Intelligent Building

Intelligent Building

1、General

An Intelligent Building is one conceived and designed with an integrated flexible and modular communication cabling infrastructure capable of accommodating the needs of information intensive users for advanced information technology and services.

Ever increasing occupation densities as well as the exponential development and quasi universal use of personal computers coupled to market globalization and communication capabilities, over the past 20 years, have rendered the Intelligent Building (IB) concept a priority consideration in the planning of new or upgradedOffice buildings.

Evolution towards new social priorities, for the more educated office worker of today, has also led to substantial increases in environmental issue demands and standards. Social studies revealed a direct relationship between user satisfaction in the workplace and productivity. Individual control capability of ambient conditions, at each work station, was identified as a major element leading to user satisfaction.

Technological developments and cost attenuations through technological development and product availability have now rendered the Intelligent Building a viable and a justifiable option from a strict cost to benefit aspect.

2、Overview

Definitions for the Intelligent Building concept still vary but the most accepted description is the one produced by the Barcelona-based Institut defons Cerdà:“A building which incorporates information systems that support the flow of information throughout the building, offering advanced services of business automation and telecommunications, allowing furthermore automatic control,monitoring management and maintenance of the different subsystems or services of the building in an optimum and integrated way, local and/or remote, and designed with sufficient flexibility to make possible in a simple and economical way the implementation of future systems.”

To the uninitiated, the perception of a building’s degree of intelligence is too often correlated with the sophistication level of its Energy Management and Control System (EMCS) and its Communications system. However, to be effective, it must also encompass its mechanical and electrical systems order to minimize costs and maximize efficiency. There would be little point in developing ideal EMCS and its Communication systems for the occupants if HVAC, Lighting and other systems annot meet and satisfy the needs of the occupants.In a new IB installation we should expect the following features:

• High- speed fibre optic communication network trunk for data, video and BAS.

• Flexible HVAC system with modular distribution and 100% outdoor air

capability to take advantage of free cooling as well as to allow flushing of

the building to dilute volatile off-gassing contaminants;

• Advanced integrated Energy Management & Control System (EMCS)

utilizing direct digital control technology for HVAC, Lighting, Fire Alarm and other building support systems;

• Dedicated circuit power distribution network complete with Uninterruptable Power Supply units;

• Generous standby power generation;

• High efficiency filtration, energy recuperation and/or thermal storage features to improve indoor air quality and energy consumption performance;

• Networked multi-user access incorporating structured password protection;

• Maximum transparency and communication capabilities between subsystems;

• Electrical design features tailored to Intelligent Building;

• Individually controlled HVAC terminal units allowing occupant control flexibility through Intelligent Terminals Controllers at each workstation.

In retrofit buildings we would expect variations of the above features based on an owning and operating economical analysis taking into account the existing services and the benefits ensuing through their replacement and/or upgrade. Major retrofits, particularly those involving designs dating back 20 years or more, are generally dictated by a combination of the following:

• New code requirements,

• Updated indoor air quality standards,

• Revised energy efficiency guidelines,

• Increased internal electrical requirements associated to the generalized use of PCs.

• Revised building use.

The average life cycle of most M&E installations is 20 years versus an average building life cycle of 50 years. These retrofits, therefore, often dictate a complete revamping of the existing M&E installations well before the building’s life cycle has expired. This frequently offers an opportunity to upgrade the building’s support systems to IB standards.

3、History

The IB concept surfaced in the early 80's and generally advocated extensive

use of elaborate centralized electronic systems to facilitate control of building support and communication systems for voice and data. The initial concept promoted communication networks to allow centralized word processing services and limited interaction between individual occupants and the Building Automation Systems through touch tone phones to override local HVAC set points and lighting schedules.Builders and owners were pressured to develop intelligent buildings, in spite of the high premium costs, at that time, for prestige reasons and for enhanced rental potential.

The Building Automation System and the Communication System industry as well as other specialized interest groups soon developed specific products and applications to meet and facilitate the implementation of the Intelligent Building concept. These developments coupled to the burgeoning Personal Computer market development have since reduced cost premiums drastically and greatly improved the ensuing benefits for Intelligent Buildings.The IB concept is now well accepted and applied in Europe, Asia and North America.

4、Future trends

The former Intelligent Building Institute (IBI) foundation advocated, a few years ago, a need to recognize, in future building designs, the transition from national economies to a combination of local and global economies and therefore the need to facilitate each employee’s access to global communication networks. They predicted that information technology access will provide the biggest single impetus for change in the office environment. This prediction has now become a

reality.

IBI also predicted that environmental issues and particularly Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) were becoming a primary concern in the design of the new office buildings. Improved air filtration and increased air change were pinpointed as major concerns in addition to flexible ambient room condition control.

Other studies performed recently reveal that the use of Personal Environment Controllers formerly called Intelligent Terminal Controllers or has measurably increased occupant satisfaction in the workplace on a number of pilot project installations. PECs are a combination of mechanical, electrical and control devices developed for the work station environment control and conceived to provide the occupant with the means to define and interact on temperature set points, air flow volume and diffusion patterns as well as lighting levels affecting productivity and user satisfaction. These studies have associated improved production to the use of Intelligent Terminals Controllers.

5、Intelligent Building Model

The IB model structure has been subdivided into seven systems which may be interfaced to varying degrees. These systems are...

·Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system;

·Lighting System;

·Electrical Power Distribution system;

·Vertical Transport System;

·Security System;

·Life Safety System;

·Communications System;

The general objective of the Intelligent Building System is to regroup control of these subsystems and facilitate interchange between them to the maximum justifiable extent while maintaining maximal initial and future competitive bidding possibilities of each component as well as allowing dependent and timely upgrading of each system as new technologies evolve in its particular field.

The IB concept also attempts to combine, wherever possible, the cabling networks for these subsystems in order to minimize costs and facilitate intercommunication or allow future upgrading.

Efforts are being deployed between ASHRAE, IEEE, AEE and the computer industry to develop universal communication protocol standards. It is not expected, however, that universal standards will become a reality for another decade. The cabling structure must therefore be conceived to accommodate the foreseeable requirements with minimal disturbance and cost when and if universal

standards materialize. The favoured backbone communication cabling technology at this time favors fibre optic technology, because of its high speed communication potential.

6、 Facilities Management

number of facility management programs are available on the market. They vary in complexity as well as in their ability to integrate complex systems such as:

· CAD drawing records of floor and office layouts;

·Furniture inventory;

· Maintenance management programs for M&E equipment

· Preventive maintenance of building structures;

· Real time data acquisition on equipment run time;

· Dynamic energy consumption totals per tenant;

· Historical data storage;

· Cost control and budgeting capabilities;

· Analytical programs.

The Intelligent Building’s role in this system is to allow communication between the overall facility management program and specialized management sub-programs such as the EMCS, the M & E Maintenance Management or the Preventive Maintenance to gather data or convey user complaints. his communication flexibility in IB installations allows the allocation of specific management systems on the basis of areas of specialization,

competencies or individual buildings of a complex while maintaining capabilities for overall centralization of data and control.

The IB communication capabilities can also facilitate interchange withaccounting or other Networks to import or export pertinent data whether inhouse or outsourced.

7、Conclusions

The Intelligent Building concept represents a new trend in office building planning and one more step towards the future through added flexibility and adaptation to market and communication globalization. This concept regroups worker and building management needs in a common and manageable communication infrastructure. The basic IB objective is improve worker satisfaction and productivity through enhanced work space environment and communication capabilities.Including the IB concept in the initial planning stages of the modern office building will provide substantial flexibility for the mid and long term life of the building particularly to communication intensive user clients. In most instances

it will reduce tenant fit up costs down the road and provide enhanced flexibility and management capabilities while reducing energy consumption.

Full implementation of all IB systems may not be necessary in the initial fit-up of a building. It is, however, mandatory to recognize the basic overall concept and implement a full communication cabling back bone structure from the onset in order to accommodate future user needs. The communication back bone must be distributed to strategically located communication rooms (Telco rooms) on each floor as part of the initial design.Subsequent floor distribution associated to any new or upgraded IB system could be achieved, via the suspended ceiling space with minimal cutting and patching. Justification for the IB concept must be analyzed independently for each building or fit-up and must take into account all derived benefits including increased productivity, flexibility, improved comfort and worker satisfaction as well as potential future savings over the projected life cycle of the building. Application of the basic Intelligent Building concept in today’s modern office building should lead to positive Cost to Benefit evaluations when weighed in terms of increased user satisfaction and productivity and improved energy efficiency or flexibility.