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7 Building Services

7.1 Building services engineering

This chapter discusses the mechanical and electrical systems that are required to provide and
maintain comfort, health and safety for the occupants of a building. Building services
engineering may be considered under three main headings: plumbing, electrical engineering
and mechanical engineering.
ƒ Plumbing deals with the supply of potable water, which is essential for human
consumption and sanitation. In order to maintain sanitary conditions within a building and
the surrounding area, the waste water must be disposed of efficiently.
ƒ Electrical systems provide light as well as heat to a building and the power to run its
machines.
ƒ Mechanical engineering deals with the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning of interior
space. It also includes the planning of elevators and escalators, with the necessary
operating equipment and vertical shafts.
Building services engineers are responsible for the design, installation, operation and
maintenance of all systems. They work closely with other construction professionals and may
influence the architecture of a building. Furthermore, they play a significant role in the
sustainability and energy consumption of a building. In recent years, new demands have
emerged in this area, such as the utilisation of renewable energies, low carbon technologies
and energy management.

7.1.1 Service-entrance room

Large buildings usually have a service-entrance room in a basement area, where all services
enter the same exterior wall facing a road.
Connect the terms with the correct equipment.

gas pipe
communications cable
equipotential bonding
house connection box
conductor
power cable
gas shut-off valve
building sewer
water shut-off valve
cleaning eye
water meter

S. Heidenreich, Englisch für Architekten und Bauingenieure – English for Architects and Civil Engineers,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-658-03063-6_7, © Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden 2014
 92 7 Building Services

All service facilities are located between the service line, which connects up to the mains, and
the building’s own distribution network. For water this is the water meter, for electricity the
house connection box, for telecommunication services the individual terminals, for gas supply
the main gas valve and, finally, for the waste water the last cleaning eye before entering the
building sewer.

7.2 Plumbing
The word plumbing (the b is silent) is actually derived from the Latin word plumbum, which
means lead, since all pipes were formerly made of lead. It is the trade working with pipes,
tubing and plumbing fixtures for water supply and drainage systems. A plumber is the person
who installs these systems. Lead pipes are no longer used – originally because of toxicity – and
the materials used today include plastic, copper, steel and other non-toxic materials.

7.2.1 Drinking water supply

Water is supplied to a building for drinking, cooking and washing purposes, as well as to
support HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning system) systems, which circulate
water for heating, cooling and maintaining a certain level of humidity within a building. In
addition, water may be needed for fire protection systems in larger buildings. Water must be
supplied to a building in adequate volume and at the required flow rate, pressure and
temperature. For human consumption it has to be potable.
Water supply companies, also called water utilities, receive water from a variety of sources,
such as groundwater, surface water (lakes and rivers) and the sea through desalination. In a
waterworks, the water is filtered, purified and stored in a service reservoir, either an elevated
tank or a water tower. The treated water then flows through mains pipes to the consumer.
This is a typical drawing of the water supply installations. Match the symbols with their correct
 meaning.

1. a. water heater

2. b. outlet valve

3. c. water metre

4. d. wall penetration

5. e. tapping sleeve

6. f. non-return device

7. g. shut-off valve

8. h. dishwasher

9. i. washing machine

10. j. mixer tap