AutomatedBuildings.com Column - The Reinvention Convention

Although I did not invent Building Automation, I was there when it happened. I saw hardwired logic machines give way to a mini computer with dumb panels and in 1975 was involved with a evolutionary, possibly the first distributed computerized Direct Digital Control project for a large Canadian University Campus. I was lucky to be part of this project that installed pure DDC without any conventional controls. This was radical thinking at that time.

The computers were as big as refrigerators, the stand alone panels not much smaller. We had our own system analyst and a team of software programmers, plus we created and build most of our own sensors as most end devices had not been invented yet or industrial versions were too costly. We were replacing an early generation mini computer system that was based on resetting pneumatic controls, which had never achieved stated performance.

After this project was up and running, I moved to the West Coast of Canada where a new DDC industry had turned from main frames and mini computers to micro processors cutting costs and greatly increasing functionally. I grew with the west coast wave that was the start of the DDC revolution. Being part of those early teams that created extremely interesting leading edge systems, greatly increase my understanding while spawning many life mentors.

Over 10 years ago, actually we are entering our 11^th; we created AutomatedBuildings.com to explore online the relationship the DDC revolution would have with the web revolution. I am extremely pleased to again be part of the wave of our reinvention and lead these sessions in the Silicon Valley at Santa Clara.

Building Automation is evolving to be a web service that presents and connects our traditional industry to the new evolving enterprise energy, economical, and environmental equation. We must achieve more with less human and natural resources while providing better services. Our present economical situation demands this.

BIM, evolving ASHRAE energy standards and their adoption, the green building movement, LEED etc are all rapidly forcing the reinvention of Building Automation. Solutions that provide wireless connections to devices of our past now get coupled with open source enterprise thinking and IT network standards. Lighting and its control are an integrated part of this reinvention.

I am very pleased to have as a panelist Gordon Holness, President Elect of ASHRAE

ASHRAE is working on a wide range of green initiatives to support our efforts towards net zero energy buildings – Advanced Energy Design Guides, improvements to Energy Efficiency Standard 90.1, a new High Performance Green Building Standard 189.1, a BIM Manual, an IBD Manual, etc. We are also working with USGBC in many of these areas and by providing technical support behind LEED 2009. All of these initiatives will require more sophisticated BAS controls including those for day lighting, artificial lighting systems, natural ventilation, and IAQ control. These controls must become more intuitive, informative, self calibrating, diagnosing and repairing, if we expect consumers to support development of SMART Buildings.

When we think of intelligent buildings, web enabled energy management, automated demand response...we usually think of new modern buildings with the latest Building Automation technologies.

Unfortunately, the majority of our built environment does not fit that description.

In spite of open protocols integrating lighting control with the building automation system (BAS) has been a game of chance with very poor odds. In fact, an industry survey of large and small BAS companies revealed that less than 6% of all BAS installations control any lighting

Reinvention allows us to view everything from a new perspective. These new perspectives create incredible opportunities for innovation in our evolving new business model. This session will explore the new businesses of reinvention.

George Huettel, (Cyrus Technologies, Inc.) as Panelist
Tim Potter, (Advanced Building Solutions Inc.) as Panelist
Terrance Reynolds, (Control Technologies) as Panelist
Toby Considine, (TC9) as Moderator

For more insight be sure to read Terry's article - Pain, Tipping, and Leverage Terrence Reynolds, PE Control Technologies

Our buildings must be green, but present a financial blue bottom line of sustainable connected real estate. The trend is to use the BA as a remote commissioning tool. This allows online web services to be connected to continually optimize and commission. Low cost camera technology allows remote viewing of critical equipment. The power of enterprise languages such as XML coupled with a movement to Open Source software solutions is fueling our reinvention.

Dave Carswell, (Ziphany) as Panelist
Edmund Richards,(Cisco) as Panelist
Anno Scholten, (NovusEdge Inc.) as Chair

The pervasive interconnection of formerly disparate control systems is one of the elements necessary for the realization of the today's rapidly emerging "Smart Grid".

Ken,

Wonder if you would care to manage one more session, at the end of the event. One that I've called "Future of Buildings Roundtable". The idea is to get half dozen people to discuss what happened at BuilConn / ConnectivityWeek and brainstorm what to do next.

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