28 THE DESIGN PROCESS

Table 2-2. Approximate Space Requirements for Mechanical and Electrical Equipment* Total mechanical and electrical equipment (in general) Apartments, schools Office buildings 4% to 9%

5% 7.5% (up to 50% more on lower floors of high-rise buildings) Research laboratories 10% The above totals may be broken down as follows: Plumbing 10% to 20% of lower-floor gross building area Electrical 20% to 30% of lower-floor gross building area Heating and air 60% to 80% of the above 4% to 9% conditioning Communications 5% to 10% of the above 4% to 9% (some buildings may require much more) Fan rooms 50 ft2 per 1000 cfm [9.8 m2 per 1000 L/s] of supply air with a 10 to 20 ft [3 to 6 m] height Interior shafts (either) 2% to 5% of gross floor area of which: 70% is for HVAC 15% for electrical 15% for plumbing 2 (or) 1 ft per 1000 cfm [0.19 m2 per 1000 L/s] (supply + return + exhaust air) Air intake/exhaust openings should provide these maximum air velocities on the net free area: Outdoor air intake 650 fpm [3.3 m/s] because higher louvers velocities may entrain water and ice (depends upon manufacturer) Exhaust air louvers 1500 fpm [7.6 m/s] to prevent excessive pressure on walls and frames Return air and 1500 to 2000 fpm [7.6 to 10.2 m/s] but with mixed-air plenums adequate pressure drop (0.25 in. water [62 Pa]) across control dampers and adequate turbulence to mix outdoor and return air in air-side economizers (watch noise)

* These values are expressed as a percentage of gross building area unless otherwise noted.