New-Tech Europe Magazine | September 2018

Meeting the Challenges of Transforming the Digital Building from Concept to Reality

Mark Patrick, Mouser Electronics Europe

Mark Patrick at Mouser Electronics Europe discusses the challenges and advantages of the digital building and how a major industry initiative is helping with the convergence of disparate control systems to enable the concept Driving Factors The ongoing digital transformation is having some profound effects on the way we live and work. Undoubtedly, we are more connected than ever before with a plethora of smart consumer devices available to us both at home and at work. The smart connectivity of buildings should therefore be central to this transformation: but the reality is something else. While the ‘digital building’ has been a multi-heralded concept for some

time, implementation is more problematic. Historically, building controls for sensors, lighting, HVAC and security have been based on standalone systems that are most likely to be completely isolated from each other; and it has always been a significant challenge to control and interface entirely different control mechanisms, each coming with its own proprietary protocols. In addition, the growth in the number of networks and connections within buildings means the task to manage all these disparate systems is becoming increasingly complex. There are an increasing number of commercial drivers that are becoming crucial in dictating the operation of a building. The smart building concept has certainly been responsible for informing building

serviceprovidersof theneed to takea more holistic approach to managing utility services, and particularly that of energy. In addition, there are increasing burdens for facilities managers to cope with costly building maintenance, managing network infrastructure and delivering security. Consequently, there is strong demand for efficient and smart solutions that can deliver greater control to facilities managers and enable new ways of saving costs for businesses, in addition to providing better working environments for people. The smart building can offer a much higher return on investment (ROI) in the long term, helping for example to help dramatically reduce annual energy costs. A smart building infrastructure can also enable better

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