The project promotes intelligent technology for managing systems within the home, as well as links to and from it. Systems such as heating, security, ventilation and some lighting function automatically; the conservatory blinds operate according to sunlight levels and the vents open and close in response to temperature sensors. Setting the security system also initiates operating instructions to elements such as heating and lighting.
Inside the house a multimedia distribution network supplies tvs, telephones, computers etc. Removable timber skirtings allow access to the main cable routes for future upgrading, and a service void between the plasterboard wall surfaces allows for additional switches and sockets to be added.
The Integer project is also promoting low energy use, water conservation and the use of sustainable materials. It uses less than 50% of the energy of a conventional house and 30% less water.
Intelligent controls are used to optimise energy use and provide individual temperature setting in each room. A rooftop solar panel provides domestic hot water. Stack effect ventilation ducts from kitchen and bathrooms ventilate the house naturally.
The project is currently being evaluated and the ideas embodied in it are already being applied to social housing pilots covering around 100 homes on several sites, and ways of refurbishing existing properties are being studied.
Defining intelligence
It is becoming evident that occupants want to retain some control over how a building operates while benefiting from automatic control.
At the 1998 Intelligent Building Conference, jointly sponsored by the BRE and European Intelligent Building Group (EIBG), it was questioned whether intelligent buildings are yet being built. It has been suggested that not enough is known about what clients want and the relationship between the buildings and its occupants.
The test of intelligence lies in performance, not technology. The use of the best materials, concepts and systems to meet the needs of the occupier and the community. Intelligence does not necessarily equate to automatic control. Manual adjustments may also be effective.
Intelligence is about process as well as about building and the benefits lie in economy and flexibility to meet working and sustainability needs. This definition goes far beyond any earlier technological idea and is a far more powerful and timely concept, given the agenda being set by the Latham and Egan reports, Government and public opinion.
The aim should be to focus on the whole building process: the design, delivery and performance of buildings, from large industrial and commercial complexes to homes.
Barriers to intelligence
There are a number of constraints at present to the development of intelligent buildings:
The technology associated with a building has traditionally been seen as that used in building control systems but use of IT has had a big impact on building design. And, more recently, the influence of technology has been felt in other areas too. It has become necessary for a more integrated approach to the design and operation of buildings and collaboration between the construction disciplines.
The key challenge has to be adaptability. For example, intelligent design enables the cost of moving IT at a workplace to be significantly reduced. Typical cases quote a reduction from over £800 to around £50, justifying investment in the necessary cabling infrastructure.
The need for standards
Another stumbling block in the development of a fully integrated controls environment is the lack of standards. Communications need to interact with building management and alarm systems. The open system approach that has revolutionised user IT has yet to make an impact in this area. Building controls are in a similar position to user IT in the 1970s, with major players using proprietary standards to maintain customer loyalty.
Monitoring
Once a building is handed over to the client, it is rare for its performance to be monitored and so lessons are not always learnt and mistakes copied.
There is a need to provide monitoring within buildings in use. A demonstration of this can be seen in the superstore chain, Sainsbury, which has in place a sophisticated building energy management control system. It monitors, on a daily basis, the energy consumption of all 347 Sainsbury stores in the UK, matching the consumption against that predicted.
This allows the chief engineer to see whether ovens have been put on too early, if fridges are running efficiently, what is the cost of 24 hour opening, and if staff are overriding controls. Store managers get a daily report warning of the extra costs that will be incurred if they do not fine-tune the performance of the building to minimise energy consumption. For an investment of £10 000 over and above conventional control systems a saving of 5·1% on energy can be achieved, with a payback of only 1·4 years. The data is fed back into the design process to ensure that appropriate materials and structures are used to maximise performance.
The costs of intelligence
Research has suggested that full integration adds about 60% to the cost of standard building controls for a 70 000 m2, 20-storey building. This represents around 5% of the finished building cost, implying that integration adds around 3% to the overall cost.
The market drivers for integrated and intelligent systems are: churn rates, manageability, flexibility, performance, comfort, productivity, and cost saving. In spite of this, there has only been a 25% uptake of integration throughout the combined sectors of offices, retail, health, industrial, hotels, and education.
Ongoing research
Plymouth University has taken a different approach to the intelligent building concept. A ten-part research programme investigated whether intelligent buildings are an alternative to traditional ones.
The School of Architecture has examined another approach. It has been looking into the idea of the 'intelligent skin' of a building. Responsive building materials could complement, and perhaps even render unnecessary, mechanical and environmental systems. The programme identifies features that can be seen in examples of the intelligent skin.
These include daylight adjustment, intelligent lighting, solar control, electrical self-sufficiency, heating, ventilation and cooling, bms, learning ability and occupant control. One of the more remarkable examples is the Heliotrope building in Germany that revolves to track the sun.
Conclusions from this study suggest that there are many examples of automation of functions, such as motorised louvres, mechanically-controlled dampers and variable insulation systems.
Optimisation of the product, system performance, and the profitability element of a building can all be considered intelligent. Most examples are better able to demonstrate automatic response than instinctive intelligent abilities. The research project aims to analyse the 'genetic characteristics' which have emerged from the case studies and to test them to establish their financial viability.
An integrated approach
Finally, on the global front, the intelligent city is already being considered, particularly in the third world. The need to conserve scarce resources and to accommodate parts of the population who are very isolated from the ecosystem has acted as the catalyst for some revolutionary projects.
The type and structure of buildings requires very careful consideration. Combined heat and power systems with generator efficiencies of 90% are now possible and can contribute greatly to the effort to balance resource and consumption.
Again this is not necessarily technological or automation in its own right, but 'intelligent' in approach.
Source
Electrical and Mechanical Contractor
Postscript
This article has been compiled using information supplied by the ECA technical department.
