A.B.S.

Casestudy on Office Building

Rohit Patel
Shubham Kambli
Sarvagnee Navdhare
Siddhesh Virkar
Manish Pawar
Rohit Mharav
Vivek Patil
Amey Deshmukh Pillai Hoc COA, Rasayani
 DIGI CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS, MALAYSIA.

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INTRODUCTION
• Its 4-storey atrium with a glazed louvred skylight that opens up to a perspective extending all the way
to a man-mode waterfall. The atrium is sheltered from weather elements while bringing in natural
daylighting to the interior spaces without the need of artificial lighting.
• Along with its Gold LEED certification under Commercial buildings, it is apparent that the building's
design has token environmental factors into consideration making it seamlessly connected to its natural
surroundings.

Front facade with lofty porte-cochere to offices and warehouse block to left.

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 SITE PLAN

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 Back Side view of Building with proper landscape and Hill top.

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INTRODUCTION
Architect: Veritos Design Group
Completed: March 2006
Function: Commercial Office Building
• Located in the bustling Subang Hi-Tech
Industrial Park, D'House (Digi Headquarters)
is on office for one of Malaysia' s largest
telecommunication firm.
• The low-rise complex of 320,000 square
feet was completed in 2006 and comprises
4 stories of offices, meeting rooms, on
auditorium, a call center, staff training
rooms, warehouses, car parks, cafeteria and
various facilities for staff.
• The building houses 1,300 Digi employees The atrium is a versatile, multi-functional space,
serving daily as a gathering place for staff and for
for the first time under a single roof . corporate events

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 Car Parking

Green spaces with parking

Built Structure

Parking

Green Spaces With Parking Built Structure

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 FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEM

AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM

SERVICE
SYSTEMS
INCORPORATED
IN STRUCTURE MECHANICAL VENTILATION
SYSTEM

MECHANICAL
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM
FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEM
• Active fire protection in D' House involves the basic
water -based system, non-water-based system, fire
detection and alarm system and smoke control
system.
• As the height of D' House is less than 18.3 meters,
dry riser and wet riser system is not installed in the
building. Spaces such as the car park is open and Pendent fire sprinkler that con be Upright fire sprinkler that con be
seen on the ceiling of D' House. seen on the ceiling of D' House.
naturally ventilated which reduces the need of a (ylong, 2018) (ylong, 2018)

smoke spill system.

• D' House's fire sprinklers are indicated red which has
a temperature rating of 57 degree Celsius to 77
degree Celsius, which is the temperature at which
the sprinklers will activate.

Fire sprinkler pump located in the pump room of

D' House. (Wong, 20 18 )
Duty pump of the fire sprinkler pump Standby pump of the fire
in D' House. (Wong, 2018) sprinkler pump in D' House. (Wong, 201 8 )
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• Upright fire sprinklers are used in the car parks, stairwells and cafe of D' House. Upright fire sprinklers
creates a water flow with a hemispherical pattern and are typically used for areas that are difficult to access
or in ceilings without finishing, which is the case for D' House.
• Fire sprinkler pump consists of duty pump, jockey pump and a standby pump, which are usually powered
by electric, diesel or steam. The pumps transmit pressurized water to the fire sprinklers al a pre-determined
pressure.
Water tonk located in D'House. The
pumps discharge waler from a fire
fighting water lank made of
pressed steel. It is located right
next to the pump room and is
connected to the pumps using
galvanized steel pipes.

Sprinkler alarm valve

located outside the pump
room of D' House.

• During a fire emergency, fire sprinklers will be activated which causes a pressure drop in the fire sprinkler
system. Pressure switches in the system will give off a signal which will activate the duty pump to generate
sufficient pressure to ensure a continuous waler flow.
• Standby pump serves as a backup in the case where the duty pump is not functioning. Jockey pump keeps
the pressure in the system al a artificial level so that when the system is not in use, the pumps will not be
running all the time.

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 HOSE REEL SYSTEM
• Fire hose reels are provided for use by occupants as a 'first attack'
firefighting measure but in some instances, can also be used by
firefighters. It could be manually activated by opening the valve and the
discharge of wafer is approximately 6 metres.
• A hose reel can be operated by turning on the valve (located al the
connection on the pipe), reeling out the hose and directing the nozzle al
the flame base and then turning on the nozzle.

Plan indicates the location of hose reels in Plan indicates the location of hose reels in
Level 1 of D' House. (Wong, 2018) Level 2 of D' House. (Wong, 2018)
Hose reel located in D' House. (Wong, 2018)

Plan indicates the location of hose reefs in Hose reel pump located in the pump room Pion indicates the location of hose reels in
Level 3 of D' House. (Wong, 2018) of D' House. (Wong, 2018) Level 4 of D' House. (Wong, 2018)

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EXTERNAL FIRE HYDRANT :
• A total of 6 external fire hydrants are provided in D'
House. They are located around the perimeter of the
building to provide a readily available source of water al
any poin1throughout the building.
• External fire hydrant functions to provide water to a fire
engine for fire fighting purposes. The fire hydrants are
connected to a water supply main.
• Water from the fire hydrant is discharged into the fire
engine from which it is pumped and sprayed over a fire.
• Where water supply is not reliable or pressure is
inadequate, a pressurized system is required which Pion indicates the location of external fire hydrants
around D' House. (Wong, 2018)
involves hydrant tanks and pumps.
FIRE EXTINGUISHER :

Plan indicates the location of fire Plan indicates the location of fire Plan indicates the location of fire Plan indicates the location of fire
extinguishers in Level 1 of D' House. extinguishers in Level 2 of D' House. extinguishers in Level 3 of D' House. extinguishers in Level 4 of D' House.
(Wong, 2018) (Wong, 2018) (Wang, 2018) (Wang, 2018)

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 FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEM
• FE-13 (trifluoro methane) is a non-toxic fire
extinguishing agent that is clean and environmentally
acceptable.
• It is used in total flooding and inserting applications
where its low toxicity provides better safety for the
occupants and property.
• It is used for spaces where the temperature is kept
Plan indicates the location of rooms
lower than normal and is the safest clean agent for FE-13 cylinders located in the where clean
MSB roam of O' House. agent suppression n systems are used
protecting areas where people are present. in D' House.

MANUAL CALL POINT:

• Break glass manual call points are used in D' House. These call points
are manually initiated. They are located near the exits and are easily
accessible, identified and operated.
• The fire control room of D' House is located at the ground floor right
next o the lift lobby. Controls for the building's fire protection
systems, fire pumps, secondary water supply, air-handling systems,
alarm systems and communication systems are located in this room. Plan indicates the location of the fire control
room in D' House.

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FIRE DETENCTION AND ALARM SYSTEM:
• D' House uses photoelectric smoke detectors and heat detectors.
• Photoelectric detectors respond faster to fire hazards than ionization smoke and heal detectors.
• Heat detectors in D' House are only used in mechanical rooms such as pump rooms.
• The distance between the fire detectors are less than l0 meters apart.

Plan indicates the location of fire Photoelectric smoke detector Plan indicates the location of fire
detectors in Level I of D' House. used in D' House. detectors in Level 2 of D' House.

Plan indicates the location of fire Plan indicates the location of fire Plan indicates the location of fire
detectors in Level 3 of D'House. detedors at roof level of D' House. detectors in Level 4 of D'House.

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 PASSIVE FIRE PROTECTION IN D' HOUSE
Function of Passive Fire Protection
1. Contain the spread of fire within the building
2. Provide sufficient time for the safe evacuation of all
occupants of the premises
3. Ensure the building remains safe for the fire brigade's entry
during a fire
4. Limit the damage of the building during a fire

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EXITS
• There are two types of exits in D' House (Digi Headquarters), which is the horizontal and vertical exits.
The location of the horizontal and vertical exits of each floor has been labelled in the following floor plans:

Horizontal Exits and Vertical Exits an Roof Horizontal Exits and Vertical Exits on Horizontal Exits and Vertical Exits on Roof
plan in D' House. Roof plan in D' House. pion in D' House.

Horizontal Exits and Vertical Exits on Roof Horizontal Exits and Vertical Exits on Roof
pion in D' House. plan in D' House.

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VERTICAL EXITS: STAIRCASES
• The stairwells are either pressurized or fitted
with a smoke spill exhaust system to prevent
ingress of smoke.
• There are altogether 8 staircases in D'
House, three that are enclosed and
pressurized, three that are enclosed,
however naturally ventilated and two that
are open air and naturally ventilated.
• The walls of the stairwell are made from
brick and coated with cement. The thickness
of the walls is l30mm and is a fire-resistant
material.
• The brick walls offer up to 2 hours of fire
resistance period (FRP).
• The enclosed and pressurized staircase are
concentrate to the centre of the D' House as
this is where most of the offices are situated.
• The location of the fire protected staircase is
designed so to ensure the safety of the
occupants and cater to the high occupancy
Enclosed staircase with multi leaf Enclosed staircase in D'
loads of the discussion rooms and offices. smoke protection damper House.

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 AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM
AIR CONDITIONING PRINCIPLES
An air conditioner is able lo cool a building because ii removes heat from the indoor air and transfers
it outdoors. At a specific point, gas is compressed lo liquid and this releases a large amount of latent
heart. When liquid vaporizes back into gas, the pressure is lowered. When it boils through this vapourizing
process a large amount of latent heat is absorbed. There are two cycles involved in this system,
refrigerant cycle and the air cycle.

The factors for using air conditioning system are :

• Comfort
• Performance - workers, machinery, etc.
• Health - prevents smoke and dust
• Equipment - computer, electronic equipment

The air conditioning system used at D'House (Digi Headquarters) is:

l. Centralized Air-Conditioning System
2. Air Handling Unit (AHU)
3. Fan Coil Unit
4. Split Air-Conditioning System

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 CENTRALIZED AIR-CONDITIONING SYSTEM
Centralized air conditioning system serve multiple spaces from one base location. This system
operates by generating chilled water in a chiller plant located at one base location and then
distributed to air-handling units (AHU) or fan-coil units (FCU) located at different rooms at different levels
of the building. From this AHU the treated and cooled air is supplied to other spaces located within the
some vicinity or level via ductworks.

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 CONTROL ROOM

The centralized system

uses a digital system
to operate and
monitor the chiller
plant and each AHUs
throughout the
building. The
technician will be able
to automate the
power switching and
liming of each AHU
from here. The
temperature and
pressure con also be
controlled and
monitored from this
control room.

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 CHILLED WATER SYSTEM
• D'House (Digi Headquarters)'s
chiller system uses o Dunham
Bush Chiller 300Rt which is a air
cooled type chiller.
• There are two air cooled chiller
units in this office which is
located at the rooftop of the
fourth floor.
• The number of units complies
with the MS 1525 regulation.
• The air cooled chiller is used for
smaller to medium size offices
such as D'House as it is a more
economical choice and saves
space.

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 The air cooled chiller consists of these main
components, a condenser, compressor,
evaporator, and expansion valve.

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 • There are 3 units of chilled water pumps,
two duty pump and one standby pump
located in the pump room next to the
chillers.
• The chilled water pump pumps return
worm chilled water bock to the chiller so
tho it con be chilled again.

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 THE COMPONENTS OF THE AHU :
Air filter Fan blower Cooling coil Diffuser

Control panel Piping and Ductworks

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 MECHANICAL VENTILATION SYSTEM
Supply Ventilation System - Office Area & Fire Staircase
Stairwell Pressurization System-
• A pressurization system is intended lo prevent smoke leaking through closed doors into fire stairs by injecting clean
air into the stairwell.
• The intent is to have the highest pressure in the stairwell and a reducing pressure in the adjacent area to facilitate
pedestrian escape route and firefighting access.
Centralized Supply System· Office & Kitchen Area
Ductwork {Insulated) Outlet diffusers

Round ceiling diffusers located on the ceilings of office

rooms to distribute cooled air
Exposed insulated ductwork at office area

• The ductworks provide distribution of air exactly

where it is needed as the ductwork channels the
air directly to each office or meeting room.
• They are insulated to prevent heat gain to
cooled supply air.

louvered face diffuser in kitchen area

KITCHEN EXHAUST SYSTEM
The kitchen located in the cafeteria and consists of on individual exhaust
system. It comprises of a kitchen exhaust hood, ductwork and exhaust Ductwork
fan

Ductwork from kitchen room

The non-insulated metal ductwork channels

the kitchen effluents from the exhaust hood
lo the exhaust fan system.

Kitchen Exhaust Hood Axial Exhaust Fan

It is a device containing a mechanical fan that

hangs over a stove or kitchen lop. It functions to
remove airborne grease, combustion products,
fumes, smoke, odors, heal, and steam from the
air by evacuation of the air and filtration. The size
of the hoods has to be large enough so that the Axial exhaust fan located in ductworks

fumes produced do not spill over.

PUMP ROOM
Ducts with air grilles to channel air to exhaust fan.

Location of ductwork spans across

the pump

The pump room has an individual exhaust system as well where a separate
ductwork is located in the pump room and the air is released to
immediate surrounding. Natural air will enter the pump room through
louvered windows to provide a complete circulation of air.

CONCLUSION
Mechanical ventilation systems used in D'house serves not only as a continuous channel for fresh air
but also as a safety feature like their stairs pressurization system. Hence, it is important to implement
mechanical ventilation systems in our buildings for the occupants' comfort and safety.
 MECHANICAL TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM :

A total of 4 lifts are available in D' House to accomodate the

occupants of the building. As D' House has 4 storey , it uses a
geared traction lift type where its machine room is located at
the roof top.

Factors which need to be considered during the installation of

lifts include:
(1) type
(2) speed
(3) quantity
(4) layout.

BASIC COMPONENT OF THE TRACTION LIFT.

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 ELEVATOR OPERATING SYSTEM :

ELEVATOR CONTROLLER.

D' House uses microprocessor

controllers in operating the elevators.
They are compact and consume less
power compared to the older
technology. The smaller sizes also allow
the motor room to be smaller as less
space is needed for the system.
Diagram showing the flow of elevator operating system.

An elevator operating system functions to coordinate all aspects of elevator service such as travel,
speed, door opening, delay, etc. It accepts inputs through button signal and produces outputs such
as elevator cars moving and landing doors opening, etc.

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 LOCATION OF LIFTS :

LIFT LOBBY OF D’HOUSE.

The elevator at D'House is configured in such a way

that two passenger lifts is situated at the lift lobby
side by side. Plan indicates the location of lifts in Level 1 of D' House.

Another passenger lift is located at the other block

of D' House while the cargo lift is located at the
other end of the building.

Plan indicates the location of lifts in Level 2 of D' House.

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 LOCATION OF LIFTS :

Plan indicates the location of lifts in Level 3 of D' House. Plan indicates the location of lifts in Level 4 of D' House.

CONCLUSION:
In conclusion, there are 3 gear traction elevators, 2 passenger and 1 cargo lift in D'House.
Due to the functionality of the building being an office and only having 4 levels, D'House does not use an
escalator.
Based on the case study done above, the elevators in D'House has a well-planned arrangement of the lift
lobbies in terms of accessibility.. Thus, D'House has successfully provided a means of mechanical transportation
by giving complete ease of access between floors for the passengers throughout the building.

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BUILDING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Hydraulic
and Lighting System
Drainage

AL BAHR TOWERS
This case study is used to illustrate the
Secondary
Electrical System
execution of responsive facade system System
in an adaptive building envelopes, to
control solar heat gain through the
facade and enhance the indoor
environmental quality .

Building
Vertical
Façade Transportation
System
SITE PLANNING: Two twin office towers facing south are
placed on site connected by skywalk.
SITE CONDITION: Very hot climate; Towers placed facing
south for maximum utilisation of solar energy present in
abundance.
AL BAHR TOWERS
Diagram showing the main components of a mashrabiya unit
 The design is based on
the concept of
adaptive flowers and
the "mashrabiya"

The geometry of the

shading screen folds
and unfolds in
response to the
movement of the sun,
reducing solar gain by
up to 50%, whilst
simultaneously
improving admission of
natural diffused light
into the towers and
improving visibility.

The original folding concept for the dynamic mashrabiya unit was
initially explained through a simple origami model that revealed
how the triangular unit would function.
The screen operates as a curtain wall, sitting two meters
outside the buildings’ exterior on an independent
frame. Each triangle is coated with fiberglass and
programmed to respond to the movement of the sun as a
way to reduce solar gain and glare. In the evening, all the
screens will close.
 FORM STRUCTURE ENVELOPE INTEGRATION
The 2,098 dynamic units
avoid the need for heavily
treated glass, thereby
reducing the need for
significant artificial lighting
and mechanical air
conditioning.

Therefore, the dynamic

façade improves visibility
and user comfort while
decreasing energy usage
and plant size thus providing
an efficient system that
lends itself to a more
sustainable solution.

Diagram showing varying positions of the mashrabiya and elements of the towers.

A bespoke application was developed using Javascript and advanced parametric technologies to simulate the
movement of the façade in response to the sun’s path.
Detailed 3D model of an individual shading device
BIBLIOGRAPHY
https://www.ahr.co.uk/Al-Bahr-Towers
https://www.archdaily.com/270592/al-bahar-towers-responsive-facade-aedas
https://igsmag.com/market-trends/super-tall-buildings/the-al-bahar-towers-shading-the-real-
envelope/
https://didyouknowblog.com/post/134827762071/the-al-bahar-towers-in-abu-dhabi-have-a-
mechanical
https://en.wikiarquitectura.com/building/al-bahar-towers/