Technology Roadmap for Intelligent Buildings
Introduction

This section indicates the background that led to the preparation of this Roadmap, and the process and key players that were involved in its preparation. The definition of intelligent building technologies as used in the document is provided, and the relevant stakeholder groups are identified and described.

Developers/Owners/Operators

Traditional solutions to constructing, owning and managing buildings are evolving. This report is designed to describe and encourage readers to take full advantage of this evolution.

Occupants/Tenants

The demands for functionality and services by those who occupy buildings are increasing. The technology can deliver what is wanted.

This Roadmap provides a view of intelligent building technologies, including an evaluation of the current state of these technologies and a five-year view of how they are expected to evolve. Intelligent buildings have been made possible by the use of microprocessors/computers and networks which monitor and control every new or renovated building system. The role of intelligent building technologies has expanded as available technologies, operational tools and interoperability have provided effective and efficient alternatives to traditional building approaches. Data processing and communications technologies now impact many aspects of building operations including:

• fire and life safety systems;
• heating ventilation and air conditioning systems (HVAC) management;
• elevators and escalators;
• access control systems and security systems;
• lighting management; and
• communications available to occupants/tenants.

The advantages of these applications are highlighted by the increasing costs of building ownership and operations. Changes include:

• rising energy costs (averaging about 3 percent per annum);
• increased labour costs; and
• elevators and escalators;
• changing work patterns.

Intelligent building technologies have become economically attractive, reliable and affordable.

This Roadmap presents the concept of intelligent building technologies and provides the basis and interpretations needed to appreciate these concepts. The primary objective of this project is to promote and encourage the use of intelligent building technologies in commercial, institutional and high-rise residential buildings. While intelligent building technologies are evolving rapidly, the design and construction cycle for real estate is long. The Roadmap objective has a five-year horizon, noting that a construction design planned for five years hence will be frozen well ahead of time. Some aspects of the Roadmap recognize the longer-term nature of the intelligent building technologies industry.

The emergence of the intelligent building technologies industry is encouraging building owners, operators, managers, designers and occupants to reassess their respective roles, and how they relate to the buildings in which they hold an investment. As this innovative industry evolves, improvements in building technologies will enhance the daily environment of occupants, increase maintenance efficiency for building managers and increase return on investment for owners. This Roadmap has been structured to help each of the stakeholder groups evaluate their roles, and to suggest appropriate steps to take best advantage of the opportunities offered by intelligent building technologies.

The Roadmap document has assembled intelligent building technologies information so that stakeholders may easily find the information related to their interests. The topic outline is:

• the definition of intelligent building technologies;
• intelligent building technology systems;
• the benefits of intelligent building technologies;
• the challenges facing intelligent building technologies;
• the future direction of intelligent building technologies; and
• conclusions and recommendations.

The Roadmap is structured to enable individual readers to explore those intelligent building technology topics that interest them. Each reader can identify and review his/her own interests and opportunities within the intelligent building technologies industry.

What are Intelligent Building Technologies?

For the purposes of this report intelligent building technologies have been defined as:

The use of integrated technological building systems, communications and controls to create a building and its infrastructure which provides the owner, operator and occupant with an environment which is flexible, effective, comfortable and secure.

The advent of the personal computer (PC) with its many applications now makes it possible to integrate systems. An Intelligent Building can provide communication among automated building systems. The building operator can enjoy a single interface capable of controlling lighting, security, heating ventilating and air conditioning systems (HVAC), fire and other building systems communicating over a single broadband infrastructure, which also supports the occupants/tenants' voice and data communication needs.

To cite an example, the building administrator can allocate a new building location to an employee in a single process that also provides network access, phone access, security access and parking access. As a result, the new employee could find the office automatically lighted and heated after using a personalized access card at the parking lot or in the elevator.

Identification of Stakeholders

The intelligent building technologies industry involves a wide range of stakeholders, which bring with them a great variety of interests, concerns, requirements and potential opportunities. To provide structure in considering these stakeholders, they have been grouped in four categories, based on somewhat common interests and needs. These categories, and examples of the groups included in them, as follows:

Developers/Owners/Operators

This includes all who have an ownership and ownership-type interest and role in construction projects and in the ownership and operation of commercial and large residential buildings which use or could use intelligent building technologies.

Occupants/Tenants

This includes all who occupy space in the building, whether as tenants or as employees of the building owner, for example, building occupants, tenants and end users of all kinds, including retailers and restaurants as well as those who occupy office space.

Suppliers

This includes all who supply anything within the intelligent buildings industry, both in new construction and retrofit, and in the ongoing operation of existing intelligent buildings, and including suppliers of both goods and services, for example, the construction industry in all its aspects, architects, design engineers, all specialties, building products suppliers, building equipment and system manufacturers, researchers and developers within supplier organizations, support and maintenance organizations, teachers and educators.

Authorities Having Jurisdiction

This includes all who regulate, legislate or make rules that affect the intelligent buildings industry, including building codes, health and safety regulations, municipal by-laws that relate to land use and construction and buildings, and the requirements of fire officials and waste disposal officials, for example, regulatory authorities; building code regulators, health and safety policy developers, all levels of government, and other industry agencies.

These groups will sometimes overlap, and they may often represent conflicting interests. Broader issues will often affect the stakeholders in intelligent building technologies, for example, policies related to energy efficiency, social policies (for example, low income housing) and sustainable development policies.

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