The following is a summary of ‘Smart Buildings by Design: How the Fourth Trade Connects It All with the Purdue Model’ by Jacob Jackson, who recently joined Aptitude as a Senior Design Manager – Controls & Integration. Jackson is a Certified Automation Professional (CAP), with more 30 years of experience in smart buildings, operational technology, and integrated systems. He holds certifications in Niagara 4, Delta Controls, Microsoft, and a host of other vendor systems, along with credentials in cybersecurity. He is a Safety Trained Supervisor – Construction (STSC) certified and completed the USACE/NAVFAC CQM-C program. Jackson’s career has spanned a myriad of roles; from engineering, maintenance, and construction for a global Bible publishing facility, to ministry, to co-founding a lighting controls firm, to serving as Associate Vice President at a major engineering firm where he led high-profile projects, Division 25 specification design, and overall integrated building systems strategy for projects across the globe.
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What does it really take to make a smart building work—not just function, but operate as a cohesive, integrated whole?
Smart Buildings by Design challenges the fragmented approach that has dominated construction and building automation for decades. Instead of thinking in silos—HVAC, lighting, access control, AV, fire alarm—this book reframes integration as a discipline in its own right. Drawing on real-world projects and the Purdue Model for industrial control systems, it positions system integration as the “Fourth Trade,” alongside mechanical, electrical, and plumbing.
As professionals in the field, we’ve all seen the growing complexity in our buildings—more connected devices, more data, more software, and more owner expectations. But despite advances in technology, we still wrestle with the same issues: coordination gaps, mismatched scopes, change orders, and underwhelming outcomes. Why? Because the industry continues to treat integration as an afterthought, something to be patched together after the major systems are installed.
This book argues for a top-down approach to integration—starting at Purdue Levels 4 and 5 (enterprise and business logic) and designing downward. It offers a practical roadmap for how to align integration with the owner’s business goals, engage the design team early, and set a clear architecture that spans all smart building systems.
You won’t find vendor marketing or hype here. The content is grounded in lessons from real commissioning failures, cross-discipline misalignments, and projects where integration succeeded because it was planned, not improvised.
Highlights include:
- A guided walk through the Purdue Model as a tool for organizing building systems and clarifying responsibilities across Levels 0–5.
- Case studies and personal stories that illustrate how subtle misalignments—such as mismatched schedules between HVAC and access control—can drive up operational costs and frustration.
- A breakdown of major standards and codes including Division 25, IEC 62443, and NIST 800-82, and how they apply to real project workflows.
- Chapters on cybersecurity, governance, and system ownership, focused on what the integrator must deliver to leave behind a safe, manageable system.
- A vision for the “future-ready building,” which includes scalability, semantic tagging, and a shift from reactive maintenance to proactive intelligence.
One of the core messages of Smart Buildings by Design is that good integration isn’t magic—it’s methodical. When integration is treated as a discipline from day one, the result is not just a building that meets specifications, but a building that operates more efficiently, is easier to maintain, and is capable of adapting to future demands.
This book is not a primer. It’s written for professionals—people who know how the pieces work but are looking for a stronger playbook on how to make them work together. Whether you’re a designer, controls contractor, commissioning agent, or owner’s rep, this book respects the complexity of your role and speaks to the practical decisions you face every day.
You’ll also find sections written for executives, IT professionals, and general contractors—those who may not live in the world of control loops and protocols, but whose decisions ultimately determine the success of smart building initiatives. By bridging the language gap between stakeholders, the book helps ensure that integration doesn’t just get specified—it gets done right.
Finally, Smart Buildings by Design is meant to be useful, not theoretical. You’ll find diagrams, checklists, and stories that you can reference in kickoff meetings, during design reviews, or when you’re standing in a dusty mechanical room trying to figure out where the integration scope actually begins.
I wrote this book because I’ve lived the pain of poor integration—and I’ve also seen what happens when it’s done right. The difference isn’t the hardware. It’s the mindset.
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Available now in paperback and ebook formats
Discounted link to purchase
Also available at Amazon, Apple Books, and other major booksellers under ISBN 979-8-9988130-0-9.
