McCrea Automation provides expertise in

• Systems and applications for building automation

• Design and development of microprocessor-based control systems and components

• Off-the-shelf programs for control applications

• Technical translation from German or Spanish to English

Building Automation Back When ...

Take a look at the control console for what was probably the world's first computerized building automation system. It was installed at the headquarters for the International Monetary Fund in Washington in 1966. There were a couple of predecessors in commercial buildings that performed monitoring and alarm functions without actually controlling the HVAC equipment. This system's computer started and stopped the air handlers, ventilation fans, and chillers according to a seasonally variable schedule. It also controlled the loading of the three serially piped centrifugal chillers.

Scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on the components to find out what they were. There are 23 of them. Most browsers with pop-ups enabled should handle this.

Photograph courtesy of Chase Photography