Building automation in the 21st century

The term "intelligent building" is becoming more and more popular and this concept has generated a good deal of excitement during the last decade, much of which subsequently dissipated once the limits and complexities of building intelligence were discovered. Intelligent building technology generally refers to the integration of four systems: a building automation system (BAS), a telecommunications system, an office automation system and a computer aided facility management system (CAFMS). A sophisticated BAS is actually the heart of every "intelligent building". In this paper, the history of development of BAS is described as an introduction. Then, the structure and features of a modern BAS are highlighted to give an overall understanding of this important system in every modern commercial building. Finally, the future trend of development of BAS is discussed under nine categories.