<p>Over the past 20 years many different buildings have been labelled as “intelligent”. However, the application of intelligence in buildings has yet to deliver its true potential.</p> <p>At the same time, industry now has a well-established intelligent building solutions capability but it is finding it difficult to demonstrate and prove the benefits of these solutions. Many on the demand-side remain unsure, and indeed sceptical, of the benefits and the value that investing in improved building intelligence can actually provide.</p> <p>Deliverable D1.1 highlights, from our experience, the state of the industry to date, some key issues that need to be considered and technology trends.</p> <h3>State of the Art / State of the Industry</h3> <p>Defining the current state of the industry is very difficult to do because of the range of installed solutions currently available. Modern buildings located away from major cities typically install a simple Building Management System (BMS) solution controlling some of the building functions with others totally separate. On the other hand the modern landmark buildings or corporate headquarters that rely heavily on the use of information technology also rely heavily on a sophisticated BMS solution. It is in these situations where the advancements in systems integration are made. For the purposes of this report the “state of the industry” will refer to the latter definition.</p> <p>In terms of building systems integration, many of the state of the industry buildings still have many independent systems connected through a number of different proprietary interfaces to the BMS. The state of the art buildings are starting to combine these distinct building systems so that various levels of communication are achievable. There are also a number of modern buildings, which have “integrated” disparate building systems through a common structured cabling scheme. As time progresses these two methods of integrating systems will both be used, so that most, if not all, of the systems in a building will use both a common protocol and a common cabling system. To provide a higher level of communications between systems, web based interfaces have been written that can be adapted to include the required systems. This has allowed the facilities management team to access the system from any location, local or remote.</p> <h3>Integrated Cabling</h3> <p>Integration in buildings can occur at a number of levels. The main examples of the level of integration have been in the physical level where the more state of the art buildings have designed and implemented a common cabling scheme.</p> <p>The integrated cabling schemes in modern buildings have started to integrate some of the key building systems. These have included the BMS, security and lighting systems. This has been achievable because of the advancements made in these industries, for example, by providing IP addressable equipment that can reside anywhere on the data network and free-topology transceivers that can make use of star-wired structured cabling systems.</p> <p>BMS protocols have been successfully implemented over structured cabling, which prove that with today’s technology cabling integration is possible. The current architecture uses a number of protocols over Category 5 Copper unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cabling. Adjustments from typical proprietary systems such as attaching fly leads to field devices for compatibility with RJ45 sockets and redesigning controls to configure to the traditional star wired topology that structured cabling require, are starting to be made.</p> <p>The ideal solution for integrating the building control systems on a structured cabling system is to have a network where all the elements of a ‘plug and play’ scenario can be implemented.</p> <h3>Lighting</h3> <p>The lighting control industry uses a mixture of proprietary and open systems. Often both systems are available from the same manufacturer. There are not many current installations that use both common network protocols and cabling. The technology however is available now for integration over structured cabling. Adjustments similar to those for the BMS need to be used to implement lighting control.</p> <p>The more advanced installations today have Ethernet enabled lighting controllers but use open protocols for communications to the field devices as this is an effective solution for the required communications between these devices. This has meant that the normal daisy chained lighting installation has been changed to star wiring to match the typical structured wiring installation. The latest systems use the data network for transmission of this information that is, using IP addressable fittings.</p> <h3>Security</h3> <p>Security systems in a building have become the next systems to be integrated into common cabling schemes because of their ability to run over copper structured cabling with little adaptation. Many modern cameras are IP compatible and are typically connected to an ATM, Gigabit Ethernet or proprietary switching matrix that forms the backbone of the network. Access control used to require the need for shielded twisted pair cabling to be installed predominantly for its superior interference characteristics. Today these installations can use normal unshielded structured copper cabling and are starting to be integrated at the physical level into the building.</p> <h3>Fire Alarm</h3> <p>Fire alarm systems architecture is presented as a dedicated system. This takes the form of hardwired links from the main control panels of all the different systems and plant to the fire detection and alarm systems. Current proposed solutions integrate fire detection with the structured cabling, but annunciation still remains a dedicated system.</p> <p>There are very conflicting ideas on whether fire alarms should be integrated totally with other communications within a building. This is due to the safety critical nature of the fire alarm system. The technology is available now to integrate but the industry does not regard an integrated network sufficiently safe for such an important life saving system. Fire alarm systems have been integrated on structured cabling outside the UK however, notably in certain countries in Europe.</p> <h3>Building Automation System (BAS)</h3> <p>The BAS is a control system that provides for all aspects of a building’s HVAC control. The BAS was historically the first intelligent building services system to be developed. It is also the most highly engineered of the building services systems, requiring a lot of bespoke applications programming. It is mainly for these reasons that the BAS became the focus for pre-open system integration, often through hardwiring, but sometimes through bespoke protocol interfaces.</p> <p>The BAS normally forms the basis of an open protocol integration system as it has the ability to do the majority of functions carried out by other systems (e.g. time switching for lighting systems) whilst performing a multitude of functions that don’t exist on these other systems. The BMS therefore has the ability to display graphical information, trend log and alarm on data from a different system without any extra software being required. </p> <p>The majority of BAS systems generally have open protocol field devices such as fan coil unit and VAV box controllers, whilst the main plant controllers still use proprietary communications. This is because open protocol standard objects only really exist on a small scale, as large point count controllers require too much bespoke configuration to be “standard”. Some BAS systems use open protocol communications throughout, but use non-standard objects for their larger controllers. There is also a growing trend for main plant controllers to use IP addressing and have 10baseT connectors to make use of either dedicated or main building IT networks.</p> <h3>Key Technology Trends</h3> <p>The building industry has always been very slow to implement new technologies into building management systems. This has been due in part to the relative low cost of end devices and the industries requirement for proprietary protocols. The building industry is changing and adapting towards more open systems interconnection and in recent years it has been seen that browser based central control has been introduced. More fundamental, has been the development and uptake of a number of key protocols in the building industry, namely BACnet and LON.</p> <p>Telephone systems and data networks have benefited from standardisation achieved during the 1980s, resulting in an explosion of networking applications in the 1990s. Such almost universal standardisation has not yet been generally accepted in building controls, and integration can thus only be achieved today with considerable technical effort, at high cost. Some examples of benefits and savings to be expected from integrating building control systems and user IT systems, and which will ultimately justify the investment in standardisation, are as follows:</p> <ul> <li>As structured cabling has reduced the cost of churn in relocating the users' voice and data terminals, so integration of building controls and adoption of a standard cabling infrastructure for these different systems would reduce the cost of reconfiguring lighting and air-conditioning controls after a move.</li> <li>Whilst integration implies greater complexity in the systems themselves, the user interface should be standardised and thus become friendlier. This will reduce the need for highly skilled staff to carry out the relatively mundane work associated with additions, moves, and changes.</li> <li>A help desk facility designed to meet users needs can be more effectively provided with an integrated building.</li> <li>Database integration will result in unification of the system. Updating information on a particular user will require only one action, whereas separate entries would have to be created and maintained for IT, personnel, e-mail, and security, if database integration is not employed.</li> <li>Integrating access control systems with building management and workplace environment systems will, for example, allow monitoring of staff movement and control local lighting and temperature.</li> <li>Integrating asset databases with security procedures can be used for conference room management to co-ordinate presentation equipment with location and to administer guest security.</li> <li>Integrating information databases with office data networks and telephone systems will change the telephone's role from a stand-alone instrument to an integrated application on a personal computer.</li> <li>In the longer term, because of modular construction techniques and unified technology standards, an integrated building should be easier and more economical to upgrade than its predecessor.</li> </ul> <h3>Challenges</h3> <p>There are many challenges posed in the integration of technology in buildings as integration blurs the boundaries of traditional responsibilities within organisations. For example:</p> <ul> <li>The integration of building management systems with IT networks will blur the responsibilities for performance and service levels between the IT network services department and the corporate services department. This type of integration changes the role and responsibility of corporate services departments requiring significant collaboration from the senior management. Inevitably this leads to overlapping responsibilities, which could allow some consolidation to be implemented hence cost saving.</li> <li>Budget allocations for capital expenditure and maintenance become more difficult and politicised as responsibilities are either diluted away from or concentrated towards particular individuals.</li> <li>Technology integration also poses challenges during procurement and its subsequent maintenance.</li> <li>There are few suppliers able to offer a seamless Systems Integrator role providing a one-stop-shop service to minimise the risks of multiple vendor interfaces disintegrating during design and installation.</li> <li>Retention of skills whether within the organisation or as an outsourced resource is often an issue as those who customise systems and support it have the potential for demanding better compensation terms for their newly acquired skills.</li> <li>Training new staff unaccustomed to Technology Integration may also prove a challenge as knowledge dilutes each time it transfers.</li> </ul> <p>Such ‘soft’ issues along with others such as building control and life safety code compliance have had a dampening effect on the drivers to integrate technology systems in buildings. Progressive and forward-looking organisations have had to rethink the business processes to accommodate the impact of technology integration.</p> <h3>A case for Integration</h3> <p>There are particular drivers for integration in multi-purpose facilities specifically that can present a case for seeking to overcome the challenges to integration.</p> <p>It is possible to assign value to the sharing of information between say manufacturing or process systems, both relating to the building and operations, which cannot be easily seen within office buildings.</p> <p>This can be partly explained by the constant movement and flow of users in multi-purpose facilities, compared with the relative static environment encountered with staff in a office building. But the most significant driver towards integration is due to the existing Central Operational Database system that a number of multi-purpose facilities use to operate with today, examples being airports, hospitals, universities. With a central resource detailing all of the operational information in a logical way integration, that allows these systems plus others access to this information, is the next logical step.</p> <p>The case studies highlights some of the drivers for integration encountered on projects covering the transport, education, and health and government market sectors.</p> <h3>Integration of Building Systems</h3> <p>The evolution of technology integration in buildings has occurred over many years. It has been shown in previous sections how the levels of integration in buildings have changed from dedicated systems with no communications between systems. The first major change in building integration was with the introduction of building management systems (BMS) that typically controlled the heating and ventilation systems. The development of other intelligent control systems meant that the BMS can now be integrated into a common Windows interface with these other systems. This method of integration has been utilised on a number of recently installed systems. There are an increasing number of systems being installed that have a higher level of integration and form the “state of the industry” technology and these will be discussed further in the next section.</p> <p>To progress the levels of integration in buildings their needs to be increasing support from the client and the facilities management teams who will have to operate these systems upon handover. Fortunately there is a growing interest from clients to be made aware of the possibilities for integrated communications, even if the opportunities cannot be readily taken up due to time or financial constraints. The minimum client requirement is that buildings be designed to accommodate changes in technology in the future with the minimum of effort disruption and cost.</p> <p>There have been a number of attempts to design “state of the art” or leading edge integrated buildings but these have met some difficult hurdles along the way both in the design and implementation stages. Along with the difficulties in the adaptation of building codes there are a number of other challenges that must be addressed.</p> <h3>The use of the term BMS</h3> <p>As mentioned above the introduction of the first building management systems was typically for the control and monitoring of HVAC systems. The BMS term therefore became synonymous with HVAC systems only, and not for management of all building services. This is causing major problems for designers especially when dealing internationally, where terms like BAS. EMS, DDC, BSI etc are used.</p> <p>With the move to fully integrated building services and IT systems we feel they is a need to standardise on the terminology which will prevent any misunderstanding of client requirements. One suggestion would be to use Integrated Management System (IMS) for fully integrated solutions and then BMS or BAS for more conventional HVAC plant control and management.</p> <h3>Implementing an Integrated System</h3> <p>The very complexity of building management systems, both in their design and operation, has been one of the main reasons why integration has so far been slow. Within buildings, it can be argued that several conditions must be met before integration can be achieved:</p> <ul> <li>Transmission media will become more standardised. It is not obvious that the solution used for business communications - radially-wired copper and optical fibre cable - is appropriate for building controls in which a busbar appears likely to be more economical. Nonetheless there is evidence that controls are being implemented using structured cabling schemes first designed for user IT. Our research shows that one common cabling system would result in a net saving on initial installed costs between 10% and 20%. Various other transmission media are possible, including infrared, radio transmission and mains-borne communications.</li> <li>Should a single protocol like Echelon become pre-eminent it will, like MS-DOS, become a de facto standard, resulting in the market opening up to competition, prices falling, and universal acceptance.</li> <li>To achieve an integrated solution, different ways of designing and procuring building technology are likely to be necessary. Engineers, consultants, and manufacturers from both the controls and IT industries will need to form partnerships. Individuals or organisations that understand the technical complexity of the systems being integrated must lead an integration project. The leaders will also have to understand the way in which a building is designed, procured, constructed and used.</li> </ul> <p>The challenge of integrating the different packages and defining clearly the interfaces and responsibilities is starting to be faced today, and is likely to be much nearer resolution. The greatest challenge lies in creating a unified database and developing the middleware and management functions that will ultimately control the data and real time systems.</p> <h3>Design</h3> <p>For an integrated communications system, it will be necessary to examine the design elements:</p> <ul> <li>The systems, networks and their interfaces need to be defined and responsibilities co-ordinated with each member of the design team.</li> <li>For space co-ordination within a building, the problem of security, compatibility of equipment sharing the rooms and actual space in the building need to be solved. If space can be saved and incorporated in the design without complicating the process, then integration at this level is justified.</li> <li>For integrated cabling systems, medium level integration, issues such as common containment, common structured cabling and power distribution have to be considered and co-ordination is required with the electrical engineering package.</li> <li>At a systems or network level, performance and security are key issues. The interfaces between building services and the data network must allow access at particular levels depending on security authorisation. The definition of user requirements, choice of open systems protocols and applications to applications programming interfaces are important.</li> </ul> <h3>Procurement management</h3> <p>With regard to procurement the following points must be taken into account:</p> <ul> <li>Under the main contract, the physical plant for each major service, e.g. electrical and mechanical will have a separate tender and contract.</li> <li>It is likely that the controls packages, e.g. BMS, lighting, etc. would be separately specified and tendered with specific sections written in the tender document to ensure compatibility with the integration concept.</li> <li>It is recommended that one integrated communications cabling scheme be specified and tendered as a standalone package to approved contractors.</li> <li>A lead contractor or separate Systems Integrator could be appointed to co-ordinate detailed design, oversee installation and lead the commissioning and hand-over procedures.<br> </li> </ul>
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Last updated: 19 August 2007.
