicationsraceway or communications tray;

• locate all common equipment in sharedcommunications rooms where theequipment can readily be intercon-nected as required;

“...the value to the developers/owners/operators and the occupants/tenants will farexceed the price differential of the products…There is a significant market opportunityhere.”

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• ensure that the communications roomsare secure;

• use the same type of cabling whereverpossible, so applications and cables areinterchangeable over the lifetime of thebuilding;

• use the same kind of terminationequipment for all cables;

• manage the cable infrastructure as abuilding resource; and

• follow a structured cabling design, asrecommended by TelecommunicationsIndustry Association Standard TIA 568.

The basic design objective is to develop andconstruct a building cable network plan thatwill be effective and efficient for the lifetimeof the building, and that will enable additions,upgrades and changes in functionality andutilization to be implemented by changing/upgrading only the electronic equipment thatuses the cable network. The selection ofcommunications technologies will depend onthe expected communications needs, consider-ing both capacity and quality. Candidatetechnologies include copper, coaxial cable andfibre cables, and wireless technologies,including combinations of technologies. Thedesign task is not trivial, noting that optimalsolutions will change over time as technologiesevolve.

A key feature involves cabling from end-userlocations to the shared communications rooms,where backbone facilities then provide inter-connection to other communications roomsand central services.

OSI Seven Layer CommunicationModel

Frequent references have been made to theuse of communications as a utility within anintelligent building. The open system intercon-nection (OSI) model is a widely recognizedgeneric standard for communications thatdefines networking in terms of seven layers.This standard was developed and is supportedby the International Standards Organization(ISO). Additional information on the OSI sevenlayer model is provided in Appendix B.

While the OSI model serves as a valuableconcept for outlining network and communica-tions systems, it should be noted that not allmanufacturers have adopted this model.

Consolidated Communications

The concept of consolidated communicationsaddresses the provision of a single communica-tions backbone throughout a building that usesintelligent building technologies. With a singlebackbone, all communications requirementsfor the needs of the users and of the buildingcan be co-located. The resulting single commu-nications path will be smaller and much lesscostly than the aggregate of individual pathsthat would otherwise be needed, and ensuresthat spare capacity can be consolidatedbetween all applications. This single, consoli-dated communications infrastructure will alsouse a limited number of different cable types.The need for specialized wiring types is applica-ble only to special applications. If all systemsuse the same wiring, spare capacity can beshared among all systems. In some cases,several signals will be consolidated on a singlecable. In other situations, individual cables ofthe same type will each carry a single signal.Multiplex allows multiple signals to travel on asingle communications link. This approach is farmore cost and service effective when mostdata are digital packets on a single network.Whether the backbone is a single cable or agroup of cables will vary from project to project.

A key aspect is the association with the commu-nications rooms. These strategically locatedrooms must have sufficient space and servicesto securely accommodate communicationsequipment. This equipment will then bridgeand link the distribution network feeding theend users and the consolidated backboneinfrastructure of the building.

Current Implementations

Current integrated communications in intelli-gent buildings are single vendor sourced orprovide universal translator solutions so that allconnected systems may communicate interac-tively. Johnson Controls’ Metasys, Honeywell’sEnterprise Building Integrator and SiemensTechnology’s Insight products are examples ofsystems that provide extensive building automa-tion capable of providing most control func-tions. Tridium and Frame Networks’ productsdemonstrate universal translator products.These are becoming more valuable as addi-tional products are able to communicate overan Ethernet backbone using an IP protocol.These trends are allowing individual compo-nents to be attached to the backbone directlyor through a controller. The ubiquitous pres-

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ence of the PC ensures that these changes areconsistent with the stable data processingenvironment, which can be used for buildingautomation.

Distributed Building Control

Distributed controllers can provide totalbuilding automation. These devices, whichcommunicate using a dedicated network, allowthe use of standard access control, intrusionmonitoring and surveillance devices, and caninclude multiple switched inputs and outputs,analog and digital input and output controls.The communications network can interactseamlessly with associated video and audioswitches, allowing the operator screens to beused to select and control many differentdevice types. The primary benefit of a distrib-uted control system is the ability of individualcontrollers to continue functioning when someelements of the network or main computer fail.These controllers often interact with audio andvideo switches and other building managementsystems.

Intelligent Controllers

As processors and memory are built into thecontrollers activating HVAC and other buildingsystems, there are opportunities to provideclosed loop control. In traditional controllers,no response confirms that the requested actionhas occurred, e.g., if the room needs heat andwarm air is called for, it is assumed that thebaffle has acted as required, which is notalways true. Intelligent controllers wouldconfirm the success or failure of the bafflemovement, closing the information loop. Theintelligent controller can perform self-diagnos-tics and report potential failures sometimesbefore they occur, e.g., the controller canreport that the actuator needed to movemultiple times before the baffle achieved thedesired position, indicating a mechanicalmalfunction. These controllers also function ina degraded manner if the communications linkfails. Intelligent controllers may be applicableto any of the systems contained in, and control-led by, an intelligent building system and canreport status information to the central controlsystem. The same approach also allows peri-odic diagnostic cycles in order to performdirected maintenance.

Standards and Protocols

Standards and protocols are an area of conten-tion in the intelligent building technologiesindustry. The industry would benefit fromuniversal or widespread acceptance of a smallsuite of standards and protocols. There are, atpresent, a number of different standardsavailable, but no general consensus apparent.Adoption of a universal or widely acceptedstandard industry wide would be very helpful.

Standards define the arrangements underwhich devices and systems interact and com-municate with each other. The terminology iscomplicated by the frequent interchange ofthe terms “standard” and “standard compliant”.Some vendors will certify that their productscomply with other vendors’ implementations.Sometimes, vendors will publish their stand-ards, allowing competitors to use a subset.Switch manufacturers typically employ a rangeof protocols, some of which adhere to pub-lished standards and some of which are onlyavailable through their own proprietary prod-ucts. The following arrangements generallyapply.

• a standard is normally written through anational organization. Organizationssuch as the American National StandardsInstitute (ANSI) and the AmericanSociety of Heating, Refrigeration, andAir-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) areamong those writing standards. Suchstandards are developed in a publicforum that generally includes repre-sentatives from a number of corporateorganizations and manufacturers whoparticipate in a carefully structured voteto ensure that the document representsall interests. Canada, sometimesthrough the Canadian StandardsAssociation (CSA), writes some of its ownstandards and often participates in theU.S. process so that standards will becompatible between the two countriesand may be issued simultaneously inboth countries;

• an open standard may be owned by acompany or a consortium of companiesand disclosed to the public. In somecases, open standards require paymentof a licence fee;

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• proprietary standards are generallyowned by a company and may beregarded as “corporate secrets”. Insome cases, use of such proprietarystandards may be protected by legalactions, and in other cases, part of astandard may be released for public use,e.g., EIA-709 is an Electronic IndustriesAssociation (EIA) standard which is asubset of a commercial protocol(Echelon LonTalk); and

• protocols are generally reflective ofcommon practice. Such commonpractice in some cases will subsequentlybe adopted as a standard. Protocols inparticular are often used within thecommunication and software industriesto reflect the manner in which data isrepresented.

Widely accepted standards and protocols arenecessary for building automation and integra-tion, to enable communication among differ-ent building systems and devices. This wouldsupport the interoperability of different vendorsystems and components, and make competi-tive procurement for system upgrades andexpansion possible. Widely accepted standardsand protocols reduce risk, because they resultfrom rigorous evaluation involving public reviewby interested parties including end-users,vendors, manufacturers and governmentagencies and this also gives assurance that theywill be kept “evergreen”.

BACnet and LonWorks

Two standards-related concepts appear fre-quently in the building automation media:BACnet and LonWorks. Those advocatingstandards frequently argue that these repre-sent standards for the automation industry.BACnet (Building Automation and ControlsNetwork) is a standard for computers used inbuilding automation and control systems. It wasadopted by ASHRAE and ANSI. Most vendors inthe industry have demonstrated support forBACnet in the form of new products. A differ-

ent solution, LonWorks, is a proprietary commu-nications technology that has been marketedfor several years by Echelon Corporation.

The BACnet standard defines how automationand control systems may interoperate withother BACnet systems. Multiple BACnet systemsmay share the same communication networksand may inter-communicate to request variousfunctions from each other. BACnet can beapplied to any type of building system includingheating, ventilation and air-conditioning(HVAC), security, access control, fire safetysystems, etc. In principle, this standard isvendor independent and forward compatiblewith future generations of systems. The object-oriented approach that is central to BACnetrepresents all communication informationwithin each controller. BACnet can communi-cate over local area network technology suchas Ethernet, ARCnet, MS/TP, PTP and LonTalk.BACnet does not force all systems to be thesame nor does it guarantee interoperability.The transmission of messages across the varioustransport mechanisms uses a common commu-nications protocol. It does provide the mecha-nism to allow co-operating devices tointeroperate if this is desired. As a standard,BACnet describes mechanisms that will enablesystems from different vendors to beinteroperable. Each system must then imple-ment the features of BACnet that the othersystems require, and this is an area where notall systems are fully compliant.

LonWorks is a family of products developed byEchelon Corporation, in co-operation withMotorola. The proprietary communicationsprotocol is referred to as LonTalk. The term“proprietary” reflects the ownership andlicensing requirements imposed by Echelon. Aproprietary communications chip is a require-ment of the implementation and is referred toas the Neuron. (See the OSI model of commu-nications standards in Appendix B.) Neuron andLonTalk communications are referred to asmultiple levels: the session, presentation andapplication layers. These three layers togetherare referred to as LonWorks. Each messagecontains data objects that are defined accord-ing to multiple structures. The structures areidentified by code numbers that form part ofthe data stream and allow the receiver and thesender to interpret the data stream in a com-mon manner. Since these code numbers arenot defined by LonWorks but are open tointerpretation and definition by each vendor,

“Widely accepted standards and protocolsare necessary for building automation andintegration, to enable communicationamong different building systems anddevices.”

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systems are not generally compatible betweendifferent vendors. To overcome this, there havebeen agreements by vendors whose productsare now marketed by the LonMark Consortiumand conform to agreed conventions. LonMark isa marketing organization and the vendors paysubstantial membership fees. Only this organi-zation can modify the definitions. The productis therefore a proprietary product, and featuresmay come and go as these members elect. Notall LonWorks systems, or products which useLonTalk, are LonMark compliant systems.

Both BACnet and LonWorks generally operateon dedicated communications infrastructuresthat are used exclusively for building automa-tion. BACnet was designed for operation as amajor system. In general, LonWorks and itsrestricted subset LonMark are intended forsmall systems. LonMark and/or LonWorksdevices cannot, and do not, interoperate withBACnet devices.

Vendor Independence

The adoption of standards ensures that vendorshave the opportunity to manufacture theirsystems to be compliant with generally ac-cepted standards that usually ensure there isno requirement to purchase specific compo-nents from specific manufacturers. The choiceof vendor will be governed by availability,functionality and price, expectinginteroperability to follow from standardscompliance. This will result in more competitivepricing, driving down the price and increasingthe quality and flexibility of each of the candi-date products. In any given project, initialsourcing may well come from a single manufac-turer, but that will not control the productswhich must be used within that structure for itslifetime.

management technologies, and of othertechnologies as well. The capability of fire,safety, security, surveillance and other buildingsystems to be integrated and to beinteroperable has been noted. Wide experi-ence and ample evidence indicates that thevalue of intelligent building technologiesincreases sharply as the number of integratedand interoperable systems increases. The valueof intelligent building technologies can befurther increased by the use of communica-tions for remote monitoring, control andaccess.

Internet command and control systems allowapplications associated with home, utility,business and factory automation to be hostedanywhere on the Internet. These systems usevisually based software to produce a simple,graphical vehicle for network and systemdefinition. In so doing, they can readily controllighting, security, life/safety, HVAC, elevator andpower systems. These systems give users theability to monitor, adjust and reconfiguredevices as needed, from wherever they may be.

Access and control monitoring systems are alsoused for a number of security purposes. Thesesystems can provide a live video window,embedded paging and e-mail capabilities,Windows client support and increased systemcapacities. The use of broadcast paging canallow for fast and convenient alarm notificationto off-site personnel, thus adding to theefficient running of a building with minimalstaffing.

The opportunities are virtually unlimited. From acentral location, the operator can monitor, inwhatever detail is required, not one but manybuildings, which may be in a campus setting, orspread across a city, but could in practice belocated anywhere. The occupant/tenant cancontrol the office environment easily from a PC,and could do so remotely, from a laptop or cellphone, so that the lights are on, the elevator iswaiting, (and perhaps even the coffee isperking) when coming to the building to do alittle extra work on a Sunday morning.

The occupant/tenant’s location can be trackedwithin the building and can be contacted onthe closest wired telephone, or on a personalwireless telephone. Personal PC/laptop accesscan be available throughout the building, alongwith personal communication services, e.g.,conference calling, call lists, etc. The potentialfor increased functionality to add value is very

“...ample evidence indicates that the valueof intelligent buildings technologiesincreases sharply as the number ofintegrated and interoperable systemsincreases... The opportunities are virtuallyunlimited.”

Integration of Systems

The most critical challenge in designing,building and operating intelligent buildingtechnologies is the effective integration andinteroperation of the several different building

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extensive. As with many other new technolo-gies, it is a characteristic of these buildingtechnologies to result in many valuable useswhich may not have been anticipated when thetechnologies were introduced.

Do all these capabilities bring value, saveoperating costs, enhance productivity, andwarrant higher real estate and rental prices? Ofcourse they do, and there is much evidencethat the use of intelligent building technolo-gies is potentially quite profitable. The sectionswhich follow address both benefits andchallenges.

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THE BENEFITS OF INTELLIGENTBUILDING TECHNOLOGIESThis section develops and describes thebenefits that intelligent building technologiescan provide for the various stakeholder groups.Experience indicates that these benefits arefunctionally desirable and can be cost effec-tive. Cost effectiveness benefits primarily thedeveloper/owner/operator, whereas thefunctional enhancements are mainly enjoyedby the occupants/tenants. If improved comfort,security, flexibility and reliability can beachieved with reduced costs and increasedproductivity, thereby increasing return oninvestment, few would argue against thedeployment of such technology.

Many of the concepts which are central tointelligent building technologies have alreadybecome fairly commonplace, e.g., the ability toaccess a building independently and securelyoutside of normal working hours. In general,the dominant attractions of these technologiesare as summarized here:

• standardized building wiring systemsenable simple upgrade modifications ofcontrol systems;

• higher building value and leasingpotential via increased individualenvironmental control;

• consumption costs managed throughzone control on a time of day schedule;

• occupants/tenants control buildingsystems after hours via a computer ortelephone interface;

• occupant/tenant after-hours system usetracked for charge back purposes;

• service/replacement history tracking ofindividual relay and zone use; and

• single “human resources” (hire/fire)interface modifies telephone, security,parking, LAN, wireless devices andbuilding directory, etc.

Some projects report a reduced overall costbecause independent computer systems andindependent control rooms have been mergedinto single systems.

The benefits in projects where these technolo-gies have been exploited are often described.However, the Technology Roadmap has found ascarcity of reference projects that are fully

“...To date, many intelligent building projectshave been showcase projects…withoutseriously quantifying the costs and therewards …it is difficult to know whether thecosts and efforts involved can be justified...”

instrumented and documented. Referenceprojects apply equivalent technologies to newor retrofit projects and draw careful conclu-sions regarding the proposed investment andthe projected return. These projects identifyand quantify the risks and the rewards. Theseevaluations must allow for appropriate substitu-tion.

To date, many intelligent building projects havebeen showcase projects, demonstrating the“glitz” and attractiveness of specific implemen-tations without seriously quantifying the costsand the rewards. Obviously, the use of roomoccupancy sensors, which reduce lightingwhen rooms are not occupied, will save costsfor lighting, lamp replacement and heating.Without quantification, it is difficult to knowwhether the costs and efforts involved can bejustified, since the “start-up costs” may be high.Of course, energy cost is a key factor, andchanges in energy cost can change the conclu-sion.

The Technology Roadmap has studied pub-lished material and assembled the resultinginformation into a reference library. It is avail-able to the reader in Appendix A.

Developers/Owners/Operators

Costs of building operations drop significantlybecause of the ability to better manageutilities, staff and operations. Each stakeholderhas a different and identifiable perception ofthese valuable changes.

Occupants/Tenants

The end users are stakeholders and are af-fected by all of these activities. Properlyautomated facilities provide enhanced services,usually at lower costs.

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Building Operations

Building Developers

For the building developer, intelligent buildingtechnologies provide advanced functionality atmodest cost, and integration provides moreusable (and revenue earning) space. Intelligentbuilding technologies also make it easy tocustomize building functionality for specificoccupants/tenants.

Traditionally, developers create and construct abuilding complex and subsequently seekoccupants/tenants, or the developers under-take customized construction to meet theestablished requirements of an identifiedcustomer. The developer generally seeks tomeet the market’s requirements, with minimuminvestment. Intelligent building technologiesreduce the infrastructure space needs, e.g.,fewer conduits, control systems and controllocations, increasing the usable office space.Also, current trends clearly indicate thatoccupants/tenants value the improved servicesand environment in the building. This producesa tangible and saleable improvement to thebuilding, which is clearly attractive to anydeveloper.

This improvement is very applicable in retrofitprojects, which currently form a large part ofconstruction activity. Partial occupancy ispossible if building systems are based on a flooror partial floor control granularity, as intelligentbuilding systems are. In fact, controls are oftensufficiently granular to provide differentlighting and temperature for each individual.Occupants/tenants can then occupy someareas of the building, while other areas are stillbeing fitted out. This ability to complete thebuilding on a partial basis is attractive tocontractors who are typically paid based on thepercentage complete.

Building Owners/Operators

Intelligent building technologies reduceoperating and maintenance costs, and allow formore effective and responsive building man-agement. These technologies can also providea single interface for the integrated buildingservices. The inherent intelligence also allowsthe owner/operator to transfer some buildingcontrol to the occupant/tenant, improvetelephone services and accessibility for the enduser and facilitate security management. All ofthese changes provide operational efficienciesand the opportunity for increased revenue.These systems also provide owners/operatorswith greater operational flexibility, e.g., theability to operate several buildings from onecontrol centre, improving effectiveness whilereducing cost. Human resource departments ofthe occupants/tenants can control, via oneinterface, all staff needs for telephones, voicemail, network access, parking access control,office lighting, etc.

An effective intelligent building technologyimplementation can therefore be operatedwith fewer operational staff, using thesecapabilities to monitor conditions and resolveproblems more effectively. For example,fixtures can be re-lamped based on actualutilization, not on elapsed time. Since occu-pants/tenants can adjust temperatures, lightingconditions and security requirements throughsuitable interfaces, operational staff need notundertake these activities.

Building Occupants/Tenants

Building occupants/tenants clearly prefer theup-to-date bells and whistles that differentiatepremium office accommodation from commod-ity space. What they want and are seeking iswhat intelligent building technologies canprovide. And they clearly perceive that thesefeatures bring enhanced value, although, likeconsumers the world over, they look for thebest value at the lowest price. These premiumfeatures focus on two areas. One addresses amore comfortable environment (HVAC, lighting,access and security) and the other relates toservices and features that will improve effi-ciency and effectiveness.

Examples include reliable, ubiquitous, flexibleand highly featured broadband communica-tions, and the ability to reconfigure officespace quickly, easily and cheaply, independentof the owner/operator.

“...advanced functionality…reduce operatingand maintenance costs…differentiatepremium office accommodation fromcommodity space… the result is a buildingthat is regarded as superior, desirable and,therefore, more valuable.”

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The more comfortable environment enhance-ments include improved air quality and self-managed temperature through enhancedHVAC, on demand lighting and higher qualitysecurity that includes parking and elevators andcommon areas as well as the office space.Enhanced efficiency and effectiveness requiresan infrastructure that provides a broadband,accessible communications facility that givesready access control by end-users to a compre-hensive suite of communication services.Another feature, which is desired, is the abilityto relocate employees within the building,without reference to the owner/operator, thusreducing the time, cost and disruption.

Building Practices

The developer/owner is concerned with thetotal cost of ownership of the building, recog-nizing that higher initial costs are clearlyjustified if the result is an appropriate paybackthrough reduced operating costs and/orincreased building value. Automation reducesthe cost of operating staff. Added buildingfunctionality results in increased rents andbuilding value.

As an example, quoted figures indicate thatsupervisory and security staff needs have beenreduced by 50 percent. Since each person inthis capacity typically costs $100K annually, areduction of five staff saves half a milliondollars per year for the life of the building.Other economies come from reduced energyconsumption, reduced theft and vandalism andmore satisfied occupants/tenants.

Owner/Operator and Occupant/Tenant Information ExchangeOpportunities

A well-equipped intelligent building enablesthe owner/operator to exchange information inreal time with occupants/tenants. The ownercan charge for use of HVAC and electricity, andoccupants can check their respective accountson-line. Security arrangements can be inte-grated between operator and occupant, e.g.,visitors can be approved for access to thebuilding, to specific authorized areas in realtime, and their location and progress can bemonitored by the operator and the occupant.

The result is a building that is regarded assuperior, desirable and, therefore, morevaluable. Occupants and their employees willenjoy the benefits of such an upgraded facility

and are expected to be more productive. Staffwill be more willing to work during off hours.Owners will benefit from reduced tenantturnover and increased revenue.

Ancillary Benefits - Suppliers

Design Engineers

For the design engineer, intelligent buildingtechnologies provide enhanced functionality,facilitate commissioning and reduce depend-ency on proprietary vendors. Furthermore,intelligent building technologies providedesign engineers with better control of siteconstruction, because of fewer subcontractorsand ensure consistent infrastructure optionsand implementation.

If the infrastructure for intelligent buildingtechnologies is covered by a single contract, itis normally undertaken by a single contractorwho is responsible for both the integration andthe infrastructure.

Contractors

For the construction industry, intelligentbuilding technologies allow interchange ofvendors and manufacturers, ensure control ofconstruction costs and make testing andcommissioning easier. Intelligent buildingtechnologies can allow for building completionin stages, i.e., it becomes possible for occupa-tion of those floors of the building that arecomplete rather than awaiting full completionof the building project before occupancy mayoccur.

Equipment and SystemManufacturers

The intelligent buildings market providespromising new business opportunities fortechnology developers. The development ofstandards is also promoting co-operationamong vendors. Many technologies initiallydeveloped for other markets are now findingapplications in the construction sector.

For building equipment and system manufactur-ers, intelligent building technologies offergood marketing opportunities through vendorinteroperability. Intelligent building technolo-gies decrease costs and increase reliabilitythrough the sharing of a common communica-tions infrastructure.

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Where vendors adhere to a widely agreedstandard, products of more than one manufac-turer will be interoperable, and purchasedecisions are based on performance, availabilityand price criteria. Standards permit appropriatesubstitutions and exchanges, benefiting theend-user community through more choice,better availability and more competitive prices.

Since an intelligent building system records allactivities, service related issues, performanceconcerns and diagnostics are available for allusers. This centralized data can be readilyevaluated, and the productivity of contractorsand users alike is improved.

Reference ProjectsDemonstrating the effective integration ofintelligent building technologies into projectsis an important and very effective way ofincreasing widespread understanding of thebenefits. There have been a number of projectsthroughout the world that include intelligentbuilding technologies and provide practicalexamples of how new technologies are beingused to benefit all parties. Twenty-four projectsare summarized in Appendix A. The relevantintelligent building economics are not includedin these charts, because the project economicinformation is variously reported, and compari-sons cannot easily be made.

Many of the buildings in which intelligentbuilding technologies have been deployed usetechnology to reduce energy costs, but not toprovide any direct benefit to the occupants. Inothers, claims of cost savings are based onanticipated cost savings compared with conven-tional technology alternatives. Valid economiccomparisons are therefore tenuous. Legitimateextrapolation of the savings requires a retrofitbuilding in which the operational costs over anumber of years have established a pattern, towhich subsequent retrofits then make signifi-cant changes. In most retrofit situations, theinherent structure of the building is leftunaltered, so that the building only changesfrom energy inefficient to energy efficient inthe context of improved controls, allowingmore effective use of scheduled environmentalchanges.

Published DocumentsThe Continental Automated Buildings Associa-tion Web site <http://www.caba.org/trm>contains a bibliography of some 600 referencearticles relating to intelligent building tech-nologies. These publications are largely inEnglish.

The research addressed by these articles andthe trends, which are evident, are essential tothe development of the Technology Roadmapand to the ability to keep it current. Thisresearch will continue to serve the TechnologyRoadmap by providing:

• a reference source identifying currentand future intelligent building technol-ogy players;

• quick access to information about manyfacets of the intelligent buildingtechnologies industry;

• information related to innovativeproducts and systems; and

• information for use in the analysis ofmarket trends.

“Standards permit appropriate substitutionsand exchanges, benefiting the end-usercommunity through more choice, betteravailability and more competitive prices”

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CHALLENGES FACINGINTELLIGENT BUILDINGTECHNOLOGIESChallenges to the widespread introduction ofintelligent building technologies arise frommany diverse considerations. This sectionconsiders how best to create and developintelligent building technologies projects inthe face of these challenges.

A significant consideration is always thefinancial impact, including capital costs,expense costs and revenue. Good businesspractice requires that financial implicationsmust be correctly assessed, taking into consid-eration the time value of money and the effectof taxation. Low initial costs are attractive todevelopers, while the owners/operators andoccupants/tenants are more interested in long-term operational costs. Intelligent buildingtechnologies offer significant opportunities togenerate increased revenue. Intelligentbuildings offer more value, hence sell and/orrent for higher prices and/or more rapidly.

Financial decisions based on the comparison ofalternative plans of action that consider onlyinitial cost will inevitably be wrong. If therevenue stream of the alternatives is the same,then revenue can be ignored and the continu-ing expenses can be factored in using themetric present worth of annual charges (PWAC).If the alternatives are expected to generatedifferent amounts of revenue, which willgenerally be the case when intelligent buildingtechnology applications are under considera-tion, the correct metric is net present value(NPV). The initial cost must, of course, beconsidered, but should only be the decidingfactor when the correct metrics for the com-parison of alternatives, (PWAC where expectedrevenue is uniform and NPV where expectedrevenue varies) are the same or very close.

The improved value of intelligent buildingsshould influence developers/owners/operatorsand the entire supplier community to lookpositively on such opportunities. Intelligentbuilding projects will obviously affect theconstruction processes. The successful inte-grated outcome will require that the design beintegrated. This will, of course, involve manypractical questions regarding the divisionalspecifications, contracts and the manner inwhich design, management and construction

staff interact on the project. Changes inapproach and appropriate co-operation will berequired throughout the supplier community.

Intelligent building technologies require thatthe system design reacts to component andsystem failures more reliably then conventionalsystems. System design must ensure thatproblem isolation and resolution will improveon “conventional” overall performance. Toachieve these objectives, there is a continuingneed for education for all those involved.Education and experience, and changes innormal practices, will be required throughoutthe supplier community, specifically includingthe engineers, the designers, the architects,the contractors, the manufacturers, and thosewho manage and maintain these systems.Provision and use of common space, commoninfrastructure and shared resources are centralto the value, and the economic effectivenessand advantage of intelligent building technolo-gies.

Authorities having jurisdiction must ensure thatcodes, practices and conventions support andencourage the deployment of intelligentbuildings, noting the functional and financialadvantages they offer. The assessment ofsuccessfully completed intelligent buildingsprojects highlights the importance of ensuringthat the rules and regulations encourage theuse of intelligence in buildings to achievemaximum value, while continuing to ensurethat public safety and public service are welladdressed.

The challenge is to demonstrate the construc-tion of intelligent buildings with low financialrisk and high financial return. Property that ismore valuable to the developers/owners/operators and is occupied by satisfied occu-pants/tenants over the long term is the goal.

The current view is that a building and itsinfrastructure typically have a lifespan of 25years or more between major retrofits. Notingthe pace of technological evolution, intelligentbuildings offer the ability to upgrade functionalcapability more often and much more economi-cally, through upgrading components and

“Financial decisions based on thecomparison of alternative plans of actionthat consider only Initial Cost will inevitablybe wrong”

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equipment items without a need to touchphysical components such as the cablinginfrastructure.

Developers/Owners/Operators

Changing the traditional development, design,construction and operations of buildingsrequires new methods and techniques. Thesemethods and techniques need to be devel-oped and managed.

Occupants/Tenants

There is the potential for major advantages. Thebuilding operation will change and end usersneed to be made aware of these advantages.Costs and savings must be managed.

Lowest Initial CostWhen construction projects are planned, thecosts and budgeting necessary for constructiontend to emphasize capital costs and budgets.Proper consideration of ongoing operatingcosts is more likely when the building owner isalso the developer. Since intelligent buildingtechnologies bring significant value throughoutthe life of a building, it is important to evaluatethis in the budget planning.

The cost of building intelligent building systemsmay be slightly higher than independentsystems, but by a very low percentage of thetotal investment. The developer/owner benefitsfrom reduced infrastructure space and reducedoperating costs. This increases the value of thenewly constructed project, benefiting thedeveloper/owner as well as the occupants/tenants.

Current PracticesThe advent of intelligent building technologiesimpacts present building practices in manyways. An appropriate analysis highlights areaswhere knowledge and technology gaps call forimprovement, development and evolution ofexisting practices.

Developers/Owners/Operators

Of necessity, owners influence every phase ofthe design process. The owners are key toevery design team, and need to be educated bythe design team in the considerable benefits ofintelligent building technologies. The designteam itself must therefore be well educated

about these benefits. The owner’s influencewill, of course, involve budgeting and schedul-ing and, in most cases, functional considera-tions.

Design Processes

All projects originate from a design group ledby the architect, involving the developer/owner/operator and including the specialistengineering and design staff who will design,specify, manage and commission the project.Each individual on the design team normallycontributes in a manner directly related to theexisting master specifications, provided by theCanadian Construction Document Committee(CCDC) or by the American Institute of Archi-tects (AIA).

The intelligent building technologies conceptdoes not meet directly with divisional specifica-tions, and the advent of Division 17 complicatesthe concept. Experience suggests that a designconsultant must take responsibility for theentire implementation of intelligent buildingtechnologies. The integration designer willinfluence the detailed designs of each of thedivisional specifications in the master contract.Success in this requires that all members of theteam are committed to this approach.

Redundancy

An efficient and reliable system must be able towithstand the failure of any single point in thesystem. In communication and control systems,many different techniques are used. Ringtopology ensures that a break at any one placeprovides continued communications in bothdirections, to the point of failure. Distributedcommunications ensure that all individualcontrollers continue at a high level of function-ality, when communications with the maincomputer are lost. The system in all cases willdetect and report the failure of the communi-cations link.

The terms “resilient” and “redundant” arecomplementary. “Redundant” indicates thatextra components will assume the load in theevent of failure, while “resilient” indicates thatan individual component can survive a failure.Both these concepts are necessary. In telecom-munications environments, for example,alternative links provide redundancy, whileextra components within each link provide

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resilience within that redundant link. In build-ing automation, these concepts are veryimportant, as the integrated nature of intelli-gent building communication infrastructurerequires these systems to provide all thesefunctions.

Lifespan Issues

The evolution of electronic technology ismoving rapidly, with lifespans and life-cycletimes in the range of five to ten years. Buildingstypically have a lifespan between major refits ofapproximately 25 years, or two to three technol-ogy cycles. A significant advantage of intelli-gent building technologies is the ability toupgrade the electronics while continuing touse the cabling that is already in place. Equip-ment and system vendors have an opportunityto design graceful growth into their productevolution plans; to enable their products thatare in service to be upgraded to add the mostrecently introduced features and functions.

Building automation depends on many systemsand components. Existing solutions will con-tinue to function with the current implementa-tion and capabilities, when newer products inthe market place have displaced the installedproduct.

the system, its operation is calibrated so thatthe entire system functions properly. Theintegration process may lead to some jurisdic-tional issues, and the union and trainingresponsibilities will need to be appropriatelyaddressed.

Responsibilities

The design process must allocate responsibili-ties to suitably qualified engineers and contrac-tors who are responsible for the design andimplementation of the:

• common infrastructure;

• infrastructure testing;

• infrastructure acceptance and commis-sioning;

• system selection;

• system interaction;

• system testing and commissioning;

• system verification; and

• documentation, servicing, maintenanceand repair.

Most of these responsibilities are essentiallyunaltered from those in existing individualcontract documents. In an intelligent building,these roles are now consolidated into a singleseries of responsibilities. The challenge for thearchitect as the primary contract manager is toselect engineers and contractors qualified toundertake these activities. Since the involve-ment of more parties in the constructionprocess could make it more difficult to assignresponsibilities, early and clear resolution ofdisputes is important.

Implementation of an automation system that isdifferent may present a concern. The absenceof a communications infrastructure within atraditional contract for elevators, electricalsystems and mechanical systems is a changefrom the currently familiar process for each ofthese contractors. For example, the elevatorcontractor now uses a communications systemprovided by a third party, rather than the systemthat has traditionally been installed directlyunder his/her responsibility.

These concerns can be minimized by ensuringthat the requirements for all communicationinfrastructures are clearly defined. The defini-tions will normally include the testing processand criteria used by all parties to ensure that

“The traditional construction process requireseach of the specialized construction tradesto complete their task independently of allothers...”

Construction Processes

Building projects involve a broad range ofparticipants. The construction process hasevolved to co-ordinate design, specification,contracting and construction into a number ofdistinct areas. Projects now follow an estab-lished sequence that reflects this experience.The traditional construction process requireseach of the specialized construction trades tocomplete their task independently of all others,following a strict sequence so that their work isintegrated seamlessly.

Intelligent building technologies add a newdimension to the integration of these construc-tion processes. The objective is to ensure goodquality with no delay in the construction,commissioning and acceptance process. Thisvalidation will ensure that, on completion of

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the system meets appropriate standards. Thisprocess is central to many aspects of contract-ing already prevalent in the constructionindustry. With the evolving complexities ofcommunications infrastructures, the use of asingle, experienced contractor to install thisinfrastructure may be in the best interests of allparties.

Ongoing service arrangements in an integratedsystem must be addressed. The interactionamong formerly segregated systems may pose achallenge. It is important to increase theintelligence of the systems, so that servicingcan be more efficient and fewer routinemaintenance activities will be needed.

Supplier Dependencies

Current construction practice is to installdistinct systems for fire, HVAC, building automa-tion, lighting control and security. Thesesystems are now becoming co-resident in abuilding’s control centre, and an integrationlayer allows the information to flow betweenthe systems possibly through an integration PC.However, the separate suppliers maintain theindependent systems in such implementations.The owner/operator may end up dealing withmore independent suppliers and maintenancecontractors.

The lack of proven interoperability and widelyaccepted standards continues to be a majorbarrier to the adoption of intelligent buildingtechnologies. Some suppliers recognize thisand have focussed on software solutions toachieve interoperability. Market pressure bydevelopers/owners/operators is needed toencourage change in the product lines offeredby the suppliers.

Multiple standards and protocols have impededthe implementation of easy solutions forintegration. The communications infrastructurerequired for building integration is moving to acommon backbone using various versions ofEthernet. Use of PCs has imposed a de factostandard, and the increasing use of thesedevices and the adoption of Ethernet willencourage movement towards this de factostandard.

Often, the electrical standards, e.g., RS-485 orRS-422, define the electrical interfaces throughwhich the levels are interpreted and the linessignal the data. These standards do not addresshow the signals are interpreted and how data ismanaged. Those protocols would be more

easily interpreted if Ethernet standards wereused by the individual transducers. Virtual LANsprovide the necessary security for a local areanetwork to manage both building automationand user data. For very high security communi-cations requirements, it may be appropriate tosegregate building functions from end-userfunctions, by providing a small number ofindividual cables to provide the data transportfor each system. A Division 17 style of buildingmanagement would oblige all parties toaddress the consolidation of all communica-tions including building automation.

Development of Human Resources

The availability of the necessary human re-sources to design, construct, commission,operate and maintain buildings which makeextensive use of intelligent building technolo-gies is crucial to the success of this industry.Education, training, development and experi-ence are required not only for the designengineers, the architects and the developers/owners, but also for the construction, mainte-nance and operational staff. Training for theseindividuals will include formal education,continuing education at accredited engineer-ing faculties and technical schools, andcourses, seminars and workshops provided byindividual manufacturers. Training and develop-ment may also fall into the domain of tradeunions. Unions are a powerful resource inmeeting the objective of increasing theindividual capabilities of their members.

There are currently few contractors withsufficient knowledge and experience toundertake a project where total integration isthe goal. Many in the industry believe that anintelligent building addresses only certainsectors of building operations and manage-ment, typically areas where they hold vestedinterests, e.g., HVAC, security or buildingautomation. Other interpretations relate to abuilding with a comprehensive telecommunica-tions network. For intelligent building technolo-gies to be installed efficiently and effectively, abroad spectrum of the construction work forcemust be trained in their use. Work activities onthe construction site must be a team effortwhere each member has his own speciality.

“The availability of the necessary humanresources...is crucial to the success of thisindustry.”

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Intelligent building technologies involve manytrades. Most trades will need at least someunderstanding and knowledge, and will have tointeract with other trades responsible for theinstallation of intelligent building technologies.There will be a need for training and for theprovision of appropriate test gear. This test gearis necessary so that components and sub-systems can be tested, exercised and calibratedduring construction when the intelligentbuilding system is not yet available.

Building Codes

Building codes with the “power of law” aredefined authorities having jurisdiction and mustbe respected. Examples include:

• the National Building Code of Canada,and local codes and interpretationsrelated to it;

• the Electrical Code; and

• the Fire Code.

Other relevant codes, conventions and stand-ards are not legally binding, but are often veryhelpful, for example:

• ANSI/EIA/TIA 568 (TelecommunicationsIndustry Association) standard forcommercial buildings;

• corporate standards which may apply toindividual projects; and

• certification requirements by cablecomponent vendors, e.g., NORDX/CDTCSV requirements.

These codes may not be easily interpreted andsometimes present conflicting requirements.Each code has a specific mandate and cansignificantly affect the opportunities and theprocess for implementing intelligent buildings.The Electrical Code, for example, requires thatonly cables of the same voltage and classifica-tion can be co-resident in a particular conduit.However, the jurisdiction of the Electrical Codedoes not generally extend to the communica-tion cables that are mainly of interest tointelligent building technologies applicationssince the power levels lie below the ElectricalCode jurisdiction. Intelligent building systemsare used to control lights, fans and door controlsystems which are also regulated by theNational Building Code or the Fire Code.Additional confusion can arise over the codes

when some are rewritten or interpreted atnational, provincial and municipal levels.

Currently, the codes generally define what ispermissible and how it is to be implemented.Updated building codes, which are objective-based, are in preparation. Objective basedcodes will ensure the needed functionalitywhile providing flexibility in how it is achieved.In general, intelligent building technologiesimprove the safety of buildings, and a suitablenegotiation mechanism will resolve any con-flicts. Through enhanced monitoring, diverseincident reporting and logging, the industry hasanticipated many of the requirements that willbe incorporated within objective-based codes.

Risk and Liability

Venturing into intelligent building technologiesrequires a partnership between diverse inter-ests. This venture must inevitably involve therecognition of risks. However, each partnerexpects the risks to be related to the gains. Thepotential risks in implementing an intelligentbuilding system should be identified in ad-vance. The discussion of risks should include:

• initial additional costs and delays;

• delays in construction;

• supplier dependency;

• hidden costs; and

• liabilities.

Use of a common infrastructure and an inte-grated system with a single interface interact-ing among multiple sub-systems raises ques-tions of liability. If the communications infra-structure does not perform appropriately, forexample, for the lighting control system, thelogical question that follows is: who will beheld responsible?

These issues are not new and are fundamen-tally unchanged from similar considerations intraditional systems. The integration of commu-nications infrastructure adds a new dimensionthat must be addressed in appropriate contrac-tual commitments early in the design andconstruction process. Such a contract will go farto address concerns, and ensure that anyfailures will not lead to disproportionate liabilityaccusations.

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Assessable ReferenceProjectsCurrently there are a number of showcaseprojects that demonstrate the functionality ofvarious intelligent building technologies butthere are few reference projects that add

construction trades completes its taskindependently of all others;

• the difficulty of achieving agreementamong the design team members tocommit to the approach required forimplementing intelligent buildingtechnologies;

• the challenge for the architect to selectengineers and contractors qualified toundertake the consolidated activitiesneeded to design and implement anintelligent building;

• the challenge of educating owners toinfluence the budgeting, schedulingand functional considerations requiredin an intelligent building technologiesproject;

• the unwillingness/inability of suppliersto depend on each other for systemdata inputs due to proprietary protocolsthat cannot communicate with eachother;

• the challenge of ensuring adequateredundancy so that any individualcontroller can work with adequatefunctionality when communication withthe main control system has been lost;

• the lack of contractors with the knowl-edge and experience to undertake aproject where total integration is thegoal;

• the need for extensive training of abroad spectrum of the constructionwork force in the implementation anduse of intelligent building technologies;

• the concerns over liability issues andproblem resolution with a commoninfrastructure and an integrated systemwhere a single interface providesinteraction among multiple sub systems;

• the need for updated building codeswhich facilitate the implementation ofintelligent building technologies;

• the concerns of developers/owners/architects about liability and insurabilityfor integrated systems;

• the lack of proven interoperability andlack of universally accepted standards;

“There is a critical need to initiate assessableprojects, and the evaluation must behandled not by manufacturers, but byindependent agencies...”

objective measurements to these demonstra-tions. For intelligent building technologies tobe viewed as clearly the best direction for newand retrofit building construction, it is essentialthat objective reference projects be available.These reference projects must differentiatebetween “retrofit” and “new construction”. Forretrofit projects, it should be relatively easy toestablish the original operating costs, staffingand problems. As the retrofit occurs, thechanged experience of all these criteria andparameters can readily be established.

When constructing new facilities, obviously nocontractor or developer will initiate twosimultaneous comparative projects. Therefore,the detailed measurements must stand on theirown, including heating, operating, comfortlevels, operations and maintenance, andperceived/measured value to occupants/tenants. There is a critical need to initiate suchassessable projects, and the evaluation must behandled not by manufacturers, but by inde-pendent agencies, e.g., institutes of researchor academic learning.

Overview of IntelligentBuilding TechnologyChallengesThe ability to fully realize the benefits ofintelligent building technologies is hamperedby a number of challenges:

• the reluctance of developers/owners toimplement intelligent building tech-nologies due to the perception ofincreased initial cost and concern overunproven technologies;

• the unwillingness to change from thetraditional construction process arrange-ment, where each of the specialized

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• the need to achieve co-operation andagreement among the stakeholders andtheir interests;

• the development of the proceduresneeded to implement an integratedcommunications system, that differ fromthose that have traditionally been used;

• the lifespan issues posed in makinginvestment decisions for an intelligentbuilding technologies constructionproject; and

• the ongoing service arrangementsrequired by an integrated system.

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FUTURE DIRECTIONS OFINTELLIGENT BUILDINGTECHNOLOGIESThis section addresses the future directions ofintelligent building technologies. The mostsuccessful introductions of intelligent buildingtechnologies indicate that the greatest advan-tages come from integrating communicationsand ensuring that the traditional systems havethe ability to intercommunicate andinteroperate. A single operator interface needsto recognize status and control informationfrom all available systems. The primary benefitcomes from the shared space, infrastructureand staffing. The current trend of working fromhome encourages interaction with buildingcommunications and services.

These trends are being influenced by technolo-gies and the current market situation. Construc-tion and technology are breaking down someconventional barriers. Increasing concern withenvironmental impacts and with security needsfurther influence intelligent building function-ality.

These facilities depend on the increasingreliability of secure and resilient communica-tions infrastructures. Mobile telephones arewell established, encouraging mobile commu-nications in many other forms. This technologyhas value for in-building application. For theoccupants/tenants and the operators, thesetechnologies yield substantial efficiencies.These concepts will lead to intelligent buildingtechnologies that are not yet on the drawingboard.

those who create these buildings have a visionand a commitment to the “latest and greatest”.

Occupants/Tenants

End users want to occupy buildings withexcellent communications, personal workspacecontrol and secure environments. The ability todeliver these is attracting end users to thosebuildings which best satisfy their demands.

Rapidly evolving electronic technologies areencouraging both owners and occupants toreach for the latest technologies, yet thebuilding and construction industry seemsstrangely reluctant to respond. A very big partof the building and construction activity isretrofit, providing an excellent opportunity tointroduce intelligent building technologies intoexisting “sticks and bricks” fabrics, and upgrad-ing old buildings, in prime locations, intopremium office space. Architects, buildingengineers and contractors are relativelyconservative. Those moving to embrace thelatest technologies do so only after they arethoroughly convinced of the value of systemsand products that have been significantlyendorsed.

New technologies provide both opportunitiesand challenges. Building systems can now bemanaged using automation, with less depend-ence on humans. Examples include monitoringdoors and windows remotely (surveillancecameras, glass breakage detectors, etc.) andmonitoring the building fabric (moisture,temperature, vibration, strain, etc.). Communi-cations infrastructures allow knowledgeworkers to work where and when it is conven-ient. The concept of the mobile worker has ledto new concepts where acoustics and lightingare automated, and this has also changed theconfiguration of offices. One must note thesignificant role played by the constructionindustry in the national economy. Theseactivities represent a very significant part of thegross national product (GNP) of our economy.

Intelligent building technologies will promotethe integration of control systems that enhancebuilding and end-user functionalities. Theincreasing use of PCs and related technologiesin the control of the target applications enablesthese systems to be interconnected and thusinter-related. The ability for computer networksto share information is the basis of almost everyoffice function today. Use of e-mail has be-come commonplace and the ability of compu-ter systems to exchange messages is now

“Rapidly evolving electronic technologies areencouraging both owners and occupants toreach for the latest technologies, yet the buildingand construction industry seems strangelyreluctant to respond.”

Developers/Owners/Operators

Developers are recognizing that integrated andintelligent buildings provide a greater return oninvestment. Knowledgeable occupants recog-nize that such buildings are desirable, andinvestors are prepared to reward the develop-ment of these buildings with increased values,long term occupancy and recognition that

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familiar. Within the building of the future thesetechnologies will enable building functions,building management and end-user applica-tions all to improve as a result of control andmessaging techniques.

TrendsThis project’s literature review indicates thatthe current trends in intelligent buildingtechnologies are:

• to integrate communications, providingan overall or umbrella integrationsolution;

• to ensure that the existing systems arecapable of operating independently, i.e.,standalone;

• to move toward a single software frontend which communicates with a singleconsole;

• to gradually phase out separate controlrooms for different functions;

• to change from project developmentbased on lowest initial cost to develop-ment based on highest value, correctlyreflecting higher revenues and opera-tional cost savings; and

• to encourage suppliers to developintelligent, self-diagnosing, faulttolerant controllers.

Market Drivers

Market drivers of intelligent building technolo-gies include the owner/operator’s desire toachieve a competitive advantage through morecost-effective and featured locations and theoccupant/tenant’s need for space that iscomfortable, secure, versatile and productive.When office hours vary, the control of lightingand HVAC for individual offices becomesattractive for cost control. Security and reducedoperational staffing are key elements incontrolling rising costs while enhancing end-user services. Intelligent building technologiescan provide better bandwidth and easierrelocation for staff through the enhancedcommunications infrastructure. These functionsare generally possible, individually, with tradi-tional systems, but intelligent building tech-nologies can provide them through full integra-tion more effectively and at substantially lower

cost. The dominant market drivers therefore arereduced cost, greater ease of operation andgreater reliability.

Societal ImpactsSociety continues to change dramatically, partlyas a result of, and partly through the continuingevolution of technologies. These changes willcontinue. Trends to longer working hours,fewer support staff and portable wireless e-mailare examples of the intersection of technologyand society. Intelligent building technologiesare well positioned to more economicallypermit workers to control access to their ownoffices and related facilities, and to control theoffice environment. It has become possible forstaff and firms to become tolerant of conven-ient working patterns, and to take whateveraction is needed to complete job requirementswith very challenging deadlines. The expecta-tion that staff respond to their office e-mailwhether they are in their office or elsewhere isnow commonplace.

“It is common for technology to beintroduced to reduce cost, while its greatestvalue turns out to be the added valuecapabilities that it brings.”

Future Technology ImpactsAs technologies evolve, there are temptationsto use technology because it is there, notbecause it solves an existing problem. Con-versely, the introduction of new technologyoften leads to its use for valuable applicationsthat had not previously been thought of. It iscommon for technology to be introduced toreduce cost, while its greatest value turns outto be the added value capabilities that it brings.

The introduction of smart cards, magneticencoded stripe cards with read/write memory,has enabled many applications, e.g., medicalrecords, passports, transportation fares, tel-ephone cards, etc. As the following examplesindicate, some technologies are also able tomove the bounds of “intelligence” forward intheir application to buildings:

• fibre optic communications can be usedto recognize vibration, intrusion, etc. aswell as to provide broadband, securecommunications;

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• security requirements are now, morethan ever, constrained by the imagina-tion of the user (or intruder), not bytechnological limitations. Use ofbiometric technologies ensures thatrecognition is unassailable, e.g., retinalscans, voice patterns, fingerprints etc.Such patterns may be stored on smartcards and used for many purposes;

• technologies are being sought which, inthe view of responsible individuals, willreduce the risk of terrorism followingthe major tragedy of September 11, 2001;

• sensors are becoming available whichperform multiple functions through asingle transducer, including tempera-ture, air quality, light and occupancy;

• software and interface devices areavailable to permit individual end-usersto control their personal environment toachieve a comfortable and effectivework space;

• improved communications and tools,e.g., e-mail and voice mail, have madethe concept of working hours dynamic,allowing convenience for staff andavoidance of rush hours;

• improved security has ensured thesafety of staff and equipment anddramatically reduced theft;

• high-rise apartments can now usetechnologies allowing dramatic improve-ments in convenience;

• because technological solutions areavailable, residents and workers demandaccess to them. End-user environmentsare attracting occupants to any type ofbuilding, i.e., the technology drivers areleading to technology implementation;and

• the concept of a home office hasbecome widespread. Many companiesaccept the benefits of allowing staff towork at home. The necessary communi-cations infrastructure for such homeoffices is a low investment for a signifi-cant productivity benefit. This approachis also contributing significantly toreduced environmental pollution andlowered staff stress.

Overall System ReliabilityAs intelligent building technologies becomemore pervasive, the need for them to becomeextremely reliable will increase.

Central Control

To maximize the benefits of intelligent buildingtechnologies requires systems integration andcentral control rooms. Staffing and training forthe control room personnel will require verybroad skills. An intelligent building systemprovides operation of all aspects of the inte-grated environment from a single controlcentre, which should have an alternativelocation, a backup facility, for use in the eventof failure. The central control ensures theobservance and interaction of all aspects ofsystem operation. A central control facility hasreduced total staffing needs and provides theresources to log, control and manage a largenumber of individual components. Staffing canbe better managed and trained in such anenvironment than in many smaller, distributedfacilities.

Wireless Dispatch

Wireless systems are options to consider indesigning a building. The transition from wiredto wireless systems is recommended to pro-mote mobility and ease of access. Staff usingnotebook computers and personal organizersexpect to be able to move about with thesedevices. Wireless communication also ad-dresses the issues of dynamic offices and thetravelling worker. Numerous competingtechnologies are being promoted.

The needs of end users who move betweenoffices and sit with colleagues exchanging dataand working on projects have stimulatedwireless technology. Issues of confidentiality,bandwidth and incompatible operating systemsare rapidly being addressed. In intelligentbuildings, there is an obvious requirement forsecurity and maintenance staff and others tomove within the building. Available technolo-gies enable pagers, cellular telephones andpersonal organizers to communicate with thismobile staff.

Communications systems use various technolo-gies, protocols and infrastructures. Wiredcommunications systems make use of a varietyof twisted pair technologies. Communicationssystems comparable to these wired systemshave now become available through various

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wireless technologies, usually utilizing packetdata. Wireless technology uses a variety ofmechanisms to comply with the requirementsfor security, reliability and power requirements.These evolving technologies are workingtogether to provide a portable communicationsenvironment for many building applications.

The new digital wireless technologies can co-exist with the older analogue technologies andprovide mobile services to both end users andbuilding operations staff. Typically, wirelesscoverage is a major concern. For reliablecoverage within buildings, technologies havedeveloped to provide “repeater” or “internalantenna” functions. The latest trend is to mountantennae on the back side of ceiling tiles insuspended ceilings so the antennae areinvisible and users do not perceive that they areusing an antenna-based distribution system.Environments, such as hospitals, large buildingsand sports arenas, can provide their occupantswith continuous service for pagers, wirelesslocal area networks and cell phones.

99.999% (Five “Nines”) Reliability

Electrical and telephone systems strive toachieve “five nines” reliability, i.e., operatingwithout problem 99.999% of the time. Note thatthis does not imply complete reliability as evenat this level of reliability there are 5.25 minutesof downtime per year.

For a building to operate with this overall levelof reliability is a very demanding challenge. ThePC does not normally attain this level of reliabil-ity, and dramatic steps are required to ensurethat all systems included within intelligentbuilding technologies can work together toachieve these levels of service. Initial steps toimprove reliability are likely to focus on indi-vidual components capable of operatingautonomously in the event of any centralfailure, and also of ensuring “fall back” or“diverse” functionalities. Common carriers, forexample, normally provide secondary channelswithin communications systems that take theload if the primary channel fails. Reliabilitydesign requires detailed historical experienceinformation about the intended components,i.e., mean time between failures (MTBF) andmean time to restore (MTTR).

Design principles to ensure system reliabilitywill require the following:

• intelligence is distributed;

• standby power is continuously availableto these distributed units;

• these distributed units are capable ofoperating without normal power orcommunications;

• the status of all control units andcommunication links is continuouslymonitored;

• the distributed controllers have localintelligence to report their status; and

• for critical applications, controllers havediverse communication paths.

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CONCLUSIONS ANDRECOMMENDATIONSThis report proposes actions to promote andadvance intelligent building technologies. Theconclusions drive the recommendations. Thereare two major conclusions and recommenda-tions.

• Intelligent building technologies aregenerally available, but not yet widelyadopted; and

• Many changes and initiatives areneeded for use of these technologies tobecome widespread.

The Technology Roadmap recommends numer-ous actions, many requiring co-operationamong organizations. This is the nature ofprogress in technology applications in today’sworld. The adoption of intelligent buildingtechnologies, like many other processes, facessignificant challenges, and is making progressbecause of the vision and dedication ofindividuals and organizations. These visionsneed to be encouraged, adopted and ex-ploited. The recommendations are designed todo this.

Developers/Owners/Operators

The key factors that need to be modified toencourage progress in the industry, andsuggestions on how to undertake thesemodifications.

Occupants/Tenants

The changes that are needed to take moreadvantage of intelligent building technologiesand how to make these happen.

ConclusionsThe research that developed this TechnologyRoadmap led to the following conclusions.

1. There are a significant number ofintelligent building technology productscurrently on the market that are capableof automating and integrating all majorbuilding systems.

2. Building automation systems can bothreduce costs and increase productivityand comfort.

3. The degree of confidence in intelligentbuilding technologies is inadequatelargely because of a lack of awarenessand understanding, of its value.

4. There is a lack of properly assessableintelligent building technology refer-ence projects.

5. Reduced energy costs are seen as amajor benefit of intelligent buildingtechnologies equated to HVAC. How-ever, other benefits, e.g., reduced stafflevels and improved occupant satisfac-tion, are often overlooked.

6. Economic analyses of intelligent build-ing projects are often flawed. Typicalerrors: including construction costincreases but not savings, incorrectlyreflecting operational cost savings overthe project’s expected life, and ignoringadditional rent and sales revenues.

7. Many developers, owners, architects,engineers and contractors use only old,tried and proven products, methods andtechnologies, and show little initiative toconsider valuable and economicallyattractive advanced alternatives.

8. Widespread use of the Internet andwireless communications improvesworker productivity and increases thecost effectiveness and marketability ofintelligent building technologies.

9. Air quality measurement and othersensors work well to control HVAC andother building automation systems.

10. There is a significant shortage of trained,knowledgeable and certified profession-als in the design, installation andintegration of intelligent buildingsystems.

11. Intelligent building technologiesrequire the co-operation of the entiredesign team including owner, devel-oper, architect and engineers.

12. An integrated communications infra-structure is the essential foundation inthe effective deployment of intelligentbuilding technologies.

38

13. New and evolving technologies enablethe gradual enhancement of functionsand features, via upgrade of the elec-tronics, throughout the life of anintelligent building.

RecommendationsThe recommendations resulting from theseconclusions follow. These recommendationsare intended to increase the widespread,successful and valuable application of intelli-gent building technologies:

1. Increase awareness of the benefits ofintelligent building technologies, tostimulate research and developmentand, most important, usage. Techniquesto increase awareness include thefollowing.

• Document the substantial economicadvantages of implementing inte-grated intelligent building technolo-gies through well presented rigorouscost/benefit analyses, and circulatethese studies widely;

• Develop instrumented referenceexamples for both retrofit and newconstruction;

• Stimulate demonstration projects,which must be properly managed,instrumented and monitored. Theresulting knowledge must be usefulfor comparative evaluations of thebenefits of these technologies, andwidely available;

• Economic results from instrumentedexamples must distinguish among themany technologies, the areas anddisciplines, and short-term and long-term savings; and

• Develop effective links with thistechnology in other countries andwith all disciplines.

2. Emphasize the total benefits, the overallpositive picture, of intelligent buildingtechnologies.

3. Education must be provided andpromoted at all levels. This includesarchitects and engineers, developers,owners and all those involved in theconstruction, operation and mainte-nance of intelligent building technolo-

gies, and also the real estate industry.Education will include traditionaluniversities and schools, and informa-tion, workshops and seminars providedthrough manufacturers and suppliers.On-site training and union participationare also required.

4. A disciplined approach to standards andprotocols is needed, to ensure systeminteroperability, and maintenance andoperation without proprietary informa-tion.

5. Develop partnerships among knowl-edgeable design engineers and tradi-tional electrical and mechanical design-ers. This follows the practice of thearchitect selecting electrical, mechani-cal and other design and engineeringgroups.

6. Develop partnerships among suppliersto promote intelligent building tech-nologies, e.g., utility companiespartnering with intelligent buildingtechnology manufacturers, serviceproviders and systems integrators toextend high value functionality to thecustomer.

7. Design intelligent building technologiessystems to include redundancy andresiliency, with no single points offailure. Systems operate in redundant ordegraded mode after a failure.

8. System integration should evolvegradually, i.e., evolution and not revolu-tion.

9. Standards and protocols must evolve topromote interaction and interoperabilityamong the multiple computer-control-led systems common within modernbuildings.

10. The controllers and electronic compo-nents must incorporate diagnostics andreporting capabilities, to report failuresor performance degradation beforeusers become aware of them.

11. Protocols used by suppliers in propri-etary solutions must be available tocontractors, engineers and servicepersonnel as required. These protocolsmust enable the requiredinteroperability.

39

12. Warranty-related recommendationsinclude the following:

• Warranties must ensure that indi-vidual systems interoperate withother systems. Other vendors’components and sharing data amongdevices must not void warranties;

• When commissioning or validatingsystems, suitable test proceduresmust be documented which areacceptable to all parties; and

• Authorities having jurisdiction andbuilding codes must recognize thatintegrated systems can and doprovide improved safety and function-ality. Appropriate Certification ofthese systems must be acceptable forauthorities having jurisdiction and forwarranties.

13. Contractual recommendations includethe following:

• Service and maintenance contractsmust permit interoperability, non-exclusivity of service requirements,sharing of communication facilities,and provision of parts and servicedocumentation to third parties;

• Service contracts and maintenanceagreements require non-confidential-ity agreements so that vendors mayshare and distribute needed propri-etary information;

• Responsibilities among serviceorganizations may be shared butmust avoid competitive or conflictingrequirements, e.g., transducers andcommunications facilities may beshared among more than one system;

• Service agreements must guaranteeoverall system reliability and availabil-ity in terms that are both measurableand enforceable; and

• Service and maintenance agreementsshould recognize the need toupgrade systems and avoid obsoles-cence. Exchange of service recordsamong suppliers ensures properfunctionality of integrated systems.

14. A key recommendation is the adoptionof a single communications infrastruc-ture with an integrated design. This

requires a new division within theconstruction administration documentprocess, commonly referred to as theDivision 17 or the Division 25 initiative.Key elements include the following:

• recognize that the communicationsinfrastructure is a utility within thebuilding comparable to the electricalrisers or the plumbing infrastructure;

• have a single contractor install allcommunications infrastructure;

• certify the communication cables andinfrastructure against demanding andcommon criteria;

• co-locate equipment within commu-nications rooms in order to provideversatility when additional devices,e.g., paging amplifiers, securitysystems, etc., are added to thecommon communications backbone;and

• remove all Class 2 type services fromall construction administrationdocument divisions except in desig-nated divisions, such as Division 17.

15. The construction divisions, which arenormally included in documentsprovided by the CCDC or the AIA, arebeginning to move to a Division 17 –Communications Infrastructure. Thewell-proven benefits to the developer/owner/operator have been:

• a single, common, universal infra-structure;

• lower costs because of the singlecommunications utility;

• an ongoing ability to easily relocateequipment as and when required;

• a reduced number of differentcabling options since a proper cabledesign allows use of a single cabletype or low variation in cable types;

• established pathways which eliminateunsightly and costly conduits dedi-cated to particular applications; and

• identification of responsibility forcabling and end-to-end communica-tions problems.

40

In ClosingThis Technology Roadmap reflects the state andstatus of the intelligent building technologiesindustry, primarily in Canada and the UnitedStates, in mid-2002. The activities involved indeveloping the Technology Roadmap haveresulted in a great deal of enthusiasm amongsome practitioners who recognize a tremen-dous opportunity for the expansion of relatedactivities. In many cases, these will occur byevolution and not by revolution as the tech-nologies are gradually placed into service andmore people come to understand the benefitsand opportunities that can be exploited fromusing these technologies.

We thank all of those who have contributed todate and look forward to further, excitingcontributions from readers in the future.

A complementary document to the TechnologyRoadmap, has been developed by the Conti-nental Automated Buildings Association (CABA)under contract to Industry Canada and PublicWorks and Government Services Canada. Thisdocument is a checklist of intelligent buildingtechnologies intended as a guide for all of themajor stakeholders in IBT projects. It is availableat <http://www.caba.org/trm>.

For further information and investigation, andto contact those who were involved in thedevelopment and preparation of this Technol-ogy Roadmap, please refer to the followingappendices. Comments and suggestions will bemost welcome.

41

APPENDIX A

Reference Projects

Reference Projects

A-1

British Columbia

Name Date Type Location Implementations Cost Savings/Benefits Comments Crestwood Corporate Centre, Building 2

March 1998

Commercial Office New Construction

Richmond § intelligent HVAC systems;

§ day lighting schedules;

§ building automation system;

§ photocells; § automated lighting

control

$5.2 million

§ improved air quality; § efficient lighting; § greenhouse gas emission

reduction; § increased energy

performance; § efficient building design

A project of the CANMET C-2000 Program for Advanced Commercial Buildings, Building 2 advocated building performance in a holistic sense – energy use, environmental impact, occupant health, comfort and productivity, functional performance, longevity, adaptability and operations and maintenance. At completion, they experienced no identifiable overall incremental capital cost premium compared to conventional construction methods. The increased initial costs were balanced by the long term savings.

Royal Inland Hospital

N/A Health Care Facility Retrofit

Kamloops § installation of an intelligent building automation system;

§ entering into a 15-year, $6.3 million Performance Contract

N/A § projected savings of $5 million to the taxpayers;

§ a projected annual energy and operating cost savings of $600,000;

§ improved indoor working environment;

§ reduction in greenhouse gas emissions

The Royal Inland Hospital was founded over 100 years ago, has 260 beds, encompasses 150,000 square metres and employs more than 1,400 staff. The goals of the retrofit were: § finance a major capital

improvement project without increasing public debt;

§ improve the comfort levels in the hospital;

Reference Projects

A-2

Name Date Type Location Implementations Cost Savings/Benefits Comments § increase productivity; § increase plant and systems

efficiency; § reduce greenhouse gas

emissions

British Columbia Institute of Technology

N/A Educational Facility Retrofit

Vancouver § installation of a structured cabling system;

§ integration of the intelligent building automation system

N/A § fully enabled centralized equipment control throughout the facility;

§ reduced costs using energy saving measures, such as occupancy sensors that regulated lighting control and temperature; and

§ meeting the Vancouver Energy Utilization Bylaws and ASHRAE/IESNA 90.1-1989R standards.

The British Columbia Institute of Technology in central Vancouver, occupies 50,400 square metres. The goals of the retrofit were:

§ create a high-tech educational facility doubling as a profit centre;

§ integrate voice, data and building controls into a single communications network; and

§ increase levels of efficiency and savings.

Canada Place N/A Commercial/Port Facility Retrofit

Vancouver § installation of an intelligent building automation computer system;

§ flexible system controllers;

§ flexible lighting controllers

N/A § a reduction in facilities management costs;

§ increased energy efficiency;

§ implementation of a cost-effective solution insuring future system upgrades; and

§ increased staff productivity.

Canada Place is a 540,000 square metre facility. It serves as a docking station for cruise ships in Canada’s busiest harbour. It contains a hotel, retail facilities, a convention centre and an IMAX theatre. The managers wished to upgrade the building operating system and integrate the existing system

Reference Projects

A-3

Name Date Type Location Implementations Cost Savings/Benefits Comments devices from a number of different vendors.

The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver

Hotel Retrofit

Vancouver § installation of high efficiency lights in entire building;

§ installation of high efficiency boiler, replacing conventional boiler;

§ five rooftop HVAC units changed, fitted with economizers to provide optimum building ventilation;

§ LONWorks computerized energy management system installed (controls guest room temperature between 19oC and 24oC according to guest requirements);

§ wireless communication between building and parking garage.

N/A § $52,000 cumulative energy savings in first seven months;

§ $36,000 electricity cost savings; $16,000 natural gas cost savings (seven months);

§ 35% energy savings § increased night time

visibility in parking garage;

§ ability for indoor parking control using wireless communication system;

§ increased guest comfort; ability for individual room temperature control; and more reliable lighting;

§ reduced maintenance demands on staff to change lights.

The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver is a landmark in the heart of Vancouver. The current structure was built between 1928 and 1939. It is a 20-storey, 730,000 ft2 limestone and brick structure with a distinctive copper roof. Located in the centre of downtown Vancouver, the Hotel includes 556 suites, two restaurants, one lounge, conference facilities, shops, a health club plus office areas and back-of-the-house facilities. The aforementioned implementations were made with an aim to update and improve the hotel’s building performance.

Reference Projects

A-4

Alberta

Name Date Type Location Implementations Cost Savings/Benefits Comments

Autovalue Central Auto Parts

July 1999

Warehouse/Office Retrofit

Calgary § effective integration of building systems ;

§ HVAC system designed to inject 100% fresh air into building envelope areas free of vehicular exhaust;

§ glycol run-around heat reclaiming system.

N/A § use of the Model National Energy Code for Buildings;

§ energy use reductions of 39 per cent;

§ comfortable workplace environment for employees;

§ heat conservation

This facility, consisting of a warehouse, sales centre and offices, covers an area of 6025 square metres.

Northern Gateway Regional Division No. 10

N/A Educational Institution Retrofit

Edmonton § building automation system, providing long-term energy efficiency while allowing system upgrades

N/A improved environmental control; maximized comfort, health, and safety; increased operational efficiency; reduced greenhouse gas emissions, connected all buildings through communications network; reduced energy consumption for an annual savings of $150,000

This school division operates 22 different academic facilities, northwest of Edmonton. Total area is 231,000 square metres and the facilities serve 5,685 students. The upgrade efficiency results won the Division a $137,000 Energy Innovators grant.

Wolf Creek School Division No. 72

N/A Educational Institution Retrofit

Alberta § the installation of energy efficient lighting and controls;

§ the installation of an intelligent facility

N/A § reduction in operating costs of 20%;

§ energy savings of $26,000 for the first year;

The Wolf Creek School Division educates 8000 students, has 25 facilities, containing over 300,000 square metres. The retrofitting goals were to:

Reference Projects

A-5

Name Date Type Location Implementations Cost Savings/Benefits Comments

management system.

§ a reduction in utility bills of 30%.

§ minimize operating costs; § maximize efficiency; § provide a safe, clean and

aesthetically pleasing environment;

§ reduce maintenance costs; and

§ increase custodial staff efficiency.

The resulting savings allowed for the installation of facilities management systems at other school locations across Alberta.

Reference Projects

A-6

Ontario

Name Date Type Location Implementations Cost Savings/Benefits Comments

Queen Elizabeth School

1999 Educational Institution Retrofit

Sioux Lookout § water-furnace system integrated with a VAV system.

§ occupancy sensors; § energy monitors; § water source heat

pump controllers; § VAV thermostats.

N/A § increased energy savings;

§ flexible system design;

§ increased occupancy comfort levels;

§ interoperability between different equipment suppliers/

manufacturers.

In 1999, the HVAC system at the Queen Elizabeth School was retrofitted to replace an outdated system. The goal was to provide efficiency and room for future growth. Another consideration was the simple and non-disruptive adaptability of the system to future requirements, multi-vendor options for additional products and functionality as well as energy and cost savings.

Condominiums at 77 Governors’ Road

December 1999

Residential New Construction

Dundas § high performance thermal windows;

§ increased wall insulation;

§ four pipe fan coil unit in each suite for HVAC;

§ individual heat recovery ventilators;

§ high efficiency lighting systems in garage and common areas.

N/A § decreased energy consumption by 30%;

§ improved quality of life and personal security;

§ energy savings of $12,941 per year; and

§ simple payback in 1.8 years.

Urban Horse Developments, with The Office of Energy Efficiency (OEE), equipped each residence with a combination space/water heating system, electronically commutated motors in each air handler to reduce blower electrical demand and a lighting system which uses 30% less energy than conventional systems for the same level of illumination.

Mother Teresa Elementary School

September 1999

Educational Institution Retrofit

Oakville § constant volume fan powered boxes with individual reheating coils for space conditioning;

N/A § 35% energy savings; § a more comfortable

environment; § a $9,659 reduction in

energy costs per year.

The Mother Teresa Elementary School consists of 5059 square metres, with a student population of 675 and 40 teachers and staff. In designing the school, the

Reference Projects

A-7

Name Date Type Location Implementations Cost Savings/Benefits Comments

§ occupancy sensors to control heating and lighting

Model National Energy Code for Buildings was followed. The goal was to provide an improved learning environment for students and reduce operating and maintenance costs.

Wellington County Board of Education

N/A Educational Institution Retrofit

Guelph § performance contract was entered into;

§ lighting and control retrofit was carried out;

§ installation of facility management system

N/A § a 21% savings in electricity;

§ $360,000 in energy savings or $2.5 million over a seven-year timeframe;

§ the resolution of indoor air quality problems

The Wellington County Board of Education has an enrolment of 25,000 students, located at 67 different buildings. The goals of the system retrofit were to: correct indoor air quality problems; maximize available resources for teaching and learning environments; monitor control systems at a number of schools for later analysis.

Four Points Hotel Toronto Airport

May 1998 Hotel Retrofit

Toronto § installation of high efficiency lights in entire building

§ installation of high efficiency boiler, replacing conventional boiler

§ five rooftop HVAC units changed, fitted with economizers to provide optimum building

N/A § $52,000 cumulative energy savings in first seven months

§ $36,000 electricity cost savings; $16,000 natural gas cost savings (seven months)

§ 35% energy savings § increased night time

visibility in parking

The Four Points Hotel Toronto Airport includes 296 rooms, 21 meeting and banquet rooms, a Restaurant Grill and Lounge, patio, pool and indoor parking garage. Beginning in May of 1998, and scheduled to May 2002, building managers decided to undertake a $700,000 renovation project in order to increase guest comfort while decreasing energy

Reference Projects

A-8

Name Date Type Location Implementations Cost Savings/Benefits Comments

ventilation § LONWorks

computerized energy management system installed (controls guest room temperature between 19oC and 24oC according to guest requirements)

§ wireless communication between building and parking garage.

garage § ability for indoor

parking control using wireless communication system

§ increased guest comfort; ability for individual room temperature control; more reliable lighting

§ reduced maintenance demands on staff to change lights.

and operating costs.

Human Resources Development Canada- 4900 Yonge St.

Government Offices New Construction

Toronto § automated HVAC system, “personal w/s”

§ integrtared lighting and HVAC systems;

§ HVAC system includes end user controls using “adjustable stat.” (personal adjustment for air-flow, etc);

§ DDC system which allows for integration paths

N/A § improved thermal comfort;

§ increased worker productivity;

§ decreased occupant complaints

Reference Projects

A-9

Québec

Name Date Type Location Implementations Cost Savings/Benefits Comments

Hospital Rivière des Prairies

1999 Health Care Facility Retrofit

Montréal The integrating technologies employed included: § current monitor

nodes; § relay lighting nodes; § lighting schedulers; § lighting software; § user interface

nodes.

N/A § wide variety of available hardware;

§ flexible, expandable design;

§ high level of functionality;

§ better control and documentation of energy usage.

This hospital wished to upgrade the lighting control system with a flexible, cost efficient and expandable system. The varied number of activities and locations within the hospital required that the wide range of lighting technologies and fixtures be integrated into one system. They solved the problem by installing a low voltage lighting control system throughout the 65,000 square metre complex. The system is monitored from the security office using lighting control software.

Le Château Frontenac

1995 Hotel Retrofit

Québec City § facilities management system connecting new boiler automation system and chiller control panels

N/A § ability to provide guest comfort on demand;

§ efficient management of work hours;

§ increased response reaction time;

§ savings of $250,000 through efficient energy use;

§ decrease in boiler maintenance from 24

The Château Frontenac, with 613 guest rooms and 18 floors, serves 270,000 guests per year. In 1995, a hotel wide restoration was begun. This included a building automation retrofit. The goals of the retrofit were: § to ensure comfort of the

guest at all times; § to maintain a response time

of 30 minutes to all maintenance requests; and

§ to provide a high level of

Reference Projects

A-10

Name Date Type Location Implementations Cost Savings/Benefits Comments

hours per day to just one.

service with fewer staff members.

École de Technologie Supérieure (ETS)

Educational Institution New Construction

Montréal § management integrated emerging technologies;

§ new system specifications were developed

N/A § construction costs were kept under $40 million

§ a highly technologically advanced building was created;

§ an evaluation of current business needs was undertaken

ETS, an engineering school, opened its new campus in Montréal in December of 1986. The school specializes in mechanical and electrical engineering and needed the most current facilities. It allows students the opportunity to experiment and apply their lessons in a real environment. The 139,500 square metre campus is housed in a building, which once served as a Molson-O’Keefe Brewery and was built in 1912.

Molson Centre 1996 Arena Montréal § lighting; § access control; § security; § temperature

monitoring; § parking; § LAN; § telephone; § Division 17; § Fire System; § HVAC; § fire paging; § control of public

area televisions; § liquor dispensing;

N/A § reduced operating costs;

§ longer lamp life; § reduced losses; § fewer security guards; § greater accountability; § rapid response to

food storage or water leakage problems;

§ ease of reconfiguration.

§ soft start leads to better mechanical service;

§ reduced staff needs exceeded expectations;

§ operating costs below previous building despite substantial increase in size;

§ audio and video recording or same tape for archival;

§ response plans for fire, security incorporated into single system.

Reference Projects

A-11

Name Date Type Location Implementations Cost Savings/Benefits Comments

§ water leakage detection;

§ photographic flash lights for photographers;

§ access control by intercom or card;

§ daily usage statistics; § in-house broadcast

facilities to augment CATV

Famous Players Theatre

Entertainment/Retail Ste. Foy § Echelon based HVAC control with the following features:

Ø employs an optimal start strategy where algorithms calculate the ideal start time to precondition the theatre based on temperature readings taken 30 minutes before a scheduled show time.

Ø directly connected to the ticket sales system which works to monitor the number of expected patrons who select any given movie and

N/A § substantial energy savings;

§ reduced training costs;

§ increased customer satisfaction and comfort;

§ reduced demand on theatre operating management;

§ staff movement between theatres made easy.

Famous Players operates 111 theatres across Canada. In an effort to allow for easier operation of the theatre’s (HVAC) systems, Famous Players decided to implement a standardized automation system.

Reference Projects

A-12

Name Date Type Location Implementations Cost Savings/Benefits Comments

subsequently predict the expected heat load based on those ticket sales

Reference Projects

A-13

International

Name Date Type Location Implementations Costs Savings/Benefits Comments Miller SQA Building

N/A Commercial/ Manufacturing New Construction

Holland, Michigan U.S.A

§ passive solar heating; § roof monitors,

skylights and sloped glazing for maximum daylight usage;

§ photo sensors regulating artificial light so as not to duplicate natural light;

§ high-efficiency electric lights;

§ natural ventilation/cooling; and

§ motion sensors monitoring zone occupancy to regulate light usage

N/A § energy savings over $35,000 per year;

§ increased worker productivity and work quality;

§ reduced energy consumption;

§ 17% decrease in natural gas costs; and

§ 18% decrease in electric costs

The Miller SQA building is an office, manufacturing, and distribution center. Among the desired design objectives were improved indoor air quality, maximum use of daylight and a workspace that would allow a high degree of worker interaction.

International Netherlands Group (ING) Bank

1987 Office New Construction

Amsterdam, Netherlands

In order to achieve the company’s objectives, the multidisciplinary design team incorporated some notable features including: § specially designed

security system; § individual end-user

N/A § $2.9 million estimated energy savings;

§ a three-month payback of the initial investment in energy efficiency;

§ 92% primary energy reduction compared to conventional

The International Netherlands Group Bank is currently the second largest bank in the Netherlands. Formerly known as Nederlandsche Middenstandsbank (NMB), the bank needed a new image and decided that the erection of a new headquarters in 1987 would be the means with which they

Reference Projects

A-14

Name Date Type Location Implementations Costs Savings/Benefits Comments climate controls;

§ passive solar heating ventilation;

§ cogeneration and waste heat capture;

§ office spaces with daylight illumination; and

§ a design which is flexible and adaptable to evolving technologies and functions

building of similar size; and

§ increased employee productivity, including 15% decrease in absenteeism

would achieve this objective. The new building was to be designed with functionality and cost-effectiveness in mind, and this task was a joint effort put forth by a multidisciplinary design team that included architects, engineers, energy professionals and landscapers.

DNP C & I Building

N/A Commercial Office New Construction

Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan

§ individual control outlets for under floor air conditioning system

§ day-lighting illumination including automatic controls;

§ natural ventilation system for maximized outdoor air intake;

§ seismic vibration control equipment; and

§ emergency generator with 2 week lifespan

§ 30% decrease in primary energy consumption;

§ 28% reduction of CO2, 31% reduction of SOX emission, 92% reduction of CFC/HCFC consumption; and

§ natural disaster security (i.e. earthquake, flood, etc.)

The DNP C & I Building is a commercial office building in Shinjuju-ku, Japan. The objective of the building’s construction included improving building energy use and operation performance as compared to other traditional buildings.

Hong King Wanchai

August 1992

Commercial Office

Hong Kong Some notable building features of the HKW

N/A § increased energy efficiency;

Encompassing 78 stories and a total building area of 173,000m 2,

Reference Projects

A-15

Name Date Type Location Implementations Costs Savings/Benefits Comments Central Plaza New Construction Central Plaza include:

§ double glazed visual panels (silver or gold);

§ all-air single duct air-conditioning with perimeter zone reheat VAV (Variable Air Volume) system;

§ lighting system including low energy consuming fixtures;

§ central energy management system (includes programmed on-off control for heating/lighting, air temperature reset, etc.); and

§ 5 express non-stop shuttle elevators

§ reduced solar radiation imposed on air-conditioning;

§ ability to suit individual zone cooling/heating requirements;

§ quieter operation of air-conditioning system

§ ability to perform routine maintenance with minimum tenant disruption

§ additional 80m2 usable floor area as result of elevator design.

the HKW Central Plaza is an office tower located at the Wanchai waterfront of Hong Kong. Two of the major building objectives were to design a building that is energy efficient and occupant friendly. The building project included three construction phases. The building was completed with the completion of phase 3 in August 1992.

Australian Parliament House

Government Building housing the National Parliament of Australia Built to last 150 years as Class A Building

Canberra, Australia Capital Territory (ACT), Australia

Honeywell Enterprise Building Integrator > 30,000 Points Controlling : § HVAC § Fire, § EWIS, § Security, § Access Control, § Video Surveillance,

§ energy Savings >$1 Million US per annum

§ operational Cost Savings of 40%

§ Viewed as one of the largest Intelligent Buildings in the World

§ met “Greenhouse Challenge” for

Building was initially completed with independent systems that were installed on a lowest-bid basis. Honeywell worked with the end user to migrate the site to an integrated Intelligent Building solution.

Reference Projects

A-16

Name Date Type Location Implementations Costs Savings/Benefits Comments § Power Monitoring

and § Lighting.

meeting reductions in GreenHouse Emissions.

58

59

APPENDIX B

OSI Seven LayerCommunication Model

60

Frequent references have been made to the useof communications as a utility within an Intelli-gent Building. Little emphasis has been given tothe mechanism by which the infrastructure issupported with the diverse systems and tech-nologies implicit in an Intelligent Building. TheOSI (Open System Interconnection) model is astandard for communications that definesnetworking in terms of seven layers. This stand-ard was developed and is supported by theInternational Standards Organization, a UnitedNations agency located in Geneva, Switzerland.

Control in each case is passed from one layer tothe next. This model allows layers to be tunedand modified without prejudicing the otherlayers. This theory does not work with all modernprotocol implementations because not every-body adheres to all of the standards. In somecases, as noted below, some of the layers (5 and6) are effectively bypassed. The concepts,however, are crucial to any form of network andcommunications system. The traditional sevenlayers are:

1. Physical Layer – this defines the hardwarefor sending and receiving data, includingcables, cards and electrical interfaces.

2. Data Link – this handles errors in thephysical layer, places bits into frames,packetizes the data and validates someerror correcting protocols e.g.,checksums. The Media Access Control(MAC) and the Logical Link Control (LLC)are sub layers of the data link layer.

3. Network Layer – this provides switchingand routing technologies, includingvirtual circuits for data from node tonode. Routing and forwarding, includingaddressing, internet working and packetsequences are included. Protocols suchas X.25 and IP are part of this layer’sresponsibilities.

4. Transport Layer – this layer providestransparent transfer of data betweenend systems and does not deal with anylost messages, except for the provisionof a reliable service. It may reduce thesize of messages from higher levellayers in order to ensure effectivetransportation. If packets arrive out oforder (diverse routing) they must be re-sequenced. The most common internetprotocol, Transport Common Protocol(TCP) mates with layer 3, IP protocols.

5. Session Layer – manages connectionsbetween applications and sets up, co-ordinates and terminates conversations.It is widely ignored in practical terms.

6. Presentation Layer – this providesindependence from differences in datarepresentations or encryptions bytranslating from application to networkformat and vice versa. It transforms datainto a form that the application layer canaccept.

7. Application Layer – this is a collection ofmiscellaneous protocols for high levelapplications, including electronic mail,file transfer, remote terminal access andterms such as SMTP, FTP, Telnet, HTTP arewidely evident in this layer.

While the OSI model serves as a valuableconcept for outlining network and communica-tions systems, it should be noted that thismodel has not been adopted by all manufactur-ers.