Building Systems: Matching Equipment to Load, Space, and Budget
Building systems questions ask you to match a system to a program, a climate, and a budget - not to recite equipment names.
HVAC selection drivers. All-air constant-volume and VAV systems serve large, varied loads. Fan-coil and chilled-beam systems reduce duct depth but require a separate ventilation air path, often a dedicated outdoor air system. Radiant slabs are quiet and efficient but slow to respond. Displacement ventilation suits high-ceiling spaces with steady loads. Traps: recommending a system that cannot control latent load in a humid climate, or one whose shaft and ceiling requirements do not fit the section.
Distribution and zoning. Zone by orientation and by internal versus perimeter load. Confirm that ducts, pipes, and structure can share the plenum: structural depth plus duct depth plus ceiling often governs floor-to-floor height.
Plumbing and fire protection. Supply pressure, fixture units, drainage slope (typically 1/4 in per foot for small pipe), and venting constrain layout. Sprinkler coverage, standpipes, and water supply duration drive tank and pump room sizing - spaces easy to omit from a floor plan.
Electrical and vertical transport. Service size follows connected and demand loads; emergency power and uninterruptible power supply serve life safety and IT loads. Elevator count is estimated from population and a five-minute handling capacity target, typically 10 to 13 percent of building population.
Worked example: a 100,000 gross sf office at 80 percent efficiency gives 80,000 net sf. At 150 sf per person that is about 533 occupants, suggesting roughly two to three elevators for a mid-rise office before checking rise and speed.