BUILDING INTELLIGENCE - An industry looks beyond automation for a definition of the intelligent building

摘要

From the realm of pure science fiction just a few decades ago, automated systems have become ubiquitous in buildings both commercial and industrial. The majority of fire, security, access control, energy, lighting, communications, and HVAC systems are now automated, driving up demand for hardware, software, and services, such as installation and training. In its recent report on total building automation systems (BAS) revenue, including software and services, ARC Advisory Group states that the worldwide BAS market is expected to continue to grow at a rate of nearly 5% over the next five years. The Dedham, Mass.-based industry analysis firm also predicts that by 2009 the BAS market may exceed USD25 billion, up from nearly USD22 billion in 2004.