Jim Sinopoli: BAS
Part 1: Picking the Best BAS
Part 2: The BAS and Making Multiple Changes
Part 3: BAS Sensor Calibration and Documentation
Part 4: Overlooked Opportunities in BAS Functionality
Part 5: BAS Strategies in New Construction vs. Existing Buildings
BAS Strategies in New Construction vs. Existing Buildings
December 2011 - Building Automation
How does deploying BAS strategies in existing buildings differ from new construction?
In new construction it's just a clean slate. You can go in and do it right the first time. With an existing structure, the building comes with baggage. It already has the systems installed and operating.
There are a lot of issues in an existing building: you may have different generations of building automation systems, facility engineers may have done some undocumented workarounds on systems, or over time, the space usage in buildings may have changed and the original control design of the space needs to be updated.
When you start to integrate the systems in existing buildings on an enterprise basis you may find the data is inaccurate or missing. For example, the building may have a variety of naming conventions as different contractors over time have called the same type of equipment (VAV or an air handler) a different name, or you also may find it difficult getting the original control documents.
