Progressing for Intelligent to Smart Buildings

Abstract

This paper addresses the issue of the misunderstandings surrounding the terms intelligent and smart when applied to modern buildings. The terms have increasingly been used interchangeably which has led to confusion for designers, researchers and clients. The authors propose that utilising the increasingly available information as a tool to forewarn the building control systems, rather than reacting to stimuli, can allow adaptability and a distinction between Intelligent and Smart Buildings. A case study building in Sheffield is used as a simple example of using enterprise systems to manipulate zoning of a building at predicted occupancy levels. The results suggest that this example of information utilisation enables efficient energy and resource distribution whilst maintaining the functional value of the building and the ability for occupants to have a choice of their own environment.