The arrival of BACnet in the mid-1990s took building automation from concept to reality by allowing managers and operators to integrate the control of separate HVAC systems and components. Now, building automation for new construction and existing facilities is about to make the next technological leap.
Cybernetic building systems will enable organizations to control HVAC system operations, as well as energy management, fire, security, transportation, fault detection, diagnostics, and real-time electricity purchases.
The Building and Fire Research Laboratory (BRFL) is working with manufacturers, building professionals, ASHRAE, trade organizations, researchers and other government agencies to develop and demonstrate cybernetic building systems.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology has built an operational test facility and is running simulations with a range of systems and components. And the first commercial products for HVAC system fault detection developed at the facility already are entering the marketplace.
Are institutional and commercial facilities ready for the leap? Few, if any. A BRFL announcement about its efforts questions how efficiently cybernetic systems “can be operated by a limited and poorly trained staff.” Ouch.
Still, as many owners and managers might admit, staff training remains a challenge, even for some existing systems and technology.
A new level of building automation would be a monumental undertaking. But cybernetic technology is promising, and it’s likely to arrive in facilities sooner rather than later. So the challenge for managers and their staffs is figuring out a strategy for making the organization’s technology pay off.