Building and telematics

It is noted that throughout the industrialized world buildings are gradually losing their original functions as passive containers and now tend to interact with the activities taking place inside and outside them. Buildings are now able to `control´ themselves, to program their own systems, and to manage their own consumption of energy and materials. This revolution is principally due to the impact of new electronic technologies and telecommunications. Terms such as intelligent building, smart building, CIB (Computer Integrated Building), and building management have left the domain of architecture and engineering and have entered many aspects of people´s private and working lives. The author focuses attention on the hardware and software which have led to the creation of the intelligent building. Specifically, he describes the effects of telematics which led to the evolution of intelligent buildings, culminating in the full integration of the controls, security systems, informatics, and communication systems