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About Green Intelligent Buildings WYSIWYG. In a world full of acronyms, you don't see that one too much, maybe because What You See Is What You Get isn't always the case. However, a quick look at the title of Intelligent Buildings Today (IBT) pretty much says it all. Its parent magazine, Engineered Systems (ES), comes at building systems and controls from an HVAC perspective, but for some time, ES has been doing the occasional supplement devoted strictly to controls and the idea of building systems becoming more integrated and efficient. Now, we have decided to give IBT its own identity as it leaps further into the world of intelligent building design and operation. Ken Sinclair, owner/editor of the esteemed and popular AutomatedBuildings.com website, has been steering readers toward this vision of intelligent buildings ever since he started his monthly automation column in ES. After helping coordinate several previous supplements, he leads off this initial IBT, followed by three more experts from the range of professional interests that must continue to learn how to collaborate in order to create truly intelligent buildings. Of course, in any complex endeavor involving multiple technologies (not to mention real human beings), complications ensue, adjustments arise, and so forth. That's life. But what you can see in initial IBT is where the ideas behind the intelligent buildings concept are starting to take root, and how they are paying off for their owners and occupants alike. We also take a closer look at how some of these various building systems can work together, and in one case, how building a better vocabulary will spell more efficient performance across the board. As Sinclair notes, companies are starting to see the value behind real-time management of data on an enterprise level. So many systems and active components propel the modern building through the day, but rewards await the owners who can find ways to channel those streams of building performance data and use them to improve efficiency. Getting from an ocean of information to a clear "WYSIWYG" understanding of how the building is operating at any given time (and it's performing over a longer period of time) is an involved journey, but one with an abundance of power and profit at its destination. To that end, it is better to have a good map in hand at the start of any important trek, and IBT is here to shed some light on the path from today's possibilities to tomorrow's reality. Robert Beverly |
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