Let’s talk about the Master Systems Integrator, or MSI.
Unless you play in the MSI world, you have probably never heard of the MSI, and that’s understandable. Commonly found on large complex programs (like new airports), the MSI is a relatively new and recognized role in the building industry, a role which spans across design, construction, and operations.
For the sake of simplicity, and trying not to offend anyone in the MSI world, the role of the MSI is basically to make technology systems fit for purpose and “talk to each other.” Unless you play in this world, you cannot imagine how incredibly hard this job is.
I propose the MSI holds one of the most important design roles for two reasons: 1) they make modern smart buildings work, and 2) they reflect a larger and more fundamental shift in architectural practice and thinking.
As we know, buildings are getting “smarter” and more complex. On a new airport project, there can be over a hundred IT or Business Technology (BT) systems when you consider the entire enterprise, from flight information to back-office revenue systems. There is very little today in an airport operational environment that does not involve some kind of software interface.
From a construction standpoint, IT systems in smart buildings can be anywhere from 5% to 15% of total construction costs, which is quite significant. They can also have a disproportionately large impact on user experience and operations.
To illustrate the importance of the MSI in airport development, imagine you are building a new airport and you want to automate the operation of the fixed boarding bridges. For example, let’s say when an airplane arrives at a gate, you want to automatically turn on the lights, the HVAC, and escalators, unlock some doors and lock others, send the elevators to the level where passengers are expected to call them, and display a welcome message on a digital sign that is specific to that flight’s demographic.
First of all, kudos to you — that is a commendable ambition. 👏
In the early design stage, this ambition will probably be an idea and not much more. The real challenge comes later when you need to make all those things happen in an efficient, cost effective, and reliable way. Like, actually happen. Such as programming “Building Software A” to take input X and produce outputs Y and Z.
This is where the MSI comes in.
As you look across an entire operation like an airport, you can imagine the compounding complexity of tasks like the above. In the construction phase, where the rubber really hits the road, not being able to execute on these outcomes can lead to very expensive delays. Next to electrical systems, IT systems are the most critical in commissioning smart buildings today.
In short, the MSI plays a critical role in managing the complexity of buildings today, which are getting smarter everyday. On large complex programs like airports, I would say the MSI role is not just important, but absolutely necessary.
The second reason the MSI is so important is because of its relevance to architectural thinking. The word “architect” translates from the Greek to mean “master builder” or “first mason,” the latter translation reflecting architecture’s origins in a time when buildings were made almost entirely out of stone, brick, and mortar.
However, architecture today is more than the art and science of masonry. Architecture today is more than space-making and shaping the physical world. Architecture today is also ensuring that buildings perform specific functions and deliver specific experiences – which requires digital technology. That essentially means no one, not even Architects, can truly be considered a “master builder” in the digital age. Design today is so complex that it can only be carried out by a team of specialists working together collaboratively.
The complexity that exists in architecture today is not a recent phenomenon; it has been centuries in the making. Compared to the age of Vitruvius in the 1st century BC, architecture as we know it today has diverged from engineering, which has itself diverged into a multitude of specializations, and further splintered into a multitude of specializations like interior design and facade design.
In this context, the MSI represents a new inflection point in architecture where the physical aspect of architecture is almost useless without the digital, and both are needed to realize buildings that are fit for purpose. The Berlin airport debacle is one contemporary example of this.
Reflecting on the importance of mental models, the MSI is another proof point that digital-first thinking is not a bias, but rather a way of understanding what is actually happening today in the building industry, which is the importance of a specialized (and necessary) role to manage the digital side of architecture. So what does this all mean?
In a digital-first world, where complexity is constant, I think we have to consider the focus of architecture and architects as being more “master integrators” than “master builders.” In this case, we must consider defining the success and value of an Architect as determined by the degree to which we can integrate the physical and digital worlds, in collaboration with a team of specialists. We have to consider that taking a digital-first approach to design is a way of managing this complexity head-on, and paving the way for the physical architecture to be successful.
It all sounds strange, but I think being a great collaborator and integrator, rather than being a master of all, is the skillset we should all try to master in the future.