The 'Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research' (FAIR) will be realized at the 'GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Ionenforschung GmbH' (Darmstadt, Germany) in the scope of a large international organization. This new accelerator complex will be a significant extension to the existing GSI accelerator chain. It will present unique challenges for the control system which are well beyond the capacity of the present system. A new control system is under development that considers all aspects of the expected functionality to operate the GSI/FAIR machines and integrates the present GSI controls infrastructure. The new control system substantially builds on proven principles and solutions and is based on a strictly modular design with well defined interfaces. Size and organizational structure of the FAIR project with international contributions demand for a high level of standardization and efficient interface management. This report summarizes concepts, architecture, technologies and building blocks of the new system.