JEDDAH, 20 October 2005 — The foundations of a Saudi-Egyptian venture to build “smart” buildings were laid recently when Egyptian Architects Group and the Saudi company B.T. for Information Technology announced the joint venture in Riyadh.
Yusri Zaghloul, the president of Egyptian Architects Group, said that the third generation building system was based on providing a basic IT structure and networks that work via Internet protocols in administrative buildings, tourist resorts and in homes. The initial budget for the new partnership is SR1,951,285 (3 million Egyptian pounds).
The new generation of 21st century buildings, which the group intends to build in the Kingdom, will integrate the current Direct Digital Control (DDC) technology with other building systems to create a “smart building.” DDC control consists of microprocessor-based controllers in which software performs the control logic. The smart building anticipates the needs of the building users and provides improved comfort, greater user control and better energy efficiency.
Zaghloul said the concept of a smart building is to integrate communications, entertainment and Internet services into a high speed and high quality system built into the fabric of the building. The network is complimentary with the rest of the in-house systems such as air-conditioning, alarm systems and security systems which monitor the building from different locations.
Work on a number of these projects in this field, such as administration buildings, residential and tourist projects, has begun. Zaghloul expects that over the next year, many new structures in the public and private sectors will incorporate smart technology.
Amro Taher, chairman of the Saudi B.T. Company for IT, said that choosing Egypt for this field for investment came after a thorough study of the Arab region. Egypt is distinguished, he said, by large potential markets in real estate, communications and information technology.
The security aspects of the system, he said, were an increasingly important aspect of smart technology. The integrated system organizes energy and water as well as notifying the owner in case of their being used in his absence. The basic smart package contemplated will consist of 16 services.
Intelligent buildings are said to be more attractive and easier to lease. Existing buildings, lacking the attractive features of the newer, more intelligent ones could lose tenants to their more intelligent competitors.
The idea of intelligent buildings that use high technology to maximize the efficiency of building use as an addendum to the structure was introduced in the United States in the early 1980s. Intelligent buildings use electronics extensively and are high-tech related. The National Academy of Sciences in Washington determined four parameters that defined intelligent buildings: energy efficiency, life-safety systems, telecommunications systems and workplace automation.
The optimum intelligent building will integrate the four areas into one single computerized system with all the hardware and software furnished by a single supplier using compatible equipment and common CPUs and trunk wiring.
