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Welcome to the newest edition of the Cornerstones enewsletter. The BACnet International community benefits from information and education shared through Cornerstones, the organization's monthly electronic publication. This publication is disseminated to members of the BACnet community, connecting corporate, integrator, site, student and individual end users.
Cornerstones is a unique publication because it speaks not only to the engineer and contractor communities, but also to facility professionals, building managers and owners, and other personnel.
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This is where you come in. We need you to connect! If there is a best practice, company news, product news or BACnet Success Story you want to share, please send them to us. And don't leave out the photos!
All submissions should be sent to Kathleen Magee, BACnet International's Marketing Manager.
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Opportunities
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Call for Members for SSPC 135 Committee
The ASHRAE Committee covering SSPC 135, BACnet - A Data Communication Protocol for Building Automation and Control Networks, is seeking new members. SSPC 135 is especially interested in
obtaining members representing the User and General interest categories.
If you are interested in becoming a member or nominating someone else, please contact:
Stephanie Reiniche, ASHRAE
Phone: 678-539-1143
Fax: 678-539-2143
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BACnet International Exhibiting at LIGHTFAIR 2017
BACnet International will be exhibiting at LIGHTFAIR, the world's largest annual architectural and commercial lighting trade show and conference.
LIGHTFAIR is being held May 9 - 11, 2017 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA.
For BACnet International members: if you are exhibiting at LIGHTFAIR and would like us to display some of your literature in our booth, please contact
David Nardone.
For More Information
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European BACnet PlugFest 2017
The BACnet Interest Group Europe invites you to join the 11th European BACnet Plugfest, also known as BIG-EU Interoperability Workshop.
This year's host is Sauter Germany located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
The Plugfest event will take place from May 17 - 19, 2017 and is open to developers and product managers. It will begin on Wednesday, May 17 after lunch, to allow arrival on Tuesday and setup on Wednesday morning. The testing starts at 12:30 pm and continues through Friday, May 19, at noon.
Shortly before the Plugfest event, the
BIG-EU spring meetings will also be held in Freiburg. The 2017 General Meeting and Advisory Board meetings are scheduled on Monday, May 15 and the Working Groups Technique and Marketing will meet on Tuesday, May 16. Additionally, the BACnet Academy will provide a one day introduction to BACnet in German on Wednesday, May 17.
Registration is open until April 3, 2017.
Please remember to make your own travel arrangements as soon as possible. Travel and accommodation tips can be found on the Plugfest webpage.
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Save the Date - PlugFest 2017
The BACnet International BACnet Testing Laboratories Working Group (BTL WG) invites manufacturers of BACnet products to attend the 18th annual PlugFest, an interoperability workshop at The University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH.
This event permits vendors to test their BACnet products with BACnet devices from other vendors in a neutral and friendly environment. 2016 saw 80 BACnet engineers representing 37 teams in attendance, working together to improve their BACnet implementation and testing methods.
The 2017 event will run from Tuesday, September 26 through Thursday, September 28.
The BACnet Working Group will be meeting on Monday, September 25 prior to the start of PlugFest.
For More Information
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First use of the S4 Open:BACnet-N2 router integration solution within a Hong Kong office tower. |
Railway Plaza Building
Tsim Sha Tsui East, Hong Kong
In the bustling heart of Hong Kong lies a business district known as Tsim Sha Tsui East. It offers broad views of Victoria Harbour and plenty of shopping and eating establishments for all of the office workers of the district. The Railway Plaza Building, part of a regional transportation hub, lies at the center of attention. This office complex has over 228,000 square feet of space on 28 floors.
In considering a new building integration project, owners had several goals in mind:
* First they wanted to upgrade the interface or HMI.
* Second, they wanted to integrate existing proprietary BMS components with new and open BACnet capabilities.
* Third, they wanted to maintain their maintenance service on the existing system during the upgrade and for an extended period of time after the integration was completed.
* And fourth, they needed the integration to minimize the day one cost and minimize disruption of daily operation.
All this would set the stage for an eventual migration to a pure BACnet open environment.
Owners were particularly sensitive to maintaining normal building operation and having zero downtime during the upgrade process so that the revenue stream generated by the building's tenants was not disrupted.
They called upon TEMCO, an authorized service partner of BACnet International member company, The S4 Group.
The existing BMS, a Johnson Controls Metasys® system, included a network control unit (NCU), various DDC controllers, and a user workstation operating on the Metasys N2 protocol. The system was used for management and control of the following systems:
HVAC System
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BMS system
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Chiller Plant
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P&D system
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Heating Plant
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Generator system
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AHU system
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Lighting system
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PAU system
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Fire system
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Fan system
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Life & escalator system
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Split A/C Unit
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TEMCO planned the integration in phases to add S4 BACnet-N2 Routers one by one. The BACnet-N2 Router Upstream N2 Interface was included on each BACnet-N2 Router so that the legacy N2 field devices could continue to communicate with existing operator workstation as well as the newly installed SCADA via BACnet interface at the same time.
In addition, the Supervisory Controller as a BACnet Client option allowed the legacy Metasys supervisory controller to participate in the BACnet priority array mechanism to determine which headend was in control of each point.
There were challenges along the way.
For example, TEMCO learned that their network changes had created an unexpected outcome. It seems that when a point in a N2 device was in an "overridden" state, the device accepted and acknowledged normal N2 write commands but that the requested value was not being applied to the point. However, using the device template technology of the S4 N2 Router helped the TEMCO team manage this behavior so that the N2 devices responded as desired in the system design.
Another challenge in the project was unexpected flooding during the pilot phase of work. Water damage to the BACnet-N2 Router required direct and fast response from The S4 Group in order to continue the project.
The project is still on going. However, after the installation of one BACnet-N2 Router, the client was satisfied with the stable system performance and the new user interface design. PcVue and Metasys are both monitoring plant conditions. All project goals are being met on time and within budget.
In order to meet the customer's requirements for a long-term agreement, TEMCO offered an innovative 4-year maintenance and services contract that included all of the required equipment and integration services to meet the project goals.
This defined a new business model and strategic approach for the retrofit and upgrading of legacy building controls-both for this customer and within the region.
Number of Buildings: 1
Total Area: 228,000 sq. ft.
Products / Equipment Installed: S4 Open: BACnet-N2 router,
PCVue - SCADA system
Systems Integrated:
Chiller, HVAC, Lighting, Smoke
Number of Devices: 3 DX9100, 22XT9100
System Points: 2,000
BACnet International Member: The S4 Group
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Want to Share
Your Success?
BACnet International Success Stories further knowledge and understanding of the implementation of the standard by highlighting successful BACnet installations. Success Stories are subject to an application and approval process prior to public posting.
Once a Success Story is posted, it becomes a permanent, linkable record of the successful project. Further, Success Stories:
- Are automatically eligible for additional public recognition via BACnet International's Success Story of the Year Award;
- Are featured in Cornerstones, which is seen by thousands of individuals via email, and on the BACnet International website; and
- Are candidates for articles in the BACnet International Journal, BACnet International's official magazine.
Consider pulling together a Success Story for your company, and take advantage of the power of free and meaningful press!
Submit Your Company's Success Story
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The BACnet Institute - BACnet Basics Course Launched
The BACnet Institute (TBI), an online center for
BACnet educational resources and discussion forums,
was launched in January. The BACnet Institute was developed by BACnet International, with the support of its members and industry leaders, and provides an easy path to BACnet information and learning for everyone involved with BACnet systems.
The Courses section is designed to house on-demand, self-paced courses. The goal of this section is to provide interactive learning experiences to individuals at all levels. The first course, BACnet Basics, has just been launched and is geared to individuals unfamiliar with BACnet, or those who need a refresher.
As a first time user, you will need to create an account. Visit The BACnet Institute and click on the "Sign Up Now" link.
Plans are underway to add three new courses in 2017, so make sure to revisit The BACnet Institute throughout the year for updates.
For More Information
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Metasys 8.1 from Johnson Controls
The new Metasys 8.1 building automation system from
Johnson Controls
delivers new graphics, enhanced security and other features to mitigate risk, reduce cost, and maximize investments.
Optimized for mobility, the system's easy-to-use interface employs new photo-realistic graphics for better visualization and faster troubleshooting from customers' mobile devices. These new graphics are easily created within Metasys without requiring any additional software or tools, significantly reducing time on task.
This latest release also prevents unauthorized access with HTTPS.
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Have some product news to share with the BACnet International Community? Contact BACnet Marketing Manager Kathleen Magee today.
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Corporate Members:
Don't Forget Your Benefits
Click on the image to discover how BACnet International is the cornerstone to your company's success.
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Introduction to BACnet for Building Owners and Engineers
The purpose of this document--click on document for access--is to provide an overview of BACnet history, terminology and philosophy for building owners, managers and others involved with BACnet projects. The document provides an introduction to the topic of BACnet but it is not a comprehensive description of BACnet and it is not a product or system implementation guide.
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BACnet International Members
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