CHAPTER 4 Contents 4.1 Overview 4.2 Communications Protocols 4.3 Construction Costs 4.4 Operational Costs 4.5 Security 4.6 Communication and Data Infrastructure 4.7 Facility Management Software Information Technology in Building Systems 4.1 Overview Transformative periods in the building indus- try occurred several times in the 20th century with the introduction of mechanisms such as plumbing, construction cranes, and elevators. Thirty years ago, just prior to the mass intro- duction of personal computers for businesses, the level of technology in a building was mea- ger. It consisted of the local regulated public telecommunications utility installing services in a building, a mechanical contractor installing a pneumatic control system for the heating, cool- ing, and ventilation system, a fire alarm system, and maybe a dedicated word processing system. While we've come a long way since those days, we're still in a very early stage of fully deploy- ing and integrating sophisticated building tech- nology systems. In due course, buildings will become full of technology. Walls and ceilings will be embedded with sensors; every aspect of a building's perfor- mance will be metered and measured; software tools will be used to automatically optimize building systems without human intervention; 31 32 Advanced Technology for Smart Buildings Figure 4.1 The use of information technology to design a building in 3D. real-time information on the building will be provided to occupants and building management relevant to their particular needs; buildings will be fully interactive with the power grid; cars will be efficiently parked via con- veyers, and geo-spatial location systems will be deployed for every building asset. Facilitating this transformation is information technology. 4.2 Communications Protocols There is an increasing role for information technology in our lives, includ- ing building control systems and facility management. All major commu- nications protocols used in building systems (BACnet, Modbus, Lonworks, etc.) now have a version for Internet Protocol (IP) or Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) that allow the BAS protocol to ride on an IT network. We now have building management systems; basically an IT device with a serv- er, IT operating system, IP address, and IT database. Further evidence of the IT infiltration includes international standards for cabling related to build- ing automation systems that are identical to that of IT, BAS controllers using Wi-Fi, and the current focus on data analytics for building system data. This IT infiltration has and will cause disruptions and adjustments between IT and Facility Management organizational roles. 4.2.1 Wireless Infrastructure The use of wireless networks control systems in buildings has many advan- tages. By eliminating the need for cable and related conduit the initial costs for deploying system sensors, meters, and control devices are reduced and installation time is shortened. Wireless is the ideal approach for retrofitting existing buildings where the lack of cable pathways is an impediment. 4.2 Communications Protocols 33 The major difference between the performance of wired and wireless networks is network communication capacity or bandwidth. However, building systems field devices generally do not need much bandwidth and conduct their business at relatively low data rates. Another potential issue with wireless is that some wireless transceivers may use batteries which require regular replacement. The low data rates and the possibility of peri- odic battery replacements are minor strikes against wireless compared to its flexibility, cost advantages, and reduced installation time. What follows are some of the choices for wireless networks for building control systems as well as some of the building devices that can be deployed wirelessly. 4.2.2 Wireless Network Types There are wireless networks using licensed radio frequencies and unlicensed radio frequencies. There are wireless technologies such as Zigbee, EnOcean, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi, RFID, Insteon, Bluetooth, etc. The following is a snapshot of some of the major technologies: 4.2.2.1 Zigbee Zigbee is a wireless technology standard (IEEE 802.15.4) which provides for low data rate networks. It uses unlicensed frequencies (900 MHz in the US, 868 MHz in Europe, and 2.4 GHz worldwide) which are also available for cordless phones Wi-Fi, and other devices. The standard is aimed to address residential, building, and industrial control devices. It is specifically useful for sensors and control devices of building automation systems within a smart building where very small amounts of information or data are being transmitted. Zigbee also has uses in home automation, industrial automa- tion, home entertainment systems, and smart meters. The maximum speed of Zigbee devices varies up to 192-250 Kbps (a measure of bandwidth, kilobits per second). The maximum distance varies between 20 and 50 meters. Zigbee has several advantages: (a) low power usage since the devices only require two AAA batteries, (b) wide support from more than 100 companies that support the standard (Motorola, Hon- eywell, Samsung, Mitsubishi, and others), (c) mesh technology which al- lows Zigbee, like Wi-Fi, to be configured in several topologies including a mesh topology allowing multiple transmission paths between the device and the recipient, and (d) system scalability where thousands of Zigbee de- vices can deployed within a building. 4.2.2.2 EnOcean EnOcean Alliance is a consortium of companies in North America and Eu- rope that are developing and promoting self-powered wireless devices. The 34 Advanced Technology for Smart Buildings initial consortium formed in 2008, and includes Texas Instruments, Omnio, Sylvania, Masco, and MK Electric. The consortium claims the largest in- stalled base of wireless building automation networks. The main objective of this technology is to allow sensors and radio switches to operate without batteries reducing maintenance. To do this the technology uses energy harvesting which exploits slight changes in motion, pressure, light, temperature, or vibration to transform small energy fluctua- tions into usable electrical energy. The devices transmit at 120 Kbits per sec- ond, up to 300 meters with a data packet of 14 bytes. The transmission fre- quency used for these devices is 868.3 MHz, an unlicensed radio frequency. EnOcean GmbH, a spin-off company of Siemens, supplies the trans- mitters, receivers, transceivers and energy converters to companies such as Distech Controls, Zumtobel, Omnio, Osram, Wieland Electric, Peha, Ther- mokon, Wago, Herga and MK Electric, who then develop and manufacture products. While the products tend to focus on building automation they are also targeted for industrial automation and automotive markets. EnOcean is based on an international standard, the International Elec- trotechnical Commission (IEC) standardISO/IEC 14543-3-10for wire- less applications with ultra-low power consumption. They have created EnOcean Equipment Profiles (EEP) for EnOcean devices that ensure in- teroperability of different end-products based on EnOcean technology; re- sulting in equipment from one manufacturer being able to communicate with equipment of another manufacturer. 4.2.2.3 Z-Wave Z-Wave is about wireless solutions for residential and light commercial ap- plications. The Z-Wave Alliance is an open consortium of over 160 man- ufacturers. Members include Cooper Wiring Devices, Danfoss, Fakro, In- gersoll-Rand, Intermatic, Leviton, Universal Electronics, Wayne-Dalton, Z-Wave and Zensys. At the core is the Z-Wave protocol, developed by Zensys, a division of Sigma Designs. Sigma Designs provides embedded networking software and Z-Wave chip solutions for manufacturers and OEMs. The Z-Wave protocol stack is embedded in the chips, and flash memory is available application software. The standard is not open and is available only to Zensys/Sigma Design customers. Z-Wave operates as a mesh network in the 900 MHz radio frequency range and is optimized for low-overhead commands such as on-off (as in a light switch or an appliance), with the ability to include device metadata in the communications. Each device on the Z-wave network has an individual code or address. A single Z-wave network supports up to 232 devices. Multiple Z-wave 4.2 Communications Protocols 35 networks can be combined via gateways. The controllers can be handheld remotes, wall panels, or an internet interface via a browser. Like some of the other wireless networks, Z-Wave is a mesh networking technology where each node or device on the network is capable of sending and re- ceiving control commands. Z-Wave can also use power line communication technologies. Z-Wave has a speed of 40 Kbit/s with a range of about 100 feet or 30 meters. The radio frequencies used include 900 MHz ISM band: 908.42MHz (United States), 868.42MHz (Europe), 919.82MHz (Hong Kong) and 921.42MHz (Australia/New Zealand). 4.2.2.4 RFID Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is different than the other building wireless systems. It can't control anything, and it only identifies things. Its primary use is in asset management and security. RFID tags are incorpo- rated into products or carried by people to identify and track their location using radio frequencies. RFID is deployed in retail, hospitals, airports, edu- cation, and other building uses. Systems generally consist of RFID readers and tags. RFID tags are simply radio transponders. They are a small integrated circuit or computer chip which has a tiny radio antenna built in. In passive RFID systems the tag does not have its own power source, the tag absorbs energy from the sys- tem reader antenna, a process called coupling. The tag is programmed with a unique identification. When the tag is excited by and absorbs the radio waves of the reader antenna it sends out its unique ID which is picked up by the reader antenna. Active RFID systems tags have their own power source and don't need to use the reader's antenna radio waves to power up and transmit their identity. Active tags have greater range, can store larger amounts of data, and are larger than passive tags. RFID tags come in various sizes and shapes to address a variety of uses. The tag can be paper thin to fit inside a book. They also can be directly mounted onto equipment, embedded in wrist straps, attached to clothing, or worn on a belt. Wireless tracking systems are only as good as their networks. RFID readers have an antenna attached to them. Essentially the reader interfaces or sits in between the wireless portion of the system (the antenna) and the head end or host system. The antenna attached to the reader sends radio signals out to activate tags. It listens for tags to communicate and once a tag responds, reads the data transmitted by the tag and sends it to the reader. Readers can have multiple antennas attached. The reader can decipher the signal and send the data to the host server. 36 Advanced Technology for Smart Buildings RFID operates in several radio frequencies: 125 kHz or 134 kHz low- frequency systems, 13.56 MHz for high-frequency system, and 2 or 3 fre- quencies for ultra-high frequency systems. 4.2.2.5 Wi-Fi Wi-Fi basically replaces a cabled Ethernet connection with a wireless device. Current Wi-Fi systems operate in two unlicensed radio frequencies, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. The Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has set four standards for Ethernet communications via these frequencies which are commonly referred to as 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and the lat- est, 802.11n. 802.11n has a throughput of 110 Mbps. The user's distance from the Wi-Fi antenna, the uses of the same unli- censed frequencies by other devices, and the obstacles within and the struc- ture of buildings which could interfere with the radio signals all affect the communications bandwidth received from the Wi-Fi antenna. Typical cov- erage areas indoors for omni-directional Wi-Fi antenna are 100 to 300 feet. In the past, the typical use of Wi-Fi in buildings has coexisted with oth- er wireless systems using the 2.4 GHz radio frequency such as Zigbee and Bluetooth. However, Wi-Fi has started to gradually move into the build- ing control systems. Examples include Wi-Fi temperature sensors (tem- perature@lert product), Wi-Fi CO2 sensors (AirTest Technologies), Ethernet field panels with capability to use Wi-Fi transceivers to establish wireless connectivity (Siemens), and Real Time Location Systems (RTLS) (Cisco). With more sensors, meters, and control devices generally needed in buildings, expect the adoption of wireless buildings systems to accelerate. 4.2.3 Cable Infrastructure How important is cabling? Cabling, cable pathways, and equipment rooms are long term. Many manufacturers provide 20-25 year warranties. So, what is initially designed and installed is important. Cable may seem mun- dane but constant advancements in cable throughput, reductions in poten- tial interference and increased low voltage power over the telecom cable requires the installation of the latest cable technology. A smart building will take advantage of similar cable standards for IT (EIA/TIA 568) and BAS (EIA/TIA 862) and utilize the same cable types (twisted pair copper cable and fiber optic cable). This provides an opportu- nity to reduce the number of cable contractors, reduce coordination from the construction manager, and share cable pathways. In addition, one cable can supply communications and provide low voltage power to devices on the network via Power over Ethernet (POE). Thus POE eliminates one pow- er cable, and reduces material and installation time and costs. 4.3 Construction Costs 37 The smart buildings approach is to maximize the use of the structured cable plant for access control, video surveillance, building automation, and other building systems. A smart building will also supplement the wired in- frastructure with the use of wireless systems; deploying Wi-Fi throughout a building, installing a distributed antenna systems (DAS), and using Zigbee, Enocean and RFID in building control systems and asset management. All of the telecom cabling generally terminates in and is managed from the telecommunications room. These rooms should be served by dual telecommunication entrances, physically separated dual power feeds, and emergency power. The telecommunications rooms need to be remotely monitored for security, water, temperature, and seismic events. The entire infrastructure: cabling, equipment, racks, and wireless access points needs to be labeled with predetermined naming conventions and documented for asset management and daily operations. As IT continues to penetrate our buildings, and our lives, this infrastructure becomes increasingly critical, and a key attribute of a smart building. How can building owners and designers save money in specifying and installing a building's technology infrastructure? Or more importantly, how can they make sure the money spent is for the best value? Here are a couple tips on saving upfront construction costs and ensuring longer term value for the building. 4.3 Construction Costs 4.3.1 Converge The Cabling Types There are probably 10-15 different technology systems in a decent size building. The telecom systems have standardized on unshielded copper twisted pair and fiber optic cable. The building automation systems have also standardized on twisted pair and fiber optic cable. While the life safety systems have not standardized, some life safety systems, such as video sur- veillance and access control systems, are using twisted pair and fiber optic cable, and some cable manufacturers offer full solutions for life safety sys- tems using twisted pair and fiber optic cable. The point is that the more you use standard twisted pair and fiber optic cable, and the more you get away from propriety cabling systems, the greater the opportunity to economize and save money. 4.3.2 Coordinate Pathways for All the Technology Systems Economize not only on the cable but also the cable pathways. While the ca- bling of many technology systems have different end-points (such as tenant offices, surveillance cameras, HVAC fans, etc.), the longer backbone runs 38 Advanced Technology for Smart Buildings of cabling through a facility may be common pathways. Install one com- mon highway or pathway for the cabling; try not to build several smaller pathways. 4.3.3 Reduce the Number of Cabling Contractors Over half of the cost cabling is labor. Why have one contractor install a cable from room A to room B, only to have second contractor install a cable for a different system from room A to B? Why pay twice when the cost for one contractor to install both cables at the same time is marginal? 4.3.4 Use a Client's Master Agreements for the Materials and Equipment Larger clients, such as corporations with many sites, university systems, school systems, healthcare entities, etc., should have standardized on the materials and equipment they use for their technology systems in their facilities. If they've standardized and are large enough, they should have master agreements with cabling manufacturers or suppliers that an installa- tion contractor may be able to use. The master agreement will have lower prices because of the aggregation of facilities and commitment to suppli- ers. If you're client does not have master agreements, advise him that he should, and at least make the facility you're involved with the first to avail itself to the lower pricing. 4.3.5 Single Point for Cabling Administration If you're designing a three story building, do you need to have equipment rooms on every floor? You could serve the entire building from an equip- ment room on the second floor if the distance between a second floor equip- ment room and each cabling endpoint is within the distance for standard cabling. There's a multitude of benefits from doing this; less space is utilized for equipment rooms, there's more efficient use of the network equipment, and it's easier from an operational and maintenance standpoint. The small cost for slightly longer cables pales in comparison to the overall savings. 4.4 Operational Costs The building and the technology infrastructure (at least the cabling, cable pathways and equipment rooms) have long lifecycles, and you'll want to balance the initial cost of the technology infrastructure with the long term value for the building. Here are a couple things to keep in mind: 4.5 Security 39 4.4.1 Warranties Major cabling manufacturers offer long term warranties on their products and systems. If their products are installed by certified installers and the installation is inspected by a representative of the manufacturer, they will warrant the cable system for 15 to 25 years. Some companies warranty the installation and others warranty both the installation and future technical applications for the cable. Products that provide such warranties may be slightly more expensive, but probably offer better long term value. 4.4.2 Expansion Many times the size of equipment rooms are questioned-large equipment rooms are provided only to find that a few equipment racks are initially provided. Or cable pathways are provided and only half of the pathway is initially used. No it's not a waste of space. It's long term thinking. You don't ever want to move an equipment room. In addition the emerging building technology systems will demand more space, more power, more air condi- tioning, and more grounding. Build it right once, and avoid the tremendous disruption later. 4.4.3 Use Cabling Consolidation Points Cable consolidation points are typically used in open office environments. Instead of running each cable from the equipment room to each modular office or cubicle, a consolidation point is installed close to the cubicles. You may run less cable from the equipment room to the consolidation point, and from the consolidation point you have shorter runs to each of cubicles. The initial cost of the consolidation point is about the same as running all the cabling from the equipment room; the savings is in recabling when the cubicles are moved around, which they typically are over time. Many modular furniture manufacturers have consolidation points hidden in their products that fit in with their modular furniture. Owners and designers are tasked with controlling initial construction costs while providing for long term value in the buildings that are being designed. It can be quite the balancing act. The technology system design can contribute to that effort. 4.5 Security The building automation industry is now at a point where we have legiti- mate and reasonable concerns regarding the security of building control 40 Advanced Technology for Smart Buildings systems, especially in smart buildings where advanced technology is de- ployed. We see stories in the news regarding malicious cyber-attacks on private companies, government networks and internet sites, and there are questions as to what such an attack would mean for building control sys- tems, building operations, occupants, and owners. The apprehension is am- plified in newer buildings because there has been increased penetration of IT infrastructure in building control systems and greater integration and interconnection of building controls with other systems. The potential se- curity vulnerability of a building can extend to the smart grid as we move to implement two-way communication between buildings and the grid, and of course it could also impact corporate business systems. The overarching security concern is more about network security and less about physical security, although the two are certainly related. For a smart building it is a prerequisite to implement a secured con- verged network. In addition, the building should have: An integrated video network Security Measures-Network admission control Security Measures-Network intrusion detection Security Measures-Ability to segment or isolate the network to limit access temporarily or permanently QoS management Bandwidth management Core equipment and cabling redundancy ISP redundancy Uninterrupted Power Supply (core network) IP device management system Monitoring of energy usage of equipment at the data center/MDF/IDF Enhanced security elements for integrated networks Assign an administrator for building control systems with responsibil- ity for ongoing network security. Utilize IT security measures for the building automation networks. Provide physical security in areas or spaces where BAS equipment is located 4.5 Security Encrypt and safeguard network traffic. Secure any wireless network 41 The threat is that someone can penetrate a building's systems via an un- secured network to cause damage, disruption, theft or possibly loss of life. For traditional IT systems in a building, the threat may be loss of communi- cations, unauthorized access to sensitive data, theft of intellectual property, disruption of equipment (which may include physical security systems such as access control and video surveillance), loss of data, and impediments or stoppage of normal business operations. For the other building systems, such as HVAC control, electrical distribution, lighting, and elevators, the threat is disrupting critical building infrastructure, which also impedes or stops normal operations. Depending on the building use and building con- trol system, a security threat may be related to life safety; for example, dis- rupting emergency power, lighting, and HVAC in a critical healthcare space. The threat to building systems is not hypothetical; the infamous Stuxnet cyber-attack in 2010 eventually affected programmable logic controllers (PLC), a controller heavily used in industry, but also commonly used in buildings, for example in elevators and lighting equipment. In general the building automation industry and facility management has treated the security of building control networks as a secondary or tertiary issue, if at all. The most popular security approach for a building management system (BMS) is to isolate the BMS; not letting it connect to any other networks. But that in itself is a false sense of security; the BMS Network Attacks Interception Network Sniffing Table 4.1 BAS Security Attacks Fabrication Insert Malformed Messages Insert Correct Messages Replay Old Messages Modification Man-in-the-Middle Attacks Alteration Interruption Denial of Service Network Flooding Device Attacks Software Code Injection Exploiting Algorithm Weakness Availability Attacks Configuration Mechanism Abuse Side-Time Analysis Channel Power Analysis Fault Behavior Analysis Physical Eavesdropping Microprobing Component Replacement Redirection 42 Advanced Technology for Smart Buildings at a minimum will have fire systems, HVAC, access control, elevators and possibly lighting connected into it, potentially allowing access from one of those networks or one of the devices on those networks. Some minimal or partial security measures may be in place for some buildings, but not the comprehensive security measures needed to prevent or minimize network vulnerability. It's fair to say that most traditional building management sys- tems are not secured. In fact, many legacy BMS systems have back doors allowing the BMS manufacturer or local control contractor to monitor, manage or update the systems. It is interesting that while the recent security concern is about newer intelligent buildings, it is older buildings with legacy BMS systems that are much more vulnerable to attacks. The legacy systems have less computing power and are vulnerable to newer, more powerful and ad- vanced technology that a hacker may use. The legacy systems are also likely to be running older operating systems, some of which may no longer be up- dated with security patches. In addition, the vulnerabilities of older systems are well known to hackers, thus minimizing the effort and time needed for an attack. The automation industry has rightfully strived for systems standards with a move from proprietary implementations to open and transparent communication protocols. There are many benefits to open standards: com- patibility of products, customization, avoiding being locked-in to one man- ufacturer, interoperability, competitive costs, and more support options. At the same time, open and transparent standards would seem to increase vul- nerability of BAS networks, basically providing all the information hackers would need to assess vulnerabilities and potential approaches for an attack. This may look like something akin to giving the car thief the keys to the car. But one of the upsides of the open standards movement is that it al- lows those communication protocol standards to incorporate network se- curity related attributes into the standards. Most major BAS standards have incorporated some security mechanisms into their standards. The security aspects of BACnet are probably the most advanced. But at the other end of the spectrum is Modbus, which has no inherent security capabilities. A cyber-attack on a BAS network is either going to access the network, trying to access or disrupt the communication or exchange of data, or the BAS devices, namely the controllers, actuators, and sensors. The BAS net- work could be accessed physically, or possibly via wireless communication, but also through a network device, such as a compromised controller. The attacks on the devices are likely to come from the network or physical ma- nipulation of the device. 4.5 Security 43 Table 4.2 Typical IT Security Measures Strong firewalls User authentication Secured wireless Awareness about physical security Use VPNs in enterprise situations Back-up policy Strong encryption of BAS data communications Network hardware is in secured data center Intrusion detection systems Devices that can capture IP packets 4.5.1 Tips on Preventing a Security Breach Developing, testing, and deploying security measures in buildings needs to be an ongoing activity, built into the operation of the building. Here are some suggestions for the first steps: Assign a dedicated network administrator for building control systems, with the responsibility for ongoing network security. The network admin- istrator should coordinate security efforts and responses, as well as internal and external assistance. Baseline your network. Know what normal traffic is. Identify the indi- cators of an attack. If facility management is spearheading the effort, bring in your IT department early on. Take a comprehensive approach. Assess every building system, the vul- nerabilities, and what the loss or disruption of the systems will mean to building operations and occupants along with the financial impact. Start with the use of IT security measures on the building automation networks. Understand that while the IT security measures are valuable they may not apply to all systems or portions of building control systems. For example, at the field or application control level, you may find controllers with limited processing power and memory utilizing a limited bandwidth network. 1. Provide physical security in areas or spaces where BAS network cable runs. 2. Encrypt your network traffic. 3. Secure any wireless network Take into consideration the human aspects of security; the great- est threat is from the inside; disgruntled employees, employees taking 44 Advanced Technology for Smart Buildings shortcuts or bringing in their own laptop. Develop policies on passwords, configurations, settings, and a training program. Comprehensively securing a building not only involves access control and video surveillance, or an IT security program, but must also include the building control and automation systems. 4.6 Communication and Data Infrastructure The method of communication and data exchange within and between building systems is vital. It is a foundation that will determine the diffi- culty or ease of integrating system functionality and data. Smart build- ings shun proprietary protocols in favor of standard open communications protocols based on the ASHRAE BACnet I/P, OPC DA, Modbus TCP, OBIX, XML, SOAP and SNMP standards of data exchange or similar open standard protocols. Many building products now incorporate open protocols, some going through a process that verifies or certifies their adherence to the pro- tocol standard. The network architecture of building systems should take into account the minimum speeds for serial buses, maximum size in points and devices per serial bus, maximum number of serial buses per network controller, and the use of native open protocol controllers versus gateways in existing buildings. The adherence to standard open protocols and detailed network design extends not only to building control systems but also to facility manage- ment systems, business systems, and IT systems in the use of standard data- base structures such as SQL or ODBC, Oracle, or DB2. 4.7 Facility Management Software The operation of a facility represents the longest duration of the lifecycle of a building and the largest portion of the total lifecycle cost. The facility management responsibilities are wide-ranging and multidisciplinary; vary- ing from responses to immediate alarms or emergencies to long term capi- tal planning. Throw in the fact that today's buildings are increasing more complex, and the need for a smart building to have top of the line facility management tools and processes to effectively manage the facility becomes essential. The software facility management applications shape the admin- istrative processes within facility management. These systems are discussed in the following sections. 4.7 Facility Management Software 4.7.1 Work Order System 45 This is a system that can initiate work orders, assign tasks to internal staff or third party contractors, track the work orders, and archive records. The sys- tem should allow for analysis of work orders based on building, space, type of asset, personnel. The system should also track labor, materials, travel expenses and assign relevant work orders. 4.7.2 Preventative and Predictive Maintenance This application is used to prevent failure of equipment through the use of suggested preventative maintenance from the manufacturer or by predict- ing equipment failure based on equipment data. The system should support the scheduling and tracking of recurring maintenance tasks, automatically assign tasks and work orders, and be able to create daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly tasks. Typically this maintenance may involve inspections, test- ing, measurements, and parts replacement or adjustment. 4.7.3 Space Planning This is a software application allowing effective space allocation for the use of the building by tenants or owners. It provides the capability to draw and manage space with two dimensional floor plans using actual sizes of real world objects such as furniture and equipment, walls, windows, doors, etc. It allows for the development of alternative space layout and provides the basis for real and well-organized space design and planning. 4.7.4 Material and Equipment Parts Inventory Control This is basically a system that tracks inventory and identifies inventory needs, possibly automatically triggering purchase orders of parts and equip- ment based on certain thresholds. 4.7.5 Asset Management This is a critical application that should house all the details of the facility assets. It should contain all the details for each piece of equipment. This should include the name of the item, identifying serial numbers, location, warranties, manufacturer and its maintenance history. The asset manage- ment application must be integrated into the preventive maintenance ap- plication and provide data on when preventative maintenance has to occur and generate the work order. 46 Advanced Technology for Smart Buildings 4.7.6 Data standards Data is an asset and facility management should have written standard methodologies and processes to manage the facility data. This would in- clude document management, naming conventions and standardized data- bases, in coordination with other relevant groups and applications, such as the IT department and enterprise asset management. 4.7.7 BIM Integration Building Information Modeling is the significant data management tool for new construction. The data and modeling generated in the use of BIM must be exported in the facility management system (specifically the COBie files into the asset management application.) This export of design and construc- tion data into the facility management system is critical to the successful handoff from construction to operations. Without it FM and the building operations are handicapped at the outset.