Considering External Services for Building Design
A long time ago, somewhere in the Third World, a large,
luxury-fitted, modern apartment complex was built in record time and apartment
units were sold, only for residents to discover that their beautiful
chrome-plated bathroom fixtures and kitchen taps were stone dry; the entire
complex was devoid of any water connections. Granted, this is not a common
occurrence, but it does illustrate the importance and necessity of reliable and
well-designed external services in building design, which includes more than
water connections. In fact, in most cases, it is a starting point in the
construction process. It is imperative to source high-quality building
engineering design services from reputed building services design consultants
to ensure that external services are efficient and dependable.
What do we mean by external services in building design?
External services is a term used to describe material and
routes of all building services outside the main building footprint and within
the site perimeter, including water supply, wastewater piping, surface water
drains, cables and pipes for utility supplies (internet connection, gas,
electricity, telecommunications, etc.). It involves bringing all these services
from the main lines, outside the compound and in a public area, to the building
under construction.
Typically, external services can include:
Water mains supply
Irrigation systems
Electricity mains supply and distribution
External security systems
Site/street lighting systems
External transformation devices (wind turbines, solar
panels, satellite dishes)
Gas mains supply
Fuel storage and piped distribution systems
Local/district heating installations
Telecommunications and other communication system
connections
When speaking of electricity and plumbing, external services
include the lines taken from the site perimeter to the building, the cabling,
landscape lighting, etc. Electricity is taken to a central location on the site
or in the building and then branches out. Plumbing involves water supply and
wastewater connected from the main water/sewage lines outside to inside the
compound and inside the structure. Mechanical services include chillers (either
air or water-based), which are installed in the basement, and chiller pipes run
vertically to the floors above. However, in large projects, sometimes a
mechanical plant room is a separate building, which falls into the realm of
external services. Routes and layouts for fire design devices outside a
building are also part of external services.
There are other facets to external services which are not so
obvious, such as:
Internet cables
Conduits to different levels for outside swimming pools
Disconnecting chambers
Requirements for manhole covers, both for water and
electricity
External water supply connection line and ferrules (metal
bands to strengthen or form a joint)
Each of these facets must be carefully considered by
building services design consultants. Other key considerations include:
Careful routing of pipelines to prevent corrosion
Pipelines should be laid over a sand bed that is at least
150mm thick.
Pipes should be painted before laying them out to help prevent
damage.
Wastewater and rainwater pipes should be easy to access for
repair or replacement.
Strong, durable material and careful layout design is needed
for the external soil line (drainpipes that carry off sewage waste).
Ground reservoir and the house top reservoirs must be
checked for water tightness and their capacity.
There must be adequate arrangements for continuous water
supply during peak hours. Connecting valves must be checked to see that they
function properly.
Internal pathways and surface drains must be carefully
designed.
So, who are the main protagonists in external services
design and what do they do?
First and foremost, building services design consultants
must consider all external services required for the site, and they must be on
the same page as the architect. This will involve frequent and detailed
consultations.
Site developers must obtain precise site information,
conduct surveys to determine the capacity, extent and position of external
services design.
Then, building services design consultants must ensure that
the routing of cables, pipes and other materials are without fault and do not
clash with each other.
There is a separate consultation for certain external
services, which involve lux levels, manhole distances and manhole depths, which
may differ from region to region and country to country.
In large homebuilding projects, there may be a need for
multiple inter-connected substations.
Gardens and other green areas outside the building may be
watered by automated irrigation systems. The decision to opt for drip
irrigation systems, to precisely release water to plant roots, or micro spray
systems, to deliver fine water sprays over a defined area, must be taken early
on by building services design consultants.
Part of the range of external services provided is external
drainage. These drainage systems will need to be connected to the main sewage
lines outside the site.
There are generally 3 types of external drainage systems to
be considered. They are:
Foul drainage
Above-ground sanitary pipework joins underground pipework or
foul drainage or sewers, carrying wastewater from bathrooms and kitchens.
Surface water drainage
Building wastewater from rain, condensation and melted
snow/ice are guided through roof guttering and rainwater pipes, which connect
to underground pipework or surface water drains and surface water sewers.
Sustainable urban drainage systems
This is an alternative system to traditional drainage
systems, such as filter strips and drains, swales, rainwater harvesting tanks,
permeable surfaces, basins, ponds, underground storage, wetlands, etc.
Software
External services design is an extensive exercise and
requires both skills and the relevant software tools. With the help of BIM
(Building Information Modelling) technology and the BIM-enabled software,
precise designs can be generated. Software that is typically used for external
services design can be as follows:
Ø
PowerCad for electrical design and calculations
Ø
AGi32, DIAlux for lighting design
Ø
Revit MEP for MEP modelling
The External Services framework of Revit software helps
customise MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) calculations, access
externally stored data and replace built-in export/import filters and perform
other tasks with a coding approach to help calculate MEP friction.
So, when in need of reliable building engineering design
services, experienced building services design consultants will deliver
high-quality BIM MEP drafting services and building
services coordination within a reasonable budget. These design services
providers will have the expertise to provide precise building design
documentation, drafting and modelling for external services.
MEP Engineering Services has valuable experience
providing MEP Design services, BIM MEP services, engineering design services,
building services coordination and M&E design engineering support for
global firms. Our range of mechanical
engineering design services for MEP design companies include
MEP drafting, MEP BIM modelling and MEP coordination.
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