—

ABB Ability™ Smart Sensor

motors that let you know when
it’s time for a service.
ABB’s new condition monitoring solution revolutionizes maintenance for low voltage
motors. ABB Ability™ Smart Sensor monitors key parameters and sends the data
to a secure server for analysis. Users can access detailed status reports from their
smartphone or PC. The solution enables proper maintenance planning for longer
motor lifetimes, lower energy consumption and big reductions in downtime.
www.abb.com/motors&generators

input #1 at www.csemag.com/information
INTEGRATED
FAULT
DETECTION &
DIAGNOSTICS

IFDD FlexTiles in RC-GrafxSet, facilitate the creation of simple, intuitive, and

flexible interfaces for Fault Detection and Diagnostic (FDD) applications. IFDD
FlexTiles empowers you to identify and resolve faults and sub-optimal performance
in your facility, while improving the life-cycle cost of your building equipment, as
well as controlling occupant safety and comfort. Contact your Reliable Controls
Authorized Dealer today to optimize your performance.

input #2 at www.csemag.com/information

www.reliablecontrols.com/sales
 webcasts
Consulting-Specifying
Engineer webcasts
help you obtain
educational information
on specific topics and
learn about the latest
industry trends.

Check out some of our webcasts on topics like:

• Critical Power
• Electrical Room Design
• HVAC
• Lighting
• Fire & Life Safety
• Industrial Internet of Things

www.csemag.com/webcasts
 Vol. 56, Number 6

JULY 2019

16 | Integrating direct
digital controls
Learn about control system
attributes, and how inte-
grated control systems can
be designed for various
building systems

20 | Three technologies to watch

in fire, life safety
While some of these systems have been available
for some time, they are not yet readily accepted by
fire and life safety experts

24 | ASHRAE’s energy standard

for data centers turns three

8-16 When specifying to meet ASHRAE Standard 90.4,

examine the lessons learned to evaluate a path
forward
ON THE COVER: By integrating building automation and
controls, engineers can design intelligent buildings. Cour-
tesy: CFE Media 31 | As health care
shifts, so do
NEWS &BUSINESS codes
Lower-cost alter-
5 | Viewpoint natives to tradition-
Keeping the HVAC running, the smart way al hospitals create
code challenges
7 | Research for engineers and
Electrical, power systems in industrial projects designers

BUILDING SOLUTIONS ENGINEERING INSIGHTS

8 | How to get started designing 36 | Government facility design
a smart building Consulting engineers are working on government,
What is a smart building, and how can engineers state, municipal, federal, correctional and military
design integrated building systems? buildings

CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER (ISSN 0892-5046, Vol. 56, No. 6, GST #123397457) is published 11x per year, monthly except in February, by CFE Media, LLC, 3010 Highland
Parkway, Suite #325 Downers Grove, IL 60515. Jim Langhenry, Group Publisher/Co-Founder; Steve Rourke CEO/COO/Co-Founder. CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER copyright 2019 by CFE Media, LLC. All
rights reserved. CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER is a registered trademark of CFE Media, LLC used under license. Periodicals postage paid at Downers Grove, IL 60515 and additional mailing offices. Circulation re-
cords are maintained at CFE Media, LLC, 3010 Highland Parkway, Suite #325 Downers Grove, IL 60515. Telephone: 630-571-4070. E-mail: customerservice@cfemedia.com. Postmaster: send address changes to
CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER, 3010 Highland Parkway, Suite #325 Downers Grove, IL 60515. Publications Mail Agreement No. 40685520. Return undeliverable Canadian ad-
dresses to: 3010 Highland Parkway, Suite #325 Downers Grove, IL 60515. Email: customerservice@cfemedia.com. Rates for nonqualified subscriptions, including all issues: USA, $165/yr; Canada,
$200/yr (includes 7% GST, GST#123397457); Mexico, $200/yr; International air delivery $350/yr. Except for special issues where price changes are indicated, single copies are available for $30 US and $35 foreign. Please address
all subscription mail to CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER, 3010 Highland Parkway, Suite #325 Downers Grove, IL 60515. Printed in the USA. CFE Media, LLC does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any person
for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions in the material contained herein, regardless of whether such errors result from negligence, accident or any other cause whatsoever.

www.csemag.com consulting-specifying engineer July 2019 • 3

 New look. New feel.
NEW PRODUCTS FOR ENGINEERS
Same GREAT information.

Search Products And Discover

New Innovations In Your Industry

The New Products for Engineers Database is a platform that provides

an opportunity for engineering and technical professionals to access
the latest NEW product information for the manufacturing, commercial
construction, and manufacturing control industries.

∠ An enhanced search process allows ∠ Product profiles can easily be printed

users to search by category or
keywords and narrow their search by
filtering on manufacturer, industry, or
release date.
∠ Users can browse CFE Media’s various
award programs and vote for their
favorite products.
∠ Users can provide comments and
rate products to share their product
experiences with other users.
to PDF within the browser.
∠ Users can choose to subscribe to
product alerts on a category or
manufacturer, and will receive an
email as matching products are added
to the database.
∠ When viewing a product, a user can
view contact information on the
manufacturer and request additional
information on a product.

www.csemag.com/NP4E
 NEWS&BUSINESS
VIEWPOINT
CONTENT SPECIALISTS/EDITORIAL
AMARA ROZGUS, Editor-in-Chief/Content Strategy Leader
630-571-4070 x2211, ARozgus@CFEMedia.com
AMANDA PELLICCIONE, Director of Research
APelliccione@CFEMedia.com
MICHAEL SMITH, Creative Director
MSmith@CFEmedia.com
McKENZIE BURNS, Production & Marketing Coordinator
Keeping the HVAC
running, the smart way
630-571-4070 x2231, MBurns@CFEMedia.com

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

JERRY BAUERS, PE,
Vice President, NV5, Kansas City, Mo. While upgrading a home furnace, the option to upgrade
MICHAEL CHOW, PE, CEM, CxA, LEED AP BD+C,
Principal, Metro CD Engineering LLC, Columbus, Ohio
to a smart thermostat also was under consideration

S
TOM DIVINE, PE,
Senior Electrical Engineer, Smith Seckman Reid, Houston
everal years ago, my home fur- hardware failures all day long. He was
CORY DUGGIN, PE, LEED AP BD+C, BEMP,
Energy Modeling Wizard, TLC Engineering Solutions, nace died. It was the middle of not ready or willing to allow the tem-
Brentwood, Tenn. January, which was not an ideal perature of our home to be controlled
ROBERT J. GARRA JR., PE, CDT, time to try to rough it with- via a device with an internet proto-
Vice President, Electrical Engineer,
CannonDesign, Grand Island, N.Y. out heat in Chicago. Climate zone 5 is col address that could be improperly
JASON GERKE, PE, LEED AP BD+C, Cx A, not a place you want to sleep without accessed by others.
Mechanical Engineer, GRAEF, Milwaukee a working furnace or boiler. For any- While I respect his opinion — and
JOSHUA D. GREENE, PE, one who has been to a winter have seen the stories about
Associate Principal, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger,
Waltham, Mass. conference in Chicago at that home networks breached
RAYMOND GRILL, PE, FSFPE, time of year, you can imag- — I am still in favor of a
Principal, Arup, Washington, D.C. ine the panic that set in. smart home thermostat.
WILLIAM KOFFEL, PE, FSFPE,
President, Koffel Associates Inc., Columbia, Md.
Our heating, ventilation Much like sensors in com-
WILLIAM KOSIK, PE, CEM, LEED AP BD+C, BEMP,
and air conditioning con- mercial buildings, a device
Senior Energy Engineer, Oak Park Ill. tractor responded quickly; with sophisticated controls
KENNETH KUTSMEDA, PE, LEED AP, we needed a completely new as well as occupancy sens-
Engineering Manager, Jacobs, Philadelphia
unit. We were looking at a ing capabilities seemed like
SARA LAPPANO, PE, LC, LEED AP, Amara Rozgus,
Managing Principal, Integral Group, Washington, D.C.
replacement that would cost it would add to our efficien-
Editor-in-Chief
JULIANNE LAUE, PE, LEED AP BD+C, BEMP,
several thousands of dollars, cy levels.
Director of Building Performance, Mortenson, Minneapolis and we didn’t want to wait Building intelligence has
DAVID LOWREY, too long. improved dramatically over the past
Chief Fire Marshal, Boulder (Colo.) Fire Rescue
The knowledge I’ve gained from several years, and the quality and per-
JASON MAJERUS, PE, CEM, LEED AP,
Principal, DLR Group, Cleveland several engineers over the years vasiveness of these products continue
BRIAN MARTIN, PE, pushed me toward a high-efficiency to grow. Lighting occupancy sensors,
Senior Electrical Technologist, Jacobs, Portland, Ore. unit. While more costly upfront, the HVAC controls and a host of other
DWAYNE G. MILLER, PE, RCDD, AEE CPQ, long-term payback would benefit me. technologies are giving engineers the
CEO and Co-Founder, UNIFI Labs Inc., Las Vegas
Plus, with variable-speed motors, over- ability to design commercial buildings
FREDDY PADILLA, PE, ATD,
Principal/Senior Electrical Engineer, Page, Austin, Texas all comfort would improve. The order with smarter and better tools for their
GREGORY QUINN, PE, NCEES, LEED AP, was placed, and I was told I had to wait occupants.
Principal, Health Care Market Leader, only two days for the new furnace. While some of these smart build-
Affiliated Engineers Inc., Madison, Wis.
BRIAN A. RENER, PE, LEED AP,
Next on my list: A smart home ings have extraordinary control sys-
Principal, Electrical Discipline Leader, SmithGroup, Chicago thermostat. As long as we were tems designed into them, others have
SUNONDO ROY, PE, LEED AP BD+C, upgrading to a high-efficiency unit, simpler options that control just a cou-
Vice President, CCJM Engineers Ltd., Chicago why not take it to the next level? We ple of key factors, enhancing their effi-
RANDY SCHRECENGOST, PE, CEM,
Austin Operations Group Manager/Senior Mechanical
already had a programmable thermo- ciency either way.
Engineer, Stanley Consultants, Austin, Texas stat, but it wasn’t quite as smart as I I’m going to continue my personal
SAAHIL TUMBER, PE, HBDP, LEED AP, wanted it to be, nor could I control it quest to add more smart technologies to
Senior Associate, Environmental Systems Design, Chicago
from afar. my home, with an attempt to ensure my
MARIO VECCHIARELLO, PE, CEM, GBE,
Senior Vice President, CDM Smith Inc., Boston
“Absolutely not,” said my husband. husband is completely comfortable with
RICHARD VEDVIK, PE,
He’s a data center network engineer for each new system we introduce. cse
Senior Electrical Engineer and Acoustics Engineer, a local college, and deals with firewalls,
IMEG Corp., Rock Island, Ill.
security breaches and network and
MIKE WALTERS, PE, LEED AP,
Campus Energy Market Leader, MEP Associates, Verona, Wis.
APRIL WOODS, PE, LEED AP BD+C,
Vice President, WSP USA, Orlando, Fla.
JOHN YOON, PE, LEED AP ID+C,
Lead Electrical Engineer, McGuire Engineers Inc., Chicago

www.csemag.com consulting-specifying engineer July 2019 • 5

 advertisement

Condensing Boiler Control Strategies & System Distribution

David Grassl | PE, Dynamic Consulting Engineers
Catie VanWormer | PE, LEED AP, Cleaver-Brooks

There are a variety of control and system piping options for new for additional energy savings.
and existing system designs. In all condensing boiler designs, Three strategies to reduce system
the goal is to maintain the lowest hot water return temperature energy consumption include ΔP
to the boiler allowable by the system to operate in condensing pumping, ΔT pumping, and valve
mode as much as possible. position with critical zone reset.
At the same time, system controls should be sequenced to System Distribution - Primary-secondary systems are
maximize efficiency at the lowest system energy consumption, standard, but variable-primary-flow systems are increasing in
including system pumps and other considerations. popularity for hydronic systems because this configuration
achieves better overall system efficiency. In addition, they
Hot Water Supply Temperature Reset - This control strategy require less piping and controls than a traditional system.
resets the hot water supply temperature based on a system
variable, typically outside air temperature. At a higher outside air Download the white paper at
temperature less heating is required and can be achieved with a http://info.cleaverbrooks.com/ControlStrategies
lower-than-design hot water supply temperature.
info@cleaverbrooks.com
Pump Control - Strategies utilizing pump controls are an 800-250-5883
alternative that can work in conjunction with hot water reset cleaverbrooks.com

cse201907_whitePprHlf_clvrBrks.indd 1 input #3 at www.csemag.com/information 6/20/2019 3:59:11 PM

Committed to providing continuing education

to engineering professionals.

Whether enrolled students
need a refresher course on a
particular topic or need to know
more about the latest engineering
industry issues, CFE Edu offers
courses that touch on a wide
variety of topics.
Our course catalog is RCEP
Accredited, as well as certified
by the American Institute of
Architects (AIA) for continuing
education. AIA CES credits
(learning unit hours) are earned
for each course upon completion.
After finishing each course,
participants will receive a
certificate of completion. Each
course will educate and test
participant knowledge via a
mix of reading, video clips, and
interactive elements.

Want to drive your career forward with CFE Edu? View the course catalog at:

cfeEdu.cfemedia.com
cfeEDU_house ad_halfHZ.indd 1 4/29/2019 12:58:55 PM

Importance of
interoperability in
HVAC systems
Not important 1%
Somewhat Extremely
important important
16%
34%
Fairly
important
49%
Figure 1: Thirty-four percent of
engineers weigh interoperability as
extremely important when selecting
one HVAC product over another.
Source: Consulting-Specifying Engi-
neer 2019 HVAC & Building Auto-
mation Systems Study
7 in 10 engineers are
responsible for researching and
evaluating lights, lighting equip-
ment and/or lighting controls on
projects. Source: Consulting-Spec-
ifying Engineer 2019 Lighting &
Lighting Controls Study
66% of engineering firms
obtained design revenue in the past
year for projects involving water-
based, sprinkler suppression sys-
tems. Source: Consulting-Specifying
Engineer 2019 Fire & Life Safety
Study
58% of engineers expect an
increased demand for renewable
energy technologies in upcoming
projects. Source: Consulting-Spec-
ifying Engineer 2018 Electrical &
Power Study
More research
Consulting-Specifying Engineer
covers several research topics each
year. All reports are available at
www.csemag.com/research.
www.csemag.com
NEWS&BUSINESS
RESEARCH
ELECTRICAL & POWER STUDY
Electrical, power systems
in industrial projects
F
ifty-seven percent of engineers
specify, design or make product
selections for industrial/manu-
facturing facilities/warehouses,
according to the Consulting-Specifying
Engineer 2018 Electrical & Power Study
— and 89% of these engineers are respon-
sible for determining the requirements/
writing the electrical and power system
specifications for these projects. Below are
five findings as they relate to industrial/
manufacturing facility/warehouse projects:
1. Design value: Engineering firms are
specifying $3 million annually, on aver-
age, in electrical and power systems for
new and existing industrial/manufactur-
ing facilities/warehouses, with 37% speci-
fying more than $3 million.
2. Recent changes: When specifying
electrical and power systems for indus-
trial/manufacturing facilities/warehouses,
engineers have recently observed chang-
es to budget/cost of projects or products
specified (50%), energy efficiency (48%),
codes and standards (47%) and the “inter-
net of things” (47%).
Top 10 electrical, power systems specified
Cable, wire, etc.
Circuit breakers, fuses, etc.
Electrical distribution
Enclosures, equipment enclosures
Cable management, raceways,
busways, etc.
Transfer switches, ATS, etc.
Transformers
Emergency and standby power
Surge suppression
Meters, submeters, smart meters
Figure 2: Cable, wire, etc.; circuit breakers, fuses, etc. and electrical distribu-
tion systems are the most common types of electrical and power equipment
currently being specified into industrial/manufacturing facilities/warehouses.
Source: Consulting-Specifying Engineer
consulting-specifying engineer
3. Specifications: For industrial/man-
ufacturing facilities/warehouses, per-
formance electrical or power systems
specifications are written 74% of the
time, followed by prescriptive and open:
proprietary.
4. Design coordination: When spec-
ifying electrical and power systems for
industrial/manufacturing facilities/ware-
houses, the facility owner has the most
input or impact on design, followed by
contractors and the facility manager.
5. Challenges: Inadequate budgets
(82%), the speed of project delivery (79%)
and designing for energy efficiency (66%)
are the top challenges engineers face when
specifying electrical and power systems
for industrial/manufacturing facilities/
warehouses. cse
M More
RESEARCH
View more information at
www.csemag.com/articles/2018-electrical-
power-study. Amanda Pelliccione is the
research director at CFE Media.
70%
69%
68%
66%
65%
62%
62%
60%
58%
56%
July 2019 • 7
BUILDING SOLUTIONS
BUILDING AUTOMATION AND CONTROLS
By Benjamin Weerts, PE, and Rachel Kennedy, EIT, WSP USA, Boulder, Colorado
How to get started
designing a smart building
What is a smart building, and how can engineers design
integrated building systems?
O
wners, operators and occupants expect
more from the built environment, and
rightfully so. Technology continues
to evolve at an exponential pace and
there are many more tools, systems
and services available to the average customer.
Terms like “internet of things,” “smart” and
“open solution” are used as vague buzzwords to
grab attention, but leave owners overwhelmed and
unsure of which technologies or sensors to choose.
Questions engineers and designers may be asked
include:
• What is a smart building?
• What technologies will enable it?
• How do I ensure these systems can “talk” to
each other and offer interoperability?
• What information technology or data security
systems do I need to consider?
• How can I connect my systems to the cloud
via the internet of things?
• Should I select vendor A or vendor B?
• What will my smart building look like
in the future?
• What do I even do with all this data?
According to the Building Efficiency Initiative, a
smart building is broadly defined as a building that
delivers useful services that make occupants pro-
ductive at the lowest cost and environmental impact
over the building’s life cycle.
A smart building requires adding intelligence
from the start of the design phase to the end of the
building’s useful life. Smart buildings use converged
networks during operation to connect a variety of
subsystems, which traditionally operate indepen-
dently, so that these systems can share information
to enhance total building performance.
Instead of focusing on systems and sensors first,
smart building consultants are leading discussions
to define client goals and help reduce the noise of
8 • July 2019 consulting-specifying engineer
continuously evolving sensors and solutions. It is
important to remember that we build buildings
for people; technology should not complicate, but
enable, a better building experience.
To meet the demands of modern tenants, own-
ers are turning to their trusted consultants earlier in
their design process, often even before any specific
project is in mind to define their smart building.
Consultants’ roles are evolving to guide conceptual
visioning sessions, develop the foundations to sup-
port integrated building systems and to select sys-
tems to meet the owner’s goals.
How is this changing the way consultants
approach projects? Two ways:
• In general, it is important that consultants
have a deep understanding of the clients’ busi-
ness and goals before thinking about design
solutions (smart or not) to meet those needs.
• Some smart designs, systems or products are
new or novel and may create significant added
costs. To generate a truly accurate justifica-
tion or return on investment, it is important
to understand how such solutions may pro-
vide value to a business in categories consult-
ing engineers may not traditionally be used to
consciously impacting through design, such as
occupant productivity.
Developing a vision
The first phase of client engagement for smart
building projects is visioning. This is impor-
tant because the term smart building has differ-
ent meanings to different clients. The purpose of
visioning is to learn or develop, alongside the client,
the aspirations and operational pain points for their
organization — not just their building or employ-
ees, but the business as a whole.
Most clients’ goals fall roughly into three cate-
gories: energy and water optimization, real estate
www.csemag.com
Figure 1: The smart building consultant’s role is evolving to guide conceptual visioning sessions, develop the founda-
tions to support integrated building systems and to select systems to meet the owner’s operational and organization
goals. Courtesy: WSP USA

Figure 2: Energy and water costs are only a

fraction of total annual operating costs. At $x
per square foot for energy and water costs,
lease costs are roughly 10 times more per
square foot and employee costs are roughly
100 times more. Courtesy: WSP USA

efficiency and occupant or employee productivity.

Ultimately, most clients are interested in the bottom
line, which is some combination of these three cat-
egories. These categories are proportionally related
to each other by orders of magnitude.
If, for an office space, annual energy and water
costs are $x per square foot, then lease costs are
roughly 10 times more per square foot and employ-
ees who work in that space have combined salaries
of 100 times more per square foot (see Figure 2).
This is also known as the “3-30-300 rule,” coined
by Jones Lang LaSalle. These numbers vary wide-
ly depending on location and other factors, but the
general proportional relationship is true for most
businesses; energy costs are only a fraction of total
annual operating costs.
Focusing on delivering spaces in which employ-
ees are happier, more comfortable and more pro-
ductive can be orders of magnitude more impactful
on the bottom line than just reducing and optimiz-
ing energy consumption. There are also nonmone-
tary reasons to focus on all three categories, as they
can provide data to support corporate sustainability
plans or core values. The key is determining where
the client’s focus and attention lays among these
three categories and where the consulting engineer’s
responsibilities can make an impact.
Once some general areas of focus are
established, the next step in visioning is to L Learning
define specific metrics that can be mea- OBJECTIVES
sured throughout the life of their business • Learn about the client’s business
or a project and used to assess ongoing goals and develop metrics that
performance (or lack thereof, and how can be used to show progress
toward or compliance with them.
to correct it). The visioning phase of an
engagement is an important part of any • Understand the foundational
infrastructure pieces required
project. Therefore, it is important that to support integrated building
scope for this visioning phase is includ- systems.
ed in any consultant’s client engagement, • Identify the main criteria for
especially for discussions around smart system selection in smart
technologies. buildings.
The final step is to perform financial
modeling of metrics that quantify the owner’s busi-
ness goals. This is not just calculating these based

www.csemag.com consulting-specifying engineer July 2019 • 9

BUILDING SOLUTIONS
BUILDING AUTOMATION AND CONTROLS
CASE STUDY: Integrating an intelligent campus
W
SP USA has followed these best practices
— goal-setting and metrics development,
design of foundational infrastructure to sup-
port integrated building systems and system selection
based on the aforementioned criteria — to enable an
intelligent campus with connected building systems
across the combination of commercial, industrial and
transportation buildings.
A large client wanted a tool to manage opera-
tions for building management systems and campus-
level utilities. The owner’s desire was to understand,
manage and improve energy consumption data to
meet sustainability targets, including net zero energy.
Across its campus of more than 90 existing buildings,
35 disparate building management systems existed, as
did 1,500 meters that monitored gas, water, thermal
and electrical consumption. Many were legacy, outdat-
ed systems that could not share data in their current
Figure 3: This workflow and procurement diagram simpli-
fies the case study into three manageable parts: enter-
prise analytics engine, enterprise building management
system and ready works. Other typical energy-efficiency
measures projects and upgrades also were rolled into this
project. Courtesy: WSP USA
10 • July 2019 consulting-specifying engineer
state and were connected to various, unmanaged and
disconnected networks.
The two biggest challenges for this client were:
• The associated high cost to upgrade the entire
campus to meet sustainability and performance
goals while maintaining 24/7 operations.
• The selection of new systems and/or devices to
improve energy performance, occupant expe-
rience, operational efficiency and equipment
performance.
WSP USA led visioning sessions to understand and
define stakeholder expectations and establish work-
flow organization. These sessions brought together
stakeholder groups that usually worked in silos — such
as facility managers, sustainability organizations and
information technology — to improve the overall oper-
ations of the campus and identify a common vision.
In smart building projects like this one, IT stake-
holders had a crucial role as more existing and new
systems were connected to fewer common networks.
WSP USA also advised the owner on best practices
in implementing a smart building by using Lawrence
Berkeley National Lab and U.S. Department of Ener-
gy research initatives such as the Better Buildings
Initiative.
A detailed site assessment was necessary to eval-
uate the existing systems and infrastructure across
the campus. Campus facility managers were involved
in site walks to capture the institutional knowledge
of how systems operate. A range of subject matter
experts and thought leaders in the areas of technol-
ogy, sustainability, building utility (mechanical, elec-
trical, plumbing, lighting, acoustics) and financial
advisory services were included as part of the team to
understand the variety of systems across the campus.
The team of consultants advised the stakeholders on
the roadmap for upgrading and integrating systems as
well as developing future-ready standards for contin-
ued operations into the foreseeable future. Phasing of
the upgrades was crucial due to the continuous opera-
tions and necessary infrastructure improvements.
WSP USA developed a flexible and adaptable solu-
tion to enable future expansion for this intelligent
campus. All meters and systems were integrated to a
converged network to improve IT operational efficien-
www.csemag.com
Figure 4: This functional diagram shows flow of data from meters and underlying systems to the enterprise platforms
across a large existing portfolio campus. Courtesy: WSP USA

cies and management. Addi-
tionally, all existing systems
were upgraded to share data
using common communication
protocols and follow a similar
metadata tagging model. Data
from every system was stored
in a central data repository
serving as the “source of truth”
and is maintained by IT for
availability to different users.
‘
As the campus continues
to expand and upgrade,
it will need the ability to
adapt its tools to meet
evolving sustainability goals
and improve upon learned
ual labor necessary to produce
monthly reports. In addition,
one application provided a sin-
gle user-interface for control,
giving convenient access to
many systems across the cam-
pus and significantly improv-
ing the stakeholders’ ability to
complete daily tasks.
Based on the identified sus-
tainability goals and oper-

’
While there was a current performance. ational efficiency metrics,
market desire for all data to be dashboards and reports were
visible from one central point built to compare the real-time
or system considered a single pane of glass, the solu- performance of each building in meeting these goals.
tion included multiple applications to meet stakehold- Low-performing buildings were highlighted to eas-
er operational, visualization and reporting needs. This ily help stakeholders focus on the worst performers
enabled the best-in-class applications to be selected in improving campus performance. The dashboards
for each of the operational requirements or identified then provided insights into what actions stakeholders
goals rather than compromising features for a single could take to diagnose and correct current problems
application. This design required the outlined founda- or information needed to support equipment replace-
tional infrastructure to support the modular approach ments or future capital projects.
and the ability to modify and/or add features or addi- As the campus continues to expand and upgrade, it
tional applications in the future. will need the ability to adapt its tools to meet evolving
The applications had to be user-intuitive and con- sustainability goals and improve upon learned perfor-
venient to ensure long-term use by the stakeholders. mance. Interoperability and flexibility among sys-
In many cases, the applications streamlined the stake- tems will continue to be important throughout these
holders’ current work processes and reduced the man- upgrades.

www.csemag.com consulting-specifying engineer July 2019 • 11

BUILDING SOLUTIONS
BUILDING AUTOMATION AND CONTROLS
Figure 5: A converged network and common data ecosystem are nec-
essary in smart solutions to share data between all building systems,
including media content management systems. Courtesy: WSP USA
on projected energy savings year-over-year, but also
incorporating real estate efficiency (e.g., density of
workstations) and metrics surrounding occupant
comfort. Some clients may not be large enough or
focused enough to have the expertise to perform
this in-house; this can be a growth area for well-
rounded consulting engineering or advisory servic-
es firms with specialization in studies like this.
With space and anonymized employee salaries
included in the financial model, smart technology
solutions that may seem expensive at first can dem-
onstrate their complete value. Even with conserva-
tive estimates of improvements in these categories,
the payback period can come out to an astonishing-
ly short amount of time.
This is exactly what resulted from a financial
model and analysis for a leading global investment
banking corporation. Although it did take some
convincing and time to earn this client’s trust with
some internal financials (lease costs and salaries,
which were anonymized and summed from real
data), this information was essential to the accu-
racy of the financial model. The resulting payback
period was so low that some assumptions had to be
tweaked to extend the period to make it more cred-
ible to their leadership.
12 • July 2019 CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER
Smart design
With a clear vision and financial analysis in
hand, the design phase can commence. At the
essence of design for connected buildings and
smart solutions is the ability to share data between
building systems. A few foundational infrastructure
pieces are required to support integrated building
systems and collection of smart metrics.
Converged network
A converged network provides efficien-
cy increases by centralizing management of IT
resources and reducing the amount of hardware,
as well as creating a system with the flexibility and
performance to scale. Convergence is also the basis
for cost-effective and efficient analysis of data at
scale.
Even within the building space, a consultant’s
role has increased to require a fundamental under-
standing of the network and typically help with
design to support the speed and resiliency neces-
sary for real-time building data. Partnerships have
grown between IT departments and consultants as
more devices become connected to the network,
increasing security concerns and the need to solve
them collaboratively.
IT provides its specialized knowledge of systems,
including network equipment, fiber and duct bank
utility infrastructure provisions, enterprise web-
based services supporting campus operations and
integration of data sources. In addition, IT defines
policies for device management and cybersecurity
and may want to perform hands-on testing of sam-
ple devices before implementing across a campus.
Accessible and available data
Additionally, traditional mechanical, electri-
cal and plumbing systems are capturing massive
amounts of data every day. How, as owners, can this
data be mined and leveraged to produce action-
able insights? While the answer relies on those goals
defined in the visioning phase, data from all systems
needs to be accessible and available. Data can no lon-
ger be stored only within the building management
system or lighting control system databases; it must
be exposed to a central point capable of ingesting,
storing and overlaying data from disparate systems.
This means that data storage must be designed to
manage unstructured and time-series data for mul-
tiple disparate sources efficiently.
The solution for data storage will vary with each
project, and consultants can advise on the best model
to meet specific project needs. Regardless, a single
database needs to be identified as the “source of truth”
to ensure data integrity and accuracy. With these
foundational infrastructure pieces in place, the con-
sultant can start to consider system selection criteria.
www.csemag.com
System selection
To meet local or state building codes, most of
the systems that enable a smart building already are
required, or soon will be. Thus, the initial cost for
a fully integrated smart building is not substantial-
ly more. For example, many energy codes require
occupancy sensors to turn off lights when the space
is unoccupied. Depending on what is important to
the owner in their smart building, as discovered
and defined in a visioning phase, more granular
occupancy sensors could be as little as $0.02/square
foot more. Choosing the best system solution for
an integrated building is based on several consid-
erations: cost, flexibility, control and convenience,
meaningful feedback, real-time metrics and com-
mon tagging and communication protocols.
Each system should have the flexibility to be
reconfigured or expanded as required to meet
future needs. It is no longer acceptable to be lim-
ited or locked into a single, stagnant solution. As
more is learned about systems, spaces, operations
and performance, owners should be able to add fea-
tures and/or systems to meet their evolving goals.
Control and convenience
Two key traits of any smart building solution
designed for occupants are control and conve-
nience. Without one or both traits, long-term adop-
tion will be low. Interoperability among building
systems also is important, both in the short- and
long-term, so that future needs can be met without
having to reconfigure or replace all smart systems.
Users of most smart building solutions can be
categorized as occupants (employees or visitors) or
operators (maintenance staff, building engineers,
landlords, property managers or owners). Both user
groups must be able to affect control at some level
and have convenient access to the data that is most
relevant to them. A well-designed mobile phone
application can be an effective way to provide this.
However, care must be taken to make it simple and
intuitive, while still providing control and conve-
nience. There are millions of mobile apps available
on numerous marketplaces now, but only a select
few provide true control and convenience and even
fewer meet corporate IT’s robust network and data
security requirements.
Meaningful feedback
Related to these attributes, for either user group
to do their job and make decisions, they need to be
provided with meaningful feedback. Everyone in the
industry is talking about big data and how raw stor-
age of vast amounts of data are no longer an issue.
But big data storage alone is not useful; the system
must be able to analyze the data and produce mean-
ingful and actionable information from it.
www.csemag.com
Codes, standards,
guidelines to consider
I
t’s a bit of the wild west with regard to smart buildings,
with every vendor indicating they have the best single
solution. Owners are best served if they are not pigeon-
holed into one solution where they are held hostage with
licensing agreements and proprietary solutions that others
cannot bid on. Some aspects to consider are:
• ANSI/BICSI-007-2017: Information Communication
Technology Design and Implementation Practices for
Intelligent Buildings and Premises.
• ASHRAE Standard 135: BACnet — A Data Communi-
cation Protocol for Building Automation and Control
Networks.
• Brick Schema: Uniform Metadata Schema for Buildings.
• EN ISO 16484-1 Building Automation and Control
Systems.
• ISO/IEC 18598-2016: Information technology — auto-
mated infrastructure management systems — require-
ments, data exchange and applications.
• Project Haystack: Standardized Semantic Data Models.
• Telecommunications
T Industry Association Smart Build-
ing Program.
For example, on the occupant side, app-based
solutions can now provide users visibility into cur-
rent space temperatures, zone heating, ventilation
and air conditioning system mode (heating or cool-
ing), lighting level and whether their other col-
leagues near them are comfortable. Occupants can
use this data to choose a space that is more com-
fortable for themselves or, in open work spaces,
help influence setpoints through voting algorithms
(for example).
Real-time metrics comparison
As discussed in the visioning phase, all systems
and solutions should be justified by playing a role in
delivering the client’s vision. These systems should
be able to provide real-time comparison of key met-
rics to specific goals or standards developed earli-
er. Owners, operators and occupants should be able
to quickly comprehend the current performance as
well as be able to drill down into more specifics to
troubleshoot problems.
consulting-specifying engineer July 2019 • 13
BUILDING SOLUTIONS
BUILDING AUTOMATION AND CONTROLS
For instance, operators should have a score or
gauge of overall equipment health and performance
with a short list of the most problematic buildings,
spaces or systems. In an instant, they should be able
to assess if overall equipment health is within a pre-
defined range. Then, operators can look at details
of problematic buildings, spaces or systems and
begin to prioritize how to increase the overall per-
formance score.
Common tagging,
communication protocol
To make the above four considerations possible,
it is essential that common data tagging and com-
munication protocols be established and adhered to
through the life of a strategy. This is the glue that can
make or break a project. To integrate the many tra-
ditionally “siloed” systems in a building, such as the
mechanical building automation systems, electrical
power monitoring, plumbing delivery and metering,
lighting control systems and life-safety systems, they
all need to speak the same language at least at their
top levels or head-ends.
But this goes beyond just the typical requirements
of ASHRAE Standard 135: BACnet — A Data Com-
munication Protocol for Building Automation and
Control Networks. Most of this should be internet
protocol-based and use the same converged network.
Metadata tagging should be employed within each of
these systems to reduce or eliminate the time-con-
suming and manual process of point mapping.
Emerging industry initiatives such as Project
Haystack and Brick Schema, which are being further
developed in conjunction with ASHRAE, should be
followed. Properly tagged data can be more effec-
tively used and manipulated by analytics platforms.
Application programming interfaces could be used
What about network security?
CYBERSECURITY and network security are topics that every
client must consider when mixing disparate networks, some
with better security protocols than others. Smaller companies
may not have a concern. Large, multinational corporations with
high-tech product development and subject to regular hacking
attempts will be extremely reluctant to open untested building
automation systems to their product development, financial and
other corporate networks. Cyberattacks that pop up in the daily
news cycle should concern any building owner or manager with
a networked smart building system. This is a growth area for all
built environment consulting and specifying engineers, to be
able to advise clients on these issues, especially if the network
engineering expertise is available in-house.
14 • July 2019 consulting-specifying engineer
as part of the solution, and these must be well doc-
umented, robust and maintained. Many avail-
able smart building or analytics platforms claim to
have an API, but a quick look under the hood often
reveals it has been developed for show only and in
reality, the API does not provide all expected or
advertised functionality.
Delivering any smart building project requires
close management of scope and active involvement
throughout the process. For some contractors and
construction managers, all this new technology and
interconnectivity is overwhelming and can be subject
to the process of value engineering.
For example, if the right consultant is not in the
room, a significant first-cost savings for a converged
network deletion may be offered up and accepted by
the owner. Without understanding the design impli-
cations of the overall integrated solution and how it
aligns with owner goals and expectations, the real
value of the smart building and the comparison met-
rics developed during visioning may be lost. This
drastically effects the ROI found in the original all-
inclusive financial modeling.
Design teams need to include specifications with
industry-accepted standards and guidelines to pro-
vide guidance to the contractors to ensure quality
control and standardization, versus one-off solutions
that do not offer interoperability.
In any smart building project, no matter the scale,
it is important to spend the time in the beginning
to learn about the client’s business goals and devel-
op metrics that can be used to show progress toward
or compliance with them. Supporting the vision with
a comprehensive financial model demonstrates the
true value of smart and interconnected systems.
Foundational infrastructure to enable this function-
ality includes converged networks and a common
data ecosystem.
The main criteria for system selection are flex-
ibility, control and convenience, meaningful feed-
back, real-time metrics and common tagging and
communication protocols. It is important to include
scope for the management of the client, design team
and contractor throughout a smart building engage-
ment to provide periodic reminders of the client’s
objectives and how the smart solutions support their
vision and cost expectations. cse
Benjamin Weerts is a senior engineer for WSP USA’s
ThinkBOLDR Innovation Center, where he focuses
on design of complex mechanical and control systems
as well as building management system integration in
smart building projects.
Rachel Kennedy is a smart building specialist in
WSP USA’s ThinkBOLDR Innovation Center, where
she specializes in complex integrations of tradition-
ally siloed building systems as a value-add for clients.
www.csemag.com
 Lighting
& Lighting
Controls
Summer Edition

Lighting and lighting controls

might seem simple, but for the
consulting-specifying engineer,
there is more to them than meets
the eye.

This helpful eBook from Lutron

and Consulting-Specifying
Engineer will help readers learn
about topics including:

∠ Designing lighting systems

and lighting controls
∠ LED lighting and control
system design considerations
∠ Networked wireless lighting
pros and cons
∠ And more in this 61-page
eBook!

Register to download
the eBook!
www.csemag.com/
ebooks/lighting-lighting-
controls

Sponsored by

input #4 at www.csemag.com/information
BUILDING SOLUTIONS
BUILDING AUTOMATION AND CONTROLS
By Jason R. Gerke, PE, CxA, LEED AP BD+C, GRAEF, Milwaukee
Integrating
direct digital controls
Learn about control system attributes, and how integrated control
systems can be designed for various building systems
M
echanical engineers, electrical
engineers, plumbing engineers,
fire protection engineers, lighting
designers and control system engi-
neers all deal with control systems
in their daily work activities. Some of these build-
ing professionals, except maybe those that deal with
control systems on a daily basis, may not good at
specifying control systems.
A number of projects use performance-based
specifications as a solution to specifying controls
for a particular solution or include statements
about expanding existing systems to match what is
existing. Many times, these practices
L Learning result in inferior control system solu-
tions. The lack of a strong and well-
OBJECTIVES written control system specification
• Understand basic building may result in disappoint by the design
control system attributes. team and owner.
• Review control system codes Experienced engineers, contrac-
and standards. tors and commissioning agents must
• Integrate mechanical, electrical ensure that project specifications
and plumbing systems into a include detailed requirements for sys-
single control system interface. tem architecture, performance, inter-
• Learn about commissioning of face and verification to achieve fully
control systems. capable control system solutions.
Many designers have their own
master specification document sections that cover
control systems, from the parts and pieces to the
sequence of operations. Control system specifica-
tions frequently are an afterthought on a project,
relegated to the very last thing that is completed
before a project goes out the door. Other times,
a control system specification is weak because
the author of the section is not experienced or
lacks a complete understanding of the project
requirements.
Building control system types
Design processes must start by identifying the
goals of the activity. Creating an outline listing the
16 • July 2019 consulting-specifying engineer
ultimate goal and the steps to achieve that goal are
the best way a project specific control specification
will provide the capabilities desired. This process
is so much more important in identifying control
system requirements when multiple systems are
planned to be connected to the same user interface,
workstation or web-based than if it was just a single
control system for lighting, heating, ventilation and
air conditioning or another building system.
The opportunity for failure in a control system
to control a single building system is high enough
on a typical project that the complication of inte-
grating multiple systems in a single platform may
seem daunting or downright unintelligent. The
opportunity for failure follows an exponential curve
when multiple systems with many different needs
and control priorities are mixed into a single data
automatic control system capable of human over-
ride, especially a single control platform specified
by an inexperienced engineer and installed by an
inexperienced contractor.
Current building control systems are based
on the first direct digital control systems put into
mainstream use in commercial buildings in the
early 2000s. Those systems were preceded by years
of pneumatic control systems, and before that man-
ual control. Many buildings use all three of those
types of control systems: manual, pneumatic and
DDC. This may be due to the cost of upgrading
the entire system, the comfort level of the building
owner/operator or because the building has been
around for many years. These systems existing in
many buildings due to replacement cost, operation-
al needs and user familiarity.
Specifying DDC systems
The purpose of DDC system typically is to
increase the user comfort and decrease operating
costs. Integration of these systems also may bene-
fit the user or occupants through additional secu-
rity, safety and peak operational efficiency. The
www.csemag.com
use of DDC systems has allowed building engi-
neers and operators to focus on a multitude of
data points and performance that are important
to their individual needs.
For example, a building owner may be focused
on total energy used in a building and which equip-
ment is driving up operating costs. A building
operator may be focus on monitoring performance
trends of a specific piece of equipment or tempera-
tures in a constantly struggling space to maintain
temperature setpoint, in an attempt to get in front
of occupant complaints or equipment downtime. A
design engineer may be looking for confirmation
that the systems they designed are operating to the
level anticipated. Finally, a commissioning agent
may want to use a DDC system to first confirm per-
formance and then test systems for reliability and
conformance to the construction documents.
Today’s control systems are based on standards
and codes developed over time to address energy
performance of systems, standardization of sys-
tems and interoperability of systems. Many of the
“performance” requirements listed in DDC control
specifications for HVAC and lighting are driven by
requirements in the International Code Council.
The ICC organization develops model codes and
standards used in design and construction indus-
try. It also established baselines for compliance pro-
cesses for the building industry. These standards
and guidelines provide standardized solutions to
control systems, including integration, operation
and ability to verify baseline operation.
The codes developed by ICC are adopted by
many authorities having jurisdiction in the U.S.
These are the officials that review design docu-
ments and perform building inspections. Some
of the most commonly used codes related to the
development of DDC systems are the Interna-
tional Energy Conservation Code and Interna-
tional Mechanical Code. These codes provide
www.csemag.com
Figure 1: This shows the architect’s rendering of the reimagined cur-
rent Grand Avenue Mall in downtown Milwaukee. The mall is being
converted from full retail/dining to mixed-use office/dining/retail.
Courtesy: Kubala Washatko Architects
codified language on the minimum requirements
for control systems to operate HVAC, lighting
and electrical systems. The IECC code includes
requirements for systems to have automatic fea-
tures for economizer fault detection, hydronic
temperature reset, air and hydronic system pres-
sure reset and daylighting automatic response, as
well as other items. The IMC is achieved by using
DDC control system for activation of requirement
HVAC equipment.
ASHRAE provides standards for control systems
through standards and guidelines. ASHRAE’s goal
is “to advance the arts and sciences of HVAC and
refrigerating to serve humanity and promote a sus-
tainable world.”
ASHRAE standards and guidelines related to
control systems operation, performance and design
include ASHRAE Standards 0, 13, 36, 55, 62.1, 90.1,
135, 189.1 and 202, among many others with ref-
erences to functionality and interoperability of sys-
tems. Some ASHRAE standards and guidelines are
written to be codified and may be adopted in some
locations in the U.S. at this time.
NFPA standards include NFPA 3: Standard for
Commissioning of Fire Protection and Life Safety
Systems, NFPA 4: Standard for Integrated Fire Pro-
tection and Life Safety System Testing and NFPA
72: National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, among
others specifically relate to control and testing of
building systems. The NFPA standards are generally
guidelines that should be followed as best practice,
expect where there are conflicts with other adopt-
ed codes. Many locations in the use various NFPA
standards as enforceable codes.
consulting-specifying engineer July 2019 • 17
BUILDING SOLUTIONS
BUILDING AUTOMATION AND CONTROLS
DDC systems are based on various frameworks
established by BACnet, LonWorks and others.
These frameworks for control system architecture
establish industry standards used in many building
systems. Besides these frameworks, other DDC sys-
tem critical attributes include cybersecurity, such as
ASHRAE Standard 13: Specifying Building Auto-
mation Systems, as well as how systems are updated
and maintained in the future.
The ability to integrate various control systems
into a single platform provides an opportunity for
energy efficiency, standardization, simplicity of
interface and communication to interested par-
ties. Once the HVAC system DDC systems are fully
established through specifications, there should be
limited barriers to integration of other systems. An
HVAC DDC system commonly integrates variable
frequency drives, chiller controls, boiler controls
and rooftop unit controllers. These systems require
a DDC system to navigate the influx of hundreds
or thousands of additional data points that may be
read-only, monitor or writable data code. The abil-
ity of an HVAC DDC system to accept this vast vol-
ume of data creates a strong platform for expansion.
System functionality
The ability to make future modifications and
updates to any DDC system is an important part
of the design/specification of these systems. Many
mainstream DDC systems are BACnet-based. Sys-
tems offered by DDC manufacturers have a wide
range of future adaptability once installed. Some
systems have “canned” functions and limited capa-
bility for future system modifications or adjust-
ments to sequence of operations. These systems
have been established by manufacturers and offered
Figure 2: The reimagined Grand Avenue Mall will activate this multi-block section of Wisconsin Avenue in downtown
Milwaukee. Courtesy: Kubala Washatko Architects
18 • July 2019 CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER
by vendors to serve a highly cost-effective purpose.
Other DDC systems are capable of being pro-
grammed to do whatever someone needs, but those
capabilities come at a cost. There are many varia-
tions in between these extremes that are seen in
buildings constructed today. Sometimes an engi-
neer and building owner end up with a system that
is too complicated (seemingly unlimited control
functions) or too simplistic (Why can’t I add one
more variable air volume box to an existing sys-
tem?). It is important that these various options
of control system capabilities are discussed during
the design phase as the overall functionality of the
building will be affected by this design phase deci-
sion process.
These issues, too much or too little, are ampli-
fied when other control platforms, such as light-
ing, security, access control, elevators or fire and life
safety are added to a mix of building systems in a
single interface. Limited functionality for an HVAC
control system to be adapted for a different build-
ing use or adding a few pieces of equipment can be
something that an operator may be able to live with.
Once an operator decides to accept the limit-
ed functionality of other systems — such as a fire
alarm interface cannot send data to the operator,
which indicates the actual zone in alarm or type of
alarm. This situation begins to add a level of frus-
tration that a single interface control system cannot
do what the operator needs for daily functionality.
An operator may say, “We live in a digital world,
don’t tell me that one thing cannot be integrated
into this operating system that I just paid a boat-
load of money for one year ago.”
The ability to integrate HVAC, fire alarm, light-
ing and electrical systems is further complicated by
www.csemag.com
years of development inside each of these industries
to establish highly efficient and reliable operating
schemes, each for its own purpose. These systems
were never designed to work together in a collabor-
ative or integrated environment. In some jurisdic-
tions, these systems are not allowed by the AHJ to
be integrated. However, the ability of digital-based
control systems allows for software programming to
overcome these changes when allowed by the AHJ.
Typically, this programming is performed by an
experienced HVAC DDC system contractor.
Integration of these systems is the ultimate goal
for some building operators, and engineers want
to provide the solution. The process of clearly
understanding an operator’s goals, various DDC
system capabilities and verifying system operation
requires a well-written specification, close design
and construction team communication and capa-
ble project team members from design to con-
struction to ownership.
Commissioning and control systems
The opportunity to use the commissioning pro-
cess for verification of proper and complete inte-
gration of multiple building systems has resulted
in positive outcomes on numerous past projects
for GRAEF. The commissioning process is the final
tool needed once a DDC system for multiple sys-
tems has been properly specified, designed and
installed. A building commissioning profession-
al is typically a third party that is not influenced
by the design or construction team, but works on
the owner’s behalf to ensure all systems, including
control systems, are functioning as specified. One
of the commissioning professional’s tasks is to test
the sequence of operations of mechanical, plumbing
and electrical control systems. Typically, building
commissioning professionals are very knowledge-
able in control systems with many having a back-
ground in control system contracting.
GRAEF’s experience as a third-party commis-
sioning firm has been used in many situations to
provide insurance to a design or construction team
by commissioning what was designed by the engi-
neer of record, as well as confirm for the entire
project team, including the owner, that the DDC
system is fully functional as anticipated by all.
An important part of this commissioning pro-
cess is the relationship that exists amongst the
commissioning professional, design engineer, con-
trol system engineers, control system contractors
and mechanical contractor. Commissioning of a
control system sometimes uncovers unique situ-
ations that require input from both a design and
testing standpoint. It is imperative that a building
commissioning professional’s opinion and pref-
erences are used only for problem-solving as the
testing is to be per the construction documents. It
www.csemag.com
is however that base knowledge carried by many
commissioning professionals that is most useful
with integrated control system projects.
Testing of DDC systems brings with it a vari-
ety of complications, including the type of inter-
face, capabilities of the installed system to override
specific points, system response times and to what
level all systems on the DDC platform are integrat-
ed. This testing of control system reactions uncov-
ers the failures of systems to work together, such as
‘
The ability of digital-based control
systems allows for software programming
to overcome these changes when allowed
’
by the AHJ.
when a duct smoke detector is wired to alarm in a
fire alarm system, but does not shut down the local
air handling unit. Another scenario: When an occu-
pancy schedule that controls both HVAC occupan-
cy and lighting is only used for one and a default
program for the other. These examples may relate
to life safety issues or energy inefficient operation.
Successful results
The process for specifying and successfully
implementing integration of various building sys-
tems into a single DDC-based platform is achiev-
able and very possible. The solutions discussed
provide examples from real-life situations that have
resulted in a positive outcome. Other actions to
consider for a confident result:
• Establish the project goals before design
begins so a clear path is determined early and
not influenced along the way.
• Don’t forget about keeping it simple.
• Commissioning, commissioning,
commissioning.
• Write a great control system specification.
• Incorporate control system requirements across
all specification divisions that are required to
“work together.” This should include how trade
contractors in the field work together and the
requirements for electronic control systems
operating on a network. cse
Jason R. Gerke is mechanical group leader at
GRAEF. His project experience ranges from energy
modeling to design and commissioning of industrial,
education, entertainment and commercial facilities.
He is a member of the Consulting-Specifying Engi-
neer editorial advisory board.
consulting-specifying engineer July 2019 • 19
BUILDING SOLUTIONS
FIRE AND LIFE SAFETY
By Joshua D. Greene, PE, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, Waltham, Massachusetts
Three technologies
to watch in fire, life safety
While some of these systems have been available for some time, they are
not yet readily accepted by fire and life safety experts
M
any new fire and life safety tech-
nologies and innovations remain
notable, and they may yet achieve
greater use and application in the
future. It is possible that some or
all of them have achieved greater use in a specific
market. There are several current products and sys-
tems available today.
Video image smoke detection: VISD technolo-
gy and devices have been available for more than a
decade. The concept of VISD is relatively simple: a
camera is used to “see” a fire event, which is recog-
nized through the use of video analytic algorithms
that analyzes the camera images. Once the algo-
rithm analysis identifies a pattern that is indicative of
smoke, an alarm signal is initiated.
Video image smoke detection can
be accomplished using a stand-alone
L Learning camera designed specifically for that
OBJECTIVES use, with the ability to perform the
• Gain a better understanding analytic algorithms within the cam-
of the status of three newer era. The stand-alone cameras can be
technologies in the fire used for security purposes as well as
protection industry. fire/smoke detectors. These cameras
• Understand the limitations and generally can be compared to optical
difficulties in gaining acceptance flame detectors, where the processing
of such technologies.
occurs at the unit and it serves as an
• Recognize the importance of advanced spot type detector within a
continued advancement and
innovation in fire protection on
fire alarm system framework.
society. The other VISD option houses the
video analytics within a central pro-
cessing unit, to which internet protocol security cam-
eras can be connected. Because the image evaluation
occurs at the central processing unit or server instead
of at the camera, these types of systems can utilize
existing security cameras, provided they are capable
of providing an image that can be processed. Cam-
eras can be either analog or digital devices, providing
flexibility for applications where an existing closed-
circuit TV security system is installed already.
20 • July 2019 consulting-specifying engineer
VISD systems have been recognized as fire pro-
tection devices for years, with requirements first
added to NFPA 72: National Fire Alarm and Signal-
ing Code in the 2007 edition. Given their proprietary
algorithms and image-based method of detection,
NFPA 72 does not have prescriptive spacing or simi-
lar requirements for VISD, but rather requires that
these systems be designed using performance-based
design. Both stand-alone camera and the CPU-based
systems have been listed by agencies such as UL and
approved by FM Global.
VISD typically is marketed by manufacturers
for use in large-volume spaces such as warehous-
es, large industrial facilities and power generation
plants. They were originally marketed for maritime
uses such as engine rooms because of the importance
of detecting a fire quickly on ships in areas where
equipment can shield fires from early detection by
other means. VISD also was developed for detection
at exterior facilities such as oil rigs and mines.
Given society’s trend toward increased security
through the use of cameras, it is somewhat surpris-
ing that it isn’t seeing more widespread use as part of
an integrated security and fire alarm solution. Part
of the problem may very well be that fire protection
and security integration itself is still not prevalent,
as these systems are treated separately by designers
despite their commonalities and often complemen-
tary individual technologies.
Another deterrence may be the fact that designs
must be prepared using performance-based initia-
tives and manufacturer specific requirements instead
of simple application through prescriptive require-
ments. Owners and end users may be reluctant to use
VISD because of perceived difficulties in getting such
systems competitively bid and accepted by authori-
ties having jurisdiction.
Dynamic wayfinding devices/systems: Another
technological advancement that has been percolat-
ing in the design and construction space for years,
www.csemag.com
 Figure 1: A video image smoke
detection camera has analytic
algorithms processed within
the camera. Courtesy: Simpson
Gumpertz & Heger

Figure 2: A video image smoke

detection system can use a
security camera and central
processing unit with analytic
algorithms. Courtesy: Simpson
Gumpertz & Heger

but that hasn’t seen widespread implementation, is

dynamic wayfinding devices or systems. This is a
fairly general term and can be applied to devices or
systems that offer dynamic audible and/or visual sig-
‘ Given society’s trend toward increased
security through the use of cameras, it is
nals to enhance occupant awareness of exits during somewhat surprising that it isn’t seeing more
an emergency event.
Recent articles (Consulting-Specifying Engineer, widespread use as part of an integrated

March 2019 and July 2018) discussed dynamic sig-
nage technology and its potential improvement to
occupant awareness and movement, especially for
transient occupants who have little knowledge of a
building or space. Dynamic signage is intended to
provide building occupants with visible instructions
or cues based on real-time information of an emer-
gency event instead of a static exit sign.
Among the benefits is the ability to overcome
human behaviors such as cognitive disregard for
indicators that may help them recognize an exit such
as typical illuminated exit signs, a concept the author
of the July 2018 article terms “learned irrelevance.”
For fire events, a conceivable downside to dynamic
signage is that the reduction in visibility caused by
smoke migration along the paths of egress could ren-
der the signs unreadable.
On the flipside of the sensory coin for dynamic
wayfinding technology is audible wayfinding, often
’
security and fire alarm solution.
referred to as directional sound devices. Instead
of providing visual cues to occupants, directional
sound devices offer audible signals that inhabitants
are expected to follow to reach an exit. The audible
signals can be in the form of a unique sound or pulse
pattern or a prerecorded or live voice message.
One benefit to this technology over visual way-
finding is that sound does not require line of sight,
so a directional device can effectively cover a large
volume with fewer devices than a visual device.
It also has the ability to alert occupants in smoke-
filled environs that impede visual signage. Howev-
er, because sound passes through multiple mediums,
including solid objects and air, it can be more dif-
ficult for occupants to determine the source of the
sound as the distance from it increases.

www.csemag.com consulting-specifying engineer July 2019 • 21

BUILDING SOLUTIONS
FIRE AND LIFE SAFETY
A prime motivator for implementation of a new
technology is its recognition in codes and stan-
dards. Building design and construction is reli-
ant on prescriptive codes such as the International
Building Code and NFPA 101: Life Safety Code to
set minimum requirements for buildings and struc-
tures. Dynamic wayfinding can be considered an
egress enhancement over minimum exit signage
requirements, so it wouldn’t be expected to find its
way to the code without an outside catalyst such as
an event or use.
‘
Because the systems have no active fire
detection devices or fire suppression
agents, ORS rely completely on their ability to
maintain a reduced oxygen environment
’
to provide protection to a room.
In addition, because dynamic wayfinding devic-
es represent a new concept for building occupants,
they may need to be trained on how the devices
work and how they should respond to the devices.
This is especially true of audible wayfinding devic-
es that emit a distinctive sound instead of a voice
instruction, as occupants would not be expected
to automatically recognize that they should move
toward the sound to find an exit.
Percent oxygen concentration in air
20% * Range between
14.5% and 15.5%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Normal OSHA oxygen Hypoxic air Able to
air deficient systems* support life
Figure 3: An oxygen reduction system provides fire protection by
removing one of the primary elements of the fire triangle: oxygen.
In this case, oxygen isn’t completely removed, but rather the oxygen
content in a room or space is reduced below the level required to
sustain combustion. Courtesy: Simpson Gumpertz & Heger
22 • July 2019 consulting-specifying engineer
Oxygen reduction systems: ORS, also some-
times referred to as a hypoxic air system, provides
fire protection by removing one of the primary ele-
ments of the fire triangle (or fire tetrahedron, if you
prefer): oxygen. In this case, oxygen isn’t completely
removed, but rather the oxygen content in a room or
space is reduced below the level required to sustain
combustion.
Oxygen reduction systems accomplish this
through the use of one or more hypoxic generators
that exchange ambient air with low-oxygen air, typi-
cally at an oxygen concentration between 14.5% and
15.5%. The low-oxygen air fills the room or space
being protected and limits the ability for a fire to
ignite or spread. The oxygen concentration does not
completely inhibit fire, as fires can exist within these
concentration levels. The system actively monitors
the environment of the room through the use of oxy-
gen sensors and turns generators on and off as need-
ed to maintain the desired concentration.
From a regulation and standard standpoint, ORS
is an outlier, not fitting into the typical fire protection
categories of detection, notification or suppression.
It is certainly not a fire detection system, as there are
no active components to detect a fire event or acti-
vate alarm notification. Efforts were reportedly made
to categorize these systems as a fire suppression sys-
tem comparable to clean agents, but they don’t really
fit that area either because they don’t have an active
suppression mode. Several manufacturers use the
term fire prevention for their systems.
Hypoxic air systems offer some clear advantages
for specific situations. Because the systems manipu-
late the balance of oxygen in air, there are no active
agents or materials involved with the systems. There-
fore, they could fit into portions of the clean agent
market, where application of water or byproducts of
suppression agent decomposition may harm high
value assets. Unoccupied spaces with specific haz-
ards where total flooding carbon dioxide systems
are currently employed also offer a good fit. Finally,
specific facilities without available water supplies or
where the ability to provide, service and/or replenish
other agents in a timely manner is difficult may ben-
efit from these systems.
ORS also pose some complications for wide-
spread use and acceptance. In the United States,
the reduced oxygen environment is below the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
oxygen concentration threshold for occupan-
cy without personal protective equipment. This
alone reduces the utility of such systems to rooms
or spaces that are unoccupied.
Because the systems have no active fire detec-
tion devices or fire suppression agents, ORS rely
completely on their ability to maintain a reduced
oxygen environment to provide protection to a
room. As a result, prudent system designers will
www.csemag.com
need to include a method for sustain- in fire protection often occur over an Joshua D. Greene is an associate prin-
ing the operation of the generators extended time frame instead of having cipal at Simpson Gumpertz & Heger.
upon loss of power as well as potential an immediate impact. This may be due to Greene specializes in the practical appli-
equipment redundancies to account for society’s reliance on these advancements cation of fire protection principles in sup-
a generator failing or being taken out of to provide an acceptable level of safety. port of unique designs. He is a member of
service for maintenance or repair. There is little room for error in the indus- the Consulting-Specifying Engineer edi-
In the U.S., hypoxic air systems try, so new devices, systems and concepts torial advisory board.
would appear to have greater issues to must be rigorously evaluated and tested
overcome to gain widespread use than before being applied. cse
either video image smoke detectors
or dynamic wayfinding devices/sys-
tems. The first hurdle to overcome is
the lack of a standard or regulation for
their design, installation and inspec-
tion, and testing and maintenance. The
next issue is the limitations on appli-
cation, as using these systems in areas
with occupants does not meet OSHA Temperatures So Accurate,
requirements. There are certain appli-
cations where hypoxic air systems may You’ll Be Steamed You Didn’t
be superior to more traditional fire sup-
pression systems and this discussion is Install One Sooner
not intended to discount the plausibil-
ity of the technology or overall concept.
However, practical difficulties may limit
its use until successful case studies with
proven applications are developed.

Future changes
Over the past few years, the growth of
the smart home and smart device technol-
ogy market has been rapid. Many homes
and some businesses employ some form
of smart technology as part of the daily
routine. The “internet of things” has
become an industry term across various
workflows and applications, from engi-
neering to education to finance. It stands
to reason that smart technology will cas-
cade to fire protection systems as well. If
nothing else, data collection and analysis
inherent to internet of things should assist
the fire protection community in identify-
ing trends in fire events, device or materi-
al reliability, and opportunities to enhance Cobrex® steam water heaters deliver safe domestic hot water
or update existing technology to provide with precise temperature control to ±4°F and without the need for a
greater fire and life safety. steam control valve. Available in instantaneous, semi-instantaneous
If history has shown us anything, it’s and storage, the factory-packaged, skid-mounted water heaters
that fire protection is not and cannot be feature an ASME double-wall, copper-tube heat exchanger with
a stagnant industry. Historic fire events
single or dual options. With its durable construction and easy,
have identified weaknesses and forced
clean-in-place maintenance, Cobrex provides a reliable, long-lasting
important changes to address those
remedy for all your domestic hot water needs.
weaknesses. Hazards continue to evolve,
which requires constant attention and
innovation to mitigate their impact on
the public.
As the three technologies discussed
here attest, technological advancements

July 2019  23 Engineered Water Heating Solutions® 800.784.8326 | pvi.com

input #5 at www.csemag.com/information
BUILDING SOLUTIONS
CODES AND STANDARDS
By Bill Kosik, PE, CEM, Oak Park, Illinois
ASHRAE’s energy
standard for data centers
turns three
When specifying to meet ASHRAE Standard 90.4, examine the
lessons learned to evaluate a path forward
T
he late 1990s saw a tremendous growth
in private and public sector use of large-
scale computing systems. During this
time and the subsequent tech industry
bubble, national labs and other private-
sector organizations were already studying ener-
gy use of computing systems and data centers. This
seminal work, much of it fueled by the U.S. govern-
ment, shaped much of our current-day thinking on
data center energy use.
Fast-forward more than a decade, scores of
formal and informal organizations are attempting
to tackle the issue of energy use
L Learning in data centers. There are many
approaches: server efficiency
OBJECTIVES and virtualization, cooling sys-
• Understand how the ASHRAE tem optimization, reducing elec-
Standards 90.1 and 90.4 differ. trical system losses (focusing on
• Learn some of the history of how uninterruptible power supply
ASHRAE’s compliance language technology), modular data cen-
for data centers changed over the ters, climate-based efficiency and
years and eventually evolved into many others. Some organizations
Standard 90.4.
are explicitly vendor agnostic,
• Identify possible changes to while other researchers are a part
Standard 90.4 and understand why
they are being proposed. of a manufacturing entity.
While mostly good-inten-
tioned, the sheer amount of
research and recommendations (sometimes diver-
gent) created an atmosphere of the “wild west,”
without any sheriff in charge. But, in 2015, after
several years of development, ASHRAE released
drafts of the Energy Standard for Data Centers
for public review and comment. The following
year, after the review process concluded, ASHRAE
released Standard 90.4-2016: Energy Standard for
Data Centers. The sheriff had arrived.
24 • July 2019 consulting-specifying engineer
The predecessor to Standard 90.4
ASHRAE Standard 90.1: Energy Standard for
Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Build-
ings includes compliance provisions for data cen-
ters. However, up until 2010, ASHRAE 90.1 had
little information addressing data center-specific
requirements, even though the industry was rapidly
evolving during that time period. ASHRAE need-
ed to catch up on the substantial progress occur-
ring in the data center industry, unify the different
efforts underway and provide technical leadership
for energy compliance in data centers.
Fortunately, the later versions of Standard 90.1
begin to remedy some of the difficulties that arose
using earlier versions. The newer versions have
more in-depth, tailored requirements written spe-
cifically for computer rooms. For example, the 2010
standard introduces a new efficiency metric (sensi-
ble coefficient of performance), which is used solely
to determine efficiency of computer and data pro-
cessing room air conditioning units.
The ASHRAE 90.1-2013 standard arguably has
the most detail on data center energy use compli-
ance. It includes clarifications and new require-
ments that, if followed, removes the provision for
an economizer. Also included are sizing require-
ments for water economizers and a new alternative
compliance path using power usage effectiveness.
(This is controversial because PUE consists of many
other components that will skew the results and has
been viewed by some as an inadequate way to study
data center energy use.)
And even with the progress made to clarify
and improve the process and techniques for judg-
ing data center energy efficiency, the requisites for
information technology equipment listed in Stan-
www.csemag.com
Figure 1: This comparison is of total loading on uninterruptible power supply modules in an N+1 and 2N configuration.
By design, the 2N UPS topology will never exceed 50% loading. In contrast, the N+1 topology has much higher load-
ing. Courtesy: Bill Kosik
dard 90.1 still had a tendency for greater applica-
bility to smaller data centers or server closets, not
on large-scale, standalone facilities. The data center
industry continued to mature and develop innova-
tive, energy-efficient products and services. Simi-
larly, the evolution of ITE continued, with (what
seems like) constant release of new products.
In most cases, every new generation of technol-
ogy equipment included better energy use perfor-
mance. While ASHRAE 90.1-2013 showed promise
in standardizing an energy compliance process for
data centers, several aspects of data center design
were not addressed in it. Once again, ASHRAE was
under pressure to develop and publish a compre-
hensive energy standard dedicated to data centers.
Standards development
ASHRAE uses a continuous maintenance pro-
gram for its standards and works on a three-year
review cycle, after which an updated version of a
standard is released. Releasing an updated stan-
dard is a massive undertaking (even more so if it
is a new standard). It is safe to say the ASHRAE’s
committees were hard at work on the upcoming
release of what would be referred to as ASHRAE
Standard 90.4-2016 not too long after the release
of Standard 90.1-2013. During late 2015 and early
2016, ASHRAE was releasing documents for public
review anticipating the release of 90.4 later in 2016.
Some of these documents were proposed adden-
da to Standard 90.1 to eliminate overlap with the
yet-to-be-released provisions of 90.4. The prima-
www.csemag.com
‘
On July 27, 2016, ASHRAE published
its brand-new standard called Stan-
dard 90.4-2016: Energy Standard for
’
Data Centers.
ry document released for public review was called
ASHRAE 90.4P and it ultimately garnered more
than 1,000 comments; this is the basis for the cur-
rent ASHRAE 90.4 standard.
Then, on July 27, 2016, ASHRAE published its
brand-new standard called Standard 90.4-2016:
Energy Standard for Data Centers. By design,
90.4 has much less content than the 90.1 standard,
which is about four times longer. Instead of trying
to weave in data center-specific language into Stan-
dard 90.1, ASHRAE wisely chose to create a sepa-
rate standard that is only applicable to data centers
and refers to Standard 90.1 for non-data center spe-
cific compliance items, such as building envelope.
It is important to understand that ASHRAE
90.1-2016 is the normative reference to ASHRAE
90.4. (The normative references to Standard 90.4
mostly consist of compliance language for build-
ing envelope, service water heating, lighting and
other requirements.) This creates a system of docu-
ments designed to eliminate overlaps and minimize
confusion between the two standards. This struc-
ture streamlines the ongoing maintenance process
consulting-specifying engineer July 2019 • 25
BUILDING SOLUTIONS
CODES AND STANDARDS
as well and ensures that Standards 90.1 and 90.4
stay in their respective lanes to avoid any misun-
derstandings relating to the technical and adminis-
trative boundaries of the two standards.
Finally, updates to ASHRAE 90.1 will automat-
ically update ASHRAE 90.4 without significant
changes to the text. In the same way, updates to
ASHRAE 90.4 presumably will not affect the lan-
guage in ASHRAE 90.1.
Standard 90.4 gives the engineer a complete-
ly new method for determining energy use com-
pliance for data centers. ASHRAE introduced new
terminology for demonstrating compliance: design
and annual mechanical load component and electri-
cal loss components. ASHRAE urges caution to not
confuse these new metrics with The Green Grid’s
PUE and points out that MLC and ELC are to be
used only in the context of Standard 90.4 and are
not to be used for comparison or ranking purposes.
The standard includes compliance tables consisting
of the maximum load components for each of the
19 ASHRAE climate zones.
Design mechanical load component
To determine compliance, MLC can be calcu-
lated one of two ways. The first is a summation of
the peak power of the mechanical components in
kilowatts, as well as establishing the design load
of the information technology equipment, also in
kilowatts. ASHRAE 90.4 has a table of climate zones
with the respective design dry-bulb and wet-bulb
temperatures that are to be used when determining
the peak mechanical system load. The calculation
procedure is shown below. It must be noted that
when comparing the calculated values of design
MLC, the analysis must be done at both 100% an
50% ITE load; both values must be less than or
equal to the values listed in the ASHRAE table 6.2.1
(design MLC).
Design MLC
= [Cooling design power (kilowatts) + pump
design power (kilowatts)
+ Heat rejection design fan power (kilowatts) +
air handling unit design fan power (kilowatts)]
÷ Data center design ITE power (kilowatts)
Annualized mechanical load component
The concepts used for the annualized MLC path
are like the design MLC, except to use the annu-
alized MLC path, an hourly energy analysis is
required. This compulsory hourly energy use simu-
lation considers fluctuations in mechanical system
energy consumption, particularly in cases where the
equipment is designed for some type of economizer
26 • July 2019 CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER
mode, as well as energy reductions in vapor com-
pression equipment from reduced lift due to out-
door temperature and moisture levels.
This approach seems to be the most represen-
tative of the energy performance of the data cen-
ter, because it is based on industry standard energy
analysis techniques (i.e., hourly energy use simu-
lation techniques). Again, it must be noted that
when comparing the calculated values of annual-
ized MLC, the analysis must be done at both 100%
an 50% ITE load; both values must be less than or
equal to the values listed in the ASHRAE 90.4 table
6.2.1.2 (annualized MLC).
Annual MLC
= [Cooling design energy (kilowatt-hour) +
pump design energy (kilowatt-hour)
+ Heat rejection design fan energy (kilowatt-
hour) + air handling unit design fan energy
(kilowatt-hour)]
÷ Data center design ITE energy
(kilowatt-hour)
Design electrical loss component
Using the Standard 90.4 approach to calculate
the ELC defines the electrical system efficiencies
and losses. ASHRAE 90.4 defines three electrical
system segments that are used to determine ELC:
• Incoming electrical service segment.
• UPS segment.
• ITE distribution segment.
The segment for electrical distribution for
mechanical equipment is stipulated to have loss-
es that do not exceed 2% but is not included in the
ELC calculations. All the values for equipment effi-
ciency must be documented using the manufac-
turer’s data, which must be based on standardized
testing using the design ITE load. The final submit-
tal must consist of an electrical single-line diagram
and plans showing areas served by electrical sys-
tems, all conditions and modes of operation used
in determining the operating states of the electri-
cal system and the design electrical loss component
calculations demonstrating compliance.
ASHRAE 90.4 tables 8.2.1.1 and 8.2.1.2 list the
maximum ELC values for ITE loads less than 100
kilowatts and greater than or equal to 100 kilowatts,
respectively. The table shows the maximum ELC for
the three segments individually as well as the total.
The efficiency of the electrical distribution sys-
tem impacts the data center’s overall energy effi-
www.csemag.com
Figure 2: ASHRAE Standard 90.4 recognizes that supply water/air temperatures are not based on
human comfort, but rather to keep the computers at optimal temperatures. These temperatures
can be as much as 40 F higher than a comfort cooling application. As the temperatures increase,
the compressors use less energy. The electric input ratio is a unitless ratio of the input power to
the capacity for a specific type of HVAC equipment. An example of this equipment is a chiller or
condensing unit. The coefficient of performance is the inverse if EIR. Courtesy: Bill Kosik

ciency in two ways: lower efficiency means greater
electricity use and a greater air conditioning load
to cool the electrical energy dissipated as heat.
ASHRAE 90.4 is explicit on how this should be
handled: “The system’s UPS and transformer cool-
ing loads must also be included in [the MLC], eval-
uated at their corresponding part load efficiencies.”
(From section 6.2.1.2.1.1)
The standard includes an approach on how to
evaluate single feed UPS systems (e.g., N, N+1,
etc.) and active dual feed UPS systems (2N, 2N+1,
etc.). The single feed systems must be evaluated at
100% and 50% ITE load. The dual active feed sys-
tems must be evaluated at 50% and 25% ITE load
because these types of systems will not normally
operate at a load greater than 50%. An added ben-
efit to this process is a demonstration of how reli-
ability affects energy use (see Figure 1).
Performance-based approach
Standard 90.4 uses a performance-based
approach rather than a prescriptive one to accom-
modate the rapid change in data center technology
and to allow for innovation in developing energy-
efficiency cooling solutions. Some of the provisions
seem to especially encourage innovative solutions:
• On-site renewables or recovered energy:
According to the standard, if included in the data
center design, an offset credit may be taken for on-
site renewable generation or recovered energy. The
advantage of using on-site renewables and energy
recovery is that the daily peak will be eased, reduc-
ing greenhouse gas emissions and decreasing the
demand for electricity.
• Derivation of MLC values: The MLC values
in the tables in Standard 90.4 are derived from data
on mechanical system energy consumption, based
on different types of system design and equipment
type (modeling and real world). The values are not
created according to any system type or manufac-
turer; they are suitable for a broad range of mechan-
ical systems. It is important to remember that the
MLC values are the minimum efficiencies needed
for compliance. Ideally the project would go beyond
the minimum using highly energy-efficient designs
and demonstrate even greater energy efficiency.
• Design conditions: The annualized MLC val-
ues for air systems are based on a delta T (temper-
ature rise of the supply air) of 20 F and a return
air temperature of 85 F. However, the standard
has a proviso that states if the cooling system is
designed to operate at higher supply air and/or
water temperatures, the engineer has greater flex-
ibility to innovate and propose nontraditional
designs, such as water cooling of the ITE equip-
ment (see Figure 2).
• Trade-off method: Sometimes certain aspects
of the mechanical and electrical system design

www.csemag.com consulting-specifying engineer July 2019 • 27

BUILDING SOLUTIONS
CODES AND STANDARDS

Figure 3: When
calculating the
mechanical load
component, the
first step is to
calculate the total
annual energy use
of the mechanical
system. Courtesy:
Bill Kosik make it difficult to meet the requirements of the
standard. To alleviate this situation, the standard
stipulates that the mechanical and electrical sys-
tems can be analyzed together, allowing trade-
offs. Where one system may not be compliant, the
other may exceed the requisites, thereby offsetting
the efficiency conditions.
Looking ahead to Standard 90.4-2019
The next version of Standard 90.4 will arrive
later this year. In accordance with ASHRAE’s
procedures for reviewing and updating stan-
dards, there have been several proposed addenda
Figure 4: After the annual mechanical system energy use is deter-
mined, it is then multiplied by factors (25%, 50%, 75% and 100%)
and then totalled. The total annual information technology equip-
ment energy use undergoes the same process. Then the adjusted
mechanical energy use is divided by the adjusted ITE energy use to
determine the mechanical load component. Courtesy: Bill Kosik
that have been released for public comment. Care
must be taken not to assume that these adden-
da will be incorporated in the 2019 version; only
time will tell how much, if any, of the language
will be included in the final version.
However, some of the addenda items have a
common theme. After a new standard is released
to the industry for use on actual projects, parts of
the standard will certainly need to be revised due
to forces such as advancements in technology. Or
some of the provisions didn’t result in what was
anticipated. The introductions to the proposed
addenda are very frank:
• Revision to ELC values: At the time Standard
90.4 was issued, values for ELC were based on elec-
trical distribution equipment available in the mar-
ketplace. ELC was derived using manufacturer’s
published efficiency data. These data were col-
lected and analyzed three years before releasing
Standard 90.4. In the subsequent years, electrical
equipment technology, especially UPS systems,
has improved at a significant rate. The primary
gains in efficiency come from increased efficien-
cy in UPS equipment and improved performance
at part-load conditions.
• Elimina-
tion of design
MLC: ASHRAE
is proposing in
the addenda to
remove design
MLC as a com-
pliance option, as
it was never meant to be a permanent indica-
tor of energy efficiency or annual energy use. Plus,
there are now readily available tools and techniques
to calculate the annualized MLC.
• Raising the bar on MLC: ASHRAE admits
that the requirements issued in Standard 90.4-2016
for MLC need to be more stringent and are “unnec-
essarily high.” They point out that other energy
codes (such as California) have higher minimum
energy-efficiency requirements.
• Still keeping MLC conservative: Interest-
ingly, in the proposed addendum, the minimum
compliance values are still conservative, accord-
ing to ASHRAE. Considerably lower MLCs can be
achieved using design strategies including airside

28 • July 2019 CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER www.csemag.com

economizers. while still adhering to ASHRAE’s rec-
ommended thermal guidelines.
• Controversial economizers: ASHRAE makes
another candid assertion that the committee “did
not want to tackle the use of air economizers for
data centers.” The MLC values are achievable with-
out using an air economizer; easily available cooling
equipment and systems can meet the requirements.
• Change in how MLC is calculated: The 2016
version of Standard 90.4 requires that MLC be cal-
culated at 100% and 50% ITE load. The results of
those calculations must be less than the MLC value
listed in Table 6.2.1.2. One of the addenda describes
a new way of calculating MLC, based on 25%, 50%,
75% and 100% ITE load. This acknowledges that
data centers generally run at less than 100% ITE
load. The proposed mathematical process consist-
ing of three new equations are shown in Figure 3.
Annualized MLC
= (Mechanical-energy25% + Mechanical-
energy50% + Mechanical-energy75% +
Mechanical-energy100%) / (Data center
ITE energy25% + Data center ITE ener-
gy50% + Data center ITE energy75% +
Data center ITE energy100%)
Mechanical-energy (at X%)
= Total annual cooling energy + pump ener-
gy + heat rejection fan energy + air handler
fan energy at a constant ITE load of X% of
the design ITE load
Data center ITE energy (at X%)
= Design ITE load * 8,760 * X% (e.g., Data
center ITE energy at % of design ITE load)
While this approach seems reasonable from a
benchmarking perspective, actual operation will
yield very different results. For example, servers and
storage machines don’t have a linear heat output
based on the computational output of the computer.
So, when ASHRAE 90.4 asks for MLC calculations
at different ITE loads, the engineer will have to
assume that percent of ITE load is simply the total
ITE power multiplied by 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%.
• Accounting for part-load performance of
electrical systems: It might sound obvious, but
when evaluating the MLC at part load, consider-
ation must be given to the changing efficiency of
the UPS and other segments of the electrical sys-
tem. Certainly when the annual energy “con-
sumption” of the electrical system is calculated,
the efficiencies at part-load conditions will be
www.csemag.com
Understanding ASHRAE’s
standards development process
W
hen examining ASHRAE’s website, one of the first
things you’ll come across is ASHRAE’s Mission and
Vision statements. The essence of these statements
conveys a message of advancing the science of HVAC to “serve
humanity and promote a sustainable world.” ASHRAE promotes
a goal to adapt “today’s technology for tomorrow to local and
global communities.”
Based on these guiding principles, it makes sense that when
ASHRAE releases standards, guidelines and other best prac-
tice documents, there is a formal solicitation process where
ASHRAE’s constituents and the general public can provide
feedback and commentary on the proposed documentation. It
is important for people to actively engage in the process, espe-
cially because many of these people and their associated grass-
roots organizations may be very familiar with the proposed
language and already have a good underpinning on the techni-
cal aspects of the language.
These guiding principles and a commitment an inclusive pro-
cess has enabled ASHRAE to continually hone its process for
determining energy use compliance for commercial buildings,
even in the face of rapid changes in building technology. Over
the past 40 years, ASHRAE Standard 90.1: Energy Standard
for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings has been a
manifestation of inclusiveness and industry involvement. There
have been several occasions where some of ASHRAE’s recom-
mendations have faced harsh criticism, but it seems that conten-
tious issues get addressed, one way or another, in subsequent
releases of the standard.
The document “ASHRAE Standards Strategic Plan” provides
details on the development of new standards. The strategic
plan includes the language, “… provide consistent and forward-
looking guidance to the standards committee to ensure that the
efforts of the society have the largest possible impact on our
built environment while considering the time and effort asso-
ciated with their development and maintenance.” The primary
strategies from the plan are summarized as follows:
• Anticipate industry needs.
• Maintain leadership in standards.
• Collaborate with others.
• Promote adoption of ASHRAE standards.
• Promote international use of ASHRAE standards.
consulting-specifying engineer July 2019 • 29
BUILDING SOLUTIONS
CODES AND STANDARDS

‘
lower, which adds to the annual kilo- 













watt-hour. In the context of the MLC, 






 Now ASHRAE is on the
there is an additional cooling load (if
the UPS is located indoors) that must
be calculated into the annual energy
consumption of the mechanical system.
The good news is that UPS manufac-
turers have made very good progress on
improving UPS efficiency.
input #6 at www.csemag.com/information
For technology spaces in office build-
ings that are cooled via the house air cusp of releasing the
conditioning system, such as interme-
diate distribution frame closets or small 2019 version of the
server rooms, there is a proposed alter-
nate compliance path in the latest adden- standard, which is based
da. This approach simplifies compliance
on three more years of
analysis from data center
energy use.
’
by reducing the effort of the user and
authority having jurisdiction when it
comes to creating and reviewing energy
simulations, respectively. The goal with
developing this proposed change is to
improve the acceptance, use and enforce-
ment of Standard 90.4.
When ASHRAE Standard 90.4-2016
was released, for some it represented a
culmination of many years of research
and analysis by many people in the data
center industry. Certainly not all these
people had direct input to the standard,
but the groundwork they laid is integral
to the development of the standard.
Now ASHRAE is on the cusp of
releasing the 2019 version of the stan-
dard, which is based on three more
years of analysis from data center ener-
gy use. The analysis includes infor-
mation on data center operations and
maintenance. The hands-on experience
of running and maintaining highly effi-
cient data centers, especially ones that
are extremely innovative, is incredibly
important to understanding the impacts
of energy-efficiency measures.
From the proposed addenda, we have
some insight into what changes will be
included in the next release. One thing
is for sure: high-performance, high-
ly efficient data centers continue to be
of great importance in the data center
industry. cse
Bill Kosik is a senior energy engineer and
an industry-recognized leader in energy
efficiency for the built environment with
an expertise in data centers. He is a mem-
ber of the Consulting-Specifying Engi-
neer editorial advisory board.
30  July 2019
BUILDING SOLUTIONS
CODES AND STANDARDS
By Gregory Hudson, PE, HFDP, RMF Engineering, Charleston, South Carolina
As health care shifts,
so do codes
Lower-cost alternatives to traditional hospitals create code
challenges for engineers and designers
T L
o provide quality health care coverage
and services in rural and underserved
areas, health care providers are look-
ing for alternative options to traditional,
full-size medical facilities. Microhospi-
tals and medical office buildings are becoming more
relevant as they provide the same high level of ser-
vice to meet patient needs, but in a smaller footprint.
Microhospitals are facilities that offer many of
the same services and at a similar level that a typi-
cal hospital provides, but with a smaller bed count.
MOBs, typically consisting of administrative offices,
exam rooms and support spaces for private practice
groups, are now providing supplementary services
such as imaging, outpatient procedures and other
clinical services that historically were only provided
in a traditional hospital environment.
The challenge that health care facility engineers
and designers are now facing is ensuring that these
smaller facilities are compliant with the same build-
ing codes and standards governing the larger, more
traditional health care facilities.
Microhospitals are typically situated in areas that
demonstrate a need for services provided in a tra-
ditional hospital environment, but lack the pop-
ulation to support a large-scale hospital facility
that has hundreds of patient beds. Microhospitals
are significantly smaller, with between eight and
15 beds and ranging in size from 15,000 to 60,000
square feet. They are much less costly to construct
and generally less expensive to operate.
This is still a relatively new type of facility. More
health care providers are pursuing this new model
for areas that are still growing or small communi-
ties where constructing a large-scale hospital is not
financially feasible.
MOBs have traditionally been used to house
suites of private practice physician groups and were
originally intended to provide routine physical exam-
inations, patient checkups, basic laboratory work
www.csemag.com
Learning
and some minor outpatient procedures. As
health care costs continue to rise, provid-
ers are exploring low-cost alternatives. As OBJECTIVES
such, MOBs have begun to take on more • Provide an overview of
of the functions of a hospital. MOBs have alternative facilities and current
expanded their role offering more labora- building code application for
microhospitals and medical
tory services, imaging services and even office buildings.
some ambulatory surgeries.
• Identify what designers and
The challenges for these facilities lie engineers need to look for
in their ability to meet current building when designing these kinds of
codes, which were written without MOBs facilities.
and microhospitals in mind. The goal is
to provide a code compliant facility that
is safe for building occupants. While working with
current building codes will be a challenge, these
codes must be applied appropriately.
Occupancy requirements
When beginning the design for any new facility,
the designer or engineer should first reference the
International Building Code. Chapter 2 of the IBC
is dedicated to the “use and occupancy” classifica-
tions of different building types based on their use.
Traditional hospitals are defined as Group I,
or institutional occupancies. These are defined by
the IBC as: “… the use of a building or structure,
or a portion thereof, in which care or supervision
is provided to persons who are or not capable of
self-preservation without physical assistance or in
which persons are detained for penal or correction-
al purposes or in which the liberty of the occupants
is restricted.”
In this case, we are concerned with buildings
where “… supervision is provided to persons who
are or are not capable of self-preservation,” accord-
ing to IBC-2015. In health care environments, this
would apply to patients who may be incapacitated
due to anesthesia, in recovery from procedures and
cannot move on their own or the elderly who may
require assistance when moving around.
consulting-specifying engineer July 2019 • 31
 BUILDING SOLUTIONS
CODES AND STANDARDS

Figure 1: The Betsy Johnson Hospital is a 101-bed inpatient

nursing care hospital in Dunn, North Carolina, providing critical
care services, medical-surgical services, pediatrics, breast care,
rehabilitation services, speech therapy and cardiac rehabilita-
tion. Courtesy: RMF Engineering

‘
It would be highly unusual to have a medi-
cal facility that would require an institutional
type occupancy and only have the capability
to accommodate five or fewer patients. Some
microhospitals have relatively low bed counts,
but typically they are able to handle more
than five patients at any given time.
The second condition is facilities “that provide
nursing and medical care and could provide emer-
gency care, surgery, obstetrics or inpatient sta-
bilization units for psychiatric or detoxification,
including but not limited to hospitals.” This second
condition typically is what governs hospitals and
any other facilities where patients will remain for a
period longer than 24 hours.
Group I-2 occupancies also have requirements
related to the number of people receiving custo-

’
Institutional occupancies are further broken
down into three groups, I-1, I-2 and I-3. Medical
facilities are group I-2 facilities, defined in IBC-
2015 as “buildings and structures used for medical
care on a 24-hour basis for more than five persons
who are incapable of self-preservation.”
The IBC provides for two additional conditions
to determine if a facility is covered under Group
I-2. The first is “facilities that provide nursing and
medical care but do not provide emergency care,
surgery, obstetrics or inpatient stabilization units
for psychiatric or detoxification, including but not
limited to nursing homes and foster care facilities.”
dial care. Any facilities where five or fewer people
are receiving care shall be classified as Group R-3
or “shall comply with the International Residen-
tial Code provided an automatic sprinkler system
is installed.” It would be highly unusual to have a
medical facility that would require an institution-
al type occupancy and only have the capability to
accommodate five or fewer patients. Some micro-
hospitals have relatively low bed counts, but typi-
cally they are able to handle more than five patients
at any given time.
The IBC also has a class B or business occupan-
cy, which is what is traditionally used for a MOB.
The IBC defines the occupancy as “the use of build-
ing or structure or portion thereof, for office, profes-

32 • July 2019 CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER www.csemag.com

sional or service-type transactions, including storage
of records and accounts.” Each use and occupancy
classification provides examples of the facilities that
would fall into this category. Group B does include
two examples that fall into health care-type facilities:
ambulatory care centers and professional services.
The IBC defines ambulatory care centers as
“buildings or portions thereof used to provide med-
ical, surgical, psychiatric, nursing or similar care on
a less than 24-hour basis to individuals who are
rendered incapable of self-preservation by the ser-
vices provided.” This limits the types of procedures
that can be performed within these facilities. Any
procedure requiring extended observation after the
procedure is completed cannot be performed in a
business group occupancy.
Buildings providing professional services are
noted to be architects, attorneys, dentists, physi-
cians, engineers, etc. For physicians providing pro-
fessional services, this typically involves doctor’s
offices, private medical practices and some medical
specialists. It is not unusual for some MOBs to pro-
vide imaging services, minor procedures and labo-
ratory services.
Given the IBC definitions discussed above,
the first step in programming any new facility is Figure 2: One of IBM Watson’s 50 Best Cardiovascular Hospitals is
to determine what kinds of procedures an owner part of UNC REX Healthcare providing full-spectrum emergency car-
wants to be able to perform. New facility types, diac care and fast-track treatment for the prevention of severe heart
such as a microhospital, can certainly fall into either attacks. Courtesy: RMF Engineering
a Group B or Group I occupancy, depending on the
type of procedures being performed. Procedures
that would require a patient to stay longer than 24 tory care centers. Designers and engineers should
hours should be designated as Group I occupancy. ensure they are familiar with these additional
Any procedure requiring a limited stay, defined as requirements and how they may impact the project.
an amount of time less than 24 hours, can be classi- ASHRAE 170: Ventilation of Health Care Facilities
fied as a Group B occupancy. on its own is a standard and when referenced by the
IBC, it becomes code. ASHRAE 170 provides a mini-
Building design mum set of requirements for ventilation of health care
Once the occupancy requirement has been facilities. Any facility designated as an I-2, institution-
confirmed, it will be necessary to determine how al occupancy or an ambulatory care center would be
the occupancy category will impact the building required to comply with this standard per code. The
design. The International Mechanical Code has purpose of the standard as defined in ASHRAE 170
a specific requirement for ambulatory care facili- “… is to define ventilation system requirements that
ties and any Group I-2 occupancies. IMC section provide environmental control for comfort, asepsis
407.1 states, “Mechanical ventilation for ambula- and odor in health care facilities.”
tory care facilities and Group I-2 occupancies shall General scoping information is provided for nec-
be designed and installed in accordance with this essary compliance requirements depending on the
code and ASHRAE 170.” project, either new construction or renovation. For
Given that ambulatory care centers have the renovations, building owners often are concerned with
capabilities to perform some surgical procedures, limiting scope creep due to any alterations. Very often
any of those spaces would require the same ven- in renovations, any areas that the project touches are
tilation requirements as needed for a traditional required to be brought up to current codes. Engineers
hospital, even if the facility may not be classified must be efficient with their designs to accomplish the
as Group I. Surgical and other procedure areas in owner’s project goals, without unnecessarily increasing
ambulatory care centers are not treated any differ- the project scope and budget.
ently even though they are in Group B occupancy. The standard also asks for building owners to
There also are several other requirements for Group provide detailed program information for the facil-
I-2 occupancies that are also required for ambula- ity they want to construct. Programs are supposed

www.csemag.com consulting-specifying engineer July 2019 • 33

 BUILDING SOLUTIONS
CODES AND STANDARDS
Figure 3: Inova Fairfax Medical Campus in Falls Church, Virginia, has a
labor-delivery center and obstetric care unit that is fully equipped with
state-of-the-art technology for patient care. Courtesy: RMF Engineering
to provide information on “clinical service expected
in each space, the specific user equipment expect-
ed to be used in each space and any special clinical
needs for temperature, humidity and pressure con-
trol,” per ASHRAE 170.
It is critical for designers and engineers to gath-
er this information from building owners as early as
possible in the design process. This information can
help determine the occupancy category of the build-
ing and will help in identifying other codes and stan-
dards that may be relevant to the design. Designers
and engineers should ask building owners to advise
them of any requirements related to insurance or the
owner’s own requirements that may go above and
beyond the applicable codes and standards.
Systems and equipment
The systems and equipment associated with
health care facilities also are discussed as part of
ASHRAE Standard 170, including heating and cool-
ing sources such as cooling towers, air handling unit
design, humidifiers, air distribution systems, ener-
gy recovery systems and insulation systems. Given
that health care facility users can have compromised
immune systems and can be more susceptible to
infection, these systems are more specialized than
what is seen in typical commercial buildings.
Required air change rates, pressurization
requirements and space conditions in terms of tem-
34 • July 2019 CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER
perature and relative humidity are provided for hos-
pital spaces, outpatient spaces and nursing home
spaces to limit transmission of any infections or
spread of contagion and ensure patient safety, staff
safety and general occupant comfort.
There is also additional detail on specific spaces
such as airborne infection isolation rooms, protec-
tive environment rooms, critical care units, surgical
areas and support areas such as morgue and autopsy
spaces, bronchoscopy and psychiatric patient areas.
Finally, the Standard 170 covers general plan-
ning, construction and system startup of HVAC
systems. Again, since the occupants of health care
facilities are more susceptible to infections, spe-
cial precautions need to be taken when executing
a construction project in a health care facility.
The standard is not intended to be a design
guide, but it does provide a set of minimum cri-
teria. Other design guides specific to hospitals are
available. ASHRAE’s HVAC Design Manual for
Hospitals and Clinics is a great resource for the
design of health care facilities.
Another important code is NFPA 99: Health
Care Facilities Code. NFPA 99 does not follow the
occupancy classifications present in the IBC but
does use some of the same language. Per NFPA
99, a health care facility is defined as “… buildings,
portions of buildings or mobile enclosures in which
human medical, dental, psychiatric, nursing, obstet-
rical or surgical care is provided.” NFPA 99 also has
a definition for an ambulatory care center:
An occupancy used to provide services or
treatment simultaneously to four or more
patients that provides, on an outpatient
basis, one or more of the following: treat-
ment for patients that renders the patients
incapable of taking action for self-preserva-
tion under emergency conditions without
the assistance of others; anesthesia that ren-
ders the patients incapable of taking action
for self-preservation under emergency con-
ditions without the assistance of others; or
emergency or urgent care for patients who,
due to the nature of their injury or illness,
are incapable of taking action for self-pres-
ervation under emergency conditions with-
out the assistance of others.
Therefore, this code would apply to any Group
I-2 occupancy but would also apply to any Group
B occupancy designated as an ambulatory care
center. Designers and engineers should make sure
that owners do not have insurance policies that
require facilities to be complaint with this code,
even though they may not be a Group I-2 occu-
pancy or an ambulatory care center, but are still
providing health care services.
www.csemag.com
 Know the challenges
To summarize, the first step for designers
and engineers is to understand the types of pro-
cedures and services being offered in each facil-
ity to ensure that the building codes are properly
applied. Procedures that will require a patient to
remain in the facility for at least 24 hours will
require the building to be designated as Group I-2,
institutional. Facilities where patients will remain
for less than 24 hours can be designated as Group
B occupancy, except for any facility designated as
an ambulatory care center.
Ambulatory care centers, though designated
as Group B occupancy, are governed by the same
requirements as Group I-2 occupancies. Once
the building occupancy category has been deter-
mined, designers and engineers need to be aware
of other codes and standards that may apply, such
as ASHRAE 170 and NFPA 99. Designers and
engineers also need to be aware of any owner
insurance requirements or owner standards that
may impact the design of the building above and
beyond what is required per code.
With smaller facilities like microhospitals
and MOBs, designers and engineers will be chal-
lenged to apply codes appropriately to ensure a
code-compliant facility in a cost-effective manner
‘ Once the building occupancy category
has been determined, designers and
engineers need to be aware of other codes
and standards that may apply, such as
ASHRAE 170 and NFPA 99.
for facility owners. As health care costs continue
to rise, health care providers will continue look-
’
ing for low-cost options to provide care, especially
in smaller markets, while still offering treatment
options that were traditionally only available in a
full-size metropolitan hospital. As these designs
increase in number, having a firm grasp of codes
and design requirements will become essential for
engineers. cse
Gregory Hudson is a mechanical project manager
with RMF Engineering. His experience encompasses
the design and analysis of HVAC, plumbing and fire
protection systems serving health care, educational,
laboratory and commercial facilities.

Does This Look Familiar?

WE WON’T
LEAVE YOU
HANGING!!
࠮5V-SV^0U[LYY\W[PVU࠮5V)HNZ
࠮5V*SLHU\W࠮5V+V^U[PTL࠮5V2PKKPUN

-PS[YH[PVU+V^U[V›
100% AUTOMATIC SELF CLEANING
WATER FILTRATION SYSTEMS
input #7 at www.csemag.com/information

2672 S. La Cienega Bl vd, Los Angeles, C A 90034 USA

(800) 336-1942 (310) 839-2828 www.t ekleen.com inf o@t ekleen.com
ENGINEERING INSIGHTS
MEP ROUNDTABLE
Government facility design
Consulting engineers are working on government, state, municipal,
federal, correctional and military buildings
CSE: What’s the biggest trend
in government, state, municipal,
federal, correctional and military
projects?
Jody W. Baldwin: Technology inte-
grators will in large part agree that one of
the biggest trends affecting their scopes
of work in the federal market is the trend
to migrate away from proprietary auto-
mation systems toward agnostic or open
products, protocols and platforms. A
principal factor forcing this trend is the
significant growth of technology and its
incorporation into virtually every aspect
of a built environment.
These new technologies do not sim-
ply affect individual pieces of equipment
or individual buildings; they have sig-
nificant impact on campuses and entire
communities. As the quantity and com-
plexity of technology has proliferat-
ed, traditional systems and platforms
have been unsuccessful at keeping pace
and we can no longer rely on a single
manufacturer.
Christopher Carter: Projects are
trending to more sustainability and ener-
gy conservation with an increased focus
on employee wellness. We are starting to
see more interests in small group collab-
oration spaces and other features tailored
for younger talent.
Gary Krueger: Upgrade or replace-
ment of existing dated, obsolete or ener-
gy inefficient facilities to meet changing
Jody W. Baldwin,
LEED AP, CEM
Branch Manager, Mid
Atlantic Division
Envise, a wholly owned
subsidiary of Southland
Industries
Sterling, Virginia
36 • July 2019 consulting-specifying engineer
needs related to shifts in demographics,
technology and demands for increased
service and enhance workplace environ-
ments. New project programs differ sub-
stantially from facilities that are replaced.
Consolidation of support functions and
centralization of resources with focus on
enhanced efficiencies. Enhanced interest
on life cycle cost and flexibility to antici-
pate and accommodate future needs.
Mark Chrisman: On the military side,
similar to the private sector, we are see-
ing a need for speed in completing proj-
ects. The design-build method is great
for speeding up the entire process, but we
are also seeing the introduction of pre-
fabricated construction. There’s also an
emphasis on infrastructure work, be it
renovations, central utility plants or stud-
ies regarding water hazards in existing
buildings.
Joshua Meinig: The biggest trend
I see is resiliency and redundancy. Pro-
viding all aspects of design with robust
features for the long term. Whether it is
designing for sea-level rise, hurricanes or
uninterrupted power, a lot of our project
need to keep running to provide the own-
ers clients with continuous operation.
Brian Pak: The biggest trend in gov-
ernment projects is sustainability and
energy efficiency. I acknowledge this is
nothing new and has been an ongoing
trend in the built environment indus-
try for quite some time, but we are see-
ing more and more buzzwords such as net
zero, carbon neutrality and high-perfor-
Christopher
Carter, EIT
Associate/Graduate
Electrical Engineer
Page
Austin, Texas
mance associated with large federal gov-
ernment projects. With budget constraints
in most federal government projects, it is
extremely difficult to achieve net zero or
carbon neutral in the current economic
environment, but we are seeing projects
with a sense of awareness and desire to go
net-zero. We recently came across a new
project requiring a feasibility study on
net-zero strategies as a part of the project
submission.
CSE: What trends do you think
are on the horizon for such proj-
ects?
Pak: A higher level of sustainability
and energy performance. The entire built
environment industry is heading toward
higher levels of sustainability assisted by
self-regulating construction industry and
mandates from state, city and federal gov-
ernments. We are seeing net-zero, carbon
neutrality and high-performance associ-
ated with large federal government proj-
ects. Due to budget constraints, it might
not be economically feasible to design
and construct net-zero or carbon neutral
buildings in the current economic envi-
ronment, but all levels of governments
and industry governing bodies are mov-
ing toward enacting policies and regula-
tions for higher levels of energy efficiency.
Baldwin: The proliferation of technol-
ogy and the concurrent reduction in cost
of individual points of control result in
massive amounts of data. As our indus-
Mark Chrisman,
PE, MS
Vice President/
Healthcare Practice
Director
Henderson Engineers
Kansas City
www.csemag.com
Figure 1: TLC Engineering Solutions is working on the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts expansion in Orlando,
Florida. Unique challenges include a tight construction site, a theater that maintains acoustic isolation from exterior
vibration effects, exposed structural system requiring integration of conduits and relative mechanical, electrical and
plumbing features to minimize impact to architectural finishes. Courtesy: TLC Engineering Solutions

try continues to create new ways to collect
data streams, we need to create a process
that brings value to them. That process is
building analytics. Analytics is the discov-
ery, interpretation and communication of
meaningful patterns in data, and the pro-
cess of applying those patterns toward
effective decision making. We often fail to
fully develop the effective decision-mak-
ing piece of this definition. That will be a
critical success factor for technology inte-
grators going forward.
Carter: We are seeing more use of
technology. Government buildings are
finally catching up to other commer-
cial, nongovernment office buildings
in terms of the use of technology. For
example, “internet of things” and power
over Ethernet are increasingly com-
mon in government buildings. The total
cost of ownership of these systems has
been decreasing in conjunction with the
increase of multiple applications and ven-
dors providing viable options for poten-
tial use. There are numerous applications
available where these technologies could
improve existing systems, efficiencies and
emergency response times.
Chrisman: I think we will continue
to see more uses for prefabrication and
modular construction as long as the var-
ious public sector organizations continue
to incorporate these methods within their
codes, criteria and standards.
Meinig: With dwindling natural
resources, alternative energy and ener-
gy efficiency will have to be the next
big push in design. Although these have
always been in the forefront, alterna-
tive energy sources will have to become
part of the new standard when designing
these facilities.
CSE: Each type of project pres-
ents unique challenges — what
types of challenges do you encoun-
ter for these types of projects that
you might not face on “civilian” or
other types of structures?
Meinig: Hazards, the types of facili-
ties that I am involved with almost always
have some sort of hazard. With munic-
ipal projects at water and wastewater
treatment plant sites, chemicals (sodium
hypochlorite, fluoride, acids, ozone, etc.)
are always present within the structures
I design. Knowing the applicable codes
and standards is essential to providing a
safe and energy efficient design. WWTPs
also present other hazards, depending on
the process that is taking place within the
structure. Methane buildup and hydro-
gen sulfide production can also provide
additional challenges designing in these
structures. Careful electrical classifica-
tion of the spaces is required to ensure all
disciplines are aware of how and what to
design for.
Carter: Government agencies often
require their own set of standards and
regulations that call for design features
above and beyond established code. It
can be challenging navigating the require-
ments of each agency, but it gets easier
with more exposure. A good starting place
for government projects is the Whole
Building Design Guide; it provides many

Gary Krueger, Joshua Meinig, PE Brian Pak, PE,

PE, LEED AP Senior Mechanical LEED AP, BEMP
BD+C, CM Engineer Senior Mechanical
Vice President and CDM Smith Engineer, Department
Executive Director Orlando, Florida Lead
TLC Engineering Dewberry
Solutions Fairfax, Virginia
Cocoa, Florida

www.csemag.com consulting-specifying engineer July 2019 • 37

 ENGINEERING INSIGHTS
MEP ROUNDTABLE
of the design criteria required. In addi-
tion, there are case studies available for
past design projects to reference.
Chrisman: We regularly run into chal-
lenges with codes, fire protection, life
safety and antiterrorism/force protection
that are not regularly seen in the private
sector. Because there are so many codes,
standards and criteria referenced in the
standards statements of work/request for
proposal, an early code review by all par-
ties involved is critical. We often run into
at least one interesting requirement that
exists in an obscure standard that is rare-
ly referenced but meaningful to whatever
unique project we’re working on.
‘
It is a critical role to properly educate the govern-
ment stakeholders to understand and appreciate
options and recommendations to allow an informed
decision regarding options. — Gary Krueger
Pak: Challenges associated with
designing high secure/classified type fed-
eral government projects include, but are
not limited to budget, physical securi-
ty, cybersecurity, redundancy, flexibility,
expandability, risk management, acous-
tics, mission critical provisions, sensitive
compartmented information facility pro-
visions, TEMPEST provisions, layers of
conflicting standards/guidelines, outdat-
ed requirements and chemical, biological,
radiological, nuclear and explosive protec-
tion. As one can imagine, many of these
criteria are hindrance to energy efficiency
and sustainability. The process of incorpo-
rating all these requirements while trying
to optimize the system/energy efficiency
can be a daunting task.
Baldwin: There are three groups of
challenges that are presented on many
projects:
• Fear of the unknown: Many facil-
ity managers have worked with a single
building automation provider for years
or even decades. Large-scale technology
upgrades can be daunting.
• Data security: This is still a chal-
lenge but is subsiding slowly as a great-
er understanding of cybersecurity and
increased protection options makes its
way into information technology depart-
38 • July 2019 consulting-specifying engineer
ments. Building automation systems rely
heavily on data, data transport and data
analysis. Heavy network usage often chal-
lenges those charged with keeping net-
works safe.
• Cost: Developing, delivering, main-
taining and bringing value to these com-
plex systems will always be a challenge.
CSE: What are engineers doing
to ensure such projects meet chal-
lenges associated with emerging
technology?
Chrisman: This is especially diffi-
cult in the government/public sector. The
’
statement of work/request for propos-
al are based around criteria that exist as
of the date the SOW/RFP was published,
some of which sit on the shelf, waiting for
funding for several years and the project
is often still held to those older criteria
that may not allow or reference emerg-
ing technologies. A great example of that
is the machine roomless elevators; great
technology but there are many different
options that are manufacturer specific and
the codes, be it ASME 17.1 or NFPA 13
for example, cannot keep up with because
most codes are updated on a three-year
cycle. A lot of innovation can happen in a
three-year period.
Carter: With how fast technology and
best practices are changing, you have to
take a vested self-interest in profession-
al development within your craft. It can
be receiving a presentation from ven-
dors, attending trade conferences, being
a part of professional organization such
as IEEE or as simple as staying abreast
with articles published in the good trade
magazines.
Baldwin: Successful firms have real-
ized that the new concept of internet of
things goes well beyond the old concept
of temperature control. The industry has
seen an ever-increasing percentage of
project dollars be invested in technology.
It is critical for project teams to involve
the building systems integrators — the
IoT providers — at the earliest stages of
project design. The historical methodol-
ogy for employing temperature control
contractors as a subcontractor to the
mechanical contractor needs to be rei-
magined. Those contractors need to be
involved as partners to the mechanical or
to the general contractors because there is
so much more at stake.
Krueger: Progressive advocates in the
design industry understand it is impera-
tive that the facility design engineers work
collaboratively with government stake-
holders to introduce and explain design
options as they relate to incorporating or
accommodating future technologies. It is
a critical role to properly educate the gov-
ernment stakeholders to understand and
appreciate options and recommendations
to allow an informed decision regarding
options. If limited by budget concerns,
we would recommend, at a minimum,
to integrate the infrastructure to accom-
modate future technologies once funds
become available or the cost for advanced
technology drops to more reasonable or
commodity basis.
Pak: Engineers must apply sound
engineering judgment with basic funda-
mentals of heating, ventilation and air
conditioning design when designing with
or evaluating new or emerging technolo-
gies. Engineers should identify all pros
and cons of system types and perform
a thorough quantitative and qualitative
comparison analysis so that clients can
make informed decisions. Unfortunate-
ly, when new/emerging technologies are
adapted and implemented, we sometimes
see new technologies’ advantages being
exaggeratedly emphasized while disad-
vantages are partially concealed or not
fully explored. cse
M More
ROUNDTABLE
GO ONLINE
Read more at www.csemag.com about:
• Automation, controls and technology.
• Codes and standards.
• Electrical, power and lighting.
• Fire/life safety.
• HVAC/plumbing.
• Sustainable buildings/energy efficiency.
www.csemag.com
MEDIA SHOWCASE FOR ENGINEERS
Engineering is personal.
So is the way you
use information.
CFE Media delivers a world
of knowledge to you.
Per s o n a l l y .
CFE Media is home to some of the
most trusted names in the business.
Consulting-Specifying Engineer
Control Engineering
Plant Engineering
Oil & Gas Engineering
IIoT For Engineers

WATTNODE ®
Wide-Range Modbus
Energy Meter
One Model for all Utility Services
Supports 100 to 600 Vac
Wye, Delta, Single-Phase, Three-Phase
Corrects Wiring Errors Remotely
9LJVUÄN\YL[OL*;Z7VSHYP[`
Align CTs to the Correct Line Voltage
ANSI C12.20 Class 0.5 Accuracy
Modbus RTU, RS-485 Communication
Adjustable Baud Rates to 115K
 




Input #100 at www.csemag.com/information Input #101 at www.csemag.com/information Input #102 at www.csemag.com/information

We’ve got the

right motor for
your application

Let’s connect socially

Follow us: Try our savings calculator at www.novamaxmotor.com


Marathon® EC Series of PM motors deliver high torque
performance meeting IE4 and even proposed IE5 efficiency
standards in a variety of applications including: data centers,
ventilation, pump, compressors and more.
ECM made Easy™

www.RegalBeloit.com
Creating a better tomorrow™...

www.csemag.com 2018
FINALIST

NovaMAX® Motor

Regal, Creating a better tomorrow, ECM Made Easy, Marathon and NovaMAX are
trademarks of Regal Beloit Corporation or one of its affiliated companies.
©2018 Regal Beloit Corporation, All Rights Reserved. MCAD18067E • SB0196E

input #8 at www.csemag.com/information
 Publication Services
Jim Langhenry,
Co-Founder and Publisher, CFE Media
JLanghenry@CFEMedia.com
Steve Rourke, Co-Founder, CFE Media
SRourke@CFEMedia.com
Kristen Nimmo, Marketing Manager
KNimmo@CFEMedia.com

ad index Paul Brouch, Director of Operations

630-571-4070 x2208, PBrouch@CFEMedia.com
Rick Ellis, Audience Management Director
Company Page# RSN Web 303-246-1250, REllis@CFEMedia.com
Michael Rotz, Print Production Manager
717-766-0211 x4207, Fax 717-506-7238
ABB Motors & Mechanical . . . . . . .C-2 . . . . . . . . 1 . . . . . . . .www .abb .com/motors&generators mike.rotz@frycomm.com
Maria Bartell, List Rental Account Director
Infogroup Targeting Solutions
CleaverBrooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 . . . . . . . . . . 3 . . . . . . . .www .cleaverbrooks .com 847-378-2275, maria.bartell@infogroup.com
Claude Marada, List Rental Manager
402-836-6274, claude.marada@infogroup.com
CFE Edu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .http://cfeedu .cfemedia .com
Letters to the Editor
Please e-mail your letters to
ARozgus@CFEMedia.com
CFE Media’s New Products Letters should include name, company, and
for Engineers Database . . . . . . . . .4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www .csemag .com/NP4E address, and may be edited for space and clarity.

CSE Webcasts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www .csemag .com/webcasts Information

For a Media Kit or Editorial Calendar:
www.csemag.com/interactivemediakit.

Dell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-4 . . . . . . . 10 . . . . . . .WWW .DELL .COM/SMALLBUSINESSPARTNER

Reprints
Let’s Connect Socially . . . . . . . . . . .39 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .WWW .CSEMAG .COM For custom reprints or electronic usage, contact:
Marcia Brewer, Wright’s Media
281-419-5725 mbrewer@wrightsmedia.com

Lighting & Lighting

Controls eBook Series . . . . . . . . . .15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www .csemag .com/ebooks/lighting-lighting-controls Publication Sales
Publisher/Midwest
Matt Waddell MWaddell@CFEMedia.com
Lutron Electronics Co . . . . . . . . . . .C-3 . . . . . . . . 9 . . . . . . . .www .lutron .com/SpecifyVive 3010 Highland Parkway, Suite #325 312-961-6840
Downers Grove, IL 60515
Regional Manager
Mammoth-Nortek Tom Cahill tcahill@cfemedia.com
Air Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 . . . . . . . . . 4 . . . . . . . .www .nortekair .com 847-682-5622
West, TX, OK
Tom Corcoran TCorcoran@CFEMedia.com
PVI Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 . . . . . . . . . 5 . . . . . . . .www .pvi .com Integrated Media Manager 215-275-6420

Northeast
Regal Beloit Corporation . . . . . . . .39 . . . . . . . . . 8 . . . . . . . .www .RegalBeloit .com Richard A. Groth Jr. RGroth@CFEMedia.com
12 Pine Street 774-277-7266
Franklin, MA 02038
Reliable Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 . . . . . . . . . . 2 . . . . . . . .www .reliablecontrols .com Director of Content Marketing Solutions
Patrick Lynch PLynch@CFEMedia.com
3010 Highland Parkway, Suite #325 847-452-1191
SENS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 . . . . . . . . . 6 . . . . . . . .www .sens-usa .com Downers Grove, IL 60515
Marketing Consultant
Brian Gross BGross@CFEMedia.com
TEKLEEN Automatic Filters Inc . . . .35 . . . . . . . . . 7 . . . . . . . .www .tekleen .com 3010 Highland Parkway, Suite #325 630-571-4070 x2217
Downers Grove, IL 60515
International
Stuart Smith stuart.smith@globalmediasales.co.uk
REQUEST MORE INFORMATION about products and advertisers in this issue by using SSM Global Media Ltd. +44 208 464 5577

the www.csemag.com/information link and reader service number located near each
item. If you’re reading the digital edition, the link will be live. When you contact a company
directly, please let them know you read about them in Consulting-Specifying Engineer.

40 • July 2019 consulting-specifying engineer www.csemag.com

 Simple, scalable, wireless
lighting control

Wireless
Hub

Wireless
Load Controls

Wireless
Sensors

Wall
Controls

Vive has the flexibility to meet your clients’ expectations,

minimize risk, and adapt to changes during the project.

Easy code compliance | Fits within your budget

input #9 at www.csemag.com/information
Wireless
lutron.com/SpecifyVive Remotes
© 2019 Lutron Electronics Co., Inc. | P/N 306-0251 REV A
THERE’S NOTHING
SMALL ABOUT

YOUR
BUSINESS
Dell Small Business Technology Advisors are
committed to helping you navigate your
tech needs with the right solutions, advice
and dedicated one-on-one partnership.

TECH. ADVICE. PARTNERSHIP.

17.3"

Dell Precision 7730 with an Get in touch today

8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5 processor
Starting at $1,399 877-BUY-DELL
Dell.com/SmallBusinessPartner
*Offers subject to change. Taxes, shipping, and other fees apply. Dell reserves the right to cancel orders arising from pricing or other errors. Intel, the Intel Logo, Intel Inside, Intel Core, and Core
Inside are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or other countries. Microsoft and Windows are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.
Screens simulated, subject to change. Windows Store apps sold separately. App availability and experience may vary by market. Dell, EMC, and other trademarks are trademarks of Dell Inc. or its
subsidiaries. © 2019 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. 297548
input #10 at www.csemag.com/information