Short answer

Implement or adopt software frameworks that provide robust hardware abstraction, data management, and control interfaces to enable greater flexibility and innovation in building operations.

Field
Commercial Production
Source
eScholarship (California Digital Library) (2014)
Method
Architecture Design and Implementation
Sample
45,000+ data streams from multiple buildings
Evidence
Strong effect

A novel software architecture for buildings, termed Building Operating System Services (BOSS), enhances operational visibility and enables innovative applications, leading to significant energy savings. This commercial production research insight is drawn from a 2014 study published in eScholarship (California Digital Library). Using Architecture design and implementation with 45,000+ data streams from multiple buildings, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Implement or adopt software frameworks that provide robust hardware abstraction, data management, and control interfaces to enable greater flexibility and innovation in building operations.

Study
Commercial ProductionHigh ImpactStrong effect

Programmable Building OS Slashes Energy Consumption by Optimizing Operational Visibility

A novel software architecture for buildings, termed Building Operating System Services (BOSS), enhances operational visibility and enables innovative applications, leading to significant energy savings.

eScholarship (California Digital Library) · 2014

01

Key Findings

  • 01A flexible and portable software architecture can be implemented for building operations.
  • 02Opening the building control stack at multiple levels with interfaces for programming and extensibility is feasible.
  • 03The proposed architecture supports the development of innovative software applications for building management.
02

Application

Design takeaway

Implement or adopt software frameworks that provide robust hardware abstraction, data management, and control interfaces to enable greater flexibility and innovation in building operations.

How to apply

When designing or upgrading building management systems, prioritize platforms that offer open APIs and data processing capabilities to allow for future application development and integration.

Project actions

  • 01Consider how software can be used to improve the efficiency of a product or system.
  • 02Think about creating modular components that can be easily updated or replaced.
03

Method & Evidence

AimCan a software architecture that provides reliable and portable data collection, processing, and control capabilities for buildings improve operational efficiency and reduce energy consumption?
MethodArchitecture Design and Implementation
ProcedureDeveloped and evaluated a software architecture (BOSS) with three key components: hardware abstraction, data management and processing, and control design. This involved detailed design studies, consideration of tradeoffs, and implementation of the core components. Real-world data was collected from multiple buildings, and direct control of test buildings was exercised.
Sample45,000+ data streams from multiple buildings
ContextCommercial building operations and energy management

Variables

IVSoftware architecture for building operations (BOSS)
DVOperational efficiency, energy consumption, flexibility, portability
CVBuilding type, existing infrastructure, environmental conditions
04

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

  • +Addresses a significant real-world problem (energy consumption).
  • +Involves extensive real-world data collection and testing.

Limitations

The complexity of implementing a full building operating system can be a significant barrier. Real-world testing requires access to buildings and data, which may be difficult to obtain.

Reliability & validity

The study's reliability is supported by the extensive data collection and real-world testing. Validity is enhanced by addressing multiple facets of the architecture and considering practical tradeoffs.

Think critically

To what extent can software alone solve the energy efficiency problem in buildings, or are organizational and behavioral changes equally critical?

05

Design Principles

"Modular and extensible software architectures are crucial for optimizing complex systems like commercial buildings."

This research addresses the substantial energy consumption of commercial buildings by proposing a technological solution that empowers owners and operators with better insights. By providing a flexible software framework, it reduces reliance on expensive consultants and unlocks the potential for energy efficiency through custom applications.

06

What This Means for Your Design

This research created a smart software system for buildings that makes it easier to collect information, process it, and control things, which helps save a lot of energy.

How to use in your project

  • 1.Reference this research when discussing the importance of software frameworks for system optimization and data-driven design.
07

Add to My Project

08

Quick Cite

Paragraph starter

The development of a Building Operating System Services (BOSS) architecture, as demonstrated by Dawson-Haggerty (2014), highlights the potential for software frameworks to significantly enhance operational visibility and efficiency in commercial buildings. This approach, by providing robust data management and control interfaces, enables the creation of innovative applications that can lead to substantial energy savings, underscoring the critical role of technological infrastructure in sustainable design.

09

Source

eScholarship (California Digital Library)

Building Operating Systems Services: An Architecture for Programmable Buildings

journal · 2014

View source

Questions About This Research

What does the research say about programmable building os slashes energy consumption by optimizing operational visibility?
Implement or adopt software frameworks that provide robust hardware abstraction, data management, and control interfaces to enable greater flexibility and innovation in building operations. Evidence: eScholarship (California Digital Library) (2014).
Why does "Programmable Building OS Slashes Energy Consumption by Optimizing Operational Visibility" matter for design?
This research addresses the substantial energy consumption of commercial buildings by proposing a technological solution that empowers owners and operators with better insights. By providing a flexible software framework, it reduces reliance on expensive consultants and unlocks the potential for energy efficiency through custom applications.
How can designers apply this research?
Implement or adopt software frameworks that provide robust hardware abstraction, data management, and control interfaces to enable greater flexibility and innovation in building operations.
What were the main findings?
A flexible and portable software architecture can be implemented for building operations.. Opening the building control stack at multiple levels with interfaces for programming and extensibility is feasible.. The proposed architecture supports the development of innovative software applications for building management.
What research method was used?
Architecture Design and Implementation with 45,000+ data streams from multiple buildings.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2014 journal from eScholarship (California Digital Library).
What should I do differently in my next project?
When designing or upgrading building management systems, prioritize platforms that offer open APIs and data processing capabilities to allow for future application development and integration.
What are the limitations?
The study focuses on the software architecture; the effectiveness of specific applications built on this architecture would require further evaluation. Scalability and fault-tolerance were considered but require ongoing monitoring in diverse real-world deployments.