Wien (Austria)

Automation is getting ubiquitous. It is due to the emergence of field area networks, the cost of design and integration, and especially maintenance, has been reduced significantly. The field area networks (or fieldbus systems) are used in a variety of application domains: industrial and process automation (Profibus, WorldFIP, DeviceNet), building automation (EIB/KNX, LonWorks), automotive and railway applications (CAN, CANopen), aircraft control, control of electrical substations (Modbus), etc. It was the industrial automation area which brought the main thrust of developments.

A fast-growing application area for the field area networks is building automation. The topics of this conference include: BAS (Building Automation Systems). BAS aim at improving control and management of mechanical and electrical systems in buildings – more generally, interaction among all kinds of devices typically found there. The core application area of BAS is environmental control handled by the traditional services heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and lighting/shading.

The conference site is located at the border of the historic city centre (Karlsplatz 13). Concretely, it takes place in the main building of the Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien, Technische Universität Wien).

Then, we visited a BAS installation at Verbund head office (Am Hof 6a). It is Austria's leading electricity company.

Finally, the following pictures have been realized during this stay in Vienna.