This slick, nontechnical article discusses the development of automated control systems for buildings using the techniques of system integration. It focuses on the development of two open communication standards, BACnet and LonWorks, that “have the best chance yet to turn the tide of the long, disappointing history of smart building control and automation.”

It includes two Internet references, and a short piece describing how integrated control systems helped reduce the damage to the Pentagon when it was attacked by terrorists on September 11, 2001.