01 / Capability · Building Automation

Building Management Systems

BMS head-end supervision — alarms, trends, schedules and reporting for the team that runs the building.

Unified BMS head-end tying HVAC, lighting, energy, life-safety and security into one operator view.

Commercial tower whose plant and services are supervised from a central head-end

02 / The control layer

A Building Management System is the head-end that supervises everything else — plant, HVAC, lighting, metering and interfaces — and turns them into information the operating team can act on.

Zentrum designs BMS platforms alongside the MEP consultant so the graphics, alarm lists, trends and schedules reflect the way the building is actually run.

Part of Building Automation.

03 / System layers

How control is structured.

The BMS head-end is only as useful as the design behind its graphics and alarm structure. Getting the naming, zoning and information architecture right at design stage is the difference between an operable system and a screen the team ignores.

  1. 01 /

    Sensors and devices

    Sensors, actuators, keypads, thermostats and metering points distributed through the spaces.

    • Climate
    • Lighting
    • Shading
    • Metering
  2. 02 /

    Controllers

    Local controllers and panels holding the logic for a room, a floor or a plant item.

  3. 03 /

    Control network

    Cabling, containment and network segments carrying control traffic reliably and separately.

  4. 04 /

    Automation layer

    Scenes, schedules, setpoints, trends and alarm logic written against how the space is actually used.

    • Scenes
    • Schedules
    • Trends
  5. 05 /

    Interfaces

    Defined interfaces to security, communication and life-safety systems, with life safety taking priority.

  6. 06 /

    People

    Residents, facilities teams and engineering staff, each given only the level of control they need.

Outcome /

One control layer instead of several unrelated systems.

The same shape of architecture serves a villa and a workplace; the interface and the exposure change.

Conceptual automation diagram: sensors and devices report to local controllers on a dedicated control network, an automation layer holds scenes, schedules and trends, defined interfaces reach other disciplines with life safety taking priority, and people operate the result at the level of control appropriate to them.

04 / Design principles

What good control behaviour looks like.

  • Head-end supervision

    Graphics and dashboards that show what the building is doing at a glance.

  • Alarm handling

    Prioritised alarm lists routed to the people who can act on them.

  • Trends and reports

    Historical trends for plant behaviour and consumption over time.

  • Schedules and setpoints

    Scheduling and setpoint management the operating team can maintain.

  • Integrations

    Structured interfaces to lighting, metering, security and safety where the design calls for them.

01 /

Long-life choices — open protocols, documented points lists

02 /

Integration with fire and access for an operator-friendly view

03 /

Maintenance, assessment and upgrade of the installed systems where agreed

05 / Where it is used

One legible picture of the building.

Workplaces and headquarters

Offices where the systems are judged on how little attention they need day to day.

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Hotels and resorts

Guest-facing and operational systems planned together, and commissioned around opening.

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Also delivered in: Corporate offices and headquarters · Mixed-use developments · Hospitality · Retail · Development common areas.

06 / Coordination and delivery

How the package runs.

  1. 01 /Read the MEP design and understand how the building is meant to run.
  2. 02 /Design the head-end graphics, naming and alarm structure around that.
  3. 03 /Coordinate points list, cabling and interfaces with the project team.
  4. 04 /Configure, integrate and commission with the operating team present.
  5. 05 /Hand over documentation and training that outlast the project.
  • 01BMS supervisory software and graphics for the operations desk
  • 02BACnet / Modbus integrations across third-party plant
  • 03Alarm management, trend logging and reporting
  • 04Remote-access architecture for the facilities team
Turnkey delivery →Assessment and support for existing systems →

07 / Related systems

What this connects to.

Data & IT Infrastructure
The head-end lives on the building network and shares the cabling plant.
Electronic Security
Access and event state can inform BMS logic through defined interfaces.
Safety Systems
Life-safety signals take priority through dedicated interfaces to the BMS.
Connected Communication
Alarms and events can be routed to communication endpoints as needed.

Technology ecosystem /

Siemens logoSchneider Electric logoHoneywell logo

Next step /

Talk to us about the control layer.

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