Concept services design
Concept design proposals from the services engineer might include:
- Weights and location of major plant and equipment.
- Position of vertical service risers.
- Routes for the distribution of horizontal services runs including access provisions.
- Builders' work holes larger than 300 sq. mm.
- Insulation assumptions.
- Environmental control strategies.
- Geothermal requirements.
- Solar energy requirements.
- Rainwater drainage requirements.
- Below ground drainage routes.
- Sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS).
- Building shading requirements.
- Plant room space requirements including access provisions.
- Energy budget
- Energy assessment method.
- Energy targets.
- Energy sources.
- Emissions targets.
- Earthing pits and lightning protection.
- Incoming service routes and statutory utility requirements.
- Acoustic and vibration information.
Before developing a concept design strategies it is worth analysing the client's current environmental services to assess adequacies and inadequacies. The services engineer also needs to understand how future requirements might change.
A list of things to look at might include:
- IT and telecoms strategy.
- Personnel and department numbers and space standards.
- Security issues.
- Equipment servicing and power requirements.
- Catering facilities.
- Waste and consumables.
- Staff leisure facilities/showers.
- Car parking/garage facilities.
- Future trends and likely expansion/contraction of different operations.
- Electrical security, standby generation and UPS systems.
- Natural light priorities.
- Zone controls to different areas.
- Existing maintenance and running costs.
NB: Detailed descriptions of the concept design stage are available in the Designing Buildings Wiki home project plans.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
- Building services.
- Building services concept design model.
- Building services engineer.
- Concept design.
- Concept design report.
- Concept structural design.
- Concept architectural design.
- Detailed services design.
- Electrical control systems.
- Joined-up thinking is key to building safely.
- Plant room.
- Thermal comfort.
- Types of building services.
- U value.
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