This document discusses alternative approaches to heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) in buildings through intelligent and sustainable design. It explores how biomimicry of nature can provide solutions, highlighting characteristics like using only needed energy and recycling. Intelligent buildings aim to be responsive, sustainable through low energy/water use and pollution, and promote health/well-being. Lessons can be drawn from vernacular architecture, animal structures, and biomimetic design inspired by natural forms and processes. The goal is integrated, optimized building performance through a holistic, systems-thinking approach.

1. Dreosti Memorial Lecture
CAN INTELLIGENT BUILDINGS PROVIDE ALTERNATIVE
APPROACHES TO HEATING, VENTILATING AND AIR CONDITIONING
OF BUILDINGS?
Presented by Professor Derek Clements-Croome*
In Johannesburg, Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town, South
Africa during June 2013 sponsored by SAIRAC.
Abstract
Building services consume energy and require careful maintenance if they are to
be continuously reliable. Compared to the building fabric their lifetime is
comparatively short. However they make buildings habitable for people to work
and live in them by providing air and water at suitable temperatures besides light
, power and a host of other utilities for the occupants. Heating , ventilation and
airconditioning are major considerations because they provide heating and
cooling for human needs. With the pressures to design new and refurbish old
buildings to be sustainable and also healthy we need to consider alternatives to
the traditional approaches to systems provision.
Technology is advancing more and more rapidly but cannot provide all the
answers. Throughout history people from all cultures throughout the world have
discovered ingenious ways of dealing with the rigours of climate whether hot,
humid or very cold. Then there is Nature. The marvels of the plant and animal
worlds give ceaseless wonder and can stimulate us to think more laterally. By
reviewing the thinking behind vernacular styles and being prepared to learn
from Nature we can design more naturally responsive buildings. Organic
architecture is known but let us adopt this approach together with appropriate
technology to buildings and systems as a whole to achieve sustainable intelligent
architecture for people and society.
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2. Introduction
Architecture is the science and art of building created by combining materials
and systems to work in harmony with Nature .Buildings whether caves, igloos,
mud huts or 21st century commercial icons all use materials together with means
of adjusting the living environmental conditions to suit the the occupants needs.
By theses means and adjustments in human behaviour by the occupants
themselves who may for example put more clothes on or off to be warmer or
cooler to achieve a satisfactory level of thermal comfort. A purely passive
building will just use simple means like choice of materials, orientation, mass
and form to achieve the optimum environment without mechanical systems
Integrated air and structural systems like hollow block floor systems and airvent
windows are examples of these which only need to operate equipment .in
extreme climatic conditions.
In contrast to this James Law an architect in Hong Kong describes high
technology buildings such as Cybertecture as :
In the 21st Century, buildings will be different from 20th Century .They are
no longer about concrete, steel and glass, but also the new intangible
materials of technology, multimedia, intelligence and interactivity. Only
recognizing this will bring a new form of architecture to light, namely a
Cybertecture.
(James Law Cybertecture International)
Materials are the key. Vernacular architecture shows how over millennia people
have adapted to hot, cold, humid or dry climates across the world by moulding,
shaping and forming shelters , homes and in modern times offices , schools
,hospitals and factories. James Law makes the distinction between tangible
materials like stone, concrete, glass and wood and intangible materials like those
embedded with digital devices, graphene or carbon nanotubes making the wall,
ceiling or floor into a communication channel which can interact with people or
systems. Nanotubes alter the electrical and thermal properties of the material.
The action of sunlight on nano paints can change the surface colour; in the
future such effects could be activated remotely by voice or thought control
mobiles. Nano coatings can produce hydrophilic self cleaning surfaces for
harvesting water in the same way as the desert beetle does via condensation and
storage mechanisms..
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3. The materials revolution already has resulted in self cleaning materials; self
healing materials; low embedded energy concrete ( Novacem); various forms of
smart glazing and digital walls. But there is more to come as we can expect the
so called ‘wonder’ material graphene, discovered by Geim and Novoselov in
2004, to make its impact on building materials. Graphene is a transparent single
layer honeycomb lattice of carbon atoms. It is the lightest, strongest and stiffest
material known with an electrical current density higher than copper. Graphene
coatings and composites herald a new future for building facades.
Intelligent Buildings
There are a bewildering array of terms used to describe what today we term
Intelligent Buildings. I have composed the following figure to represent my
interpretation of these which is equally applicable to buildings and cities (
Clements-Croome 2013)..
Sustainable Intelligent Buildings and Cities
Digital
(Cyber)
Intel
Sentient
Quality of
Life Liveability
Green
ICT Web-Based
(e services)
Sensory
Nature
Smart Social Environmental
Environmental-Socio-Economic Value
I think the overarching word is intelligent which encompasses the hard high
technology of today and tomorrow together with the softer human, social and
sustainable qualities which are vitally important if the building is to benefit
individuals, organisations and society. In the same way we describe intelligent
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4. human beings as those with many different qualities and abilities ranging from
being smart or clever to being socially aware.
An intelligent building is one that is responsive to the requirements of
occupants, organisations and society. It is sustainable in terms of energy
and water consumptions besides being lowly polluting
in terms of emissions and waste: healthy in terms of well-being
for the people living and working within it; and functional
according to the user needs - -Clements-Croome,
2009.
Intelligent buildings need to be sustainable. This means sustaining their
performance with respect to energy, water, waste and pollution for future
generations, Beyond this intelligent buildings should be healthy places to live
and work in; be equipped with appropriate reliable technology; meet regulations;
respond to the needs of the occupants; be flexible ,adaptable and durable ; give
value for money. Architecture provides landmarks in our civilization so their
visual appeal remains important too.
Buildings will contain a variety of systems designed by people, and yet the
relationship between buildings and people can only work satisfactorily if there is
integration between the supply ( planners, design consultants, contractors and
manufacturers) and demand (developers, building owners and
occupants) side stakeholders as well
as between the occupants, the systems and the building . Systems thinking is
essential in planning, design and management, together with the ability to create
and innovate whilst remaining practical. All this requires holistic thinking.
To be sustainable ----sustaining for future generations----there has to be long
term thinking in the same way that Nature is durable over time. The ultimate
objective should be simplicity rather than complexity and this is best achieved
by naturally responsive architecture.. This type of design not only requires
technical ability but also the powers of observation, interpretation, imagination,
creativity and even intuition. Only working to fulfill
Building Regulations can stifle creativity even though they
are necessary to set a minimum level of expectation and obey health and
safety requirements. However we should aim to design
well above these conditions. After all, buildings form our architectural
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5. landscape and they, and the environment they generate, should uplift the soul
and the spirit of those people within them as well as those who pass by them.
The creation of shared visions, effective teams, clear and robust design and
management processes ensures that the intelligent building will effectively
demonstrate in use the purpose for which it was conceived. Times are changing
as technology and society evolve so there needs to be a long
term outlook by the team . Key innovation issues for intelligent buildings
include sustainability (energy, water, waste and pollution),smart materials, the
use of information and communication technology, robotics, embedded sensor
technology, smart-materials technology including nanotechnology, knowledge
management, health in the workplace and social change.
Effective integration calls for:
 good briefing based on a well defined mission and vision at the inception
stage of the project based on
 a unity of vision between clients, consultants , contractors, manufacturers
and facilities managers.
 co-ordination of information across the whole building process;
 some standardised processes and products rather than a proliferation of
proprietary systems; for example prefabrication has many advantages;
 interoperability of systems and their interfaces;
 documentary evidence on integrated processes;
 proven and tested processes to be adapted from use on other similar projects;
 auditing and monitoring processes for post-occupancy evaluation;
 well defined work processes;
Intelligent buildings should increase well-being by providing a pleasurable
multi-sensory experience. If an environment is to be conducive to health and
well-being it should have the following characteristics:
 A fresh thermal environment;
 Ventilation rates to provide fresh air with good distribution and acceptable
levels of CO2 and other pollutants( particles; allergens and volatile organic
compounds);
 Plenty of natural lighting and good views preferably of Nature;
 No lighting glare;
 Appropriate acoustic climate;
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6.  Spatial planning and settings to suit various types of working;
 Ergonomic work places so as to minimise muscular-skeletal disorders
 Minimum pollution from external sources including noise.
Personal control of temperature, ventilation and light is important. Central
control for items like security is fine but people prefer to have some degree of
control over their immediate environment. There are other factors like colour
which are also important in setting the ‘tone’ of the environment. The location
of the building with respect to Nature is important too. Ulrich (1984) showed
how views out from hospital windows on to greenery aided patients to recover
more quickly; Alvarsson et al (2009) show that the sounds of Nature reduce
stress. Greenery and still or running water relieve the body and spirit in most
climates including very hot ones
There is a lot of evidence showing that environment affects work performance
so there has to be a balance between energy reduction measures and providing
the best conditions for people to work in (Clements-Croome 2006). The issue
therefore becomes one of value. This means quality as well as whole life costs
need to be considered in design.
Work conducted by Evans et al (1998) concluded that a ratio defined as the
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) (or whole life value cost ratio), for a building
was 1:5:200 but these numeric values will vary but the ratio scales remain
similar.
1: Design and Construction costs – cheapest is usually not the long
term solution
5: Operating and Maintenance costs – driven by the building design.
200: Business Operating Costs – salaries and other organisational costs;
productivity which is influenced by the building environmental
design and management as well as the ethos of the organisation,
social and motivational issues.
Lessons from Nature
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7. Although human ingenuity makes various inventions it will never discover
inventions more beautiful, appropriate and more direct than in Nature
because in her nothing is lacking and nothing is superfluous.
Leonardo da Vinci
Benyus (2002) lists some of Nature’s characteristics from which we can learn:
 runs on sunlight;
 uses only the energy it needs;
 fits form to function;
 recycles;
 rewards cooperation;
 banks on diversity;
 demands local expertise;
 realises the power of limits.
There is an economic use of energy and materials. Water and air are vital for the
plant and animal kingdoms to live and much of architecture is about how these
are channeled in various climates in order to provide the best environment for
the organism’s survival..
The words optimisation and integration are often used by building design teams
but often without any idea about how these can be achieved even though there
are methods in operational research such as dynamic, integer or linear
programming available. Integration and optimisation in Nature appear as
completely natural processes and we can observe and learn from these.
Animals build for many reasons such as shelter and safety; protecting their eggs;
food storage; waste disposal; hibernation or in the case of bower birds for
display. Animals also construct traps and the classic example is the spider’s
web. So we learn about animal buildings such as nests, warrens, setts, dreys,
dens, lairs, lodges, termitaries and others whether on land or in the oceans. The
materials often are twigs, wood, grasses, earth, excrement, salivary mucus and in
the case of spiders and caterpillars self made silk. Self-secretion produced
materials are very economical. Silk is as strong as a steel filament of the same
diameter. Construction methods include sculpting; piling up; moulding; rolling;
folding; sticking together; weaving and sewing.
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8. Biomimetics
This has been referred to by Julian Vincent as the abstraction of design from
Nature. Biomimetic architecture is increasingly giving us insights on how to
address the sustainable design of buildings and cities.
Biophilia
Our innate sense of Nature is termed bioplilia..Heerwagen (2009) presents
extensive evidence on how Nature affects our health and well-being. Kellert et
al (2008) demonstrate biophilic design in architecture and engineering. Clients
often ask what financial return good environments produce even though they
acknowledge that productivity is usually higher in such environments. Terrapin
LLC (2012) have published a White Paper on the economics of biophilia. They
argue forcibly that by adopting biophilic measures the savings could be as much
as $93m per year for hospitals and similarly in New York schools very
significant rates of return are forecasted. Retail profits could be increased by
$47.5m in California alone.
Intelligent buildings are a composition of the building itself plus the landscape
around it which not only provides open space but also offers cooling and
shading..Beyond this greenery feeds not only our aesthetic appetite but our spirit
and well-being too.
Architecture Inspired by Nature
We would like the intelligent building of a future generation to open its
windows like eyelids to the dawn, to sense the heat of the rising sun or
respond to the chill of a breeze by raising the hairs on its back for
insulation.---- Aldersey- Williams (2003)
John et al (2005) describe sustainable solutions for architecture using lessons
from the natural world. The attraction of biomimetics for building designers is
that it raises the prospect of closer integration of form and function. Biomimetic
architecture may be seen as an extension of modernism. It promises to yield
more interaction with the user by for example, learning from the sophisticated
sensor systems in animals including the insect world. However there are barriers
to overcome including ever changing standards; the fragmentation of the
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9. construction industry at educational and professional levels; the persistent
traditional culture with regard to matters like innovation and sacrificing value
for cheap capital cost. Biomimetics is at the interfaces of biology, engineering,
material science and chemistry and encourages lateral thinking which can
encourage a more creative and enlightened outlook about problems. William
McDonough (2002) asked the tantalising question why can’t a building be
designed like a tree? Studying the work of the pioneering eco-urban architect
Ken Yeang and Eugene Tsui on vertical green buildings or the Asian Cairns
project in Shenzhen of Vincent Callebaut one sees that this notion is not so far-fetched.
Some architects like Norman Foster, Frank Gehry and Santiago Calatrava are
inspired by the form and shapes of fish, birds or the human body for example to
sculpt some of their buildings. The Milwaukee Art Museum in Wisconsin by
Calatrava is thought to resemb le an eagle; Norman Foster’s Scottish Exhib ition
and Conference Centre in Glasgow is referred to as the armadillo; Auditorium
Parco della Musica by Renzo Piano is considered to be shaped like a beetle; and
the Fish at Vila Olimpica in Barcelona by Gehry are all symbolic visual images
from the natural world. . The lightweight tensile structures of Frei Otto were
originally inspired by spiders’ webs but also identify with trees for their
structural integrity (Otto and Rasch 2001). For Frank Lloyd Wright architecture
and Nature were soul mates; he wrote -- Buildings, too, are children of Earth
and Sun (Hoffmann 1986).
Animals and plants depend on networks to circulate blood, air or water for
living. How are these made to be as effective as we know them to be, including
their minimum consumption of energy? A team at the Los Alamos Laboratory
have found that fractal geometry can explain this and have developed allometric
scaling laws which define the branching networks (West et al 1997). The
general model describes how fluids and materials are transported through space-filling
fractal networks of branching tubes. Energy dissipated is minimized and
the terminal tubes are limited in size to a single cell. More generally, structural
and functional properties can be predicted for vertebrate cardiovascular and
respiratory systems, plant vascular systems, insect tracheal tubes, and other
distribution networks. Using this model networks for transpiration in plants and
blood in animals can be understood in more detail. Could this approach be used
to design fluid networks in buildings more effectively?.
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10. Table 1 shows various facets of Nature which have stimulated the creative
process in architectural design in functional as well as stylistic ways.
Table 1 Some examples of how Nature has influenced design
(adapted from Chapter 3 by Janine Benyus in Kellert et al, 2008 )
Facet of Nature Architectural feature
Human femur bone Base of Eiffel Tower
Amazon water lily Vaulting of Crystal Palace
Skeletons of radiolarians Geodesic domes
Byssus threads of mussels Adhesive filaments
Box fish Daimler –Chrysler car
Logarithmic spiral in seashells; cochlea;
skin pores
Ventilation fans by PAX Scientific
Peacocks; humming birds; butterflies Structural colour
Maple samara winged seed Samara House by Frank Lloyd Wright
Sea sponge filaments (Venus’s flower
Light guide
basket)
Pillar like structures of Moths eye Anti-reflective and anti-glare surfaces ace(
MARAG film for and solar cells and
displays)
Cuttlefish Skin cells change colour
Photosynthesis Dye sensitised solar cells
Shark skin Low drag swim suits
Gecko feet Sticky tape and glue
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11. Architect and planner David Pearson (2001) proposed a list of rules towards the
design of organic architecture. These rules are known as the Gaia Charter for
organic architecture and design. It states ---let the design:
 express the rhythm of music and the power of dance.
 be inspired by nature and be sustainable, healthy, conserving, and
diverse.
 unfold, like an organism, from the seed within.
 exist in the "continuous present" and "begin again and again".
 follow the flows and be flexible and adaptable.
 satisfy social, physical, and spiritual needs.
 "grow out of the site" and be unique
 celebrate the spirit of youth, play and surprise.
There are many examples emerging of biomimetic applications such as Lotusan
paint which enables buildings to self-clean based on the lotus leaf; the well-known
discovery of Velcro; the fast swim suit based on the low surface drag
offered by the skin surface features of a shark and many more. Here are some
case studies which are relevant to architecture and also are sustainable in terms
of saving energy. Pawlyn (2011) describes many more. We see here the
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12. possibility for having not just low carbon or net zero buildings but negative
carbon architecture. which generates energy.
Case Studies
1 The Eastgate Centre in Harare, Zimbabwe
This was designed by architect Mike Pearce with engineers Ove Arup and
Partners. It contains offices and a shopping centre. The design was inspired by
the self-cooling mounds of African termites and adopts natural ventilation with
passive cooling techniques using heavy mass to achieve year round thermal
comfort. Outdoor air is drawn in either warmed or cooled by the building mass,
then vented into the build ing’s hollow block floor and then into the offices
through ventilation ducts before exiting via chimneys at the top. The Centre is
sealed to prevent noise pollution. The building has light filtering glazing,
adjustable blinds, deep overhangs to shade windows and walls from direct high
angle summer sun, while utilizing lower angle winter sun so the heat gains are
minimised. The energy consumption of the Eastgate Centre is 10% less than a
conventional building or 35% less than an airconditioned building. It also
provides 20% rent savings for tenants compared with occupants in the
surrounding buildings because of reduced maintenance costs (Benyus, in
Kellert, 2008).
2: Photovoltaic cells embedded over electro-luminescent membrane: An
inspiration derived from the eye of the moth (Gilder 2010)
The nocturnal moth has evolved a remarkable eye that, rather than reflecting
light, absorbs it almost completely. Engineers have mimicked its nanostructure
to design better solar panel coatings and anti-reflective surfaces, and in 2012
scientists are using the same principle to design a thin film that will absorb
radiation from X-ray machines more effectively,
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13. The photovoltaic cells mounted upon the membrane absorb all incident solar
rays from any global direction at any time of the year without the need for any
manual or automatic override. The incoming rays having once entered into the
moths eye-like cells, are inter reflected within the cell to the photovoltaic
molecules around the surface of the sphere such that none leave the cell again.
This absorption happens all year round in variable conditions and creates the
potential difference for electricity generation. The pattern developed between
the translucent photovoltaic cell and the transparent membrane, gives the
interior a visual frozen glass effect.
The integrated application of the electroluminescent membrane (deriving its
electrical energy generated from the stored energy of the photovoltaic cells)
allows the option of making the entire membrane glow during the night.
Likewise, the interior of the membrane could also have an electro-chromic film.
The electric energy generated during the day from the photovoltaic cells could
charge the electro-chromic film to variably shade the interior of the structure
from incident UV sunlight. This eventually becomes a negative carbon
screening façade generating energy as well as an exterior building illumination
system depending on the conditions..
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14. Cross sectional sketch of the proposed photovoltaic cell over the membrane
absorbing sunrays from all directions (Gilder 2010)
Derived inspiration – the eye structure of the moth (left); microscopic view
of a schematic membrane with impregnations on its outer surface created
for increasing its exposed surface area (right).
3 Camels Nose
A camel's nose is not much to behold, but the very survival of the animal
depends upon it.
Camels exhale drier cooler air thus conserving water in their bodies. In 1979
Schmidt-Nielsen of Duke University linked up with Zoologist Amiram
Shkolnik, of Tel Aviv University and discovered the secret of the camels air-cooling
ability.. The camel makes use of two principles of physics ---cooler air
holds less moisture and the greater the surface area the faster the rate of
evaporation or condensation. Evaporation results in cooling.
They found an intricate labyrinth of narrow highly scrolled air passageways in
the camel's nose which greatly increases its surface area available for heat and
moisture transfer. Typically a human nose has only about 160 cm2 of interior
surface area, while the camel has about 1000 cm2 of mucous membrane on the
nasal interior.
The camel's nose acts as both a humidifier and a dehumidifier with every
breathing cycle. The hot, dry air that is inhaled passes over the large area of
moist membrane. This air is immediately humidified by picking up moisture
from the nose and is cooled in the process,. This cooler air passes to the lungs
and remains at approximately body temperature. When it is exhaled, it is cooled
even further by passing over the same nasal membranes, this time by a process
of dehumidifying instead of humidifying. The nasal membranes are coated with
a special water-absorbing substance that extracts the moisture from the air like
the cooling coils of a dehumidifier. A net savings of 68 percent in the water
usually lost through respiration occurs just between the cooling and drying
phases of the breathing cycle.
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15. According to a report from the United Nations Environment Programme, severe
water shortages will affect 4 billion people by 2050. Looking to the dromedary
camel's water conservation strategies for inspiration, we could design solutions
to limit evaporation from water storage ponds, design more efficient irrigation
systems, and learn how to best minimize loss and recapture water used in
industrial processes
4 Lilypad Cities
Architect Vincent Callebaut has come up with a possible relocation destination
for these climate change refugees in the form of the “Lilypad” concept – a
completely self-sufficient floating city that would accommodate up to 50,000
people..
With a shape inspired by the highly ribbed leaf of Victoria water lilies, the
double skin of the floating “ecopolis” would be made of polyester fibers covered
by a layer of titanium dioxide (TiO2), which would react with ultraviolet rays
and absorb atmospheric pollution via a photocatalytic effect .
Callebauts Lilypad City
Three marinas and three mountains would surround a centrally located artificial
lagoon that is totally immersed below the water line to act as ballast for the city.
The three mountains and marinas would be dedicated to work, shopping and
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16. entertainment, respectively, while suspended gardens and aquaculture farms
located below the water line would be used to grow food and biomass.
The floating city would also include the full complement of renewable energy
technologies, including solar, thermal, wind, tidal, and biomass to produce more
energy than it consumes. The Lilypads could be located close to land or set free
to follow the ocean currents wherever they may lead. Callebaut’s hope is that the
Lilypad becomes a reality by 2100
Tenets for the Planning and Design of Intelligent Buildings
We have defined intelligent buildings in terms of responsiveness to
occupants; well-being of people; low resource consumption with low
pollution and waste; flexibility and adaptability to deal with change;
appropriate balance of high and low technology.. Their development is along
a continuum rooted in vernacular architecture and now moving with
innovation towards buildings which are eco-effective; responsive to the
occupants varying needs; are healthy and simple to operate. Old and new
buildings can share this evolution. Increasingly we observe how well the
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17. plant and animal worlds can show us economies in the optimum use of
energy and materials in most beautiful ways and this is leading to more
examples of biomimetic architecture.
Intelligent buildings should be eco-intelligent and this means , in terms
expressed by Goleman (2009), know your impacts; favour improvements;
share what you learn. In this way buildings will be equitable for all in
society; have long-life value; respectful of Nature. Wherever we build we have
to fulfil human needs in an evolving technological world but set in particular
cultural contexts. Braungart and McDonough (2009) believe form follows
evolution rather than function, but in reality both apply.
These tenets are guidelines which apply to buildings and cities now but some
will change and continue to evolve over time.
 Plan and design with an integrated team so that clients, consultants,
contractors, facilities managers all develop a commitment to the project
and want to achieve the environmental, social and economic objectives;.
 Systems and holistic thinking are key
 Assess the impacts of the building on occupants and communities
nearby
.
 Occupants behaviour has a large effect on the consumption of energy
and water so try to increase awareness of occupants to the impact of their
actions on resources. Smart metering is a start but wireless sensor
technology is rapidly becoming applicable in building operation and for
the use by occupants. Energy reduction measures alone can lead to an
energy rebound effect but considered together with the occupancy use can
be effective.
 Coherent data management systems are important to give feedback on
the performance of different spaces in the building. Use continual post-occupancy
evaluation process to obtain feedback data.
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18.  Use a whole life value or whole life performance approach to ensure that
quality as well as whole life costs are taken into account.
 Aim for simplicity rather than complexity in operation
 Think about well-being and freshness as well as comfort and consider all
the senses and how air, view, daylight, sound, colour, greenery and space
affect us in the workplace
,.
 Connectivity is important so there is interoperability not only between
the systems and the building but also between the occupant and the
building.
 Design for flexibility and adaptability
 Think of an intelligent building as an organism responding to human and
environmental needs but also one that needs to ‘breathe’ through the
façade between the external and internal environments. The façade
transfers light, solar radiation, air, noise and moisture, but also links
occupants to the outside world so intelligent or smart façades allow these
aspects to be controlled in a way which is functional but also enjoyable to
those working and living inside the building.
 Plan the facilities management so the building and occupants are cared
for.
 Balance efficiency with effectiveness. An air supply system for example
can deliver the right’ amount of air to a space and be deemed effic ient but
may not be effective in the space because the air has no impact on the
breathing zone where the people are located.
.
 Design beyond the expectations defined in Regulations.
 Keep abreast of the relevant fields of knowledge.
 Learn from other sectors and disciplines.
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19.  Continue the quest for more integrated education and training so a
common language and vision is inculcated in minds of students at the start
of their careers.
 Acquire T Knowledge by learning in depth but also in breadth to see the
interconnections with other knowledge areas.
 Formalise learning in the workplace as well as in universities and
colleges.
Many companies today describe business intelligence in terms of being
 smart to fulfil enterprise requirements and stimulate new insights;
 by being agile with advanced integration which allows flexibility and
adaptability;
 use pervasive intelligence to link strategic, economic and operational
management processes.
So for example software products need to be innovative, agile and adaptable and
this approach to business intelligence allows these aims to be achieved.
Intelligent Buildings, old and new, need this type of thinking throughout their
whole life from concept planning to care in use and beyond.
The Future
The title of this paper is-- Can intelligent buildings provide alternative
approaches to heating, ventilating and air conditioning of buildings? The
answers lie in the developments which have been described here. Some are
known techniques and used currently but others are at various stages of
development. .We have to adapt to change .We need to have medium and long
term vision as well as remaining fixed in a short term one.
A highly significant area of development will be in smart materials,
which will revolutionise the way that the building facade and the
materials used for equipment can be designed. Nanotechnology is already
having a large influence on the way the properties of materials can be
affected by allowing modification at a molecular level, and practical
examples are already being seen, such as concrete which is lighter but
many times stronger than traditional
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20. concrete. It can be expected that glass will eventually become as
thermally efficient as other materials. Self healing building skins akin to
those found in Nature are feasible. Materials embedded with graphene as
well as nanotubes will mean material properties can be configured with a
wider range of possibilities than we are accustomed to.
In contrast to this advanced technological approach indust rial hemp is a
renewable crop material which offers low embodied energy, high thermal
mass, is hygroscopic and is sufficiently airtight but hemp constructions do
allow a trickle of air through them. Straw bale construction has also
recently and successfully been used. Waste composites offer possibilities
took.
Animals and plants can teach us a lot about how to be economic with the
use of energy and materials. Biomimetics can be expected to offer
lessons from Nature that can be applied to architecture. For some time
now structural forms used in construction have mimicked those seen in
plants and trees, but there is still much to learn.
These developments mean the facades of buildings will as James Law
expressed become communication channels between climate and the
occupants but it will also impact the way we deal with heating,
ventilating and airconditioning.
The occupants of buildings often say they have little control over their
environment. There is currently a debate about the need for personal
carbon footprints plus a growing trend towards respecting the needs and
responsibilities of the individuals who occupy and use buildings. The
emergence of sensors that can be embedded into clothing,materials and
equipment, together with wireless sensor networks, will result in a
ubiquitous network providing extensive and valuable real-time data on
performance. The captured data on occupants' responses to the changing
environment can be analysed to reveal signif icant patterns that can be
used to provide a degree of personal control. This will become normal
practice over the next few years. Wearable electronics in clothing and
personal accessories are already highly developed in the textile industry
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21. and will help people to increase their awareness of their actions with
regard to energy and water consumption, for example.
Smart metering in buildings will help us to understand the influence of
occupancy behaviour on consumption levels and guide people to ways in
which they can reduce these levels and become more sustainable. The
benefit to the domestic consumer is that they can save money, and in the
case of commercial buildings organisations can encourage their staff to be
more aware of green measures by offering green bonus schemes. Also, by
comparing the performance of the building and its systems with the
responses of the occupants, one can easily define areas of dissatisfaction
and see if more appropriate design criteria may be used. It is already
evident from water metering that considerable savings in consumption
can be made.
Rapid advancements in information and communication technologies
such as the hafnium chip will increase computer power and speeds of
operation. Flexible fold up electronic screens will make e-material
portable anywhere.
Now voice activat ion is common but later thought control of mobile
devices will make communication and creative design more flexib le and
immediate to user needs..
Cloud computing means virtual data storage will not only decrease
computer energy cooling loads, office space and administration time but
also offer the means for smart mobile devices to tap into the internet for
required data .The networked world opens up a new avenue of
understanding and modeling complex non-linear dynamic systems for
design and management processes.
The development of virtual reality scenarios will allow the client to have
much greater participation in design and management processes, as well
as allowing greater integration between the various systems. The use of
interconnect design tools will result in a more efficient and effective
management process. Savings in time and manpower and decreases in
material wastage will increase the cost effectiveness of the project.
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22. The analysis of problems in the built environment often assumes for
simplicity that actions occur in a non-linear system but in reality dynamic
non-linear systems predominate. Network science is part of the field of
complexity science and chaos theory. It allows for the study of how
systems interact and give rise to emergent properties and behavio ur
(Hidalgo 2008; Lu and Clements -Croome 2010). These developments and
ideas will make system modeling more realistic in the future.
Robotics offers a means of improving the maintenance and cleaning of
systems. Robots can be produced on a human scale or on a nano scale and
can be inserted into ventilat ion and heating systems in order to give
feedback for maintenance schedules and to conduct internal maintenance
in systems where access is difficult.
Attention will need to be given to the education and training of the
design and management team the composition of which will likely change
to accommodate other emerging environmental disciplines. . In order to
fulfil social, environmental and economic requirements it will be
necessary to bring these disciplines together not only by interrelating the
professional bodies but also by reflecting this in the education and
training of individuals. In the future we can expect to see foundation
courses for architects, engineers, sociologists, economists, planners and
developers before they specialise in their appropriate disciplines so they
cultivate a common language
.
A summary of possible future scenarios is now given.
 Carbon negative buildings like artificial leaf hydrogen generating
facades linked to fuel cells also algae biofuel facades
 Green living facades
 Applications of biomimetics
 Smart materials for reactive facades; embeded sensors, nanotubes,
graphene
 Application of nanotecnologies
 Robotics for prefabrication, cleaning, maintenance and site
assembly
 Fully integrated inter operable systems
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23.  Buildings into smart grid systems
 Wireless Sensor Technology linking climate, building. systems and
occupants
 Innovation with respect for passive low technology
 New culture of value, systems and holistic thinking and vision
Resource consumption, information and communication systems,
client-driven knowledgebased design and construction processes are
some of the curreent key issues but these have to be viewed within the
grand sc ene for the future d escrib ed abo ve and in Kurzweil’s b oo k The
Singularity is Near in 2005.The singularity is an event we cannot see
beyond such as when will people be at one with intelligent machines
which according to Kurzweil will be in about 2045. He forecasts that we
will be able to reverse engineer the brain by 2029. Whatever the
speculation the future will be challenging but affords us opportunities to
improve the quality of life throughout the world. Kaku in his book
Physics of the Future takes a glimpse at how science will shape human
destiny by the year 2100 for our grandchildren..Intelligent buildings and
cities are a vital part of this evolution.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the many people who have helped me compose this
presentation including Patrick Bellew; James Law; Jonathan Gilder ;
James Pack; Mike Berry; Xiaoshu Lu; Gulay Ozkan; Keith Calder; Ken
Yeang; Vincent Callebaut ; Husam Al-Waer; Andy Ford., Waleed
Alnafea and Christos Ioannou .
References and Bibliography
The references cited and the basis of this work can be found in the book
Intelligent Buildings: Design, Management and Operation second edition
2013 edited and part authored by D J Clements -Croome and published by
Telford ICE.
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