ABC-SEMI Southeast Michigan Contractors Issue 2, 2021

14 Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. GREEN BUI LDING AUTOMATION 8. Custom Graphics: We can create and develop 3D custom graphical user interfaces for all systems. 9. System Integration: We design and build systems, and we are committed to a successful partnership to see the project through completion. We educate the construction team, look for synergy to save money, review progress, collab- orate with IT departments, and connect subcontracted systems and provide the interfaces required to run and advance the building. GBA has their own control panel fabrication shop in their Plymouth, MI HQ and has been UL508 certified—allowing them real-time production and customization of systems tailored the clients building needs. “Any owners seeking a green building certification or energy rating for a new building or a renovation generally push the idea of system integration to the background,” said Scott Kaplan, president for GBA. “Many clients want the integration involving the fire alarm, smoke control, elevators, and access control—essentially life safety integration, but they may not be aware of the functional benefits of integrating other systems and the opportunities to analyze an integrated database of system data points,” said Kaplan. According to Sarah McNulty, VP of sales and marketing for GBA, there are many system integration opportunities that can be used to support green and energy efficient buildings. “The most innovative building management systems inherently have extensive system integration,” said McNulty. “Building systems integration continues to demonstrate a significant positive impact on building life cycle cost, primarily in the areas of operations and energy consumption. As the process for implementing integration projects continues to develop and improve and as buildings become more complex, building owners will more readily adopt the integrated approach.” In light of the COVID-19 pandemic many designs are taking a more health-minded approach to designing their automation systems. Smart building technology can lead to lower energy consumption and lower utilities costs and can even help prevent the spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19. Building owners should support smart building implementation for the foreseeable future. Facilities in the healthcare, leisure, retail, and aviation industries are already using certain types of smart building technology to help them identify COVID-19 infections and reduce their spread. Equipped with sensors connected to devices, they provide detailed information about consumption levels in real-time, make automated decisions to optimize system performance, and provide valuable information to increase efficiency and overall building operations. “The building technology evolution and fault detection enables building owners and managers to be proactive in their approach to facility management by finding potentials issue before they become major problems or failures and ultimately eliminating downtime,” said Kaplan. Building Automation Systems are key to indoor air quality (IAQ) and energy efficiency not only for new but also for existing facilities. Contact GBA at (248) 716-9465 or [email protected] to learn more about how building automation is enhancing the new office by creating smart buildings and how you can help to get people back into the office safely.