Installation

In general, installation is the act of installing something in a fixed, semi-fixed or temporary location. It can also refer to a complete unit which has been installed.

In terms of construction, it often refers to machinery, plant, apparatus, etc., being placed in position or connected for use. Often this can refer to a system or unit with accompanying assemblies, accessories, parts, and so on. It can also include connection to the services which are required to enable the installation to operate.

Installation drawings are developed from co-ordinated detail drawings and present the information needed by trades to install part of the works. This may be particularly important for complex installations such as plant rooms, data centres, ventilation systems, underfloor heating, and so on.

The term installation is often used in conjuction with the specific nature of that installation for example; plumbing installation, gas installation, electrical installation, fire safety installtion, heating installation, colling installation and so on.

The Building Safety Act 2022 refers to “electrical installation” as meaning 'fixed electrical cables or fixed electrical equipment located on the consumer’s side of the electricity supply meter'. (see Section 21 of the Act here)

The BSRIA guide to 'Commissioning Air Systems' (BG 49/2024), written by by Keith Barker and published by BSRIA in March 2024, explains how to commission ducted air distribution systems in buildings. It defines the installation for the purposes of the guide simply as 'A system placed in position as required by the design or specification'.

Setting the bar. A new competence regime for building a safer future. The Final Report of the Competence Steering Group for Building a Safer Future, published in October 2020, defines an installer as: ‘An operative or organisation working, with the appropriate competencies, to place a specific product or system on-site.’

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings

• Assembly.
• Building activities.
• Building system.
• Construction plant.
• Groundworks.
• Installation drawings.
• Temporary works.
• Working platforms.