On the quantitative assessment of intelligent buildings Available to Purchase

A paper on a new definition of intelligent buildings for Asia was published in Facilities in late 1999. This definition was later adopted by The Asian Institute of Intelligent Buildings as the official definition of intelligent buildings (IBs). The requirements of users were categorised into nine quality environment modules. Under each module, there are technologies and facilities supporting the operation of an IB. The beauty of that definition is that it can be further explored to arrive at a comprehensive and quantitative method of assessment for IBs, the Intelligent Building Index (IBI). Existing methods of assessment, in particular for environmentally friendly buildings in the USA and Hong Kong, have been reviewed. Shortcomings of the existing methodology and the room for improvement have been highlighted and discussed. The concept, mathematics and utilisation of the IBI are detailed in this paper.