Introduction To Building Services
Introduction To Building Services
Introduction To Building Services
Learning Outcomes
• To know:
– The nature of a building
– Thermal comfort and health and safety
– Requirements of buildings
– The elements involved in the health and safety
(H&S) of a building
3
What is a Building?
Building (建築物) includes the whole, or any part, of any domestic or public
building or building which is constructed or adapted for use for public
entertainment, arch, bridge, cavern adapted or constructed to be used for
the storage of petroleum products, chimney, cook-house, cowshed, dock,
factory, garage, hangar, hoarding, latrine, matshed, office, oil storage
installation, out-house, pier, shelter, shop, stable, stairs, wall, warehouse,
wharf, workshop or tower, sea-wall, breakwater, jetty, mole, quay, cavern
or any underground space adapted or constructed for occupation or use for
any purpose including its associated access tunnels and access shafts, pylon
or other similar structure supporting an aerial ropeway and such other
structures as the Building Authority may by notice in the Gazette declare to
be a building; (Amended 44 of 1959 s. 2; 19 of 1976 s. 32; 16 of 1978 s. 2; 5
of 1983 s. 2; 68 of 1993 s. 2; 72 of 1995 s. 15)
What is a Building?
• A building is:
– A structure of a considerable size that lasts for some
time
– An enclosure for the benefit of human habitation,
work, or recreation
– Or for the storage of industrial product, natural
produce, or keeping the animal (e.g. warehouse,
store, stable)
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What is a Building?
• Building indoor conditions must satisfy:
– Occupants
– Processes
of different internal spaces
• Designers need to take into considerations:
– Occupancy pattern
– Activity being undertaken
– Known fixed equipment
– Allowance for future fixed equipment
– Lighting
– Power outlets
• Health and safety (H&S) implications?
https://www.scmp.com/property/hong-
kong-china/article/2074728/hong-kong-
6
start-booqed-targets-freelancers-and-
temporary , 10 Jan 2019
• Involves:
– Daylighting and electrical
lighting
– For both normal and
emergency situations
– Criteria of quality and
energy efficiency
• Daylighting:
• Daylighting (cont’d):
– Amount of daylight depends
on sky, externally reflected, – Perceived as desirable in
and internally reflected relation with window
components
– Window provides visual link
– High variation
– Specified as a percentage of – But, disadvantages of
luminance – minimum 2% inconsistent, glare, heat gain
and noise with large window
12
(http://www.everglow.us/?everglow=&photoluminescent=6&signs=exi
t-path-markings , 16 Jan 2015)
14
(http://kelengkengsegarbahagia.barenfashion.x
yz/noise-reduction-ceiling-tiles , 10 Jan 2019)
15
Building services
Requirements of Buildings are mostly
concerned with
this requirement!
• Functional requirements:
– To fulfill the purpose/s of the facility
– Requirements that specify what the facility should do
– Example: a building protects occupants from harmful
weather elements such as cold outdoor environment
• Performance requirements:
– Requirements that describe how a facility should
behave and what limits there are on its functionality
– These requirements generally specify the facility’s
quality attributes or characteristics
– Example: a building maintains indoor temperature of
not more than 18oC
– To support the functional requirements!
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Requirements of Buildings
• Statutory requirements:
– To fulfill the requirements of ensuring public H&S
• User requirements:
– Any user specified requirements (=> see next slide)
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Requirements of Buildings
• User requirements:
– Functional requirements
– Performance requirements
– Other specific requirements, e.g. aesthetics, climate
control, automation, etc.
• Statutory requirements:
– Public health and safety
– Environmental impacts
– Safety during construction
– Safety during operation
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Performance Requirements
• Strength – sustain loads
• Stability – remain balanced; resisting collapse
• Rigidity – withstand deformation
• Equilibrium – achieve a balance of forces
• Serviceability – use and maintain at
reasonable cost and effort
• How about the information generated by the
building systems? Definition - Requirements
that describe how a facility
should behave and what
limits there are on its
functionality
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Statutory Requirements
• Buildings Ordinance (Cap. 123)
• Building Management Ordinance (Cap. 344)
• Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132)
• Town Planning Ordinance (Cap. 131)
• Fire Services Ordinance (Cap. 95)
• Electricity Ordinance (Cap. 406)
• Waterworks Ordinance (Cap. 102)
• Waste Disposal Ordinance (Cap. 354)
• Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance (Cap. 53)
• Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance (Cap. 59)
• …
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Statutory Requirements
• For example, the Building Ordinance
• Lays down the minimum requirements of
public health and safety:
– For new built – to provide for the planning,
design, and construction of buildings and related
works
– For existing buildings – to make provision for
ensuring the safety of dangerous buildings
– Confined to buildings and street works only
Definition - Requirements 21
that specify what the facility
should do
Functional Requirements
• Enclosure
• Structural systems
• Environmental
modification systems
• Health systems
• Protection and
security systems
• Utilities systems
• People movements
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Functional Requirements
• Environmental modification systems
• Building as environmental filter:
– Basic need of maintaining constant body temperature
– Need to compensate for changes in environment
– Building envelope moderates the extreme of climate
• Modern buildings accomplish the above through:
– Many components and pieces of equipment
– Suitable design and integration of many elemental
systems
– Structural, architectural, and building services systems
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Functional Requirements
• Building services:
– “Everything inside a building which makes it safe and
comfortable to be in . . .” (CIBSE, UK)
– System is used for heating, ventilating, air-
conditioning (HVAC); illumination; electrical power
distribution, plumbing and piping; drainage; fire
protection; vertical/horizontal transportation; etc.
– The heart and nervous system of a building!
• Building services systems influence:
– Occupants health, safety, and comfort
– Occupants productivity
– Building and operating costs
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Functional Requirements
Functional
requirements
Spatial
Health Safety Utilities Costs
dimensions
Respiratory
disorder
symptoms
No. of doctor
consultation
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Selected References
• Bass, B., Economou, V., Lee, K.K.C., Perks, T., Smith, A. S. and Yip, Q. (2003). The
interaction between physical and social psychological factors in indoor environmental
health. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 85(2), 199-219.
• Burberry, P. (1997). Environment and Services, 8th ed. Harlow: Pearson Education.
• Chadderton, D.V. (2004). Building Services Engineering, 4th ed. London: Spon Press.
• CII-HK (2005). Research Publication – Solutions Implementation of Healthy Buildings in
Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
• Erlandson T., Cena K., Dear D.R. and Havenith, G. (2003). Environmental and human
factors influencing thermal comfort of office occupants in hot-humid and hot-arid
climates. Ergonomics, 46(6), 616-628.
• Leung R., Lam C.W.K., Chan A., Lee. M., Chan .I. H.S., Pang S.W. and Lai C.K.W. (1998).
Indoor environment of residential homes in Hong Kong - relevance to asthma and
allergic disease. Clinical and Experimental Allergy, 28(5), 585-590.
• Portman, J. (2014). Building Services Design Management. West Sussex, UK: John Wiley
and Sons.
• Takano, T. and Nakamura, K. (2001). An analysis of health levels and various indicators
of urban environments for Healthy Cities Projects. Journal of Epidemiology Community
Health, 55(4), 263-270.