Automated Buildings

With the adoption of distributed computing and advanced networking protocols in the late 1990s, businesses developed open-communications protocols that enabled systems and facilities to communicate with one another and more efficiently process data and requests.

The BACnet communications protocol, the basis for construction standards, was released by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Airconditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) in 1995. But building automation as we know it really started in the late ‘90s with the widespread adoption of direct digital control (DDC) devices, which enabled integration of building automation and information technology systems.

By 2003, another important criterion, the LEED 1.0 standard for design and construction of green buildings, was unveiled. These developments reflect the political and social zeitgeist of the era. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 heightened the need for environmentally sustainable office buildings while the Kyoto Protocol, which went into effect in 2005, focused on fighting global warming and climate change.