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Bosch Energy and Building Solutions Global

Building Automation

The solution for greater comfort, efficiency and sustainability

Man and woman talking in the office and smiling

Digital technology, networks and intelligent systems and devices are making ever-greater inroads into our everyday lives.

The next logical step is for these trends to enhance the buildings in which we work, shop or go for appointments or services.

The owners and operators of commercial buildings are naturally also devoting thought to topics such as resource conservation, urbanization and the steadily growing wish for better safety and security. It’s therefore good news that our building automation experts are so skillful at inventing and implementing clever solutions to meet all of these needs.

A smart approach

Surveillance, building control systems, regulation and optimization bundled in a single all-embracing system. Digitization and the Internet of Things are opening up exciting new prospects.

State-of-the-art technologies are now letting operators and users directly interact with intelligent buildings. This is paving the way for novel technological solutions to meet your needs.

Be it room automation, digital facility management or smart offices. Our Bosch experts will help you in all matters related to building automation, building automation systems, control systems and solutions for intelligent buildings.

Mother and daughter walking through an office building

Facts about building automation

Building automation involves installing automated systems for controlling, regulating, monitoring and optimizing conditions and facilities. A key component of facility management, its goals are to save costs for energy and operation, automatically control functions according to predefined parameters while also making it simpler to operate and monitor of all of these functions. All of a building’s sensors, actuators, controls and other technical systems and units are networked with one another. Processes can be grouped in scenarios to enable intelligent, optimized interplay of the various components involved.

Not only the seasons of the year, but also the number of persons present, how a given building is used, and many other factors can make it necessary to constantly make a vast number of adjustments. All this would exceed human capabilities. But luckily it’s a simple matter for automated systems. Scenarios are defined to intelligently automate any or all of the following for an entire building and/or in even greater detail for each individual room:

  • Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), air quality
  • Lighting
  • Sun blinds
  • Occupancy sensing
  • Equipment for controlling electric power and other systems
  • Capture of consumption data (heat, natural gas, electric power, water)
  • Automatic control of multimedia systems and equipment
  • Integration of safety and security systems: access control, fire protection, video monitoring, robbery detection, doors and windows
  • Remote monitoring and control

All commercial and public buildings can benefit from the advantages of a building automation solution. Many of them are today hardly imaginable without automation as the technological heart of the building. Office and administrative buildings, shopping centers, event venues or sports arenas, airports, hospitals and clinics, schools and universities, industrial and commercial premises - whenever efficiency, security and comfort need to be increased, a building automation system helps. Today, new buildings are planned right away with intelligent automation solutions, but it is also possible to convert previously "dumb" existing buildings into intelligent smart buildings.

In a nutshell, all of a building’s technical systems and components are tightly controlled. They are integrated in a single, unified system with the processes that are desired or needed at any given time being bundled in scenarios.

Building automation systems comprise four levels.

The field level is the foundation of every such system. Its sensors capture data from all components and subsystems that need to be regulated and controlled.

The captured information is appropriately converted and then sent via a bus network or conventional cables to controllers in the automation level. This level controls, regulates and monitors the building’s systems and equipment based on parameters prescribed by the management level. Here software has the job of implementing higher-level control and optimization algorithms, in addition to running, visualizing and monitoring processes. Going further, as networking of multiple buildings becomes more common, the role of the cloud is increasing in importance.

How can I benefit from building automation?

Modern building automation systems ensure that buildings think in a networked way. Optimally designed, users and operators profit from these advantages:

Cost-effectiveness

You optimize operation of your building and benefit from cost savings.

Sustainability

You conserve resources and make your building greener.

Comfort

You’re enabled to offer users a modern, attractive, and pleasant environment.

Security and safety

You can protect your building better from intruders, fire, theft, damage and many other risks and hazards.

Setting new standards

It is still a fairly young field, but building automation has a fascinating history. Its evolution has been strongly shaped by new technologies and rapid adaptations. Here you’ll find a retrospect, lessons learned by doing, and exciting prospects for the years ahead.

Marco Krause

“I'm motivated by the fact that the customer saves costs and protects the environment”

Marco Krause, project manager for building automation at Bosch, is someone who looks at the big picture. When working for his customers, it's all about optimizing consumption and automating systems as much as possible so that the energy efficiency of buildings is increased, resources are conserved, and users can enjoy a pleasant indoor climate.

People in the comfortable entrance area of a Healthy Building

Health and building automation – how do they fit together?

The right combination of architecture, design, building materials and technical building equipment has a far-reaching influence on the well-being of people in a building. Intelligent automation systems make a valuable contribution in this respect, helping to shape the indoor climate in a way that ensures everyone's health, productivity and ability to concentrate.

Sustainable cities

Sustainable cities: Ontario is the new must-see

Ontario is a community of 185,000 inhabitants located east of Los Angeles. Thanks to smart technology and building automation from Bosch subsidiary Climatec, Ontario has slashed greenhouse-gas emissions by 10,000 tons a year. Michael Johnson, Ontario’s director of municipal services, takes us on a tour of the smart city’s hot spots.

Back to the future: important milestones in the roughly 100-year history of building automation

Visionary ideas become reality: The history of intelligent buildings

Back to the future: important milestones in the roughly 100-year history of building automation

People sitting in open space office. The volume of data is constantly growing. The key issue with Smart Buildings is to analyze this data and generate further added value from it.

How intelligent buildings will support us in the future

The volume of data is constantly growing. The key issue with Smart Buildings is to analyze this data and generate further added value from it. Which solutions show the most sustainable effects?

Building automation in practice

Maximum energy efficiency with state-of-the-art building automation for the Munich Olympic Hall

Olympic Stadion in Munich - a customer of Bosch Energy and Building Solutions | Bosch Sicherheitssysteme GmbH
The Munich Olympic Hall

Since it was built for the 1972 Olympic Games, Munich’s largest indoor venue has hosted some 3,000 events attended by a total of around 30 million spectators. These days, however, concerts, business events, and athletic competitions require technical systems that are lightyears beyond what was standard half a century ago. So it was high time to modernize this unique building with new automation systems to support the hall’s diverse uses.

The new building automation solution has thoroughly improved operation of the Olympic Hall. Its safety and security have improved while its cost-effectiveness and efficiency have soared. To accomplish this, its technology was brought up to the level of current standards. The systems for security, energy supply, fire detection and response, and air conditioning, among others, were modernized with intelligent control strategies and integrated automation. This has made it possible for much of the original equipment to continue operating. It was even possible to continue using the hall during the project, which was cleverly planned and implemented to avoid interruptions.

Further references

exterior view of H7 Münster Germany

H7 Münster, Germany

With its wood and its sensors, H7 Münster gives us a vision of true sustainability. The building was designed and built to be energy efficient and is also designed for sustainable operation.

Climatec, a subsidiary of Bosch, implemented a comprehensive building automation solution for the new stadium that interconnects many individual components and the unique heating, ventilation, and air conditioning ( HVAC) system.

Globe Life Field Stadium, USA

The Texas Rangers Globe Life Field Stadium is being converted into an entertainment center with a comprehensive building automation solution by Climatec.

The building automation of the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall was provided by GFR Gesellschaft für Regelungstechnik und Energieeinsparung mbH, a subsidiary of Bosch Energy and Building Solutions

Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Germany

The most modern building automation solutions for this Hamburg landmark ensure comfort and energy efficiency in the entire building complex.

New York skyline reflected in facade of skyscraper “The Spiral”

The Spiral New York, USA

Green and smart with a totally pleasant ambiance: this spectacular new skyscraper in New York has been equipped with a topnotch building automation system.

Desert Diamond Casinos and Entertainment

Desert Diamond Casinos and Entertainment, USA

The experts from Climatec implemented an automation solution that is capable of centrally monitoring and controlling critical building systems for three casinos.

Dr. Martina Gerdes-Kühn in an auditorium at Paderborn University

University of Paderborn, Germany

Intelligent buildings for smart people: The University of Paderborn in Germany is using building automation systems to ensure greater sustainability and comfort.

Performance built on Partnership – Contact

We develop, supply and install integrated, state-of-the-art building automation solutions from A to Z in Europe in collaboration with our subsidiaries Bosch Building Automation GmbH and with Climatec also in the USA.

You too can benefit from our comprehensive competence and experience, 360° approach to every project, and strong partners. We’ve proven our capabilities with a long roster of successfully implemented projects.

Looking for a reliable partner? We are looking forward to hearing from you! > Get in touch!