System architects are involved in building automation issues from A to Z

The Building Automation Industry Organization and TVVL jointly organize the Building Automation and Management System Architect course at HBO+ level. A new course round will start in early October this year. But what knowledge exactly does a student acquire? And how does this translate into practice? We spoke with Martin Douwes (JCI Johnson Controls) and Wim Slabbekoorn (Sauter), who both successfully completed the course.

By: Dimitri Reijerman

Martin Douwes obtained his diploma as a system architect in 2019 after having been active in the field of building automation for some time: “I have been in installation technology since I was sixteen,” says Douwes. “Years later, that became control technology. What I often saw around me at the time were projects that were struggling with enormous failure costs or without good agreements. Partly because someone pointed me to this training at TVVL, I started a conversation to hear what exactly the course had to offer. And the content matched exactly what I saw happening around me. So with this course I wanted to know how you can tackle these kinds of problems.”

Wim Slabbekoorn, who works at Sauter, decided to take the course at TVVL in 2016 and obtained his certificate in 2017: “The entire process took place in a natural phase at the time. I was talking to a colleague at Sauter about the new training for system architects. Then I talked to my manager about it and we decided to take the training.”

According to Slabbekoorn, the course has a broad design with a specific focus: “You are offered very broad knowledge and you need some prior knowledge about, for example, building-specific installations. But as a system architect, you mainly learn to make different types of installations work closely together. Think of climate installations, lighting installations, security systems and elevator installations. And also the integration with energy management systems and facility systems.”

He continues: “During the course, a lot of training is given on organization and communication within an organization. One of the difficult things is that we often deal with very good technicians, who sometimes have difficulty thinking outside the box. So you learn to communicate well with them and ask the right questions.”

Communication

Douwes also confirms that communication plays a key role in the profession of system architect: “The most important thing is that you develop a helicopter view. You learn to step out of the immediate problem and look at the bigger picture. Nine times out of ten you will see that the core of the problem can be solved easily.”

He gives a practical example: “I saw at work next to me that, for example, problems with certificates over a network had been going on for a year. That is because parties do not communicate with each other and there is no one in the lead to complete something. I already indicated to the client: put someone there who is suitable for that and it will be solved in a few days. As a system architect, you can also put such matters to an expert.”

Fellow architect Slabbekoorn says that there are more aspects that are important to take control as a good system architect: “A system architect is a professional who gives substance to numerous issues within building automation. And that in every phase: from the design phase to the realization phase. But sometimes also up to the operational phase of multiple building complexes. You make an integral and functional design for the required building automation, in which sustainability and Total Cost of Ownership are important starting points. So it does not stop at just drawing up and executing a design, a system architect will supervise the entire process and often also has the final responsibility for it. If problems arise within a project, that falls to a system architect. He often has to in turn present the problems to the right people or try to bring the parties back together.”

Need

Both gentlemen agree that a good system architect is now a necessity within the industry. Douwes says: “It is an essential function within building automation. The industry often falls short in this respect. This is partly related to the fact that we can get very few talented people. And I don’t see that problem being solved any time soon.”

“I am looking at the range of courses at TVVL. I am curious whether a follow-up course is possible. To colleagues who are hesitating, I would like to say: definitely follow this course. Even if you have the idea that you would not do anything with the diploma, it is such a broadening of knowledge and you share so much knowledge. Everyone was able to speak freely during the course.”

Slabbekoorn is therefore pleased that he has completed the course: “The training is very well aligned with practice because the teachers are active in the field on a daily basis and the teaching material offered is directly linked to practice. And there is a lot of room for input from the students during the course. It is precisely through this interaction that you see that there is a great deal of knowledge exchange.”