Integration can be considered in separate stages of cul­tural and architectural significance across three ages of civilization: preindustrial, industrial, and postindustrial. Each of these eras is associated with different prevailing philosophies that defined and redefined the overlapping missions of art, science, nature, and culture. Many respected thinkers have considered these evolutions, and some of their […]

For integration issues to surpass the technology-for-its – own-sake aspect and become celebrated in the design process, they must transcend the nuts-and-bolts of hard­ware integration and engage basic architectural ambition. Resolving the physical, visual, and functional fit among building systems is well and good. All buildings have to achieve these basic levels of integration to […]

Building components have to fit. They share space and volume in a building, and they connect in specific ways. CAD drawing layers offer a useful way to think about how complicated these networks of shared space and connect­ed pieces can become. Superimposing structure and HVAC (heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning) layers provides an example: Are there […]

CHAPTER 1 TOPICS • Hardware: Integration Among Building Systems • Software: Integration in the Design Process • Philosophical Digression: Integration and the Progress of Technology • Framework of Discussion D iscussion about the architecture of integrated buildings systems begins with a few basic ques­tions. These fundamental questions underlie the four “methods” chapters of Part I. […]