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Introducing the IBB:
the Interoperable Building Box 

Imagine "plug & play" interoperability for the systems in your buildings

Today’s buildings and building management systems face two core problems: Infrastructure and Interoperability.

Infrastructure is a challenge, especially at the edge boundary between on-prem systems and the cloud. Interoperability is a problem because most on-prem systems are not designed to work with other systems, but to run in a 'silo' for their specific needs.

The Interoperable Building Box (‘IBB’) addresses both of these problems with a vision of a plug-and-play platform that manages the necessary networking infrastructure while automatically matching the capabilities of systems with each other with minimal user intervention.

The 'Infrastructure Problem'

The IBB addresses the Infrastructure Problem by replacing the current mashups of gateways, applications, and protocols with a single extensible cloud-native software platform that resides on a physical or virtual server in the building. Your applications run in standardized containers on a Kubernetes cluster in the IBB, and they enjoy the benefits of cloud-native technologies while being inside the building.

The 'Interoperability Problem'

The IBB addresses the Interoperability Problem by replacing hard-to-manage proprietary APIs with an open-source orchestration platform. This enables vendors and integrators to spend less time on integration and maintenance and more time creating new innovations and solving customer problems with better tools.

The IBB Ecosystem: from the edge to the cloud

The IBB model can be applied up and down the stack of operational technologies in a building: from tiny IoT edge devices and gateways to cloud-based enterprise systems. Manufacturers are developing and shipping IBB-enabled products. The IBB Ecosystem report shows you what's happening now.
 

A detailed introduction to the IBB, including the architecture, the types of IBBs and components, and a discussion of adoption paths and implementation considerations, is available in the IBB System Overview document.

Please scroll down for videos and articles about the IBB and its underlying concepts and technologies

Types of IBBs _ july 2025.png

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In the News

C4SB has joined the Linux Foundation!


It's official: the Coalition for Smarter Buildings, the home of the IBB, has joined the Linux Foundation as the 'C4SB Foundation.'

This is an endorsement of C4SB's mission and work to date, and a huge opportunity to benefit from Linux Foundation's resources and membership to extend C4SB's reach.

Learn more about C4SB's relationship with Linux Foundation: 
https://www.c4sb.org/post/linux-foundation-and-c4sb-announce-intent-to-form-c4sb-foundation 

If you have questions about the IBB, you can schedule a session to speak with experts from the team.

Learn About the IBB

VIDEOS:

An Introduction to the IBB and Cloud-native Buildings

by Anto Budiardjo (starts at 11:54)

Watch a demo of the IBB

Anto Budiardjo demonstrates the first IBB apps running live on the IBB platform at the Smarter Summit 2024

Articles by Topic

What's the Cloud? A Non-techie Explanation 
- Brian Collins

The Building’s Journey to Cloud-Native
- Anto Budiarjo

Orchestration article from
cloudnative foundation 

Cloud Native

ARTICLES:

The IBB

A Beginner's Guide to the IBB
- Brian Collins

The Building's Journey to Cloud-native

- Anto Budiardjo

The IBB System ( Updated  7/1/2025 )

- Anto Budiardjo
A detailed introduction to the IBB system and architecture for building owners and vendors.

The IBB Ecosystem Overview - May 2025  ( NEW )

- C4SB Team
The state of the IBB ecosystem with details about the first commercial IBB-enabled products and their availability.

The Smarter Stack

A Smarter Stack for Smarter Buildings

- Anto Budiardjo, Ken Sinclair - Automated Buildings

Cloud-native Technologies

Questions about the IBB?
Schedule a session to speak with the experts .

About the IBB Project

The IBB Project was created in 2023 by the Coalition for Smarter Buildings ("C4SB") with the support of the Monday Live! think tank group.

The mission of the IBB Project is to create an open-source and cloud-native software stack for an edge device that can provide a consistent, open, and secure way for systems found in buildings to communicate with each other and with cloud resources.

 

The IBB enables authorized users to install containerized applications into their IBB and orchestrate automatic capability matching to create a plug-and-play application environment.

 

If you are interested in contributing to the IBB project or in using its work, please visit our repo at IBBProject.com.

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IBB Partner Organizations

7NOX

  • BACnet Scheduler App

C4SB

CDV Solutions

  • BIM expertise

  • Project-centric Revit, Codebook, Services

Cimetrics

  • Deep BACnet expertise

  • Significant OT cybersecurity

  • Buildings related analytics

  • IBB Ecosystem Vendor

Engenuity Systems

Facil.ai

  • Central Plant & RTU AI Optimization

IoTech Systems

  • edgeX framework

  • Edge Central App

iSMA CONTROLLI

  • Controls company

MondayLive!

  • Founding Organization

  • Education & Promotion

Onuma

Padi.io

Shift Energy

  • HVAC System Optimization

SkyCentrics

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