Page 26 - 251119_BJ_ME-Journal_14_digital

BACnet Insight

Trends in Building Automation /

Building Automation and Smart Buildings

The Evolving Landscape of Smart Building BACnet (Building Automation and Control Network) 1. Field Device Level
Automation addresses precisely such issues by providing a global 2. Automation Level
data communications standard for building automation 3. Management Level
The global smart building automation market is seeing and control networks. It provides a vendor-independent
a paradigm shift in terms of how technology is being networking solution to enable interoperability among Field Device Level: Ensuring Synergy and Compatibility
put to work beyond achieving energy efficiency, com- equipment and control devices for a wide range of build-
fort, and safety. It is addressing new aspects of property ing automation applications. At the field device level, synergy between hardware com-
management, connectivity, asset management, intuitive ponents is essential. BACnet provides a wide selection of
user interface, data security, reporting of building per- This unified data communications infrastructure of high-quality products covering diverse application areas.
formance, etc. BACnet for intelligent buildings has been implemented However, some projects require integration with systems
across a huge installation base worldwide, offering flex- that use proprietary protocols.
The community associated with the smart building auto- ible interoperability among thousands of products from
mation industry is frequently finding new ways to address multiple manufacturers of BACnet-compliant devices. Example: A Hotel Building
the dynamic and fast-changing requirements of modern
buildings. But they are often overwhelmed and chal- From Hardware to Human Interaction Applications such as lighting, HVAC, and access con-
lenged due to a wide variety of market requirements and trol may rely on BACnet, while the Property Management
a lengthy wish list from customers. The task becomes We are seeing the advent of software solutions managing System (PMS) often uses a proprietary communication
even harder with the frequent introduction of new prod- complete building services at a rapid pace. Clients now protocol. Since the PMS contains crucial guest informa-
ucts and services by different brands, leaving the install- clearly differentiate between the management side and tion, it must be integrated into the holistic automation
ers and system integrators uncertain about which solu- the implementation side. Across all major markets, there design.
tion is best suited for their project. is a growing emphasis not only on hardware reliability
and performance, but also on how occupants interact NETxAutomation solutions and services are designed to
The Power of Standardization with the building. address such heterogeneous integration challenges in
projects of diverse profiles.
This is the exact situation where the power of standard- The Three Layers of Building Automation
ization comes in handy in solving the challenges of the
building automation market and making life easier for all Modern building automation systems can broadly be seg-
stakeholders. mented into three layers:

26 26 BACnet Middle East Journal 14 11/25