IP-based communication is making a revolutionary impact on the process of building design, construction, and operation. According to Forrester Research, an estimated 14 billion devices are predicted to be connected to the Internet by 2010, with many of these devices operating in buildings as controllers, sensors, servers, and microprocessors. This progressive change in building systems make-up provides an opportunity to achieve higher asset utilization within an improved cost structure while simplifying building operations and management and increasing green performance.

Building stakeholders are increasingly utilizing Unified Physical Infrastructure℠ (UPI) principles to drive i...