The Evolution of Smart Buildings

“The origin of smart buildings points to the creation of the incubator thermostat that keeps chicken eggs warm and allow them to hatch.” -Kevin Callahan, writing for Automation.com

Building automation has advanced just within our lifetime at a baffling rate.

1950: Automated buildings rely on pneumatic controls with compressed air.

1960s: Microprocessors move the industry from compressed air to analog then digital controls (nothing short of a revolution).

1990s: Open protocols allow controlled facilities to actually communicate with one another.

2000: Wireless technology allows components to communicate without cable attachments.

Today: Much has changed since the turn of the century, and what’s to come is even more exciting. Current trends in building automation and intelligent building technologies include building and industrial PLC system integration, cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT), data mining and data-driven energy management, cyber security education and protection, hardware and software analytics, Smart City development, and utility meter monitoring and reporting.