can
compromise the design team's ability to consider factors like life
cycle cost, distribution efficiency,access, maintainability, and
system integration.
Technological advances and economic pressure frequently join
forces to reduce the design and construction time for building
projects. Narrowing the design window places intense pressure on
the design team to produce construction documents as quickly as
possible. As a result, other factors like life cycle cost,
distribution efficiency, access, maintainability, and system
integration may not receive a thorough evaluation to provide the
best overall solution to the design problem.
Failing to take these factors into account during the early stages
of design can have long-term negative impacts on the efficiency of
a building and its systems. For example, a constricted mechanical
space will probably remain constricted for the life of the
building, compromising the efficiency and maintainability of the
machinery and eroding the building's operating budget for years to
come. Correcting such a problem subsequent to construction may be
an economic and practical impossibility, while preventing it during
early phases of design may have little first cost implication and
yield substantial ongoing benefits.
This design brief explores techniques that use the "fuzzy"
information available during schematic design as a foundation for
establishing a project's design intent and making good longterm
mechanical and electrical systems decisions. Properly applied, they
allow the mechanical designer to:
- Suggest more efficient system alternatives with better life
cycle cost profiles for consideration.
- Ensure that the architectural elements of the building are
configured to promote distribution system efficiency.
- "Right size" building systems from the very start, improving
energy efficiency, as well as first cost.
- Coordinate with other team members to capture the additional
savings that "ripple out" of these decisions.
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