By the year 2015 some 350 million people will be living in megacities with populations of more than ten million. Demands on the infrastructure are increasing enormously as a result of this growth in urbanization. Infrastructure capacity will therefore become a key element in the comparative attractions of business locations. A survey by Munich Re concludes that 80% of global economic output is generated in these centers, although they occupy only 0.4% of the earth’s surface area. “More and more people are living and working in an increasingly small space. Against this backdrop we are observing a dynamic process in buildings which in turn is shaping the demands imposed on modern building services”, says Wolfgang Hass, Head of Development and Innovation in the Building Automation Division of the Siemens Building Technologies operating group (SBT).
Mr Hass pointed out how the individual elements of a building’s infrastructure have a specific economic life cycle and can thus adapt more or less successfully to changing requirements. The unfinished building, the structural shell and the basic infrastructure for energy and water supplies are designed to last for some 50 years, the equipment for heating, ventilating, cooling and air conditioning (HVAC) for 20 years, and control systems for 10 years. The IT infrastructure is expected to have a service life of three to five years, while the so-called dry interior finish – such as partitioning, furnishing and lighting – can in principle change at any time. This cycle is based on a rough estimate; the trend is for it to become ever shorter.
Nowadays increasingly large new buildings are being constructed for flexible utilization, while at the same time existing structures are subject to increasingly frequent changes, for example due to adjustments in business strategy or when activities are discontinued or new ones are added. Buildings are becoming a production factor that has to guarantee maximum productivity both for itself and for the production process taking place inside it. Other drivers of this dynamic process are new legislation and regulations, for example relating to energy-efficient and environmentally friendly operation, often combined with financial incentives to make the relevant investments.
“We therefore regard buildings from the standpoint of all processes taking place inside them”, Mr Hass emphasized. The primary task of building technologies is to secure the continuity of the customer’s core processes. In doing so it guarantees first of all the security of information, personnel and goods. Secondly, building technologies control energy utilization with a view to maximum efficiency and regulate the indoor environment in coordination with the specific requirements of the customer’s process.
Impact of this dynamic process
This complex background inevitably has an impact on building automation, safety and security. A flatter system architecture calls for IP-based, global and open standards, wireless communication, web-based solutions and flexible I/O modules. Siemens Building Technologies therefore favors standardized, IP-based communication with BACnet. Solutions with combined functional features for HVAC, personal protection and security feature dynamic management functions and can be expanded as required as well as being scalable from field to management level for buildings of all sizes. Flexible I/O modules play a key role in flexible buildings. The new Desigo TX I/O modules that have recently become available are universal, modular and freely configurable. They can be operated intuitively with pictograms, independently of language, and feature actual value display, diagnostics as well as manual operation on the module itself.
Service is growing in importance
Comprehensive, value-adding service is a further key element in the dynamic development of buildings. Life Cycle Management provided by SBT’s modular Advantage Services places the emphasis on consultation to define an appropriate technology strategy, which can result in system updating and upgrading. The customer benefits comprise enhanced availability and efficiency of the installations while at the same time optimizing overall operating costs and thus preserving the value of investments. Further modules include preventive maintenance services at intervals dependent on utilization, ongoing operating support, energy consumption optimization and alarm management, as well as documentation and training. Further stages are systematically farming out certain operating tasks (out-tasking) or even contracting out entire processes (outsourcing), including financing, which are not part of the customer’s core business.
Experience shows that it makes financial sense to readjust building automation systems to the actual utilization of the building a year or two after commissioning. The energy savings potential of a “second commissioning” of this kind is on the order of 10 to 15%. “Commissioning” and “second commissioning” overlap in a “dynamic building”, creating a process that can be referred to as “permanent commissioning” – a concept which has already become established in the US.