Systems and the future
Sensors and controls
office school hospital housing public building
A set of sensors, controllers and actuators that measures what happens in a building and adjusts its systems. It measures temperature, humidity, light, presence, carbon dioxide or consumption.
What it solves
It switches off what is not in use and switches on what is needed at the right moment. In the tropics it helps coordinate natural ventilation, fans and air conditioning without overspending.
Today
Start with a few well-placed sensors and controls people understand. Always leave a manual override and check every year that the programming matches actual use.
Common mistake
Filling the building with connected devices without a maintenance plan or protection against unauthorized access.
Tomorrow
The most useful controls are simple and understandable, such as an alert that it is a good time to open windows because it is cooler outside. Low-resolution sensors count people without capturing faces, which protects privacy.
Fact Occupancy-based control can reduce ventilation and lighting consumption by up to 40%.
Where it comes from
- 117th-century science England, around 1620
Cornelis Drebbel built a mercury thermostat for an incubator, one of the first devices with feedback. - 2Textile industry United Kingdom, 1830s
A chemist designed a bimetallic thermostat for spinning mills. - 3Modern building Wisconsin, United States, 1883
The bimetallic room thermostat was patented, and shortly afterward multi-zone control.
Masters
- Jean Nouvel Arab World Institute, Paris, France, 1987
He covered the south facade with photosensitive panels that open and close like the diaphragm of a camera to regulate indoor light. It is an early example of a building that measures and responds to its surroundings.
Appears in the routes
See also
Also in Systems and the future
Diagrams and texts by LDB Arquitectura. They are shared under the CC BY 4.0 license, which allows them to be used and adapted with credit to the source.