A building automation system (BAS) is the central nervous system of a commercial building — the controllers, sensors, network, and software that operate HVAC, and increasingly lighting, metering, and specialty equipment, from a single platform. When the BAS is engineered well, the building holds setpoints, equipment runs only when it should, and one operator sees everything from one screen. When it is engineered badly, you get comfort complaints, energy waste, nuisance alarms, and a system nobody on staff trusts.
Vertex builds building automation systems on open platforms — primarily Tridium Niagara N4 — so your building speaks BACnet, Modbus, LON, KNX, MQTT, and OPC through 200+ drivers, and any qualified integrator can service and expand the system later. That is the opposite of the single-vendor lock-in that inflates service rates and stalls upgrades, and it is the reason a large share of our projects are migrations away from proprietary systems.
We carry the whole lifecycle in-house: engineering and submittals, panel fabrication and field installation, station programming and graphics, multi-protocol integration, commissioning to a written standard, and ongoing service. One contractor accountable from the first drawing to the tenth year of operation.
WHAT THIS COVERS
Each capability below is a full service line — follow the links for the deep dive on scope, process, standards, and pricing questions.
BAS design, engineering & submittals
Control drawings, sequences of operation, points lists, and construction submittal packages your engineer and commissioning agent can actually build against — ASHRAE Guideline 36 as the default reference.
Controls engineeringNiagara N4 programming & graphics
Station architecture, JACE configuration, sequence programming, and custom HTML5 graphics on the industry's leading open framework — from a single controller to a multi-site enterprise supervisor.
Niagara N4 servicesBACnet & multi-protocol integration
BACnet/IP and MS/TP networks designed and addressed correctly, plus gateway work that pulls Modbus, LON, and proprietary equipment onto one open, documented network.
BACnet integrationControls installation & retrofit
Panels, field wiring, sensors, actuators, and DDC controllers for AHUs, VAV terminals, chiller plants, and packaged equipment — new construction or phased retrofit without a rip-and-replace.
Controls installationCommissioning & owner training
Point-by-point checkout and scripted functional testing against the written sequence, then hands-on operator training — so the system performs on paper and in practice.
CommissioningService, support & modernization
PM agreements, 24/7 remote diagnostics, firmware and security updates, and incremental pneumatic-to-DDC modernization planned around your capital budget.
Service & retrofitsHOW WE'RE DIFFERENT
Every system we build can be discovered, serviced, and expanded by any qualified integrator. You keep the keys — station backups, credentials, licenses, and documentation are yours.
Our technicians understand the mechanical equipment underneath the automation, so problems at the controls/mechanical boundary get diagnosed correctly on the first visit.
Consistent point naming, as-builts, network diagrams, and written sequences the next engineer can pick up cold. A BAS is only as good as what is written down about it.
Installation and commissioning across the Gulf South with nationwide project travel — plus remote Niagara N4 programming, graphics, and support in all 50 states.
PROOF, DOCUMENTED
Medical Office BAS Upgrade: 200,000 sq ft
Full controls retrofit of a 200,000 sq ft medical office building from proprietary DDC to Niagara N4 with BACnet integration. 32% energy reduction in year one.
Proprietary-to-Niagara Migration: Commercial Office
Incremental migration from a locked-in proprietary BAS to open Niagara N4 platform. No downtime, no rip-and-replace.