Editor’s Note: This month we take a dive into our vault, revisiting the Building Automation column that was printed five years ago, in August 2017, by longtime Engineered Systems columnist Ira Goldschmidt, P.E.
Integration of a variety of non-BAS controls and systems has become an increasingly important aspect of building projects. These controls/systems range from packaged HVAC equipment to “fully engineered” mechanical systems (e.g., VRF and lab controls) to non-mechanical equipment/systems (lighting controls, electrical equipment, security, fire alarm, etc.) and even to building operations or enterprise systems (e.g., energy management/tracking, CMMS, tenant billing systems). And the Internet of Things (IoT) has the potential for further accelerating this trend.