The concept of an intelligent, smart, or “next generation” buildings was first proposed back in the 1980s, and discussions and promotion have continued ever since.
In many ways, this concept has followed the classic “hype cycle,” described by the noted technology consulting firm, Gartner Group (Figure 1). In this cycle, new concepts start and are quickly hyped to a peak of expectations. This is followed by reality or the trough of disillusionment, and finally the actual benefits are realized and the technologies plateau. Gartner uses this concept to chart the progress of numerous technologies.
So where does the concept of an intelligent building fit in this cycle? It is pretty clear that we are following this path today. We have suffered from inflated expectations and experienced some significant disillusionment. We would like to think that we are entering the slope of enlightenment and starting to see demand and acceptance. Why do we say this? There are several reasons driving this opinion.