Introduction to intelligent buildings - Intelligent Buildings and Building Automation - page 2

IB provides a highly efficient, comfortable and convenient environment by
satisfying four fundamental demands: structure, system, service and manage-
ment, and optimizing their interrelationship.
Performance-based IB definitions emphasize building performance and
the demands of users rather than the technologies or systems provided.
According to this category of definition, owners and developers of buildings
need to understand correctly what kind of buildings they want and also how
to satisfy continuously the increasing demands of users. Energy and environ-
mental performances of buildings are certainly among the important issues
of an IB. An intelligent building should also adapt itself quickly in response
to internal and external conditions, and to meet the changing demands of
users.
1.1.2 Services-based defi nitions
Services-based definitions describe IBs from the viewpoint of services and/or
quality of services provided by buildings. The Japanese Intelligent Building
Institute (JIBI) provides an example of a services-based definition: an IB is a
building with the service functions of communication, office automation and
building automation, and is convenient for intelligent activities. Services to
users are emphasized. The key issues of IBs in Japan focus on the following
four services aspects:
1 serving as a locus for receiving and transmitting information and support-
ing efficient management;
2 ensuring satisfaction and convenience of persons working inside;
3 rationalization of building management to provide more attractive admin-
istrative services at lower cost;
4 fast, flexible and economical responses to the changing sociological
environment, diverse and complex working demands and active business
strategies.
1.1.3 System-based defi nitions
System-based IB definitions describe IBs by directly addressing the technolo-
gies and technology systems that IBs should include. A typical system-based
IB definition is the one suggested in the Chinese IB Design Standard (GB/
T50314-2000), which states that IBs provide building automation, office
automation and communication network systems, and an optimal composi-
tion integrates the structure, system, service and management, providing the
building with high efficiency, comfort, convenience and safety to users.
A more straightforward system-based IB definition has been used by some
professionals and developers in practice. It labels the IBs as '3A', which
represents building automation (BA), communication automation (CA) and
office automation (OA).