Intelligent Buildings?

A rating system aims to provide an IQ score for facilities.


from Building Operating Management, September 2006


"Gains in technology have improved functionality and reduced costs for building intelligence.


It has been roughly a quarter of a century since the notion of the intelligent building first appeared on the facility-management horizon.
Back then, the term was used broadly:


An intelligent building was one with high-tech bells and whistles that elevated it above the ranks of the common building. Beneath the surface, however, intelligent building didn't mean anything specific, and often it didn't mean much at all.
More recently — within the past 15 years or so — the notion of building intelligence evolved as some once-futuristic technologies moved into the real world. The term intelligent building began to be applied more narrowly, referring, in general, to a building with automation features that offered better control over various building systems.


Now, building automation systems of all stripes are commonplace, and the notion of the intelligent building has undergone yet another transformation. Discussions about building intelligence extend well beyond building automation to issues such as security, communication, and environmental monitoring and control, and focus as much on how facilities use their technology as whether they possess it. The intelligent building of today not only boasts systems automation and control, but is also able to generate data and share it among systems to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the whole facility.


The intelligent building of today is taking those standalone systems and integrating them.


In an intelligent building as we defined it 15 years ago, you would never see sharing of data between a fire system and a security system.
You might have seen an HVAC building automation system, but it didn't give you the opportunity to turn the HVAC on and off in small sections of the building based on occupancy. Now all of these essential functions can communicate with one another and operate based on information received from a sensor in a room.


Advances in technology have, to a large extent, driven this evolution.
In the past, many buildings operated on closed or proprietary systems that could not communicate with one another. As a result, say experts, building systems are becoming more interoperable and are allowing more facilities to reach the next level of building intelligence. Tremendous amounts of data can be pulled and shared, and communications devices allow sharing between systems and even between buildings.


The reality of building intelligence today is very different from what it was in the past. Now we've got technology that is much better, at costs that have been reduced substantially. And we're looking at quantum leaps forward in the functionality of the systems and in opportunities for linking them together to improve the performance of a building as a whole.
Intelligence matters


Building-intelligence experts have a lot to say about the benefits an intelligent building offers — benefits that contribute to the bottom line.
The benefits are in terms of several different issues:


· Efficiency aspect,
· Cost aspect,
· Environmental aspect,
· Health aspect and
· Security aspect.


From an energy perspective, the efficiency benefits of building intelligence are familiar to many facility executives. To cite one common application, a building that knows when and where it is occupied can limit its own energy use by confining the operation of power-hungry HVAC and lighting systems to the hours and areas of the building they are needed. Sensors that provide occupancy data to HVAC and lighting systems are seeing increasing use for exactly this reason.


Cutting energy use is one environmental benefit of intelligent buildings. In addition, they can improve indoor air quality through continual ventilation adjustments and air-quality monitoring, or maximize day lighting by automating shading systems.


Intelligent security


Experts draw links between building intelligence and security.


A lot of the 9-11 type concerns have fueled discussion about intelligent buildings. Now you have surveillance cameras everywhere, but in intelligent buildings security activities are linked closely with other building functions in ways that enable you to have a much better understanding of whether there may be someone in your building who should not be.


In addition, intelligent buildings' security operation can be more cost-effective — one security guard may be able to keep an eye on security functions, see who is where in the building, lock and unlock doors, and monitor the fire system from a single location, eliminating the need for a group of security personnel making rounds.


In the most intelligent facilities, the moment an employee enters during off-hours, the access control system informs the building management system who has arrived. By accessing tenant data, the building management system can adjust temperature and lighting for the area of the building where that individual works. To further reduce energy consumption and enhance comfort, it can also increase outdoor airflow to that area, or open window shades that had been closed to minimize heat gain. Doors to the area where the employee works can be unlocked automatically while other doors remain locked and elevator security configurations can be changed to allow access to certain floors.
Security cameras can be cued if necessary. And when the employee leaves, the area can return to its secure, low-energy, off-hours state.


What's more, intelligent buildings are more attractive to prospective tenants, and that translates to higher retention rates, higher rental rates and higher occupant satisfaction.


Despite these and other purported benefits, experts say that many facility executives have not yet begun to take full advantage of the opportunities intelligent buildings present. In some cases, that is because existing systems in older buildings do not permit interoperability, and retrofits are not in the budget. When it comes to building intelligence, however, experts say a little bit can go a long way.


A building that has even two of its systems brought together — say access control and HVAC — could be considered intelligent. Does that make it rate a 100 on a scale of 100? No, but it may be very appropriate given that specific building's needs.


A facility's intelligence level can be increased by a series of baby steps — not necessarily a major one-time investment. The move to access control — a card system instead of keys — is one many people are comfortable with, so they can take that step first and then down the road they may take the next step to real energy management. A lot of people don't have confidence in this idea yet or an understanding of how it can help them.


Help is on the way


Facility executives interested in taking steps — be they large or small — toward intelligent building status will soon have access to an important resource. CABA is the Continental Automated Building Association, a not-for-profit industry organization that seeks to encourage the development and understanding off building automation.
CABA commissioned development of a Building Intelligence Quotient (BIQ) — an online rating tool that will enable facility executives at existing facilities, or engineers involved with new construction, to gauge a building's intelligence and identify ways to increase it.


The BIQ is a way to determine how well a specific facility is achieving the goals of an intelligent building. CABA launched the development of BIQ roughly two years ago.

Process of development


BIQ will provide facility executives with a numeric score for a facility based on an analysis of a series of data points related to the building's use, location, size and features. The questionnaire that guides the data-entry process is in the final stages of development; however, it will encompass a long list of issues, including:
* Demographics related to the facility's location, occupancy and use.
* Specifics about building systems, including training and maintenance practices and the extent to which systems are automated and integrated.
* The ease with which new tenants can move in and set up.
* Data-sharing characteristics.
* Information about communications systems like the Internet and intranets.
* Capabilities for tracking and adjusting the indoor environment, including IAQ.
* Capabilities for using technology in emergency procedures.
* Specifics of the elevators and other components.
* Emergency power resources.
Using all this information, the BIQ generates an online report that not only assigns the rating, but also provides recommendations about ways to improve the score.


It is certainly not a replacement for an engineering study, but it is a way to make you aware of issues you may want to address and help you get started addressing them.


The process of evaluating a facility using the BIQ is fairly simple and does not require extensive homework in advance; a sound knowledge of a facility's components and characteristics is all it demands." for more information see www.houstonrealtyadvisors.net or www.houstonrealtyadvisor.com