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facility
integrating people – process – place
 
Volume 1 Number 2 June 2007
Official magazine of the Facility Management Association of Australia Ltd
Print Post Approved 340742 00155 $9.95 inc GST
ide
a
ction 2007
Innovation, inspirationand celebration
Greening the Future
Role of the built environment
Project Management’s work in progressGlobal FM: Interview with Stan MitchellMeasures & Services
Ernst & Young – Watching the Clock:Countdown to Water reformPlanning & Infrastructure:Sustainable Sydney 2030FM Lead Story: SAM @ UNEBook review
 Scorcher: The Dirty Politics of Climate Change
 
O
pen protocols were conceived as part of an end userbacklash against the proprietary buildingautomation and control systems that weretraditionally a staple of the market.In the past,if acustomer wanted to expand or change theirbuilding systems,they were typically locked into using theoriginal supplier of the control system.The rationale fordeveloping open protocols was to prevent this ‘lock-in’byallowing users the ability to ‘mix and match’products fromdifferent vendors and easily integrate them for managementpurposes.Today,most organisations are aligned with one of two keyopen protocols for automation and control – LonWorks orBACnet.The decision to go down either path can be dependenton a number of factors – for example,the level of integrationrequired in a particular room or zone,the factory-standardcontrols provided with the building equipment,and futurebuilding expansion plans.However,the alignment of theconsulting engineer to the project is just as likely to be a keyinfluence.The trend for open protocols in recent months is one of overlapand convergence.LonWorks,which derives its strength fromdevice-to-device integration,is moving upmarket at a timewhen open rival,BACnet,known in the high-level system-to-system integration space,is executing a “top-down”approach.The resulting overlap in capabilities means it is now possiblefor organisations to have a perfectly functional end-to-endautomation and control system using either protocol.Achieving an environment that mixes both protocols,however,is still a fairly complex task.As the overlap instandards becomes more pronounced,the willingness of vendors to support both protocols,either separately ortogether,will become increasingly important from a future-proofing perspective.The same vendor’s ability to providesystems integration and consultancy support may also proveadvantageous in the long term,particularly as the need forintegrated LonWorks and BACnet environments increases.
HOW THE STANDARDS EVOLVED
LonWorks is the control networking technology platformdeveloped by Echelon Corporation.In 1994,Echelon alsocreated LonMark – a governing body with a set of guidelinesand strict testing process to certify the interoperability of LonWorks-based solutions from multiple manufacturers – acritical element to ensure the platform can act as a globalopen standard.LonWorks is generally considered the bestsolution for device-level connectivity – for example,enablingthe controller that modulates the damper for airflow in aparticular room to ‘communicate’locally with a lightingcontroller from another manufacturer.The American Society for Heating Refrigeration and AirConditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) developed the other openprotocol,BACnet,starting in 1987 and finishing almost adecade later— initially as an enabler for system-to-systemintegration.The protocol has since evolved to be included incontrol devices as well.‘Native BACnet’solutions are oftenpromoted as the only true open standards by followers,basedon the protocol’s development origins from within an ASHRAE
Openwarfare
Supporters of open buildingautomation standards shouldthemselves remain open as thetwo main protocols overlap,writesSimon James.
ADVERTORIAL
 
industry group as opposed to coming from a private company.The argument does not appear to have negatively affectedsales of LonWorks controllers globally,which so far outnumberBACnet-based solutions.In saying that,BACnet can boast arelatively strong following among government and highereducation organisations,based on its status as a more openlydeveloped protocol and broad acceptance within the academicand consulting engineer fraternities.It is currently not possible for LonWorks and BACnet platformsto interoperate without a gateway device that converts oneprotocol to the other.It is technically possible for either aBACnet or LonWorks device to share a common LonTalk bus totransport messages using their separate control languages (inthe same way the devices can communicate over Ethernet)although,in practice,this is rarely done.
DECISIVE FACTORS FOR OPEN ADOPTION
As the standards continue to evolve,interoperability is likely tobecome a key issue.Manufacturers,systems integrators andother professional services firms that remain open to bothprotocols rather than aligning with either camp will likelyhave a natural advantage over competitors who do notembrace the relevant standards.A key factor in any successful building systemimplementation is a trained and knowledgeable vendor todesign the system,write the applications and make the righttechnology choices to enable efficient operation andmaintenance,while accommodating future expansion needs.While a LonWorks only or BACnet only based solution canwork,adherence to a single protocol can create increasedcomplexity and cost,particularly from a long-termmaintenance and future expansion perspective.Emerging standards such as Open Building Informationexchange (oBIX) – a protocol for exchanging buildinginformation using XML (therefore making it more consistentwith Information Technology standards) – further justifies theneed to choose a platform with multi-protocol support.Thesetypes of solutions will prove far more cost-effective over thelife of the building system than those that work with a singleprotocol.
MAKING TOP-TIER CONTROL ACCESSIBLE
One of the key benefits of open standards is that they haveessentially commoditised the automation and control systemsmarket.Cheaper electronics,together with the number of providers with open standards-based solutions,has levelledthe playing field both in terms of upfront purchase costs andthe functionality manufacturers are able to build into theirdevices.While there is little doubt integration and interoperabilityhave improved with the advent of open standards,anecdotalevidence suggests that less than 20 per cent of the commercialbuilding market has embraced the concept to create a truemulti-vendor environment.In reality,up to 80 per cent of organisations – and maybe more – still buy most of theirequipment from one vendor.The recent trend away from best-of-breed ‘point’solution-based environments to end-to-end,single vendor platforms means this trend may continue forsome time.Ultimately open protocol-based devices have benefited themarket as a whole.The next challenge – and opportunity – forsystems integrators in the space will be ensuring they havethe ability to offer either BACnet or LonWorks-based devices ora ‘best of both worlds’type approach,tailored to thecustomer’s requirements.At the same time,organisationscurrently participating in tender processes should ensure thesystems integrator or service provider they select has theflexibility to offer multiple control options to ensure thesystem provided today can scale to meet any future needs inthis space.
ADVERTORIALABOVE:Comforpoint productfamily – an example of a BACNetCompliant HVAC controller
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