DUBAI - Building owners will be able to use a building's network infrastructure as revenue generating tool, said Wes Tweedley, Technical Manager, SYSTIMAX Solutions, Middle East, North Africa, Turkey & Greece
Tweedley said: "The construction industry within the Middle East is gradually beginning to change the way it approaches the design and integration of infrastructure underpinning a building's telecommunications services and Building Management Systems (BMS). Driving this sea change is the need to reduce building management costs, to differentiate from the competition and to develop new revenue streams. In short, property developers want greater return on their investment. Where once a building would house four, five or even more cabling systems, each supporting a particular building management system such as lighting control or HAVC, the development of IP-based solutions has lead to a convergence of these systems onto a single infrastructure. More and more, we are seeing new builds incorporating a single structured cabling system that not only supports voice, data and video applications but enables the integration of the various components which make up building automation or building management systems (BAS or BMS).
The BAS typically consists of Fire, Life and Safety (FLS) or Fire Alarm (FA), Security and Access Control (SAC), Energy Management Systems (EMS), which includes Lighting Control Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning. Converging all these systems onto one platform provides a unique opportunity to integrate them through one management platform allowing real time feedback on all aspects of building control and just as importantly their real time management. The foundation of such a model is a high performing, robust and manageable structured cabling system. The regional industry is certainly embracing this idea of a single network infrastructure. Such an approach reduces design complexity with architects now dealing with one cabling system instead of many. It simplifies installation, as one cabling system requires one installer versus the traditional multi-system approach needing multiple sub contractors.
This in turn greatly eases project management concerns and helps reduce the time to commission the building, added Tweedley.
© Khaleej Times 2005
