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Intelligent Buildings

An intelligent building, as defined by the Intelligent Building Institute, is “a building which creates an environment that maximizes the efficiency of the occupants while at the same time allowing effective management of resources with minimum lifetime costs… a structure which must be designed to accommodate change in a convenient, cost effective manner”. As such Intelligent Buildings must be inherently modular; that is the occupied space must be designed to be easily reconfigured as user’s needs evolve. Elements that help achieve modularity are; raised access flooring, structured “plug and play” power wiring, distributed voice data switching components, ductless underfloor air delivery, and demountable wall systems.

An intelligent building also integrates building control and monitoring systems, which has been made possible by the use of microprocessors. Nearly all building subsystems have microprocessors which regulate their functions. Coordinating the design and programming of these systems crates a synergy of their functionality. These systems include:

• Fire and life safety systems;
• Heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems;
• Access control and security systems;
• Environmental monitoring systems;
• Lighting management, including natural day lighting control;
• Elevator / Escalators.

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