Modern engineering requires constructors to design building that provide shelter for the occupants while accounting for safety and health. In other words, building services engineers apply scientific principles to design buildings that allow people to live, work, and engage in their activities without putting their lives in jeopardy. To many people, building services are complementary to the main design of the particular strategy. However, achieving perfect building services in terms of safety,efficiency, and comfort means that they must be integrated into the overall building design at the initial stages. The foregoing argument is particularly true for complex structural projects such as the one discussed in this paper. Integrating building services at the initials stages ensures that clashes with other building activities are detected early to avoid delays and on-site delays.
Safety
To account for safety, the engineers will apply scientific principles that allow people to live and work without fear of physical injuries. Firstly, the engineers will focus on ensuring that the building is lit enough to ensure visibility at all times. As such, they will design buildings that allow adequate daylight to penetrate into the closed spaces (Chadderton, 2013). Additionally, the building will be equipped with machinery and equipment that provide for artificial lighting. Artificial lighting technology will be employed in the regions that all too enclosed to allow daylight. It will also be installed to provide light at night and during adverse weather conditions. As a part of ensuring safety of the occupants, building services engineers will be tasked with the mandate of designing and constructing escalators and lifts. Apart from improving mobility, escalators and lifts provide occupants of building with viable escape routes in cases of emergency. They also allow emergency responders to access the building with ease and increased efficiency.
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The engineers will also design and install ventilation and refrigeration systems as part of ensuring the safety of the building’s occupants. It is common knowledge that enclosed buildings can enhance development and spread of pathogens and harmful chemicals (Hall, 2017). The ventilation systems installed in this project will suppress any pathogens present in the air and continually assess the concentration of harmful gases. To achieve this, the engineering team will install computer programs capable of measuring the environment and relaying data results to the staff (Hall, 2016).
Finally, the engineering team will design and create security and alarm systems that allow the building’s occupants to call for help in case of breaches or fire (Jones, 2012). Alarm systems will be installed at strategic locations to ensure that occupants can access them with ease in case of a security attack (Markus, 2014). In addition, some buildings will have concealed buttons where the occupants can call for help discreetly. In terms of fire detection and protection, the building will have smoke and heat detectors designed to initiate escape protocols in case of emergencies.
To further improve safety, the building will integrate specialist building services that consist of bacteria and humidity control systems (Portman, 2014). These will reduce the occupant’s exposure to conditions that threaten their health. Notably, bacteria and humidity can cause diseases such as Pneumonia and trigger conditions such as asthma and bronchitis.
Efficiency
Modern engineering is heavily concerned with reducing waste and improving the efficiency of all systems. In the current project, the engineers will be interested in installing efficient energy supply and use systems, communication networks, and façade engineering. Energy supply and use systems will see the building equipped with both renewable and non-renewable sources of energy (Watkins, 2011). Majority of the attention will be directed towards installation of non-renewable sources of energy (Sample, 2018). Such will include use of solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass. In the same regard, the building will be equipped with lightning protection to ensure that the energy systems are not disrupted in times of storms. In terms of façade engineering, the engineers will construct building shadings that promote cooling and improve comfort of the occupants.
Comfort
Building services engineering is also concerned with development of structures that promote the comfort of the users. In this case, some of the key issues are heating and ventilation, water management, and air conditioning. To solve heating and ventilation concerns, the team will install automatic heat and carbon dioxide detectors (Tymkow, 2013). The detectors will be connected to the ventilation systems to ensure that the temperature is maintained at optimal levels. When the temperature of the building drops, for example, the detectors will cause heaters to activate and restore the optimal conditions. In terms of water management, the team will design drainage and plumbing systems that respond to the prevailing conditions in real-time. In times of water shortage, for instance, the systems will be stimulated to draw water from alternative sources.
Conclusion
Building services play a critical role in determining how buildings are designed and operated. The major role of building services engineers is to determine how the overall strategies of buildings are achieved. Additionally, they play a central role in ensuring that the required standards are met. Apart from the core roles, these also professionals determine how façade engineering is achieved, balancing of weights, and the sizes of major plants and equipment. The paper has explored the role played by the engineers in the current project. It has found that building services require three main objectives to be met. Such objectives include safety, efficiency, and comfort. While the paper has divided into three, they are usually achieved simultaneously as services are executed in a single strategy.
References
Chadderton, D.V., 2013. Building services engineering , London: Routledge.
Hall, F., 2017. Building services handbook , London: Routledge.
Hall, F.E., 2016. Building services and equipment , Place of publication not identified: Taylor & Francis.
Markus, T.A., 2014. Buildings & power: freedom and control in the origin of modern building types , London: Routledge.
Portman, J., 2014. Building services design management , Chichester: Wiley Blackwell.
SAMPLE, H.I.L.A.R.Y., 2018. MAINTENANCE ARCHITECTURE , S.l.: MIT PRESS.
Tymkow, P., 2013. Building services design for energy efficient buildings , London: Routledge.
Watkins, D.E., 2011. Heating services in buildings: design, installation, commissioning & maintenance , Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.
Jones, P., 2012. Newnes building services pocket book , Oxford: Elsevier.
