Second annual BuilConn continues to set the stage for whole building integration, IT convergence, enterprise building management

DALLAS, TX—As an impressive follow-up to its inaugural year, more than 500 building automation specialists and device connectivity professionals descended upon Dallas, TX, April 13-16, for BuilConn 2004 and the premier M2M (machine-to-machine) Expo and Conference to discuss and learn about the current status and future of intelligent, integrated buildings and the burgeoning relationship of buildings and smart devices.

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BuilConn 2004 united manufacturers, contractors, dealers, technologists, specifiers and systems integrators from the disparate sectors of the buildings industry to explore the benefits of total building systems integration. BuilConn hosted more than 90 presenters delivering more than 70 presentations – mostly panel-based – on topics ranging from network security and industry trends driving change to open systems discussions and the reach of enterprise systems.

“BuilConn enabled both manufacturers and implementers of building control solutions to catch up with the latest trends, market needs and visions of some of the industry’s pioneers with respect to how technology advances are going to impact our industry,” Gary Bark, Sales and Marketing Director for Plexus Technology Ltd., said. “Like many other manufacturers, it is important for Plexus to stay ahead of the field, and BuilConn helped crystallize some of our visions.”

The Building Systems and M2M Expo featured more than 60 exhibitors representing the multitude of disciplines in the building systems industry including HVAC, security, access control, lighting, IT and enterprise building management. The synergy between the two industries allowed buildings professionals to investigate the innumerable possibilities and solutions the world of M2M provides while the M2M community had the opportunity to further the scope of their applications.

With a more technical bent than its inaugural year, the dominant topic of interest at BuilConn 2004 was the upsurge of enabling technologies including XML and Web Services. A first-of-its-kind event, the XML Pavilion held in the Expo offered attendees a first look at nine manufacturer’s new applications, products and services all utilizing XML/Web Services to further enable interoperability. Also noteworthy was the industry-wide acceptance of the convergence of IT and building systems that infiltrated many conversations, product demonstrations, keynote sessions and panel discussions.

“The IT community has conquered many of the obstacles that the building automation industry has been trying to overcome,” Toby Considine, Facilities Services for the University of North Carolina, said. “What I have seen at BuilConn is a concentrated effort to embrace the progress made by the IT community, and I am confident the buildings industry will start to see progressive solutions for connectivity and interoperability in the very near future.”

BuilConn 2004 was also the debut year of the Buildy Awards, created by the BuilConn organizers to increase awareness of the benefits of whole building integration and honor successful implementation strategies. The winner of each of the four award categories emerged as triumphant at the Industry Gala held on April 15. Selected by their peers during BuilConn 2004, the award recipient of the Vision award was Paul Ehrlich, Business Development Leader for Trane; the Best New Product award went to WebGen Systems’ IUE (Intelligent Use of Energy); the Best Building award went to ARAS Systems for the Echelon Campus; and ECI, Energy Control, Inc. was awarded the Best Integration Project award for the Cottonwood Office Building.

“The acceptance of new technologies, business strategies and coopetition-based relationships over the past two years has been remarkable,” Anto Budiardjo, Clasma president and CEO and BuilConn organizer, said. “BuilConn has set the stage for the next chapter in our industry, and 2005 will be the year when we will see product and solution deliverables. This new crop of innovative products and solutions will be a result of the industry-wide push for IT convergence and the use of XML and Web Services to truly monitor and control buildings at the enterprise level.”

Following two successful years of BuilConn in the United States, the show organizers are producing a similar event for the European marketplace. The premier BuilConn Europe will be held in Brussels, Belgium at the Brussels Sheraton Hotel and Towers, October 26-28, 2004. For further information on this event, please visit www.builconn.com/europe.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]Integration experts and visionaries receive premier Buildy Awards at the industry’s only event for networked building systems

DALLAS, TX—Chosen by more than 250 of their peers, the four final Buildy Award winners representing the North American organizations and individuals who best support the vision of networked building systems emerged at the Industry Gala at BuilConn 2004, April 15, in Dallas, TX. 2004 marks the debut year for the award Buildy Awards that was designed to increase awareness of the benefits of whole building integration and honor successful implementation strategies.

Within the four award categories—Vision, Best Integration Project, Best Product and Best Building—the winners are a dynamic representation of all facets of the integration process and have all demonstrated superior strategies for intelligent buildings.

“The Buildy Award winners represent a brilliant group of professionals who have taken immense steps in furthering true building integration. They each have listened to market demands and are using the wide array of available technologies to deliver what are certainly considered to be state-of-the-art buildings, products and initiatives,” Anto Budiardjo, BuilConn organizer and Clasma president and CEO, said. “These winners were very difficult to narrow down; all award submissions represented highly successful integration strategies and visionaries, and that sends a very strong signal that whole building integration is not only becoming a reality but a norm.”

Paul Ehrlich, Business Development Leader for Trane, was presented with the Vision award for his vision of whole building integration and interoperability through advocacy, promotion, educational and training endeavors. Mr. Ehrlich has dedicated his time and energy to chairing oBIX (Open Building Information Xchange), the CABA-initiated project created by the buildings industry to develop XML/Web Services standards for buildings. Such an initiative is recognized by the industry as the primary vehicle in which true integrated, intelligent buildings will be delivered. In addition to product development at Trane and oBIX-related activities, Mr. Ehrlich has also chaired an ASHRAE committee on specifying DDC controls.

The Best New Product award was presented to WebGen Systems in honor of the IUE (Intelligent Use of Energy) software suite, a product that successfully overcame a significant challenge, enhanced or simplified the integration process. IUE is an enterprise-level suite of open protocol software tools that provides real-time monitoring and command of building systems to generate operational benefits and energy savings. The system connects all aspects of building management systems to automatically measure, monitor and control energy consumption, and it has been designed to easily integrate all legacy and open system building automation platforms via XML, BACnet®, LonWorks® and various other communication protocols.

Presented to building consultant ARAS Systems for the Echelon Campus was the Best Building award in honor of the most progressive building technology supporting the vision of whole building integration. The 78,000 sq. ft. Echelon Campus houses an office complex, a lab facility, a parking structure and common outdoor campus areas, all of which are completely automated and monitored with the goal of optimizing each occupant’s productivity, comfort and safety. Occupancy, Lighting, HVAC, Audio/Visual, touch screens, card access, perimeter security, video cameras, video recording, blinds and shades, irrigation, energy meters, fires and life safety and even the elevators are monitored and controlled with off-the-shelf interoperable products from multiple vendors.

Finally, the Best Integration Project award was presented to ECI, Energy Control Inc. for the Cottonwood Office Building, in recognition of the successful integration of a wide array of building systems and their operation over a corporate IT infrastructure. The 30,000 sq. ft. energy-efficient and cost-effective building features building automation with DDC to the Zone Level and Access Control. Integrated systems include 24/7 video streaming and monitoring video surveillance, fire and life safety, data networking, information technology and Internet-based monitoring, all of which were financed and paid for from achieved energy cost savings. ECI aided in mechanical and electrical design and completed building-wide automation, and as a result of these enhancements, the Cottonwood Office Building has been submitted for certification under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Existing Building pilot program.

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