Chapter 2
Project Information Needed for HVAC Design
Documents
HVAC systems are necessarily applied to enclosed buildings occupied by people or by
equipment requiring a controlled environment. The HVAC designer must have
detailed information about a proposed building, which may be a stand-alone new
building, an addition to an existing building, or renovation/remodeling of an existing
building or space. The starting point for obtaining this information is the documents
prepared by the architect and other professionals involved. Comprehensively, these
documents are the architectural plans, electrical lighting plans, civil site plans, and
specialty plans such as commercial kitchen layouts.
Architectural plans include all of the following: floor plans, elevations, wall sections,
building sections, window and door schedules, and room schedule. Figures 2-1, 2- 2-2,
and 2-3 show a typical architectural plan with elevations, schedules, and wall
sections. Floor plans show the building orientation and layout, area of spaces and
rooms, basic room use (office, classroom, restroom, etc), and location of windows
and doors. Also needed by the designer are the locations of heat-producing
equipment such as vending machines, copiers, and large servers. Floor plans also
often include a furniture layout that will help the HVAC designer determine
occupancy patterns. Roof plans may be needed for the HVAC designer to coordinate
large pieces of rooftop equipment and connecting piping and ductwork. Window and
door schedules are keyed to the architectural plan and list windows and doors with
size, type, and glazing. Room schedules show room wall and ceiling finishes, and
ceiling heights for each numbered room.
Architect’s plans may already include space for air conditioning air handlers, based
on the architect’s idea of how much space should be required. The allocated space
may be inadequate, and the designer will need to coordinate this with the architect
during preliminary design.
Wall sections (including sections through the building roof and floor assemblies.)
provide essential information about the building envelope – thermal conductivity and
reflectivity of opaque materials, and location and thickness of building insulation.
Window and door schedules give the size of building openings, and the type of
window or door (i.e. insulated, storefront, etc). Elevations show the relationship
between various elements of the building, and can be used to find the size of
window and door openings in lieu of a schedule. It is important that the designer
have a complete definition of the glazing and fenestration, and this information may
have to be requested directly from the architect
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Architectural plans, elevations, and sections by Tock Ohazama, Architect, Tallahassee, Florida
Building sections show the designer how the roof-ceiling and floor-ceiling
assemblies are constructed, and what clearances and routes will be available
fsupply and return ducts or plenums. Combined with wall sections, they also
show the boundaries of the thermal and pressure envelope of the building.
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Building sections show the designer how the roof-ceiling and floor-ceiling assemblies
are constructed, and what clearances and routes will be available for supply and
return ducts or plenums. Combined with wall sections, they also show the boundaries
of the thermal and pressure envelope of the building.
Electrical lighting plans will show the location and number of lighting fixtures, coded
to an accompanying
fixture schedule. With FIGURE 2-3
very simple jobs,
especially when the
HVAC designer and
lighting designer have
worked together before,
the fixture plan and
schedule may be
dispensed with, and a
lighting power density
(watts/sq ft) substituted.
The designer must also
find out the electrical
service voltage and
phase, using the electrical
power plan or directly
from the electrical
designer.
If a commercial kitchen is
included in the project,
the HVAC designer will
need to size the grease
hood ventilation
equipment and the
dishwasher and scullery Tock Ohazama, Architect
exhaust in the context of
the total building
ventilation balance, and evaluate the cooling load of the cooking equipment. If
appliances are gas, the designer may be asked to design the gas supply and
distribution system. To do this requires a detailed kitchen equipment layout, with all
equipment coded to a schedule describing each item and providing, especially, the
fuel type and heat input to that item.
Civil site plans are needed for the designer to coordinate the location of exterior
equipment , piping, and ductwork (except for rooftop), and to ensure code
compliance with building air intakes and exhausts.
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Data Inputs
It was mentioned above that the designer needs to know the locations of special use
spaces with heat-producing equipment such as vending machines, copiers, and large
servers. This data is often not included on floor plans, and must be solicited directly
from the owner or building designer. Also needed is any special ventilation required,
either by request of the owner or intrinsic to particular equipment.
Floor plans usually have a generic description of the use of each interior space, but no
specific information about occupancy load. Often, standards such as ASHRAE 62
may be used to estimate occupancy load, but it is always best to confirm expected
peak normal occupancy of each space with the owner or building designer. The HVAC
designer must decide what sensible and latent loads to assign to occupants based on
the space description, and his experience. Tables in the ASHRAE Handbook –
Fundamentals, will also give guidance on occupant cooling loads.
Restroom and shower areas are completely exhausted by code in Florida and most
other jurisdictions, and thus do not contribute directly to heating or cooling loads.
However, the exhaust is inevitably made up by outdoor air introduced into the
building either across a cooling coil, by un-tempered mechanical supply, or by
infiltration. Of course, it is therefore necessary for the HVAC designer and the HVAC
contractor to know where restroom and shower plumbing fixtures are located. This
information is usually found on the floor plan, but if it is not, must be solicited from
the building designer.
The HVAC designer, in collaboration with the building designer and owner,
establishes the indoor design conditions for the building – dry bulb temperature and
relative humidity. However, outdoor design conditions must be based on local
weather data. Weather data is available in many HVAC computer design programs,
and in tabular form in the ASHRAE Handbook – Fundamentals. (Beginning with the
2005 Fundamentals detailed weather information for US and worldwide sites is
available only on the CD, not in the printed Handbook.) HVAC designers often adjust
this data based on local site conditions and personal experience.
Design weather data tables are available for most U.S. Cities, as well as for most cities
of any size anywhere in the world. Chapter 6 discusses ways to use the data for
calculating cooling, heating, and dehumidification loads.
Review of Information
Information
Upon receipt of the documents and information needed as outlined above, it is the
responsibility of the HVAC designer to review the submitted information in detail,
and to notify the building designer of possible problem areas. Typical problems are
gaps in the pressure envelope (allowing paths for tramp air to leak into the thermal
envelope), large uninsulated or un-tinted glass areas, inadequate building insulation,
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inadequate space to run ductwork or install equipment, configurations that may
violate the local mechanical or energy code, and conditions that may compromise
indoor air quality.
Codes, Standards, and References
Familiarity with the following documents is essential to execute a successful design.
Local Building Codes : These are the basic codes that the local building officials will
use to review proposed projects and inspect work in progress. Most codes are now
available on CD through the local building department – examples are the Florida
Unified Building Code, the Southern Standard Building Code, and the National
Building Code. Each jurisdiction adopts a code that suits it, and often supplements
the adopted code with special provisions. All codes include special sections for
Buildings, Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, and Energy Compliance. The designer
should be familiar with the sections of the code applicable to his work, and should
have a copy available for reference during the design process. HVAC design will be
governed by the Building Code, the Mechanical Code, the Fuel Gas Code, and the
Energy Code sections. Of course, the Building Code covers items generally of
importance to the Architect, but many Building Code sections have a direct effect on
HVAC design, such as those pertaining to fire separation and means of egress.
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standards : The HVAC designer will not
need a complete set of NFPA standards. For one thing, many of the NFPA standards
are incorporated into the local codes. However, a few of the standards should be
available for reference by the designer, even though many of the requirements may
be incorporated into local codes. These are NFPA 70 “National Electric Code”, NFPA
90A and 90B which apply to the installation of HVAC systems, and NFPA 96
“Standard for Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking
Operations”.
Standards of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning
Engineers (ASHRAE) : The ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals is referred to often
in this book, and the designer should have the latest edition available for ready
reference. Important standards to have available for ready reference are Standard
52.2 which defines air filter standards, Standard 55 “Thermal Environmental
Conditions for Human Occupancy”, Standard 62.1 “Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor
Air Quality” and Standard 90.1 “Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low Rise
Residential Buildings”.
Summary
Before beginning any HVAC project, the designer must have a comprehensive set of
documents and data that completely define the building and the local environment.
This usually means a complete and final set of architectural drawings, lighting
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layouts, civil site plans, internal loads, occupancy patterns, and design points for the
spaces and outdoors. In the absence of complete information, and under pressure to
deliver a design, the designer may estimate many parameters based generic rules of
thumb and on past experience with the building and lighting designers. However, this
is risky, and could result in inadequate design, over design, or re-doing many design
tasks.
The HVAC designer has the responsibility to review the documents and data for the
project, and to inform the building designer of any problems he perceives.
The HVAC designer should maintain a design file stating all the assumptions made
for a project, the rationale, and all correspondence with the other designers and with
the owner.
END