A guide to the language of modern building system design

摘要

The language of building systems is continually evolving to keep pace with technological advances. Innovative approaches to system design and implementation bring with them new concepts that need to be expressed in terms understandable by those who come from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds. This is especially true with the advent of unified systems— the union of life safety and security functions heightens the need for clear understanding of the principles held in common. Two dialects of technology are in the process of merging to form a new building systems language, establishing the basis upon which future discussion of life safety and security is based. As such, it is important professionals in both fields reacquaint themselves with the terminology being used. It is even more important for professionals entering the field to begin their new careers with a good understanding of the lexicon for the years ahead.