The essentials of building automation
T
here are few markets as fast
which enabled a ‘plug and play’ approach.”
paced or lucrative as the
This architecture resulted in real-time
technology market, particu-
data flows and communication between
Enabling connectivity between disparate
larly in the context of build-
the remote sites and national monitoring
systems requires careful consideration,
ing automation solutions.
platform. But one of the key learnings,
according to Jon. And one particular vari-
according to Jon, was making sure that
able relates to the reality of open systems.
Enabling coordination between systems is
each system provider adhered to the integration rules.
Australian licensing, Jon believes they will eventually find greater prevalence.
“There is quite a bit of glossiness and hype around terms like integration and
now a key focus in the wake of multiple
“You have to ensure that where the
interoperability, but these obscure the real
new vendor products - something that can
modules bolt into site infrastructure, all of
meaning and value of the systems,” said Jon.
prove to be complex and intricate. Which
the componentry is designed to a specific
is where integration design holds the key.
standard. From wiring practices, through to
The latest industry buzzwords are Analytics and Big Data.
As part of the Building Automation & Controls 2015 conference, Jon Clarke*, Senior Associate Controls Group Manager,
We’re finding unprecedented demand for integrated
Norman Disney & Young (NDY), shares his
automation systems, where interoperability is a
insights into the complexity of integration
priority from a functionality perspective.
design and how consultants can support the interaction of different vendor products in automation systems. “We’re finding unprecedented demand
language for communications and off-site
“The objective is to review all perfor-
for integrated automation systems, where
testing, everything has to be aligned in the
mance regimes, not just for buildings but
interoperability is a priority from a func-
set-up. This keeps site work to a minimum
for contractors, tenants, everyone. When
tionality perspective,” he said. NDY was
and commissioning time is significantly
we offer solutions, it’s all about return on
recently involved in a major project to
reduced,” he said.
investment. Feasibility is not just about the
design a national monitoring platform.
Online and wireless technology has
costs or logistics of introducing the system
“In this instance, there were a number
emerged as a flexible solution for clients
in, but how much revenue (savings) it can
of sites that had to be designed against a
across Europe and the US, and while these
generate for the client, and the subsequent
certain technology - once each site came
products currently do not comply with
payback term,” Jon said.
online it could be literally plugged into the system. This was a different approach for us; we traditionally don’t specify products as a consultant, rather the technical outcomes,” Jon explained. As a result, the entire implementation was based on a software framework infrastructure that allows disparate systems to share data across an integrated communications network. “Each site was based upon a modular design with packaged plant for ventilation, cooling, controls and electrical infrastructure,” added Jon. “We took this modular principle into the design of the automation systems by specifying the control systems to comply with a set of integration rules,
28 Sustainability Matters - Jun/Jul 2015
*Jon Clarke has worked within the field of control systems for his entire professional career - initially in the petrochemical industry working with PLC- and SCADA-based systems with mission-critical and life safety applications. He has since clocked up over 20 years working with building services. Using his systems experience, he has consulted to major international air-conditioning and refrigeration manufacturers, and has designed a diverse range of applications including conventional office space, home automation with AV and mission-critical data centres.
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