Building Automation

Tekni Post is a company specialized in Building Automation, i.e. in the design of building automation systems that integrate lighting management systems, air conditioning, video surveillance, access control, etc. on a single infrastructure.

But what are the areas of application of a BMS (Building Management System)? And above all, what are the advantages of their implementation?

What is Building Automation?

By Building Automation we mean an automation system that allows you to monitor and manage the various systems of a building, improving accessibility, comfort and safety and minimizing consumption. In the past, the term Building Automation mostly identified "intelligent" climate control systems in the building (which allowed for example the programming of on-off times). Today the emphasis has shifted more to the word "Integration". In practice, using the modern technologies available, Building Automation makes various systems communicate with each other, from the lighting system to the access control system, as well as the anti-intrusion systems, video surveillance, etc. Very often there is a tendency to confuse Building Automation with Home Automation, because in fact they are two worlds rather connected to each other, which however differ in terms of application. Home automation affects the domestic sphere and allows the "intelligent" management of small systems or appliances (washing machine, oven, shutters, lighting, air conditioning, etc.). Building Automation, on the other hand, involves a building as a whole, for example an entire condominium, a building that houses dozens of offices, an industrial building, a shopping center, a hotel, a cinema, a theater, a gym or a school. In Domotics we talk about the Smart Home, while in the Building Automation of Smart Building. In both cases it is talked about more and more often, especially in reference to current issues such as energy saving and environmental sustainability.

How does a building management system work?

A Building Management system typically consists of several components that serve to make the building "intelligent". Each of them is able to interact with the supervision platform (centralization software) from which it is possible to control and optimize the operation of all the individual systems and therefore of the entire building. To do this, each system is equipped with one or more controllers (hardware) with its own operating intelligence (software) that receive and process the data collected by various sensors located on the systems and in the building. The implementation of a BMS system therefore implies the installation of suitable equipment in the field and on the switchboard that operate in an integrated and intelligent way. Through the supervision platform (Control Room) which acts as the coordination brain, it is possible to control and manage all the individual systems: from HVAC systems, to electrical systems, from fire protection systems to safety systems.

The Advantages of Building Automation

A BMS system optimizes energy consumption, makes the work environment comfortable and generally improves production activity and environmental sustainability. Designers, Facily Managers and Building Owners obtain multiple advantages, first of all an evident improvement in the functionality of the systems. In fact, the connection between controllers and sensors allows the monitoring and "intelligent" management of production systems and the logistics chain, even allowing predictive maintenance works that minimize stops in production processes. But that's not all, interesting economic and fiscal advantages are foreseen for those who invest in Building Automation. Already within the Relaunch Decree, incentives were defined aimed at the energy requalification of buildings through the so-called superbonus 110 and in general to the entire family of eco-bonuses, which provide tax deductions ranging from 50 to 65% for Building Automation interventions in large residential buildings (condominiums), industrial and commercial buildings. Other possible tax advantages are determined within the National Industry 4.0 Plan, a national economic maneuver worth 13 billion euros that facilitates the digitization of companies' production processes.

Sectors of application

Tekni Post has created BMS systems for every type of building and architectural structure: Palaces and Offices, Hospitals and Clinics, Banks, Shopping Centers, Schools and University Complexes, Laboratories and Pharmaceutical Industries, Hotels, Theaters, Sports Centers, Amusement Parks and many more still others. Here are some examples of projects developed:

• Varignana Palace Resort (Castel S. Pietro Terme - BO):
  We have developed and implemented an automated regulation system integrated with room reservations. The hotel management communicates with the supervision system by exchanging with it the status of the individual rooms (free, booked, check-in, occupied, etc ...) allowing optimal adjustment of comfort and at the same time obtaining significant energy savings.

• CMRE IMA Headquarters (Ozzano dell'Emilia - BO):
  The customer's need was to have an automation and supervision system for office management that would reduce consumption, with a simple user interface and at the same time be aesthetically appealing. The chosen solution allows you to manage the comfort inside the office (heating and cooling via fan coil, switching on and dimming the light based on the presence and contribution of natural light, opening and closing of the motorized blinds) both from the touchscreen panel in environment that comfortably from the dedicated smartphone application.

• Municipal Public Building of Riolo Terme - RA:
  We have carried out a modernization of the control systems of the thermal power plants of the Municipality of Riolo Terme, replacing the old control units with new models with connection to the network. To manage all the individual systems quickly and easily, we have provided a Cloud supervision service, allowing the monitoring and remote management of the individual thermal plants.