Building design alone does not make a building intelligent. The performance of a building over time, throughout it’s lifecycle is a distinguishing factor in establishing the level of intelligence for a building. Several separate and inter-connected pieces of automated technology are included within intelligent buildings and these must be integrated to provide optimal performance. Author Shengwei Wang writes about intelligent buildings, the automated technologies that are included in them and provides an overview for understanding modern intelligent building design.
Shengwei Wang
Spon Press
Taylor and Francis Group
264 pages ISBN: 978-0-203-89081-3
2009
Review by Jeff Thurston
Building design alone does not make a building intelligent. The performance of a building over time, throughout it’s lifecycle is a distinguishing factor in establishing the level of intelligence for a building. Several separate and inter-connected pieces of automated technology are included within intelligent buildings and these must be integrated to provide optimal performance. Author Shengwei Wang writes about intelligent buildings, the automated technologies that are included in them and provides an overview for understanding modern intelligent building design.
Wang refers to Intelligent Architecture as being capable of responding to internal and external influences. This includes several aspects such as intelligent design, appropriate use of technology, as well as the intelligent use and maintenance of the structure. These buildings and structures, if they are intelligent, are capable of providing some kind of indication as to their current status. They monitor the local environments and report upon them. In some cases they can even describe influences pertaining to material properties.
Intelligent buildings and designs have evolved over time to include higher levels of communication. Historically buildings have included dedicated and singular pieces of intelligence, but may not have connected them together and certainly did not provide interactive communication in their functioning. Through multi-functioning to integrated systems to computer based enterprise systems, modern buildings have also become more automated. This functioning has arrived through higher levels of electronics and computer based operation.
The author describes these components including digital controllers, microcomputers, buses, memory, sampling techniques and sensor technologies. Several graphics are included in the book that assist readers to follow the text. Much of the content in the early stages is oriented toward electronics and digital systems. Building management functions are outlined and these include installation, energy measurement, risk management, information processing, facility management, performance and maintenance management.
Networks are also included and Wang provides details about local area networks (LANs) within buildings and the use and application of wireless technologies. This includes Zigbee technologies, WiFi, Bluetooth and other proprietary technologies. BAS communication standards are described and BACnet operations are technologies are provided. OPC technology, which is based upon Microsoft technologies is included and several software and hardware options for building integration are included. Details regarding application issues surrounding web services are included with DCOM, SOAP, JAVA and OPC forming the discussion.
While some of the discussion describing the Internet is probably best left out of the book due to most of it being common knowledge, it is hard to imagine someone picking up this book unless they already know about the Internet and are looking for more advanced information and solutions for new or existing buildings and how to improve their performance.
In a sense this book is ideal for those unaware of intelligent building systems because it does describe their components, right down to process controllers and adaptive controlling across operation systems and networks. Constant air volume (CAV) and variable air volume (VAR) systems are outlined and air-conditioning processes are discussed. The performance of this systems is also described as well as lighting and chilling system operations. Finally, security systems including fire and alarms are included and technologies for securing them properly are also included along with their optimal performance.
Overall this book provides a comprehensive overview of building operation systems and how they inter-connect, particularly in terms of digital and enterprise performance. Most of the discussion may be suitable for those coming across this information for the first time, or learning about intelligent building systems. In some areas the mathematics may be too complex without adequate knowledge. Wang does a good job of tying the information together into a smooth flow and the graphics support the discussion well.
For those interested in Intelligent Buildings and the technologies that support them, this book will be a good start to learning.
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Jeff Thurston is co-founder and co-editor of V1 Magazine for Vector1 Media. He is based in Berlin.
