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Building Environment Design

I don’t build in order to have clients.

I have clients in order to build.

Ayn Rand

Google Data Center

 

“Détruire est facile ; construire est difficile.”

— Victor Hugo

 

The highest level of standardization for the building interiors on the emergent #SmartCampus originates in ISO TC 205 — Building Environment Design.  This committee is charged with standards setting in the design of new buildings and retrofit of existing buildings for acceptable indoor environment and practicable energy conservation and efficiency. Building environment design addresses the technical building systems and related architectural aspects, and includes the related design processes, design methods, design outcomes, and design-phase building commissioning. Indoor environment includes air quality, and thermal, acoustic, and visual factors.  The business plan is linked below:

STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN ISO/TC 205

Some of the key ideas in the scope of this project are listed below:

– the design of energy-efficient buildings
– building control systems design
– indoor air quality
– indoor thermal environment
– indoor acoustical environment
– indoor visual environment
– radiant heating and cooling systems
– heating and cooling systems
– building commissioning planning
– moisture in buildings

We see many of the foregoing ideas in the catalog of ASHRAE International — ANSI’s US Technical Advisory Group Administrator in this project, as well as a number of others (CLICK HERE).   There are 31 Participating member and 28 Observing member nations.

Generally speaking, ISO consensus products are performance standards and contrast sharply with prescriptive standards in the energy-related domains in the United States.  Prescriptive standards are easy to enforce but difficult to write.  Performance standards are easy to write but difficult to enforce.

Facility managers that oversee building automation units in education communities in the United States are encouraged to participate in the development of ISO 205 by communicating directly with Brian Cox at ASHRAE (bcox@ashrae.org).  We keep all ISO standards on the standing agenda of our periodic Global and AEdificare standards colloquia.  We also maintain this committee’s catalog on the standing agenda of our Mechanical colloquium.  See our CALENDAR for the next online meetings; open to everyone.

Issue: [10-30]

Category: International, Mechanical, Energy, Facility Asset Management

Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Richard Robben, Larry Spielvogel


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Bygningsinformasjonsmodellering

 

System Aspects of Electrical Energy

IEC technical committees and subcommittees Ω SMB Tabulation

IEC and ITU offices | Geneva

Much economic activity in the global standards system involves products — not interoperability standards. Getting everything to work together — safely, cost effectively and simpler — is our raison d’etre.  

Manufacturers, testing laboratories, conformance authorities (whom we call vertical incumbents) are able to finance the cost of their advocacy — salaries, travel, lobbying, administration — into the cost of the product they sell to the end user (in our cases, estate managers in educational settlements).  To present products — most of which involve direct contact with a consumer — at a point of sale it must have a product certification label.  Not so with systems.  System certification requirements, if any, may originate in local public safety requirements; sometimes reaching into the occupational safety domain.

Our readings of the intent of this technical committee is to discover and promulgate best practice for “systems of products” — i.e. ideally interoperability characteristics throughout the full span of the system life cycle.

To quote Thomas Sowell:

“There are no absolute solutions to human problems, there are only tradeoffs.”  

Many problems have no solutions, only trade-offs in matters of degree.  We explain our lament over wicked problems in our About.

 

IEC technical committees and subcommittees


LEARN MORE:

 

If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration. - Nikola Tesla


ARCHIVE

The United States National Committee of  the International Electrotechnical Commission (USNA/IEC) seeks participants and an ANSI Technical Advisory Group (US TAG) Administrator for an IEC subcommittee (Multi-Agent System) developing standards for power system network management.   From the project prospectus:

Standardization in the field of network management in interconnected electric power systems with different time horizons including design, planning, market integration, operation and control.  SC 8C covers issues such as resilience, reliability, security, stability in transmission-level networks (generally with voltage 100kV or above) and also the impact of distribution level resources on the interconnected power system, e.g. conventional or aggregated Demand Side Resources (DSR) procured from markets.

SC 8C develops normative deliverables/guidelines/technical reports such as:

– Terms and definitions in area of network management,
– Guidelines for network design, planning, operation, control, and market integration
– Contingency criteria, classification, countermeasures, and controller response, as a basis of technical requirements for reliability, adequacy, security, stability and resilience analysis,
– Functional and technical requirements for network operation management systems, stability control systems, etc.
– Technical profiling of reserve products from DSRs for effective market integration.
– Technical requirements of wide-area operation, such as balancing reserve sharing, emergency power wheeling.

Individuals who are interested in becoming a participant or the TAG Administrator for SC 8C: Network Management are invited to contact Adelana Gladstein at agladstein@ansi.org as soon as possible.

This opportunity, dealing with the system aspects of electrical energy supply (IEC TC 8), should at least interest electrical engineering research faculty and students involved in power security issues.   Participation would not only provide students with a front-row seat in power system integration but faculty can collaborate and compete (for research money) from the platform TC 8 administers.  We will refer it to the IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee which meets online 4 times monthly in European and American time zones.

Cambridge Center for Smart Infrastructure & Construction

“No village or individual shall be compelled to make bridges at river banks,

except those who from of old are legally bound to do so.”

— Magna Cara Clause 23 (Limiting forced labor for infrastructure) 

“Clare Hall and King’s College Chapel, Cambridge, from the Banks of the River Cam” / Joseph Mallord William Turner (1793)

 

Smart Infrastructure: Getting More From Strategic Assets

Dr Jennifer Schooling, Director of CSIC

Dr Ajith Parlikad, CSIC Co-Investigator and Senior Lecturer

Mark Enzer, Global Water Sector Leader

Mott MacDonald; Keith Bowers, Principal Tunnel Engineer, London Underground

Ross Dentten, Asset Information and Configuration Manager, Crossrail

Matt Edwards, Asset Maintenance and Information Manager, Anglian Water Services

Jerry England, Group Digital Railway Director, Network Rail

Volker Buscher, Director, Arup Digital

 

Smart Infrastructure is a global opportunity worth £2trn-4.8trn. The world is experiencing a fourth industrial revolution due to the rapid development of technologies and digital abundance.

Smart Infrastructure involves applying this to economic infrastructure for the benefit of all stakeholders. It will allow owners and operators to get more out of what they already have, increasing capacity, efficiency and resilience and improving services.

It brings better performance at lower cost. Gaining more from existing assets is the key to enhancing service provision despite constrained finance and growing resource scarcity. It will often be more cost-effective to add to the overall value of mature infrastructure via digital enhancements than by physical enhancements – physical enhancements add `more of the same’, whereas digital enhancements can transform the existing as well.

Smart Infrastructure will shape a better future. Greater understanding of the performance of our infrastructure will allow new infrastructure to be designed and delivered more efficiently and to provide better whole-life value.

Data is the key – the ownership of it and the ability to understand and act on it. Industry, organisations and professionals need to be ready to adjust in order to take advantage of the emerging opportunities. Early adopters stand to gain the most benefit. Everyone in the infrastructure sector has a choice as to how fast they respond to the changes that Smart Infrastructure will bring. But everyone will be affected.

Change is inevitable. Progress is optional. Now is the time for the infrastructure industry to choose to be Smart.

 

LEARN MORE:

Cambridge Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction


Perspective: Since this paper is general in its recommendations, we provide examples of specific campus infrastructure data points that are difficult, if not impossible, to identify and “make smart” — either willfully, for lack of funding, for lack of consensus, for lack of understanding or leadership:

    1. Maintenance of the digital location of fire dampers in legacy buildings or even new buildings mapped with BIM.  Doors and ceiling plenums are continually being modified and the As-Built information is usually not accurate.  This leads to fire hazard and complicates air flow and assuring occupant temperature preferences (i.e. uncontrollable hot and cold spots) 
    2. Ampere readings of feeder breakers downstream from the electric service main.  The power chain between the service substation and the end-use equipment is a “no-man’s land” in research facilities that everyone wants to meter but few ever recover the cost of the additional metering.
    3. Optimal air flow rates in hospitals and commercial kitchens that satisfies both environmental air hazards and compartmentalized air pressure zones for fire safety.
    4. Identification of students, staff and faculty directly affiliated with the campus versus visitors to the campus.
    5. Standpipe pressure variations in municipal water systems
    6. Pinch points in municipal sewer systems in order to avoid building flooding.
    7. How much of university data center cost should be a shared (gateway) cost, and how much should be charged to individual academic and business units?
    8. Should “net-zero” energy buildings be charged for power generated at the university central heating and electric generation plant?
    9. How much staff parking should be allocated to academic faculty versus staff that supports the healthcare delivery enterprises; which in many cases provides more revenue to the university than the academic units?
    10. Finally, a classical conundrum in facility management spreadsheets: Can we distinguish between maintenance cost (which should be covered under an O&M budget) and capital improvement cost (which can be financed by investors)

 

 

Current Projects

We track action in the catalog of this consortia standards developer because we continually seek ways to avoid spending a dollar to save a dime; characteristic of an industry that is a culture more than it is a business.

 

While not an ANSI accredited the FASB/GASB standards setting enterprise’s due process requirements (balance, open-ness, appeal, etc.)* are “ANSI-like” and widely referenced in education enterprise management best practice.  Recent action in its best practice bibliography is listed below

ACCOUNTING STANDARDS UPDATES ISSUED

For obvious reasons, we have an interest in its titles relevant to Not-For-Profit Entities

WHAT IS THE FASB NOT-FOR-PROFIT ENTITY TEAM

At present the non-profit titles are stable with the 2020 revision.  That does not mean there is not work than can be done.  Faculty and students may be interested in the FASG program linked below:

Academics in Standard Setting

Also, the “Accounting for Environmental Credit Programs”, last updated in January, may interest colleges and universities with energy and sustainability curricula.  You may track progress at the link below:

EXPOSURE DOCUMENTS OPEN FOR COMMENT

The Battle about Money

We encourage our colleagues to communicate directly with the FASB on any issue (Click here).   Other titles in the FASB/GASB best practice bibliography are a standing item on our Finance colloquia; open to everyone.  Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.

 

Issue: [15-190]

Category: Finance, Administration & Management, Facility Asset Management

Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Jack Janveja, Richard Robben


Workspace / FASB GASB

Gallery: Great Lakes

The Great Lakes contain enough fresh water to cover the land area of the entire United States under 3 meters of water.

We collect 15 video presentations about Great Lake water safety and sustainability prepared by the 8 Great Lake border state colleges and universities and their national and international partners in Canada.

Tour Around Lake Superior

 

 

Water 100


When the wicked problems of peace and economic inequality cannot be solved, political leaders, and the battalions of servile administrative muckety-mucks who report to them, resort to fear-mongering about an imagined problem to be solved centuries hence assuming every other nation agrees on remedies of its anthropogenic origin.  We would not draw attention to it were it not that large tranches of the global academic community are in on the grift costing hundreds of billions in square-footage for research and teaching hopelessness to our children and hatred of climate change deniers.

Before the internet is scrubbed of information contrary to climate change mania, we recommend a few titles:

“Gulliver’s Travels” Jonathan Swift | Start at Chapter 5, PDF page 235

The Mad, Mad, Mad World of Climatism: Mankind and Climate Change Mania

Climate Change Craziness Exposed: Twenty-One Climate Change Denials of Environmentalists

Climate Psychosis

Gallery: Other Ways of Knowing Climate Change

 

Recognizing signs and doors for Indoor Wayfinding for Blind and Visually Impaired Persons

Mouna Afif, et al

 

Abstract:  Indoor signage plays an essential component to find destination for blind and visually impaired people. In this paper, we propose an indoor signage and doors detection system in order to help blind and partially sighted persons accessing unfamiliar indoor environments. Our indoor signage and doors recognizer is builded based on deep learning algorithms. We developed an indoor signage detection system especially used for detecting four types of signage: exit, wc, disabled exit and confidence zone. Experiment results demonstrates the effectiveness and the high precision of the proposed recognition system. We obtained 99.8% as a recognition rate.

Wayfinding

Uniform Plumbing Code

“Niagara” 1857 Frederic Edwin Church

Although the 2024 Revision is substantially complete there are a number of technical and administrative issues to be resolved before the final version is released for public use. Free access to the most recent edition is linked below.

CODE DEVELOPMENT

2027 UPC/UMC CODE DEVELOPMENT TIMELINE

Report on Comments for the 2024 Uniform Plumbing Code

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