Publisher's Synopsis
The Information Age also commonly known as the Digital Age has brought about fast evolution of technology in daily life and allowed rapid global communications and networking to shape modern society. Intelligent buildings are designed for long term sustainability and minimal environmental impact through the selection of recycled and recyclable materials, construction, maintenance and operations procedures. This phenomenon has spurred progress in all fields including the built environment. The advent of computer integrated systems and controls have caused quite a dramatic shift in the building industry. The increasing availability and affordability of wireless building and home automation networks has increased interest in residential and commercial building energy management. This interest has been coupled with an increased awareness of the environmental impact of energy generation and usage. Buildings consume about 40 percent of total national energy use, are responsible for the same percentage of greenhouse gas emissions, and account for about 70 percent of electricity use. To address energy security issues and environmental concerns there is an urgent need to develop techniques that greatly reduce energy use and peak electric power in buildings while providing or improving service. One of the greatest opportunities to address this need is to accelerate the development and deployment of advanced building energy information and control systems that improve energy efficiency. Intelligent Buildings: Design, Management and Operation is aimed to study the existing theoretical concepts by analyzing literature and case study buildings. Within the last two decades, substantial amount of literature on intelligent building has been generated. However, there is a lack of systematic review of existing research efforts and achievements. A comprehensive review on existing research provides great benefits to identify where more efforts are needed and therefore the future research directions. For this purpose, this book reviews the literature related to the subject area of intelligent building, including advanced and innovative intelligent technologies research, performance evaluation methodologies and investment evaluation analysis. This volume will serve as a practical guide for architecture and construction professionals, building owners and developers involved in procurement, design, management and operation of buildings, as well as students and researchers dealing with the area of architecture, engineering, building services, facilities management and other built environment.
