“

We’re sold on ASCO.

Love the product,
love the service.”

Mike Wiruth
Facilities Manager/Director
Bryan Health

ASCODNA. At the core of every great facility.

Ensuring the operation of 41 power-transfer switches in five buildings across a campus the size of Bryan Health’s
is enough to keep a facilities manager up at night. Fortunately for Mike Wiruth, the ASCO PowerQuest® Critical Power
Management System lets him rest easy.
“It would be a nightmare to conduct manual generator tests without the ASCO system,” said Wiruth. “It’s invaluable
to do the tests from one location, from one screen.”
The high reliability of the ASCO switches, which have never failed him three-plus decades, is another calming influence
for Wiruth. So is the ASCO service team. “They diagnose issues quickly to maintain optimal system performance.
“We’re sold on ASCO. Love the product, love the service.”

customercare@[Link] • [Link]

[Link]

© 2019 ASCO Power Technologies. All Rights Reserved. Life Is On Schneider Electric is a trademark
and the property of Schneider Electric SE, its subsidiaries and affiliated companies. input #1 at [Link]/information
When you are the industry leader,
continuous innovation is required.
Our ClearFire® line of hydronic solutions
utilize the proven AluFer® firetube technology
for unmatched heat transfer and condensing
performance. The modulating low-emissions
premix burner helps the ClearFire boilers
reach peak operational efficiencies.

Our innovative engineering and industry

expertise ensure we deliver fully integrated,
flexible hydronic solutions.

Unparalleled Efficiency.
Operational Reliability.
Emphasis on Safety.

Learn how ClearFire boilers are

helping one university increase its
system efficiency and reliability at:
[Link]/PennState
[Link]/clearfire
input #2 at [Link]/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 #3 at [Link]/information

[Link]/sales
 Vol. 56, Number 9

OCTOBER 2019

BUILDING SOLUTIONS
18 | IPD and VDC can lead to project
success
Engineers can leverage the integrated project deliv-
ery and virtual design and construction processes

18 24 | Case study: Hospital expansion

incorporates IPD
ON THE COVER: This snapshot of the Bayhealth Hospi-
tal is from a coordinated model created by the integrated The owner, engineer, architect and contractor all
project delivery team. Courtesy: CannonDesign benefited from an integrated lean project deliv-
ery approach with specific partner requirements
in place and an insightful understanding of crucial
NEWS &BUSINESS team dynamics

5 | Viewpoint 28 | Specifying the right

Digital transformation electrical raceways, bus-
ways, wiring and cabling
7 | Research Electrical and information cabling
Fire, life safety in hospitals, health care facilities pathways are a vital component of
9 | Future of Engineering any new or existing building
How lean construction methods are shaping 34 | Selecting the proper wiring solutions
the future Learn about the essential properties and applica-
10 | 2019 Commissioning Giants tions of different electrical wiring pathway systems
The 2019 Commissioning Giants data reports 40 | Using demand-controlled
on the top 25 firms ventilation in HVAC
12 | Linking commissioning, Mechanical engineers should consider the many
factors that go into designing buildings for indoor
TAB to deliver better buildings
air quality and indoor environmental quality
When the commissioning authority and the test-
ing, adjusting and balancing contractor collaborate
throughout the design and construction phases, it ENGINEERING INSIGHTS
results in improved building construction
48 | Learning how to engineer colleges,
14 | The value of building commissioning: universities better
current market status Read about emerging trends in college and univer-
The Building Commissioning Association partnered sity buildings, and learn about the emerging trends
with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to impacting their design
confirm the value of commissioning for providers,
facility owners and building industry stakeholders 54 | New Products for Engineers

CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER (ISSN 0892-5046, Vol. 56, No. 9, 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 records are maintained at CFE
Media, LLC, 3010 Highland Parkway, Suite #325 Downers Grove, IL 60515. Telephone: 630-571-4070. E-mail: CSE@[Link]. Postmaster: send address changes to CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER,
PO Box 348, Lincolnshire, IL 60009. Publications Mail Agreement No. 40685520. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: PO Box 348, Lincolnshire, IL 60009. Email: CSE@[Link].
Rates for non-qualified 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 $30.00 USA, $35.00 Canada/Mexico and $40.00 Other International. Please address all subscription mail to CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER, PO Box 348, Lincolnshire, IL 60009.
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.

[Link] consulting-specifying engineer October 2019 • 3

input #4 at [Link]/information
 NEWS&BUSINESS
VIEWPOINT
CONTENT SPECIALISTS/EDITORIAL
AMARA ROZGUS, Editor-in-Chief/Content Strategy Leader
630-571-4070 x2211, ARozgus@[Link]
AMANDA PELLICCIONE, Director of Research

Digital transformation
APelliccione@[Link]
MICHAEL SMITH, Creative Director
MSmith@[Link]
McKENZIE BURNS, Production & Marketing Coordinator
630-571-4070 x2231, MBurns@[Link] New tools are driving the engineering industry toward
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD more digitized design and construction

A
JERRY BAUERS, PE,
Vice President, NV5, Kansas City, Mo.
MICHAEL CHOW, PE, CEM, CxA, LEED AP BD+C, t a recent conference, I pre- ness becomes more digitized and as a
Principal, Metro CD Engineering LLC, Columbus, Ohio sented on the topic of “digital younger workforce brings more know-
TOM DIVINE, PE,
Senior Electrical Engineer, Johnston, LLC, Houston
transformation.” The entire how and confidence in using these
CORY DUGGIN, PE, LEED AP BD+C, BEMP, conference program revolved tools.
Energy Modeling Wizard, TLC Engineering Solutions, around this topic, with insights from Project delivery methods are mov-
Brentwood, Tenn.
ROBERT J. GARRA JR., PE, CDT,
associations, manufacturers and ing from the traditional design-build
Vice President, Electrical Engineer, thought leaders. option to more collaborative options,
CannonDesign, Grand Island, N.Y.
While the attendees were primarily like integrated project delivery. The
JASON GERKE, PE, LEED AP BD+C, Cx A,
Mechanical Engineer, GRAEF, Milwaukee from manufacturing firms, article on page 18 describes
JOSHUA D. GREENE, PE, such as companies that make it as:
Associate Principal, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger,
Waltham, Mass.
control systems for pro- “IPD is a process through
RAYMOND GRILL, PE, FSFPE,
cessing plants or industrial which people, systems, busi-
Principal, Arup, Washington, D.C. automation solutions, some ness structures and prac-
DANNA JENSEN, PE, LEED AP BD+C, attendees had backgrounds tices are joined together to
Principal, Certus, Carrollton, Texas
WILLIAM KOFFEL, PE, FSFPE,
that were a bit broader. optimize project results,
President, Koffel Associates Inc., Columbia, Md. Digital transformation increase efficiencies, reduce
WILLIAM KOSIK, PE, CEM, LEED AP BD+C, BEMP, in the automation and man- waste and gain insights from
Senior Energy Engineer, Oak Park Ill. Amara Rozgus,
ufacturing sector includes all parties involved in the
KENNETH KUTSMEDA, PE, LEED AP, Editor-in-Chief
Engineering Manager, Jacobs, Philadelphia many technologies that, design, fabrication and con-
SARA LAPPANO, PE, LC, LEED AP, while not entirely new, have struction phases. The basic
Managing Principal, Integral Group, Washington, D.C.
not been fully adopted by companies. idea is to identify who or which team is
JULIANNE LAUE, PE, LEED AP BD+C, BEMP,
Director of Building Performance, Mortenson, Minneapolis Mixed reality, advanced robotics and best able to complete the task at hand,
DAVID LOWREY, digital twins have been fully accepted even if it means stepping outside tra-
Chief Fire Marshal, Boulder (Colo.) Fire Rescue by some manufacturing companies. ditional roles. The process is built on
JASON MAJERUS, PE, CEM, LEED AP,
Principal, DLR Group, Cleveland
Others are just learning about it, or continuous improvement and stay-
BRIAN MARTIN, PE, starting to use them in select projects. ing focused on achieving the project
Senior Electrical Technologist, Jacobs, Portland, Ore. More relevant to the building indus- objectives outlined at the onset of the
DWAYNE G. MILLER, PE, RCDD, AEE CPQ,
CEO and Co-Founder, UNIFI Labs Inc., Las Vegas
try are the topics of virtual reality, project.”
FREDDY PADILLA, PE, ATD,
drones, virtual design and construction This is not unlike manufacturing, in
Principal/Senior Electrical Engineer, Page, Austin, Texas and 3D printing. While not adopted in which system efficiencies can be found
GREGORY QUINN, PE, NCEES, LEED AP, all cases — or in any projects when it at many levels through lean manufac-
Principal, Health Care Market Leader,
Affiliated Engineers Inc., Madison, Wis. comes to very small firms — these turing. This is echoed in the case study
BRIAN A. RENER, PE, LEED AP, technologies are digitally transforming on page 24, in which virtual design and
Principal, Electrical Discipline Leader, SmithGroup, Chicago
the architecture, engineering and con- construction is paired with an integrat-
SUNONDO ROY, PE, LEED AP BD+C,
Vice President, CCJM Engineers Ltd., Chicago struction industry. ed lean project delivery approach. This
RANDY SCHRECENGOST, PE, CEM, Other topics of interest to engineers article shows how using digital tools
Austin Operations Group Manager/Senior Mechanical
Engineer, Stanley Consultants, Austin, Texas
might include building information brings together all of the various team
MATT SHORT, PE,
modeling, robotics, cloud comput- members, and incorporates digitized
Project Manager/Mechanical Engineer, ing and system integration in smart site plans and smart tools and software,
Smith Seckman Reid, Houston
buildings. Again, these are not being like tablets and smartphones.
SAAHIL TUMBER, PE, HBDP, LEED AP,
Senior Associate, Environmental Systems Design, Chicago adopted at all engineering firms or All of these new tools are driving
MARIO VECCHIARELLO, PE, CEM, GBE, on all projects, but these technologies the engineering industry toward more
Senior Vice President, CDM Smith Inc., Boston
are moving to the forefront as busi- digitized design and [Link]
RICHARD VEDVIK, PE,
Senior Electrical Engineer and Acoustics Engineer,
IMEG Corp., Rock Island, Ill.
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
[Link] consulting-specifying engineer October 2019 • 5
 PREMIUM EFFICIENCY.
CUSTOMIZED ZONING.
HIGHER PROFITS.

69º

71º 68º

73º 70º 72º

The Fujitsu J-Series. A premium whole home, room-by-room solution

giving you and your customers the best of all worlds.
• Improved comfort with zone-by-zone temperature control
• Increased energy efficiency through zoning
• Reduced sound levels
• Ultimate design flexibility
• Easy installation, service and maintenance

Remember, when your customers want the very best

products, it’s your bottom line that benefits.
[Link] The Fujitsu J-Series…Premium benefits. Premium profits.
input #5 at [Link]/information
 NEWS&BUSINESS
Prescriptive electrical,
power system
specifications RESEARCH
Don't know 5%
Never 3% Always

2019 FIRE & LIFE SAFETY STUDY

19%
17%
Fire, life safety in hospitals,
health care facilities

F
ifty-two percent of engineers and life safety systems specifications are
56% specify, design or make product written 82% of the time, followed by pre-
selections for hospitals/health scriptive (75%) and open: alternate or
care facilities, according to the substitute (62%).
Rarely Frequently Consulting-Specifying Engineer 4. Design factors: When comparing
2019 Fire & Life Safety Study — and 90% fire and life safety systems for hospitals
Figure 1: Seventy-three percent of of these engineers are responsible for and health care facilities, engineers heav-
firms always or frequently write pre- determining the requirements/writing the ily weigh product quality (81%), service
fire and life safety system specifications support (52%), previous experience with
scriptive electrical or power system
for these projects. Below are five findings: the manufacturer (49%) and the manu-
specifications. Source: Consulting-
1. Design value: Engineering firms facturer’s reputation (49%).
Specifying Engineer 2018 Electrical are specifying $2.6 million annually, on 5. Recent changes: Over the past 12 to
& Power Study average, in fire and life safety systems for 18 months, engineers have been affected
new and existing hospitals and health by changes to codes and standards (54%),
care facilities, with 25% specifying more building information modeling (49%),
4 in 10 engineers expect
to see an increase of metering/sub-
than $3.0 million.
2. Fire, life safety systems: Smoke
integration (40%) and wireless devices/
systems (40%) when designing/specify-
detection, control systems, dampers, etc. ing fire and life safety systems for hospi-
metering technologies and variable
(64%); fire, smoke, heat, linear detection tals and health care facilities. cse
refrigerant flow systems in future (61%); and network and intelligent fire
projects. Source: Consulting-Speci-
fying Engineer 2019 HVAC & Build-
ing Automation Systems Study
alarm control panels (52%) are the most
common types for fire and life safety sys-
tems currently being specified into hos-
M More
RESEARCH
Access more fire and life safety trends at
pitals and health care facilities. [Link]/research.

>50%
3. Specifications: For hospitals and Amanda Pelliccione is the research director
of engineers health care facilities, performance fire at CFE Media.
specify LEDs, occupancy sensors,
multi-level lighting or dimming Top 5 fire, life safety system challenges
systems and daylight harvesting sys-
tems. Source: Consulting-Specifying in hospitals, health care facilities
Engineer 2019 Lighting & Lighting Definitely a challenge Challenging
Controls Study
Inadequate budget for
good design 31% 38%

48% of engineers are specify-

ing water-based, sprinkler fire sup-
Speed of project delivery 30% 35%

pression systems and network and

Not enough young engineers/
intelligent fire alarm control panels. professionals 27% 33%
Source: Consulting-Specifying Engi-
neer 2019 Fire & Life Safety Study Subjective interpretation of
17% 42%
regulations by code authorities

Designing for interoperability

More research and integration of systems 11% 43%
Consulting-Specifying Engineer
covers several research topics each Figure 2: Inadequate budgets, the speed of project delivery and a lack of
year. All reports are available at young engineers/professionals are the top challenges engineers face when
[Link]/research. specifying fire and life safety systems for hospitals and health care facilities.
Source: Consulting-Specifying Engineer

[Link] consulting-specifying engineer October 2019 • 7

 advertisement

10-Second Time to Readiness

NFPA 110 Type 10 second starting requirements for generator set applications
Michael Sanford | Technical Marketing Specialist

The 10-second start has been a point of pride for quality

generator set manufacturers for several years. Touting the Since this first release,
ability to start a unit, bring it up to acceptable frequency this standard has
and voltage, and connect it to a facility suffering from an undergone numerous
outagehas made engine-based generator sets the standby revisions, each with
power system of choice for healthcare and critical power contribution from
facilities. However, there has been some confusion in the industry technical
industry regarding what actually is included in those experts representing
critical 10 seconds and when the clock technically starts manufacturers, installers and end-users. NFPA 110 is
and stops for compliance. currently on a three-year review cycle, with the most
current published revision being released as the 2017
edition. It is important to note that significant changes
mayoccur with each revision; as such, the particular
edition that local jurisdictions reference in their own
codes may not be the most current revision.

In these cases, the previous edition should be reviewed

for compliance to the project in [Link] of the
NFPA 110 standard, as well as other offerings from NFPA,
are available directly from the organization.

For additional technical information as well as other

continuing education opportunities, visit our website at
[Link]
The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) has served
as a committee of technical and nontechnical members Download the paper at:
that aims to bring fire prevention and public safety to [Link]/generators/white-papers
light through its publication of various codes and
standards. While the NFPA was established in 1896, the
Technical Committee that advocates for Emergency
Power Supplies was not formed until 1976. The first
standard that comprehensively covered the safety 1-800-CUMMINS™ (1-800-286-6467)
aspects surrounding the application and operation of [Link]
Emergency Power Systems was published as a 1985
edition under the name of NFPA 110.

input #6 at [Link]/information
NEWS&BUSINESS
FUTURE OF ENGINEERING By Erin Miller, PE,
Southland Industries, Dulles, Virginia

How lean construction

methods are shaping the future
There are many ways lean practices will positively impact the future
of building engineering and construction overall

L
ean construction methods completed in a lesser amount, reducing Taking the time to create a shared set
can have a positive impact for waste and time. of goals for the project allows the project
everyone on a project — from It seems like common knowledge, but team stay focused on generating value for
consulting engineers, to gen- if the construction side needs increased the end user and owner. These goals guide
eral contractors, to the cli- detail for a specific area, then the design the decision-making process and provide
ent soliciting the work. Adopted as a team should focus on detailing that area clarity to new parties brought on board
response to customer and supply chain to a higher level of detail. The team during the project life cycle. Expectations
dissatisfaction with the building indus- should focus on what’s valuable to the of transparency also help create a project
try, lean project delivery methods seek to project as a whole, instead of trying to team culture of cooperation. This allows
manage a project through relationships, produce less detailed documents for team members from all trades and disci-
shared knowledge and common goals in the entire project to satisfy an arbitrary plines to pitch in to help solve challenges
order to break down the traditional silos package deadline. — even if it’s not directly related to their

‘
associated with construction. The results scope.
of this approach produce significant Since all disciplines interact in one way
improvements in scheduling, in reducing Respect for people is at the or another, understanding other trades
waste and ultimately result in better over- constraints can help increase overall value
all project delivery and increased value to
core of the Lean Construc- for the project as whole.
the owner. tion Institute’s tenets for lean
With lean methods growing in popu- Exceed client expectations

’
larity across the world, the future of con- design and construction. By working with one another, proj-
struction and engineering as we know it ects seamlessly come together and peo-
will transform substantially. ple between disciplines help each other
Enhance communication to achieve the common goals of the proj-
Better building designs and collaboration ect. Respect for people is at the core of
Traditional methods require multiple By increasing communication between the Lean Construction Institute’s tenets
iterations of the same program area and end-users, program planners, architects, for lean design and construction. People
various rounds of feedback before the engineers and builders, the team gathers like to work on projects where they feel
design is considered final. This can delay information from all parties to stream- respected and heard, while owners bene-
the process and increases the number of line the design process and make deci- fit from projects that are completed fast-
steps needed before a design is ready. sions. A common phrase in lean delivery er than traditionally and with increased
That being said, there is value in iter- is: “Go slow to go fast.” If we take the time overall value all the while driving waste
ative design. Through lean tools and to understand the wants, needs and con- out of the project. Clients will continue
processes, like Last Planner System for straints of everyone involved, we can coming back to high-performing teams
design, the design team can better manage begin to see the path forward more clear- for repeat work because of the success of
the iterations and improve the quality of ly in less time than traditional iterations. lean-driven projects. cse
information output to the field and owner This strategy can eliminate potential flaws
while still moving the project forward. and lessens multiple rounds of back and Erin Miller is a design engineer for South-
Lean methods also can help a team forth feedback from all parties involved. land Industries’ mid-Atlantic division,
break the mold of traditional regimented Furthermore, it significantly streamlines and is responsible for generating innova-
documentation packages. Current pro- workflow processes by reducing time tive solutions for building HVAC systems.
cesses can require drawing packages of wasted drafting a design that was missing Southland Industries is a CFE Media con-
200 or more drawings that could often be critical components. tent partner.

[Link] consulting-specifying engineer October 2019 • 9

 SPECIAL REPORT
By Amara Rozgus, Editor-in-Chief

2019 Commissioning Giants

The 2019 Commissioning Giants data reports on the top 25 firms

T
he Consulting-Specifying projects (at any level) in 2018, up from
Engineer 2019 Commission- 179 in last year’s report.
ing Giants reports the top According to survey respondents,
25 firms based on wheth- these firms were contracted to complete
er they chose to be consid- commissioning for a variety of reasons:
ered in this year’s rankings. The average mandates (codes, standards, benchmark-
percentage of commissioning revenue ing: 92%), savings (energy efficiency,
earned by the 2019 Commissioning lower life cycle cost: 88%) and sustain-
Giants was approximately 30%, showing ability (long-term materials and perfor-
that these top 25 firms earn a great deal mance efficiency: 88%.) Other reasons

‘
of their revenue from commissioning, included resiliency (80%) and market-
The top 25 compa- some earning as much as 100% of their ability of the property (52%).
revenue solely from commissioning.
nies made $551 For the 2019 report, the top 25 com- Commissioning challenges
panies made $551 million in revenue, The 2019 Commissioning Giants
million in revenue, more than double that of last year. The study asked for information related
majority (52%) of firms are consulting- directly to challenges for these firms. The
more than double engineering firms with a commission- top three current challenges for the 2019
ing division. New to the list this year, in Commissioning Giants are:

’
that of last year. order of ranking, are:
• Staffing: quality of young commis-
• Jacobs sioning professionals: 40%, which is
• Facility Dynamics Engineering a dramatic increase from 16% last
• Tetra Tech’s High Performance year.
Buildings Group (Glumac, NDY,
Cosentini) • Evolving information technologies
• Engineering Economics Inc. for design or project management
• Hood Patterson & Dewar (8%).
• SourceOne Inc.
• AECOM. • The economy’s impact on the
construction market (8%).
The average commissioning fee per
project varied. Forty-four percent of Future challenges varied. The No.
companies earned $100,001 to $300,000, 1 challenge was the “lack of knowledge
32% earned $25,001 to $50,000 and 16% about commissioning’s worth,” with 48%
earned $50,001 to $100,000. Only 8% respondents saying it was a problem (a
earned more than $300,000 per project. sharp drop from 80% last year). Not far
This data reflects commission- behind at 44% was “lack of funding or
ing at all levels: new or existing build- buy-in (from owners, engineers, etc.) to
ings (46%), retro-commissioning (10%), conduct commissioning.” Moving into
whole building (9%), emergency power third place this year at 40%, “not enough
systems (8%), monitoring-based (4%), commissioning authorities or agents or
recommissioning (3%), fire protection commissioning professionals” showed
systems (3%), building enclosure (enve- up as a problem. This surpassed “codes
lope, 3%) and communications systems and standards changing,” which came in
(3%). Of the 25 reporting, 23 firms com- at 20% this year, a drop from 28% in the
pleted, on average, 239 commissioning previous report. cse

10 • October 2019 consulting-specifying engineer [Link]

 Commissioning firm types
Engineering/architectural; Other
architectural/
engineering
firm
24%

52%
8% Figure 1: The majority
of firms are consulting-
16% engineering firms with
a division committed to
commissioning at vari-
ous levels. Courtesy:
Consulting-Specifying
Commissioning, balancing, etc. only Consulting engineering firm Engineer

Table 1: 2019 Commissioning Giants

Total commissioning revenue
2019 Rank Firm name 2018 Rank
for fiscal year
1 Jacobs $224,760,000 NA
2 Burns & McDonnell $39,360,000 1
3 Primary Integration Solutions Inc. $30,000,000 2
4 McKinstry $26,500,000 3
5 Facility Dynamics Engineering $25,300,000 NA
6 IPS-Integrated Project Services $23,832,219 4
Tetra Tech’s High Performance Buildings Group
7 $20,000,000 NA
(Glumac, NDY, Cosentini)
8 WSP USA $13,000,000 5
9 Engineering Economics Inc. $12,730,735 NA
10 Hood Patterson & Dewar $12,565,195 NA
11 SSRCx $12,487,481 7
12 NV5 Global Inc. $12,400,000 9
13 Horizon Engineering Associates $11,956,000 6
14 SourceOne Inc. $10,500,000 NA
15 RMF Engineering Inc. $9,200,000 8
16 Chinook Systems Inc. $8,773,000 13
17 Affiliated Engineers Inc. $7,771,324 11
18 AKF Group $7,700,000 10
19 AECOM $7,000,000 NA
20 Bernhard TME $6,700,000 17
21 Heapy Engineering $6,485,197 14
22 Sindoni Consulting & Management Services Inc. $6,001,000 15
23 CBRE | Heery $5,956,400 12
24 Jaros, Baum & Bolles $5,294,172 20
25 Salas O’Brien $4,722,990 22

Table 1: The top 25 firms earned $551 million in the past fiscal year. Nearly all (96%) firms reported having a commis-
sioning engineer or coordinator on staff and 92% indicated they had a business development director. Courtesy:
Consulting-Specifying Engineer

[Link] consulting-specifying engineer October 2019 • 11

 SPECIAL REPORT
By Phil Allen, PE, LEED AP, QCxP, CCP, Peter Basso Associates, Troy, Michigan

Linking commissioning,
TAB to deliver better
buildings
When the commissioning authority and the testing, adjusting and
balancing contractor collaborate throughout the design and construction
phases, it results in improved building construction

C
ommissioning professionals influence how the building systems react review process and it provides an addi-
along with testing, adjusting to maintain the desired building environ- tional level of confidence that the design
and balancing contractors mental conditions. TAB contractors can on paper will fulfill the desired intent.
provide a quality assurance be considered a relative of the “construc-
service during the design tion family.” Detailing the workflow
and construction of a building. Each Most organizations like the Building The TAB contractor primarily focus-
group covers a different aspect of the Commissioning Association, ASHRAE es on measuring and adjusting each
building process. When the two groups and the U.S. Green Building Council all individual flow rate of air and/or water
work together, the results can greatly ben- recommend that the CxP be brought into through equipment designed and pur-

‘
efit not only the owner and end user with chased for the project. They adjust the
a better performing building, but savings equipment and balance flow rates to
and efficiencies also can be realized by the Commissioning profes- meet the design and the flows indicat-
construction team. ed on the drawings. More often than
Commissioning professionals gener-
sionals generally grow not, they have a large quantity of ele-
ally grow out of the mechanical, electri- out of the mechanical, ments within a new building that have
cal and plumbing design groups, where to be tested, adjusted and reported. Rare-
their expertise and familiarity derives electrical and plumbing ly do they have the time built into their
from the engineering and design family. contract to review and consider all the

’
They are well-versed in documenting a design groups. sequences of operation, all the com-
client’s needs for the new facility, select- ponents and how the overall building
ing the appropriate equipment and devel- is going to be used. When TAB work is
oping the plans and specifications that a project early in the design process to married to commissioning; these con-
can be bid by the contractors and built to take advantage of their knowledge and siderations are discussed and their
meet those needs. experience. When the TAB contractor respective insights help both groups
CxPs could be considered a relative is included in the early system reviews, understand the intention of the overall
of the “design family.” Similarly, the TAB their practical experience and knowledge building operation.
contractor can be considered close kin to compliment the CxP’s design review. Once the project is under contract,
the sheet metal and piping contractors. They are familiar with what is needed to as construction progresses, the CxP is
They work with the mechanical contrac- properly adjust or balance complex sys- responsible for keeping the quality assur-
tors to test, adjust, measure and validate tems, along with the necessary volume ance milestones of the project in front of
that the systems perform as the design dampers, flow meters and control devic- the construction team. This is achieved
intends. They also calibrate the control es. It is less costly to modify or make by dovetailing in the installation verifica-
systems to ensure the flow readings are minor revisions before having the proj- tion, system startup, testing and balanc-
accurate along with damper or modu- ect under construction. This is the most ing and final commissioning tasks into
lating valve positions, all of which will efficient use of the commissioning design the construction schedule.

12 • October 2019 consulting-specifying engineer [Link]

Figure 1: The operating temperature of a snow melt system serving a paved courtyard is recorded.
Courtesy: Camille Sylvain Thompson, Peter Basso Associates Inc.

As with the design review phase, dur- onto the site that invades their world to reaps the fruit of this union as the build-
ing construction the goal is to discover point out everything they can find that is ing occupants remain comfortable, while
potential problems, document them and wrong. The CxP does not produce a prod- building systems begin their new life in
bring them to light for the commissioning uct, or actually operate equipment. They their proper condition.
team to resolve. witness in a systematic forensic approach, Most buildings eventually get commis-
The commissioning team includes the the operation of building systems to sioned by testing, adjusting and balancing
owner, engineer of record, construction ensure they work in accordance with until the complaints stop. However, there
manager, MEP subcontractors, the con- the design intent. TAB contractors work are many benefits to starting the commis-
trols contractor, TAB contractor and any closely with the mechanical and controls sioning process early with the TAB con-
specialty consultant on the project. The contractors and are usually the first to tractor onboard, in order to ensure that
CxP documents and maintains a list of identify problems or potential problems systems are operating and fully tested
issues. This helps to ensure that they will with equipment. The TAB work is integral before the owner taking occupancy. This
be addressed including issues discovered to a successfully commissioned building. will ensure the honeymoon between the
during the testing, adjusting and balanc- A marriage of the TAB and CxP activ- owner and building will continue for years
ing work. More often than not, the resolu- ities come from opposite sides of the to come. cse
tion of an issue requires several members design and construction spectrum, and
of the Cx team to coordinate a solution. involves working together to fill gaps that Phil Allen is a vice president with Peter
TAB work is an instrumental step may occur between the design process Basso Associates Inc.
before beginning the systems functional and construction completion. The TAB
testing that is usually thought of as com- and CxP both work as an advocate for
missioning. The systems need to be oper-
ating and moving air with heating hot or
the owner’s best interest. When the gen-
eral contractor or mechanical contractor L Learning
chilled water flowing in order to demon- holds the TAB contract, there may be a OBJECTIVES
strate to the CxP that the system actually conflict of interest where some deficien- • Know that early involvement of the CxP
heats or cools the space when command- cies may go unreported or are included in improves the reliability that project goals
ed to. If the TAB contractor determines the balance report, but unless the engineer are identified and that the building systems
have the ability to meet those objectives.
the fan is running at full capacity, but does received the report and acts to rectify the
not move the volume of air the designer problem, it goes unnoticed. • Learn how the TAB contractor works with
the installation contractors and, ultimately,
specified, then the CxP documents the Together the TAB contractor and CxP the commissioning team.
deficiency and it is then up to the engi- partner in checking both theoretical (dur-
• Understand that when the TAB contractor
neer to resolve the issue. ing design review) and actual operation and the CxP work together as a team,
Many times, the CxP is viewed by the (during the TAB phase) of the equipment under the same contract, then the building
construction group as someone coming for the building. The building owner project is optimized.

[Link] consulting-specifying engineer October 2019 • 13

 SPECIAL REPORT
By Tom Poeling, PE, CEM, CCP, U.S. Engineering Co., Denver

The value of building

commissioning: current
market status
The Building Commissioning Association partnered with Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory to confirm the value of commissioning for providers,
facility owners and building industry stakeholders

T
he Building Commissioning “value” does require establishing eco- surveys. Some of the highlights that are
Association and Lawrence nomic metrics to those who procure Cx discussed in the study include:
Berkeley National Laborato- services and to those who provide them.
ry collaborated to produce an However, value also requires definition • Cx certification. More than 70% of
update to the study “Building of the benefits and importance of the Cx respondents indicated that Cx cer-
Commissioning: A Golden Opportunity process, which helps market stakeholders tification was important to business
for Reducing Energy Costs and Green- understand and advocate for Cx services. success.
house-Gas Emissions,” last revised by Dr.
Evan Mills in 2009. Project purpose/objective New construction Cx:
The purpose of the current study is to The purpose of this report, the mar- • NCCx benefits include a strong abil-
update the metrics and market character- ket survey, is to provide feedback on ity to drive the level of complete-
istics that establish the value of the com- market influences, drivers for procuring ness in building construction, which
missioning profession in the building Cx services, incorporation of established results in meeting aggressive sched-
industry. This two-pronged study is com- Cx practices as well as the effectiveness/ ules, addressing construction issues
posed of separate surveys: a data-based persistence of Cx as a best practice. earlier, better design and construc-
survey produced by LBNL and a market- This market survey is intended to com- tion team coordination and reducing
based survey conducted by BCxA. This plement the results of LBNL’s building data warranty callbacks.
narrative summarizes the results from survey. The data survey provides objective
this market survey and references key results for Cx project economics and fac- • The data survey results did not pro-
results from the data survey. tors that drive owners to procure Cx ser- vide strong feedback to quantify
The results of the LBNL and BCxA vices. The purpose of this market survey is measurable energy savings due to
surveys are intended to provide a score- to provide insight to define the factors that NCCx. The value of NCCx process
card on the value of Cx based on feed- drive the value of the Cx process. can be defined through nonenergy
back from providers and the building Two rounds of surveys were sent to savings benefits, such as improved
industry now, 10 years later. Defining BCxA members and relevant stakehold- thermal comfort and indoor air
ers in 2017 and 2018. A total of 120 sub- quality, better training for staff and
ject matter experts responded to this longer equipment service life.

L Learning market survey. This background of the

respondents, including the type of firm, Existing building Cx:
OBJECTIVES geographic location and relative size • EBCx demonstrates its value
• Explain current market drivers for procuring of the firm are described under demo- through energy savings and simple
commissioning services. graphics, below. payback. The data survey resulted in
• Describe energy savings and payback for median energy savings results of 6%.
commissioning projects. Key findings
• Understand the effectiveness/persistence The value of Cx is defined through the • Utility-backed EBCx projects pro-
of commissioning as a best practice. feedback provided by the data and market duced energy savings in the range of

14 • October 2019 consulting-specifying engineer [Link]

 three to 10 years, with a simple pay- New construction commissioning influence
back of one to five years and a medi-
an of 2.2 years.
Owner awareness
• EBCx projects are capable of pro-
ducing additional energy savings
(between 10% and 25% was demon-
strated) with additional scope.
Building codes
• This market survey’s results confirm
that EBCx projects with a simple
Voluntary
payback of two years or less are most rating programs
likely to be implemented by owners.

• The top issues discovered dur-

ing EBCx are related to controls Public policies
sequence modifications. The top five
sequence-related issues accounted
for 95% of the reported measures in Other
the data survey.
Less than 10%
• The top nonenergy benefits associ-
Utility programs 10% to 25%
ated with EBCx include improving
25% to 50%
system performance, improved ther-
50% to 75%
mal comfort and indoor air quality.
Greater than 75%
Trade associations
Ongoing Cx:
• The OCx process resulted in energy
savings across a range of 5% to 20%, 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
with a weighted average of 8%.
Figure 1: This shows respondents’ rating of importance of factors influencing
new construction commissioning market. Courtesy: Building Commissioning
• Simple payback of OCx projects were
Association
similar to those reported for EBCx
projects, in the one- to five-year
range, with a median of 1½ years.
NCCx: OCx:
• A definition of OCx was not includ- • NCCx market influence: The data • OCx services are slowly expanding
ed in the survey, which may have suggest that owner awareness and in the marketplace. The majority
led to confusion over manual versus building codes are increasing- of respondents indicated that they
monitoring-based Cx or continu- ly influencing the NCCx market, have offered OCx services for less
ous versus periodic post-occupancy while rating programs may be los- than five years. Nearly 75% of the
Cx (which is typically embedded in ing some relevance. firms reported performing the OCx
operations and maintenance). process on fewer than two buildings
• NCCx services are being selected in the previous year.
• One purpose of OCx projects is to using at least some qualifications-
maintain persistence of building per- based selection procedures for • OCx is intended as a long-term
formance by embedding monitoring approximately 43% of respondents. resilience tool for building per-
and fault detection and diagnostics formance and energy savings. It is
technology into building automation EBCx: interesting that more than 50% of
systems. The market is working to • EBCx. Energy savings is still the the projects are not renewed past
drive persistence; however, market No. 1 driver for implementing the initial 12-month term.
survey results indicate that only 10% EBCx services. Other strong drivers
of OCx projects were renewed past include system performance, ther- • OCx processes have not yet become
the first term of installation, i.e., past mal comfort and indoor air quality. part of the core O&M process in
the one-year warranty date. operating facilities. OCx is intended
• Secondary EBCx drivers include to provide O&M staff with infor-
Drivers and trends U.S. Green Building Council LEED mation to help make running their
This market survey investigated fac- rating system requirements, util- facility easier. There is an oppor-
tors that drove the procurement of Cx ity incentives, extended equip- tunity for OCx providers and OCx
services. Some of the major themes ment life and improved occupant vendors to educate owners on this
included: productivity. value proposition.

[Link] consulting-specifying engineer October 2019 • 15

 SPECIAL REPORT

New construction commissioning OCx:

• A survey question asked if OCx
is being utilized as a tool during
Lighting systems/controls
NCCx or as a standalone tool for
existing buildings. The results are
mixed, but they imply that OCx is
being used more often as a process
Other Less than 10% for existing buildings.
10% to 25%
25% to 50% • The use of fault detection and
Electrical systems 50% to 75% diagnostics is limited in current
(beyond generator) Greater than 75% OCx services. More than 60% of
the responses included the FDD
scope “rarely” or “never.”
Renewable systems
• The most common recurrence
for reviewing OCx process results
is quarterly, with survey results
Fire protection/life safety showing review at least quarterly
to be nearly 75%. Frequent review
of results is considered a best
practice for conducting the OCx
IT/communications process.

Opportunities
The concern about the commoditiza-
Building enclosure tion of Cx will continue to be debated,
especially as the Cx industry matures
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 and the demands of the construction
industry evolve.
Figure 2: When asked how often systems other than heating, ventilation and One of the purposes of this study
air conditioning were included in new construction commissioning scope of was to maintain consistency with the
work, lighting controls came out as the clear winner. Courtesy: Building Com- data collected from the 2004 and 2009
missioning Association LBNL studies and to reset the baseline
for future studies. This was important
in order to maintain consistency in the
Scope and constraints process. Repairs occur at least data to show trends over the past 15
Questions in this market survey “sometimes” in 87% of the projects. years.
regarding the scope of work for new con- The results of this market study have
struction Cx indicated that: • Measurement of air and water flow helped to determine which questions
rates through test and balance pro- should be carried forward into future
NCCx: cedures is a common component surveys.
• NCCx design phase Cx services of the EBCx scope of work. TAB
are included in more than 60% of is applied at least “sometimes” in • Continue to gather data on the
requests for proposal. more than 75% of EBCx projects. economics of all forms of Cx. Cx
costs are heavily influenced by the
• NCCx design review comments • When TAB is applied to an EBCx number, size and type of buildings
are incorporated into construction scope, it is evenly split between per- surveyed. More data will improve
documents nearly half of the time. forming TAB at the air handling the results, especially for building
unit level or at the terminal unit types outside of the most common
• NCCx design phase issues consti- level. ones (office and schools).
tute approximately 25% of all NCCx
issues. • Despite energy savings being a • The study starts to establish a
strong driver for EBCx services, baseline of the effect of qualifica-
EBCx: utility submetering was not a sig- tions-based selection process and
• The survey confirms that upfront nificant requirement for projects, that information should continue
repairs are common in the EBCx according to respondents. to be trended over time.

16 • October 2019 consulting-specifying engineer [Link]

 M More
ONLINE
Read the full BCxA market survey report at:
Contribution to owner
Completeness/consistency of design
[Link]/knowledge-center/ Operational concerns
value-of-cx-project/
Sequence of operation
Controls review
• Market influences due to factors
MEP/controls systems integration
beyond owner awareness.
Interdisciplinary coordination
• The cost/benefits of EBCx projects OPR/BOD coordination
managed through utility programs
versus those are not influenced by System size appropriate for design/loads
utility incentives. Codes

• The evolution of the OCx process, Building enclosure

including market drivers and scope System cost-effectiveness
evolution.
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%
One of the goals of the market sur- Figure 3: Completeness/consistency of design documents was deemed the
vey was to provide feedback to Cx pro- most valuable commissioning contribution to owner. This is based on an aggre-
viders on process and scope that can be gation of open-ended responses to question 32 in the market survey. Cour-
delivered more efficiently. Issues relat- tesy: Building Commissioning Association
ed to early involvement of Cx services,
improved communication with Cx stake-
holders and persistent influence after Tom Poeling is the president of the Build- assurance processes for a large mechani-
construction completion are discussed ing Commissioning Association and cal contractor. The Building Commission-
within this study and should be included director of quality assurance at U.S. Engi- ing Association is a CFE Media content
in best practices development. cse neering Co., where he influences quality partner.

Does This Look Familiar?

WE WON’T
LEAVE YOU
HANGING!!
• No Flow Interruption • No Bags
• No Cleanup • No Downtime • No Kidding

Filtration Down to 2µ
100% AUTOMATIC SELF CLEANING
WATER FILTRATION SYSTEMS
input #7 at [Link]/information

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

(800) 336-1942 (310) 839-2828 www.t [Link] inf o@t [Link]
BUILDING SOLUTIONS
IPD AND VDC
By Robert J. Garra Jr., PE, CannonDesign, Grand Island, New York; and
Brian Skripac, CM-BIM, Assoc. DBIA, LEED AP, CannonDesign, Pittsburgh

IPD and VDC can lead

to project success
Engineers can leverage the integrated project delivery and virtual
design and construction processes

I
ntegrated project delivery requires a team team is best able to complete the task at hand, even if
approach and buy-in from all players, includ- it means stepping outside traditional roles. The pro-
ing the architect, engineer, contractor and cess is built on continuous improvement and staying
owner. Virtual design and construction is a focused on achieving the project objectives outlined
process that fully integrates all elements of a at the onset of the project.
project by openly sharing design and construction One of the most important components of
models among the team, from design through con- implementing IPD is the roles and behaviors of
struction. As more owners consider options to tra- the team. There is a fundamental shift in mind-
ditional delivery methods, IPD has emerged as an set that needs to occur from all project team mem-
important alternative. IPD is a relatively new meth- bers; instead of being focused solely on their siloed
od, and is becoming increasingly popular. issues, they must focus on what is best for the proj-
IPD is a process through which people, systems, ect. This means the entire team must be committed
business structures and practices are joined togeth- to engage in the behaviors described below:
er to optimize project results, increase efficien-
cies, reduce waste and gain insights from all parties • Collaboration: Change in mindset from indi-
involved in the design, fabrication and construction vidual contracts to a collective project.
phases. The basic idea is to identify who or which
• Trust: Demonstrate reliability to build trust
among all parties.

• Commitment-based management: Focus

on system and project performance, not just
siloed performance.

• Continuous improvement: Learn rapidly

from outcomes that do not go as planned.

There are typically five phases outlined to plan

the IPD process, and the engineers are key players
in each. The following are specific experiences that
an engineer can expect to endure during the IPD
process. The phases, noted below, are subtly repre-
sented in these experiences:
Figure 1: This shows a snapshot of the Bayhealth Hospital, Sussex
Campus from a coordinated model. The integrated project delivery • Establishing goals and metrics.
team developed a single model for detailed coordination in a big • Understanding elements of the design.
room setting prior to construction. This level of coordination lead • Taking time to refine.
to less rework, adherence to construction schedule, opportunity for • Documenting the process.
pre-fab off-site and certainty of install. Courtesy: CannonDesign • Execution.

18 • October 2019 consulting-specifying engineer [Link]

 The team also needs to balance doing the right
thing and doing it right. This means focusing on who
is best to perform a certain task regardless of com-
pany or role. The IPD process is outcome-driven,
consensus-based, multidisciplinary and depends on
shared accountability. To keep the project progress-
ing in the manner described thus far, there are three
groups that comprise the IPD management struc-
ture and help determine its success. Each partner is
responsible for meeting the agreed-upon cost for the
contract, with financial rewards based on total proj-
ect results, not on individual group results.

• Project management team: Acts in a collab-

orative manner to provide management-level
leadership during the design and construc-
tion process in a concerted effort to achieve
the projective objective. The PMT is respon-
sible for managing the budget, schedule and Figure 2: This rendering is fully integrated model using Autodesk
all administrative aspects of the project. The Revit as part of the virtual design and construction process. Cour-
PMT at a minimum should include represen- tesy: CannonDesign
tatives from the owner, architect, engineer and
construction manager.

• Senior management team: Tasked with resolv-

ing any matters referred to it by the PMT. The
SMT comprises executive-level representatives
from each party that signs the agreement.

• Project implementation team: Leads the exe-

cution of the work, spearheading innovation
and aiming to drive waste out of the process.
PITs include representatives from all members
of the team. Common PITs include civil engi-
neer and landscape architect, project architect,
architectural designer, architectural planner,
structural engineer, interior designer, mechan-
ical engineer, electrical engineer, plumbing
engineer and low-voltage engineer. Figure 3: This is the actual installation of what was modeled in Figure
2. As described, the virtual process leads to cleaner construction
In a truly integrated project, the project flow process. Courtesy: CannonDesign
from conceptualization through implementation
and closeout differs significantly from a noninte-
grated project. IPD will result in greater intensity
with increased team involvement in the early phas-
simply one of many technologies that can
create a building model. L Learning
es of design. In the integrated project, design will In this context, BIM should be OBJECTIVES
flow from determining what are the project goals, thought of as a noun or an object, i.e., • Understand the definition of
to what will be built and to how the design will be BIM can be a deliverable for our projects. integrated project delivery.
realized. Conventional terminology, such as sche- With this understanding in place, VDC • Learn about the virtual design
matic design, design development and construction then becomes the process of developing and construction process.
drawings, creates workflow boundaries that do not reliable multidisciplinary models to sup- • Review a hospital project that
align with a collaborative process. port the design-construct-operate con- successfully implemented IPD
and VDC.
tinuum, which provides an opportunity
Virtual design and construction to be a facilitator for the life cycle of the
VDC is a concept that is commonly associated project, ultimately driving a new standard of care.
with construction partners rather than building Technology can only go so far, innovation in
information modeling, which is referenced more in team and process is truly what makes BIM success-
an architectural and engineering conversation. All ful. This new standard of care leverages opportu-
too often, the industry uses Autodesk Revit inter- nities to advance the project management, project
changeably with BIM, which is unclear, as Revit is delivery and quality standards. We have seen a

[Link] consulting-specifying engineer October 2019 • 19

BUILDING SOLUTIONS
IPD AND VDC

strong focus on the development of these VDC pro- ment for what collaborative use cases becomes an
cesses to drive bottom-line cost savings and drive extremely important conversation.
new business opportunities. A powerful aspect of BIM in IPD is that shared
A foundational element to this effort is being able models reduce redrawing as the virtual design
to transform how we define what our deliverables evolves from phase to phase and from player to play-
truly are. The need to spend time detailing aspects er within the building team. For example, mechan-
of the building that will ultimately be overridden ical, electrical and plumbing design engineers and
during the procurement and shop drawing phases MEP trade contractors working concurrently in a
become waste in the process while generating reduc- shared BIM allows the mechanical contractor to
tant sheets of paper that can cause confusion and model system components and directly transfer the
result in a lack of clarity of the design and construc- end design direction into their materials fabrication
tion process rather than advancing it. software. The result is well-coordinated documents
and cost savings through minimized labor on rework.

‘
BIM enables us to measure the constraints and
A powerful aspect of BIM in IPD is external conditions relevant to building design in a
very methodical, efficient way before construction.
that shared models reduce redrawing as U.S Green Building Council LEED analysis, heating
and cooling loads and daylighting studies are some
the virtual design evolves from phase to of the value-add analyses possible using the BIM.
Further, design engineers use BIM as a dynam-
phase and from player to player within ic tool to generate equipment schedules, as well as
air balance and pressurization schedules. The infor-

’
the building team. mation produced can be helpful to the commission-
ing agent, balancing contractor and building controls
subcontractor, with values used to balance the sys-
This is echoed in Barbara White Bryson’s book tems on a room-by-room basis.
“The Owner’s Dilemma: Driving Success and Inno-
vation in the Design and Construction Industry,” Breaking down silos
where she comments that “BIM is the perfect com- Ask anyone on the Bayhealth Hospital team, and
plement to collaborative teams, especially ones that the sentiment is the same: “This has by far been the
care about the fluidity of information sharing and the most collaborative project I’ve ever worked on.” (See
coordination rather than the sanctity of drawings.” “Case study: Using IPD to fast-track a hospital”) A
key reason for this successful collaboration was the
Streamlining workflow co-location of the team in a single space. Not just
Leveraging a model-based delivery strategy drives the architect, contractor and client, but also every
opportunities for a consistent, integrated and collab- key trade partner. The team was organized into PITs,
orative project delivery method of solving construc- with a PIT for each core discipline, such as MEP
tability issues through the use of object-based virtual engineers, project architect, interior designer and
representations affording project participants a com- medical equipment specialists.
mon language of the built environment. At the end of every co-location day, each PIT
The resulting workflow enables enhanced cer- would stand up in front of the full team and give a
tainty of outcome, improved coordination (reduced report on its progress, ensuring all teammates knew
requests for information and cost), adherence to the status of all aspects of the project. When issues
budget and scope and a reduced total cost of opera- or conflicts arose, the team was able to address them
tion in accordance with the prescribed level of reli- immediately as a group.
ability of our multidisciplinary BIM deliverables The team subscribed to the “one model” con-
achieving our client’s expectations through inno- cept. The entire team, including contractors, had
vative project delivery methods and service line access to the BIM via the Autodesk BIM 360 col-
integrations. laboration shared site. The design team developed
New collaborative delivery models — like IPD the design using Revit and the contractors are using
— allow engineers to leverage a model as a deliver- the same model for shop drawings, coordination
able, which becomes a strategic advantage to how and construction. The entire team uses tablet com-
teams collaborate, communicate and drive leaner puters on-site to pull up the model and review field
processes, reducing the redundancy and waste. This issues in 3D, identify and track issues and punch
ability to properly set expectations of what infor- listing using the BIM 360 program. This method of
mation is critical to be in a building model, how it VDC proved highly effective.
should be leveraged in construction and who will For example, when the owner added a linear
model what elements to a certain level of develop- accelerator vault for radiation oncology to the pro-

20 • October 2019 CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER [Link]

CASE STUDY: Using IPD to fast-track a hospital

B
ayhealth Hospital, Sussex Campus is a
440,000-square-foot replacement hospital serv-
ing a rapidly growing population in southern Del-
aware. The hospital’s previous location was landlocked
with no room to grow without disrupting the residen-
tial communities that surround it. By moving its main
campus to a 165-acre greenfield site, the hospital was
able to gain seven times more space than its previous
22-acre location, giving it ample room to grow along
with its community.
Although every building designed today requires col- Figure 4: The Bayhealth Hospital, Sussex Campus is a
laboration among partners, Bayhealth Hospital took col- 440,000-square-foot replacement hospital serving a rap-
laboration to new heights by employing a contractually idly growing population in southern Delaware. Courtesy:
binding integrated project delivery model. The deci- CannonDesign
sion to pursue this method was introduced by Bayhealth
Hospital, which, on a previous project, dealt with more
than 2,000 change orders. At the start of the project,
the client made its expectations clear: no change orders.
Key to IPD is the contract, which clearly establishes
the expectations for what the team will deliver within a
set budget and schedule. In the case of Bayhealth Hos-
pital, the team agreed to a tri-party contract between
the architect, construction manager and owner. The
subcontractors or trade partners were adjuncts to the
tri-party contract and adhered to the provisions with-
in the contract, as well as shared in the risks and incen-
tives. Whereas in a typical delivery model most of the
project partners are concerned with their individual suc-
cess, on this project, the team was focused on each
other’s success — recognizing that nobody would suc- Figure 5: By moving the main campus to a 165-acre green-
ceed unless all of us succeeded. field site, the Bayhealth Hospital, Sussex Campus was able
This collaboration paid off. The hospital opened Feb. to gain seven times more space than its previous 22-acre
5, 2019, five months faster than comparable replace- location, giving it ample room to grow along with its com-
ment hospitals delivered via traditional design-bid- munity. Courtesy: CannonDesign
build. The project was delivered on budget with only a
few change orders due to client-led scope additions. increased profit. The only ways to do so were to keep
Some of the strategies employed to make the team’s the final project costs below an agreed-upon threshold
performance and the project a success were: project (dubbed the “neutral zone,” which was anywhere with-
team assembly, organizing the project team’s structure, in a $3.5 million band around the project target cost)
creating a playbook, defining the contract and setting and to achieve set goals for 10 key performance indi-
incentives. cators (related to safety, Delaware labor/material par-
Once the project team was assembled, a significant ticipation, quality control, energy efficiency, schedule,
amount of time was spent building relationships before punch list, resolving and avoiding issues and conditions
designing and building the hospital. Using an outside of satisfaction).
consultant specializing in IPD collaboration, the first Success was scored throughout the project, which
few weeks were focused on organizing the governing continually encouraged each firm to find the most cost-
structure for the project, creating a project playbook effective way to complete or purchase work. Whereas at
that introduced our agreed-upon processes and stan- one point during preconstruction project the estimate
dards, developing the contract and determining an was trending toward $20 million over target, the team
incentive plan. was able to work closely together during preconstruc-
The incentive plan was especially critical; it acted as tion and construction to drive the costs back down to
the “rulebook” for how the project team could achieve within the projected neutral zone.

[Link] consulting-specifying engineer October 2019 • 21

BUILDING SOLUTIONS
IPD AND VDC

Another key strategy involved sharing and pool-

ing rental equipment. Traditional projects silo the
trades’ responsibilities and rewards, encouraging
them to duplicate equipment rentals and not share
tools. The IPD incentive plan encouraged the oppo-
site behavior; trade partners shared everything from
ladders to lifts to safety gear. Using a “Bang-It,”
which is a concrete insert set in place before floors
or roof slab concrete is poured, also led to signifi-
cant savings.
After the team coordinated the plenum-hung
equipment, each trade installed more than 40,000
color-coded Bang-Its into the formwork before
pouring concrete. This allowed each trade to hang
ducts, pipes and electrical conduits without drill-
ing or shooting into the structure; the connections
were cast ahead of time. This resulted in 15 minutes
of saved labor per connection point and more than
$800,000 in savings for the project.

Figure 6: The gram — a change that could have significantly chal- Hospital excellence
integrated project lenged the schedule and budget — the entire team First and foremost, Bayhealth Hospital is a com-
delivery team was brought together to develop a strategy that didn’t munity hospital; during the community open house
meets in the big derail the project. The solution was harnessing pre- in January, the line of community members waiting
room design ses- fabrication; instead of framing and pouring high- to get in wrapped around the building three times.
sion. Courtesy: strength concrete for the vault, the agreed upon During the design process, the community was
CannonDesign solution provided for a precast concrete contractor engaged through dozens of public meetings to dis-
to fabricate high-strength solid concrete blocks and cuss the design and address community concerns, as
assemble them in place and on-site immediately after well as to show residents mockups of key spaces. The
the foundation was cured. hospital staff also was intimately involved, with each
department helping to devise their department’s pro-
Getting to market faster gramming and design needs.
In the world of health care where things change The seven-story hospital includes 128 private,
rapidly, bringing completed projects to market as same-handed patient rooms. Prioritizing the patient
quickly as possible is essential. It’s also key to keep- experience, each patient room provides views to the
ing costs down. The team harnessed extensive pre- outdoors and ample space for family members and
fabrication as a strategy to achieve this; items visitors. To accommodate future growth, the hospi-
such as bathrooms, patient room headwalls, stair- tal includes shelled space for the addition of more
ways plumbing systems and electrical rooms were patient rooms as needed.
designed to be modular and prefabricated. As one of the only emergency and trauma cen-
The concrete panels on the exterior were also pre- ters in the region, its emergency department is
cast. To ensure the precast panels supported speed- three times the size of its previous space. The hos-
to-market, the designers went to the precast factory pital also includes a 70,000-square-foot outpatient
and strategized with the tradesman who ultimately center housing an integrated cancer center as well
helped design the ideal solution to close-in the build- as outpatient rehabilitation, surgery, diagnostic ser-
ing a month earlier than originally planned. Those vices and more. cse
discussions added tab details to the column shop
drawings, allowing the connections for the panels Robert J. Garra Jr. is a principal and director of
to be totally prefabricated, further accelerating the engineering at CannonDesign. He takes time to
enclosure. understand clients’ needs and their overall perfor-
Asking the trades for their input, as opposed mance goals. Garra is a member of the Consulting-
to telling them what to do, played a critical role in Specifying Engineer editorial advisory board and is
ensuring the success of the Bayhealth Hospital proj- a 2013 40 Under 40 award winner.
ect. The team also trusted the trades with the Revit
models. For example, the drywall team used the Brian Skripac is director of virtual design and con-
model to lay out every single floor. Even though the struction at CannonDesign. He continually drives
drawings did not have every partition dimensioned, innovation by focusing on the process orientation of
there were zero RFIs regarding layout. the BIM-enabled VDC delivery process at the firm.

22 • October 2019 consulting-specifying engineer [Link]

Congratulations,
40 Under 40 Winners!

The 12th annual 40 Under 40 award

winners are a dynamic bunch with
the future of the industry in their sights.

Read each of the 2019 profiles at

[Link]/40under40
BUILDING SOLUTIONS
CASE STUDY: IPD AND VDC
By Jeremy Jones, PE, LEED AP, Affiliated Engineers Inc., Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Hospital expansion
incorporates IPD
The owner, engineer, architect and contractor all benefited from an integrated
lean project delivery approach with specific partner requirements in place and
an insightful understanding of crucial team dynamics

C
one Health has the enviable reputa- tractors McKenney’s, Adams Electric and Precision
tion of a health care system that does Plumbing; structural engineer Fitzpatrick; drywall
not shy from innovation. In 2014, its subcontractor Shields; site contractor Faulkner; and
Moses Cone Hospital North Tower low-voltage engineer IC Thomasson.
expansion opened, becoming the first Under the ILPD agreement, all partners agreed to
hospital in the U.S. to use active chilled beams in perform the base contract at cost, without profit. All
patient rooms, realizing significant energy savings project profit was put at risk based on the team’s abil-
while improving patient comfort. Cone continues to ity to deliver the project under budget. At the end
set precedent, becoming the first hospital system on of the project, each partner received the exact same
the East Coast to deliver a major proj- percentage of the firm’s allocation of the profit pool,

L Learning ect under a true integrated lean proj-

ect delivery method for the Women’s
whether that be 0%, 50% or 150%. (At the time of
this writing the number stands at 105%.)
OBJECTIVES Hospital expansion on its main cam- This created an environment where each firm
• Understand the details of a pus in Greensboro, North Carolina. truly either won together or lost together. Each
basic integrated project delivery Cone had operated a dedicat- team member worked “open book” and all direct
partner agreement.
ed women’s hospital across town in costs were published. The team reviewed all partner
• Identify project delivery practices Greensboro, serving the communi- invoices each month, with all partners able to scruti-
developed through IPD that
have been adopted within other ty well for decades, but it had aged nize and evaluate each other’s efficiency.
delivery models. to the point of needing facility refur- While several of the ILPD partnership’s firms had
• Learn the kinds of efficiencies bishment or replacement. Following a completed ILPD contracts in other parts of the coun-
and savings made possible by study of multiple renovation options, try, this was the first for every individual represent-
IPD collaborative practices. Cone decided to move the Women’s ing each firm, requiring a high degree of trust among
Hospital to the main campus, giving these firms. Fortunately, much of that trust had been
these patients easier access to the greater resources established over the past decade, as many of these
of Cone’s flagship hospital. same firms and individuals together had successful-
The expansion comprises approximately 150,000 ly built the last major project on campus, the North
square feet of new space and 40,000 square feet of Tower expansion, under a traditional construction
interior renovation that bridges new and existing. manager at risk delivery method.
Spaces include: three dedicated cesarean section
rooms; 18 labor, delivery and recovery rooms; fully Behavior change
private neonatal intensive care unit rooms with This ILPD process was successful primarily
dedicated family space and private restrooms; and because the win or lose together dynamic fundamen-
dedicated rooms for high-risk mothers. tally changed behavior. On a traditional project, team
members often have conflicting interests due to the
Structure nature of their contracts. Change orders can drive
The ILPD project team partners consisted of revenue and profitability for contractors. If there is
architect HKS; general contractor Brasfield & Gor- a design problem or a difficult unforeseen existing
rie; mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineer condition, the contractor can benefit by rework cre-
Affiliated Engineers Inc.; major MEP trade con- ated by such change orders. On a traditional project,

24 • October 2019 consulting-specifying engineer [Link]

 Figure 1: Cone Health’s 150,000-square-foot expansion, relocating the
Women’s Hospital to Cone’s main campus, was planned, designed and
the design team has no financial incentive to work built following an Integrated lean Project Delivery method. Courtesy:
with the contractors to explore cost-saving initiatives Affiliated Engineers Inc.
in the field. It’s far easier to simply enforce the con-
tract documents as law.
The owner is the real party that suffers in this tra- While certainly less quantifiable, the project
ditional arrangement, because the full financial bur- was significantly more enjoyable to be a part of
den is on them. None of this implies any dishonesty than a traditional project. Arguments and finger-
on the part of design or construction teams under pointing over scope, responsibility, design errors
a construction manager at risk project, only that and site challenges were eliminated. In their place
it’s difficult to deny that financial incentive drives were collaboration, teamwork and the celebration
behavior. of shared success.

‘Under the ILPD agreement, all partners agreed to perform the base
contract at cost, without profit. All project profit was put at risk based on

’
the team’s ability to deliver the project under budget.
On this ILPD project, the entire team’s profit was Strategies
at risk, so when the inevitable design issues, unfore- Each partner agreed to be responsible for its
seen conditions and cost saving installation strategies proportional share of the cost savings (called a
emerged, all parties looked at them with a team men- “stretch goal”) required to get the project sufficient-
tality: these were “our” issues to solve, not “theirs.” ly under budget to realize the full profit pool. This
This isn’t to say that under a traditional contracting led to the following innovative strategies, new to
method these team members wouldn’t have delivered many of the team members:
an excellent project to be proud of; the owner sim- Big room: While on-site co-located design pro-
ply would have paid more and each firm would have duction was not part of this project, the entire ILPD
made smaller profits. team met for two full days every other week dur-

[Link] consulting-specifying engineer October 2019 • 25

BUILDING SOLUTIONS
CASE STUDY: IPD AND VDC

‘ Instead, prefabrication
was able to occur early
and evenly, with manpower

’
spread out over time.

Colocation of major building trades: All major

subcontractors had construction offices within
the same building or immediately adjacent to one
another. This made multidiscipline coordination
and scheduling as seamless as possible.
Standardization of pipe sizes: The tradition-
al design assumption is that all pipe sizes should
be no larger than required to efficiently supply the
required amount of domestic water, chilled water,
heating water, etc. In this ILPD environment, the
contractor studied progress drawings during early
Figure 2: Physical drawings of the Cone Health expansion project phases of design. Their analysis showed that stan-
mechanical, electrical and plumbing plans were produced in a single dardizing on certain pipe sizes (never smaller than
set at one-quarter scale (60x84 inches), improving legibility, elimi- required), saved enough field labor and additional
nating match lines and facilitating contextual understanding of MEP pipe fittings to more than outweigh the increased
intent. Courtesy: Affiliated Engineers Inc. cost of oversized piping. The project savings was a
six-figure number.
Everything on wheels: An early decision made
ing design to update everyone on design progress, by the construction team was that all materials and
solicit efficiency advice from the construction tools used for construction by each discipline would
team and brainstorm construction savings ideas be mobile. Most projects lose construction efficien-
that would benefit from thoughtful incorpora- cy due to site congestion and certain trades being in
tion into the design documents. Everyone was other trades’ way. The first subcontractor in an area
fully informed and engaged throughout the entire blocks physical access to others needing to work
design process. On a traditional project, the con- in the same area or needing to pass through these
struction team reviews progress only at major areas.
milestones, if at all. While it required an investment in carts and
Mobile prefabrication shop: Space was avail- wheels, site congestion became a significantly small-
able on campus for the major MEP subcontractors er concern. Fewer lost manhours led to advance-
to maintain a mobile prefabrication shop within ment toward the entire team’s profit pool. Team
the adjacent central energy plant. Plumbing racks, members were incentivized to make each other’s
overhead corridor MEP assemblies and other items work easier.
were built and tested in this shop in large pieces and Access to the owner: Traditional projects often
craned into the building. This resulted in such ben- have pyramid structures, where the architect has
efits as increased quality control, a decrease in man- primary interface with the owner on the design side
power congestion within the construction zone and, and the general contractor has primary interface on
most importantly, manpower leveling. the construction side. All other consultants and sub-
Without this prefab shop, all work would have consultants are to some extent a step removed. With
been concentrated in specific areas of the building ILPD, all partners are part of the same agreement
as it went up, with manpower increases as new areas and no one has to go through an intermediary to
were ready. Multiple subcontractors would compete have their concerns and ideas heard by the owner.
concurrently for the same space. Instead, prefabri- Fortunately, Cone also desired that engagement.
cation was able to occur early and evenly, with man- MEP drawing sizes: Several converging trends
power spread out over time. This greatly reduced led the team to question allegiance to the tradition-
temporary manpower spikes, which are extremely al drawing sizes of 40x32 inches, 48x36 inches or
inefficient due to training and onboarding. 24x36 inches:

26 • October 2019 CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER [Link]

 • Contractors have gone digital. Many proj- Challenges
ects are not built from physical drawings any None of this should imply that the project was
longer. Contractors are using flat screens and perfect or without challenges. The specifics aren’t
tablets. appropriate in this format, but there were times
when one partner or another was not carrying its
• Construction software advances allow imme- weight. Because this was an ILPD contract, the rest
diate access to the most recent version of each of the partners intervened, picked up the slack and
drawing. encouraged each other to improve. In several cases,
qualified partners took on the scope of other par-
• Many permitting agencies are accepting — ties. If one partner failed, all would.
even demanding — digital plans.

• MEP information at one-eighth scale is clut-

tered in Autodesk Revit, leading the ILPD
team to use ¼-inch scale. These ¼-inch scale
plans must be completely fragmented and bro-
ken up at traditional drawing sizes, which cre-
‘ With ILPD, all partners are part of the same
agreement and no one has to go through an
ates a maze of matchlines and obfuscates MEP intermediary to have their concerns and ideas
intent.
heard by the owner. Fortunately, Cone also
• Bluebeam is being used much more often for

’
both internal and external quality control. The
days of multiple hard copies of QC redlines desired that engagement.
are nearing an end.

Responding to these factors, Affiliated Engineers Metrics

committed to issuing its MEP plans at 60x84 inch- The project will need to be complete by Octo-
es, at ¼-inch scale. The engineering team chose this ber 2019 to meet the owner’s financial and organi-
size because it can be printed at half-size on a tra- zational move requirements. Substantial completion
ditional sheet for anyone uncomfortable with the was delivered in July — four months early. The ini-
large sheets and because it aligned particularly well tially approved project budget for a construction
with the size of our building at ¼-inch scale. Ben- manager at risk contracting method, before Cone
efits included: initiated the ILPD process, was approximately $126
million. The ILPD process drove out almost all tra-
• With entire floors on a single page, MEP ditional fat: contingencies, the contingencies of
intent is extremely easy to follow; there are no other parties on top of those contingencies, rework,
matchlines. change orders, independent and inefficient labor
management, etc.
• The 120 drawings at 60x84 inches took the By the time final target cost was set, the proj-
place of approximately 500 drawings at tradi- ect budget was $99 million, including $4 million in
tional sizes. shared profit pool. In the end, each partner received
105% of the goal profit and the owner received a
• The owner only wanted MEP as-builts in dig- project that exceeded their expectations.
ital form, making the physical drawing size ILPD is not the perfect solution for every orga-
irrelevant. nization’s culture. This project team firmly believes,
however, that with the right partners and the right
• The permitting agency and the contractor are attitude, every project of this scale can be delivered
both fully digital; a single full-size hard copy in less time, for less money and with happier team
was printed only for display on the wall of the members when everyone wins or loses together
contractor’s trailer. under a true ILPD contract. cse

This strategy significantly reduced production Jeremy Jones is a health care project manager and
and internal review time, providing a clear under- market leader for Affiliated Engineers Inc. He has
standing of design intent to everyone responsible spoken at ASHE PDC and published articles about
for building the systems. Most importantly, it will MEP infrastructure for health care projects, health
leave the owner with a very clear set of floor plans care applications of chilled beam technology and
for staff education and future renovations. alternative project delivery models.

[Link] consulting-specifying engineer October 2019 • 27

BUILDING SOLUTIONS
ELECTRICAL RACEWAYS, BUSWAYS, WIRING, CABLING
By Stephen Berta, EI, NV5, Las Vegas

Specifying the right

electrical raceways,
busways, wiring and cabling
Electrical and information cabling pathways are a vital component
of any new or existing building

E
lectrical and information cabling are an Industry Consulting Services International organiza-
integral part of all building systems and tion in its Telecommunications Distribution Meth-
must be extensively routed through- ods Manual and the Telecommunications Industry
out all building types. There are sever- Association and its applicable standards (commonly
al methods available for design teams referenced as TIA-xxx, where xxx denotes a 3-digit
to specify; however, catering a solution to specific number applicable to a specific document).
applications is often difficult and convoluted. It is important to note that the NEC is an enforce-
As the buildings that we live, work, entertain and able code that is meant to safeguard persons and
otherwise occupy become more complex and mod- property from the hazards arising from the use of
ern, there is an ever-increasing need electricity (NEC 90.1) and is a requirement; the stan-

L Learning to provide electrical and information

infrastructure throughout. All build-
dards surrounding ICT cabling are recommenda-
tions that optimize an ICT cabling system and are
OBJECTIVES ings have a plethora of devices that not safety related nor enforceable code.
• Examine the basics of routing require an electrical or data connec- Additionally, all pathway systems are listed by a
and protection for electrical and tion. Often these devices require a nationally recognized testing laboratory for stan-
information cabling systems.
combination of each.
• eview different pathway systems The end-use connection is often
such as raceways, cable trays,
J-hooks, etc.
quite simple in either a direct connec-
tion or outlet type form factor; how-
• Examine the application of
surface-mounted raceways
ever, how is the wiring or cabling
for building remodels and transported to this point? How is it
modernization projects. protected from point to point? The
answer: Using pathway systems that
are permitted and practical for the specific structure
or building space that transport the cabling safely to
mitigate the risks of electrical shock, fire and other
hazards related to personnel and property. To contin-
ue the description of the available systems, we must
first identify the applicable standards and terms.
The governing code for all electrical pathways is Figure 1: This is a gutter installed in a high-rise
NFPA 70: National Electrical Code, which dictates building that is provided as an accessible splice
the uses permitted for the pathway systems and the point. The level above is the serving electri-
terms used within the applicable standards. Infor- cal room and there are sections of EMT that
mation and communications technology cabling connect into the top of the gutter. Within the
also are bound by the codes within the NEC, how- gutter the contractor has spliced, via wire nuts,
ever there are applicable standards that take this a to connect to the horizontal runs of MC to hori-
step further such as those set forth by the Building zontally feed the guestrooms. Courtesy: NV5

28 • October 2019 consulting-specifying engineer [Link]

Figure 2: This installation shows a structural
cage that has been constructed to add protec-
tion to the conduit. This installation is within a
fire lane for an educational facility and fine metal
mesh will be added to the installation to pre-
vent access to the interior of the conduit cage
when the hinged doors are closed and locked.
Additionally, the existing building footing was
compromised during excavation and a structural
cage was required around the conduit to add
structural integrity of the exterior wall. The con-
duit bodies are specialized to have manufactured
large radius sweeps to prevent tight bending of
ICT and fiber optic cabling. Courtesy: NV5

dards regarding fire rating, flame spread, use of

products within air handling spaces (often referred
to as plenums), etc. The most common NRTL is UL,
which not only tests the products but also creates the
applicable standards.

Types of wiring
The first step to understanding any pathway sys-
tem is to understand the wiring that is being trans-
ported and protected. The NEC delineates between
DEFINITIONS
several different types of wiring. We will examine the
most common types of wiring: 1,000 volts or less, SEVERAL KEY TERMS will need to be identified to clearly
Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3 circuits. The NEC also convey the requirements of the specific systems available to
sets code minimum requirements for conductors the system designers:
exceeding 1,000 volts. Busway (or busduct): A manufactured, enclosed pathway
Class 1 wiring typically is identified as remote- made of sheet metal with solid copper or aluminum busbars
control or signaling conductors that are either
for higher ampacity installations in a compact footprint.
power limited to 30 volts and 1000 volts-ampere
(NEC 725.41(A)) or where the conductors are Cable tray: Nonenclosed tray type pathway designed to
used for remote-control or signaling circuits (NEC physically support premises wiring systems.
725.41(B)). When used for remote-control or sig-
Pathway: Any physical method of supporting, enclosing,
naling circuits, the voltage may be increased to 600
protecting or otherwise transporting wiring systems.
volts; however, these will typically be seen as 120-volt
circuits that operate relays, motor controllers or simi- Premises wiring system: The wiring or cabling throughout a
lar control devices. Class 1 circuits are required to be building, structure or compound downstream of the service
routed in a pathway as established within chapter 3 connection or demarcation point.
of the NEC (NEC 725.46) and they may be routed
through the same pathway system as a power feeder Raceway: Any enclosed physical pathway designed to pro-
or branch circuit if the conductor insulation is rated tect or shield premises wiring systems.
for at least the maximum voltage available within the
raceway system (NEC 300.3(C)(1)).
Class 2 and class 3 circuits are identified with designed for data transmission), wiring for public
the NEC chapter 9, table 11(A). Class 2 circuits are address systems, programmable logic controllers and
typically seen as low-voltage circuits that are limit- thermostats.
ed to 30 volts or less and 100 volts-ampere or less. Class 3 circuits are typically classified as circuits
These class 2 circuits are considered protected from that exceed 30 volts but operate from 0.5 to 100
fire or shock due to low energy and voltage lev- volts-ampere and are often used for sound/speaker
els. Due to this, class 2 circuits are permitted to be systems, clock/intercom systems and security sys-
installed in plenum areas (when properly listed) and tems. Although beyond the breadth of this article, it
are not required to be installed in raceway systems should be noted that class 3 circuits can reach high-
outlined within chapter 3 of the NEC. Class 2 cir- er voltage and current levels under specific circum-
cuits are most commonly seen as category cabling stances as outlined by NEC 725.121; however, it is
(as defined by TIA-568-C and is most commonly less common. Class 2 and 3 circuits are not required
unshielded, balanced twisted pairs of wire that are to be installed in a pathway system as outlined within

[Link] CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER October 2019 • 29

BUILDING SOLUTIONS
ELECTRICAL RACEWAYS, BUSWAYS, WIRING, CABLING

NEC Chapter 3 and may be rout- areas and route direct to the receptacles as required
ed through plenum spaces when by the design (see Figure 1).
using listed cabling and supports. Often the ceilings or floors are accessible, such
These circuits may be routed in as with access floors or acoustic ceiling tile ceilings,
this manner as they are power commonly referred to as “lay-in” or “drop” ceilings.
limited or carry a low-energy sig- Where these types of building elements are installed,
nal that does not present a risk for the designer has several choices for pathways that
the initiation of fire or shock. include additional options, as well as the raceway
example previously presented.
Design considerations Accessible building elements are advantageous
With the understanding of where the systems need to accommodate moves,
that cabling systems may require adds, changes and deletions (commonly referred to
pathway systems outlined with- as MAC-Ds). Such building elements allow the use of
in chapter 3 of the NEC, we may cable trays (for power and ICT cabling) and J-hooks
now proceed to analyze the avail- (ICT cabling). When installing these systems with-
able pathway systems as well as in a ceiling grid system such as ACT, it is imperative
their limitations and code require- that the supports are not directly affixed to the ceil-
ments. There are several design ing grid supports (NEC 300.11(B)). The ceiling grid
considerations that need to be system should remain completely independent of all
analyzed to provide the best path- cabling, light fixture or other electrical systems.
way for a specific task. These When using a system such as a cable tray or
considerations are: accessibility, J-hooks, the user may make changes to the cabling
pathway support requirements, by removing ceiling tiles and simply laying a cable
distance that the pathway will into the tray or J-hooks. Typically, these pathways are
travel, special protection require- used in conjunction with conduit route within a wall
ments and the quantity of cables to provide a connection to a junction box.
that must be transported. Another significant consideration for pathway
Accessibility is one of the most systems is the required supports. Ideally, the best
important factors in any path- location for information on support requirements
Figure 3: This is way system and is outlined in the NEC to require will be the manufacturer’s installation instructions
a vertical section access to all junction boxes, gutters or splice points and the NEC. The NEC specifically notes the sup-
of busway (or (NEC 314.29). Often, these pathways and boxes are port requirements for different raceway types within
busduct) with no installed above gypsum board or hard-lid ceilings chapter 3, for example, EMT conduit shall be sup-
plug-on devices. where there is no practical way to reach the system ported in increments of 10 feet and within 3 feet of
The waterproof without an access panel. When this type of a ceiling every junction box, conduit body, etc. (NEC 358.30).
curb is visible in is used within a facility, it is critical to avoid system When reviewing the support requirements, unless
the bottom of such as J-hooks and cable tray that are open and can- specifically mentioned, the NEC does not make the
the photo show- not be inspected to ensure that cabling is supported distinction between horizontal and vertical sup-
ing engineering and secured. When not accessible, conduit or anoth- port requirements. Some specific instances where
supports brac- er type of raceway is the most practical choice. the NEC does differentiate between vertical sup-
ing against the Even with a raceway system, access panels will port requirements would be for industrial instal-
floor spanning be required to access the following: a junction box lations when using intermediate metal conduit
the entire pen- for every 100 feet or every cumulative 180-degrees (NEC 342.30(B)(2)) and rigid metal conduit (NEC
etration. This of bends for ICT cabling (TIA-569-D 9.8.2), a junc- 344.30(B)(2)). The NEC also defers the requirements
has been sealed tion box for every cumulative 360-degrees of bends for cable tray supports to the manufacturer’s installa-
with intumescent for line voltage wiring (for EMT NEC 358.26). In tion requirements (NEC 392.30(A)).
material below this aspect, the TIA standard is more stringent as If the electrical or ICT designer’s project is located
the cover plate it provides recommendations to ensure a minimum within a seismic zone, additional requirements may
for fire protection pulling force between access points is maintained. be instituted and the support design may be required
between floors. This ensures (as a rule of thumb) that the cable will as a delegated design to a structural engineer. Addi-
Courtesy: NV5 not be subject to pulling tension in excess of the tional conduit and cable options would be intermedi-
manufacturer’s recommendations and thus allow ate metal conduit (type IMC, NEC 342), rigid metal
the cable to pass manufacturer’s field certifications conduit (type RMC, NEC 344), fiberglass conduit
and maintain signal integrity. (type RTRC, NEC 355), metal-clad cable (type MC,
Often, junction boxes or gutters are used to pro- NEC 330) and each method has its specific applica-
vide a point to transition from electrical metallic tion, support requirements and additional informa-
tubing (type EMT) and wire to metal-clad cable tion that is all outlined within their respective NEC
(type MC cable) to traverse through inaccessible section.

30 • October 2019 CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER [Link]

Cable distance
When considering distance, it’s imperative to
understand the cabling type that is being used. For
line voltage power wiring, the main distance consid-
eration is relative to the electrical load and the volt-
age drop that will be induced based on the wire’s
impedance. The standard for voltage drop is outlined
as a fine-print note for NEC 210.19(A), FPN No. 4.
This FPN advises that branch circuits should be sized
to prevent a voltage drop in excess of 3% and that
feeders should be restricted to 2% voltage drop.
The FPNs within the NEC are not enforceable by
a code official (NEC 90.5(C)); however, some juris-
dictions may have enforceable energy codes that
mandate a maximum voltage drop (most common-
ly ASHRAE Standard 90.1). When considering ICT
premises wiring systems, it’s important to know the
cabling media and the specific limitations associated
with each type.
For example, category cabling is typically limited to
295 feet for the permanent link (wiring from the outlet
to the patch panel or termination within the serving
telecommunications space). However, if using fiber
optic cabling, the distances vary based on fiber type
(single-mode and multimode), the data transmission in a common-sense approach where hard-use areas Figure 4: On the
rate and the type of transceivers used. As the purpose are treated with extra care for protection; it is impor- right, cable tray is
of this article is not to examine the pros and cons of tant to note that the code intent is to prevent inad- used to support and
different ICT cabling, we will proceed with the more vertent physical damage and not to prevent damage secure MC wiring as
common Category-6 cabling standard (outlined to from malice or intentional damage. a main routing point
specific performance requirements within TIA-568-D) For example, hard-use areas should include but not down the corridor. In
that limits this pathway to 295 feet. be limited to: loading docks, enclosed sally ports for the center, there is
When considering the aforementioned require- cash trucks, corridors with traffic of mechanical vehi- an orange innerduct
ments, the pathway system will consist of either cles (pallet jacks, forklifts, etc.), mechanical rooms, that is used for fiber
enclosed pathway (raceways) or open pathways (such gymnasiums, etc. Within these hard-use areas, the routing and on the
as cable tray or J-hooks). While conduit and other designer can defer to the uses permitted within chap- left, there is a cable
enclosed pathways typically route directly to the ter 3 of the NEC for pathways permitted in areas “sub- tray with cleanly seg-
receptacle or technology outlet location, an open path- ject to physical damage.” This would typically require regated low-voltage
way typically serves as an aggregation point, creating a thick-walled conduit such as intermediate metal- cabling. Courtesy:
a less direct and often, longer path back to the serv- lic conduit or galvanized rigid conduit in lieu of any NV5
ing equipment. Additionally, conduit may be used to types of tubing such as EMT or any open-type path-
collect cables to an aggregation point and if using the ways such as cable trays (see Figure 2).
category cabling for power over ethernet applications,
the NEC requires that you de-rate the current carrying Fire protection and fire stopping
capacity of the cabling by the coefficient shown within When considering fire protection requirements,
NEC table 725.144. These requirements must be con- the designer should first consult any available fire
sidered primarily for ICT cabling. protection reports or code consultants for the proj-
When routing any type of cabling through ect. Rated walls and enclosures will be identified in
a building, it is important to understand each the fire protection report and on the architectural set
space’s use and potential protection requirements. of drawings. Often, a book or sheet specification can
This extends from physical protection, to prevent handle fire protection requirements and any seal off
mechanical damage, through fire protection or haz- requirements for hazardous locations; however, the
ardous location requirements. pathway requirements do change.
The first concept surrounding the subject of Within NEC 500 through NEC 503, there are
“physical damage” can be quite complex as no codes additional requirements such as the requirement for
or standards clearly define the phrase, in fact, it is threaded conduit systems (NEC 501.10(A)(1)(a) and
often conceded that this is subjective. Each author- NEC 502.10(A)(1)(a)) that also are required to be
ity having jurisdiction may approach this concept in wrench tight to prevent a ground fault from arcing in
different ways. On a basic level this should be applied an environment with flammable or explosive gases

[Link] consulting-specifying engineer October 2019 • 31

 BUILDING SOLUTIONS
ELECTRICAL RACEWAYS, BUSWAYS, WIRING, CABLING

or dust (NEC 500.8(E)). Each classified area should data centers and greenhouse facilities. Large high-
be thoroughly examined for code compliance of all rise hotels typically are designed with a large ampac-
pathway (and miscellaneous electrical and ICT) sys- ity busway installed vertically throughout the tower
tems. These identified areas also will be required to and plug-on units (specially designed disconnects or
maintain the fireproof rating of the walls in that the enclosed circuit breakers) are used for horizontal dis-
pathway is penetrating. tribution feeders to panelboards.

‘
Busways require a penetration through each floor
Additionally, the NEC requires that the of a tower and a fire protection report or code con-
sultant should be consulted to discuss fire protection
penetration is provided with a water-proof curb options for the room or penetration. Additional-
ly, the NEC requires that the penetration is pro-
to prevent ingress of water and general flooding vided with a water-proof curb to prevent ingress of

’
water and general flooding down the stacked electri-
down the stacked electrical rooms. cal rooms (NEC 368.10(C)(2)(b)). If this waterproof
curb is compromised, water may eventually work its
In addition, where an open pathway is traversing way down the busduct and could result in a violent
through a plenum (or commonly referred to as an explosion due to a short circuit (see Figure 3).
air handling space), a specialized plenum rated wir- When considering industrial, data center or grow
ing method is required. A plenum rated cable is rated facilities, it is not uncommon to see a combination of
to burn within an air handling space and not intro- horizontal runs that are supplied with plug-on units
duce toxins or spread flame through the plenum; to deliver load centers or 3-phase power at specific
the mechanical designer for the project will identi- locations. This allows a modular design where power
fy plenum spaces that will assist the ICT designer to can be delivered in large ampacities throughout the
determine the cabling type required for the premises run of busduct. This typically is catered to very spe-
wiring system. cific owner and equipment requirements and can
It should be noted by the electrical and ICT vary in application.
designers that a system designed to comply with Although the depth of uses for busduct is beyond
NEC 645, Information Technology Equipment this article, it is a critical piece of any electrical
Rooms, may be exempt from the plenum rating designer’s arsenal and a minimum general under-
requirement if the raised floor is used as a plenum standing is required to provide the most efficient and
rated space; the heating, ventilation and air condi- thoughtful designs.
tioning is entirely separate of the building system The analogy of large-ampacity installations for
HVAC; and there is a dedicated shunt trip for the ICT designers would be the quantity of cables. Typi-
electrical system and for the HVAC system (NEC cally for large cable quantities an ICT designer will
645.10). consider designing a cable tray layout with varying
sizes that correlate to the quantity of cables at each
Cable capacity and ampacity junction or branch. This gives the primary horizon-
As the electrical or ICT designer is identifying tal cabling a support and routing backbone. These
cabling types, available pathway routing and protec- trays are sized in accordance with NEC 392 that has
tion requirements, another consideration must be myriad complicated formulas and subsections that
made for the ampacity or quantity of cables required. depend on tray type, cable type and ampacity (if
Electrical designers typically defer the cable rout- applicable), to calculate a maximum fill percentage.
ing to a “means and methods” process that involves Instead of wading through this code section,
the contractor’s judgment unless larger ampacity often electrical designers will use a manufacturer’s
feeders, medium-voltage or utility routing is con- cable tray calculation tools that are specifically pro-
sidered. When considering these larger ampaci- grammed for compliance with the NEC. When dis-
ty installations, it is important that parallel feeder cussing a cable tray consisting of only ICT cabling,
runs are routed in compliance with NEC 300.3(B) a 40% fill ratio is recommended via the TIA-569-B
(1) and NEC 310.10(H) that requires that each paral- standard. Typically, an ICT cable tray backbone is
lel conduit run consist of an identical phase, neutral installed in a tapered manner in that the closer the
and ground conductor (as applicable). These par- installer is to the end use device or outlet, the smaller
allel feeders must be of the same length, conductor the cable tray; the closer the installer is to the serving
material, size, insulation type and be terminated in telecommunications room, the larger the cable tray
an identical manner. typically is. This is to accommodate the aggregation
Often, when considering higher ampacity feed- of cables within the cable trays.
ers or modular designs, it may be applicable to use With all the above considerations, an electrical or
busway. Busway is common for high-rise commer- ICT designer should be knowledgeable and capable
cial hotel applications, industrial installations, larger of applying all the above considerations to provide

32 • October 2019 CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER [Link]

CASE STUDY: Wiring schools for the future

A
s electrical and information systems evolve nat-
urally over time, older buildings skew away
from the occupant’s newer needs regarding the
location of hard-wired data, line voltage receptacles,
wireless access point outlets (or lack thereof), etc. It
becomes very difficult to “future-proof” a building due
to some obvious hurdles such as the client’s budget,
shifting use for each space, unexpected technological
advances or changes.
Oftentimes some amount of future use pathway or
cabling can be added but it’s not ideal 10 to 20 years
after the original install. One potential solution is to
complete a “modernization” type project within the
building.
A great example for this concept is educational facil-
ities. These buildings often have a cost-sensitive cli-
Figure 5: In this installation, there is visible surface-
ent because the budget would consist of tax dollars or
mount raceway that provides media cabling and power
bond funding and in these installations, functionality to the projector. To the right of the white board, there
typically overrides aesthetics. Given these circumstanc- is a surface-mount raceway to provide power and data
es, a surface-mounted combination raceway is a perfect to a new teacher desk location, the outlets/receptacles
solution to provide both information cabling and power are out of view behind a set of stacked chairs. To the
wiring to specific locations. right of the new teacher station, there is a media con-
Additionally, these combination type raceways can trol station that allows control and interaction with the
be used for projector media wiring to control stations projector through a button station and various cable
and ceiling-mounted equipment vaults. These surface- inputs. Previously, this whiteboard location was not
mount raceways typically are mounted to the wall and compatible with a fixed projector. Courtesy: NV5
routed horizontally to provide the ideal outlet locations
and then a 90-degree transition is used to route the at the very least, reorganization of the racks and cabi-
raceway into the ceiling. Once this is routed into the nets. This can result in the need for power wiring and
ceiling, the power wiring can be converted to MC or ladder rack modifications within the room.
EMT (depending on site conditions) and routed to the For these types of installations, it’s not recommend-
nearest panelboard while the information cabling can ed to provide power receptacles on the ladder rack
transition to a cable tray or J-hooks to provide support itself because the ladder rack may be modified once
for the intermediate distance. the old cabling plant is removed. For these installa-
It is critical to note that there should be a bushing tions it’s often wise to use a shallow, steel over-floor
or other type of protective end-piece at the end of the type raceway. Several manufacturers make this type of
surface-mounted raceway to prevent cabling from com- product and provide specific junction boxes that will
ing in contact with a sharp sheet metal edge as it transi- accommodate standard receptacle sizes and special
tions to the J-hooks. receptacles such as National Electrical Manufacturers
Additionally, when considering a modernization Association types L5-30R or L6-30R, and may provide
scope, it’s important to understand that the equipment wire fill to accommodate an L14-30R. This allows the
in the head-end or main equipment room and interme- client flexibility for rack or cabinet location within the
diate telecommunications rooms will likely be changed equipment and telecommunications room spaces that is
out. This may result in an expansion of these spaces or, both cost-effective and convenient.

a code-compliant and practical design for a particu- contractor may use J-hooks to route individual
lar occupancy or building. Often the pathway system cables to specific technology outlets within each
will consist of a combination of all the aforemen- space. This would combine several types of path-
tioned (see Figure 4). ways to provide the client or occupant a flexible sys-
An example for ICT premises wiring system tem that is code compliant. cse
could include a cable tray with a fire rated pene-
tration through a corridor wall that transitions to Stephen Berta is the associate director of electrical at
EMT above a hard-lid section of ceiling, only to NV5 and has experience in multiple market sectors
transition back to cable tray once the routing reach- including high-rise hospitality, gaming, K-5 education
es another accessible ceiling space. From here, the and data centers.

[Link] consulting-specifying engineer October 2019 • 33

BUILDING SOLUTIONS
ELECTRICAL RACEWAYS, BUSWAYS, WIRING, CABLING
By Terry Cleis, PE, LEED AP, Peter Basso Associates Inc., Troy, Michigan

Selecting the proper

wiring solutions
Learn about the essential properties and applications of different
electrical wiring pathway systems

T
here are numerous scenarios, details and and can be routed from source to outlet without
options to consider when selecting the intermediate breaks in the system.
proper pathway for wiring solutions. Unlike piping, conduit has distance limitations
Conduit: In the construction world, and requires planned “accessible pull points” to
the term conduit is most often used to be able to install conductors and cables by pulling
refer to a hollow tube that is intended to be a path- them into place. Conduit systems also require a larg-
way for conductors or low-voltage cable. er turning radius at any changes of direction than is
It’s important to make a distinction between required by piping systems. Changes of direction are
conduit and piping. While they both convey prop- often accomplished using pre-made factory elbows
erties inside of them and often are available in or by bending the conduit in the field.
similar sizes and shapes, conduits and pipes are Based on requirements defined in NFPA 70:
two different items with different purposes and National Electrical Code, most conduit types are
installation requirements. The term piping is most limited to 360 degrees of turns between accessible
often meant to refer to a hollow tube or structure pull points. Items that are considered accessible
that is intended to be a sealed pathway to convey a pull points include: source distribution equipment,
liquid or a gas. Because of the properties of liquids junction boxes, pull boxes, wireways, conduit bod-
and gases, piping can be run with very tight turns ies and equipment. Conduit bodies are a separate
portion of a conduit or tubing system with integral
Table 1: Pathways removable covers that provide access to the inter-
TYPE DESCRIPTION NEC ARTICLE
nal wiring and in certain applications can be used
to provide a tighter turning radius than an elbow
IMC Intermediate metal conduit 342
or to provide pulling access to conductors or cables
RMC Rigid metal conduit 1 344 (see Figure 1).
FMC Flexible metal conduit 348 Typical minimum conduit radii can be found
LFMC Liquid-tight flexible metal conduit 350 listed in Chapter 9, Table 2 of the NEC. There
PVC Polyvinyl chloride conduit 352 are several factors that require larger radius turns
including, but not limited to, long runs of conduit
HDPE High-density polyethylene conduit 353
and special requirements for some types of commu-
RTRC Reinforced thermosetting resin conduit 355
nication cables.
LFNC Liquid-tight flexible nonmetallic conduit 356 The NEC contains descriptions, installation
EMT Electrical metallic tubing 358 requirements and application rules for various types
Surface metal raceway 386
of conduits. Some of the more common conduit
types are found in Table 1.
Cable tray 392
The various types of conduits have other attri-
Table 1: Use this quick reference table to NFPA 70: National Elec- butes as well. Some conduits provide some corro-
trical Code articles for commonly used pathways. Note: RMC type sion —including rust — protection (e.g. polyvinyl
conduit includes several conduits constructed using different types chloride, aluminum rigid metal conduit, stainless
of metal, all of which have unique properties and qualities. These steel RMC, red brass RMC and reinforced ther-
include stainless steel, galvanized steel, red brass and aluminum. mosetting resin conduit). Some offer various levels
Courtesy: Peter Basso Associates Inc. of mechanical protection (e.g. RMC, intermedi-

34 • October 2019 consulting-specifying engineer [Link]

 Figure 2: This photo shows the corrosive effects of a pool equipment
room environment on EMT conduit and its fittings. Courtesy: Peter
Basso Associates Inc.

Figure 1: Conduit bodies provide access to

internal wiring or cables and can be used to
‘ When selecting which type of heavy
wall conduit to use, several factors should
make radius turns. This shows a 90-degree
be considered. Cost is always an important
change of direction, using a conduit body with
rear removable cover. Courtesy: Peter Basso
factor and conduits with thicker walls

’
Associates Inc. typically have a higher cost.

ate metal conduit and even electrical metallic tub- tion, they can perform better than conduits with
ing). Others are flexible and limit the transmission mechanically attached slip fittings as would be used
of vibrations or allow for some renovation work to with EMT conduit. Conduits with threaded fittings
be installed within existing building finishes (e.g. also provide some level of protection from bug and
flexible metal conduit, liquid-tight flexible metal rodent infiltration. Heavy-walled metal conduit with
conduit and liquid-tight flexible nonmetallic con- threaded fittings can provide an additional level of
duit). Still other types provide some level of protec- protection in areas where they might be subject to
tion from water intrusion (ex: LFMC, LFNC and, to side impact from the movement of heavy equipment.
some extent, PVC and RTRC). See Figures 2 and 3. A heavy-walled conduit also stands a better chance
To properly select the type of conduit to use, it of maintaining its cross-sectional shape
is important to understand what material it’s con- after an accidental impact.
structed from, how it is terminated and coupled The threaded fittings also can pre-
L Learning
together, how difficult it is to install, cost differenc- vent conduits from separating at their OBJECTIVES
es for materials and installation labor and any other couplings or other termination points • Learn how to use NFPA 70:
special properties it may possess. on impact, which could expose and even National Electrical Code (NEC)
Conduits with heavy (thicker) walls have threads damage the wiring inside if the conduit as a guide for proper conduit
cut into them to allow for fittings like couplers, lock were to separate. Consider an example applications. References are
nuts and bushings (RMC, IMC). These conduit types of a large feeder conduit run overhead based on the 2017 edition.
come pre-threaded and also require field-cutting in a parking area or loading dock. This • Understand the physical
threads as needed (see Figure 4). These conduits typ- may seem like a good place to save some properties of conduits and the
benefits for different applications
ically use fittings that screw onto their threads. When cost and use EMT, but if something mov- and that there are often multiple
selecting which type of heavy wall conduit to use, ing around below should snag itself on an appropriate types of conduit
several factors should be considered. Cost is always EMT conduit, it takes less force to pull the available that can be used based
an important factor and conduits with thicker walls conduit apart at its fittings than would a on client needs and cost.
typically have a higher cost. Heavier-walled conduits conduit system that uses threaded fittings. • Better understand the benefits
also require more labor to install because they are Conduits with thinner walls, most and limitations of various
types of pathways including
more difficult to handle and support. commonly EMT, are too thin to have busway, cable tray, wireway,
While conduits with threaded fittings do not threads cut into them, so fittings are typi- surface raceways, power cable
ensure protection from water or liquid infiltra- cally slid onto the outside of the conduit assemblies and open wiring.

[Link] consulting-specifying engineer October 2019 • 35

BUILDING SOLUTIONS
ELECTRICAL RACEWAYS, BUSWAYS, WIRING, CABLING

and terminated in one of several methods. A com-

mon termination method is compression fittings,
which require a wrench around the fitting to tight-
en the screw portion of the fitting and collapse an
interior ring onto the outside of the conduit to hold
the fitting in place. EMT also can use set screw-
style fittings, which contain screws that are per-
pendicular to the outside of the conduit and can be
tightened down into the conduit to hold the fitting
in place. EMT can save cost because it requires less
material in its construction, is lighter and easier to
handle and its slip-on type fittings typically install
more quickly.
An understanding of the material and method of
construction for each type of conduit is important
to know when considering what environment the
conduits will be subject to.
Metallic conduits are constructed of various
metals that are suited for different applications. Gal-
vanized steel RMC has a heavy wall and provides
significant mechanical protection. Aluminum RMC
conduits can be used in areas where strong mag-
netic fields require nonferrous metals, like an MRI.
Aluminum RMC also can be used in environments
that would corrode ferrous metal conduits. Stainless
steel RMC can provide additional corrosion protec-
Figure 3: To limit the transmission of vibration generated by certain tion in certain environments. Red brass RMC is
equipment, flexible conduit is used as the pathway for power wiring especially suited for contact with chlorinated water.
between the equipment and the rest of the distribution system. This This conduit is often used to feed wet niche light
shows a flexible connections at a transformer. Courtesy: Peter Basso fixtures in areas that will be exposed to water.
Associates Inc. Conduit types are not created equal. Not only
are they constructed in different ways and of dif-
ferent materials, even when they share a common
Figure 4: RMC
trade size, the interior dimensions are not uniform
conduit is ter-
from type to type.
minated with
Tables for standard interior cross-sectional areas
threaded fittings.
of different types of conduits are listed in Table 4
This photo shows
of the NEC. This table shows the internal diameter
the threads cut
and total internal cross-sectional area of every trade
into the conduit
size for every type of conduit. The table also calcu-
and terminated
lates and lists the cross sectional areas of typical fill
in a piece of
capacities that are outlined elsewhere in the code.
equipment using
The most common fill capacity is the 40% capacity
locknuts on the
that applies to the allowable conduit fill when more
conduit threads.
than two wires are in a conduit.
For an example demonstrating that trade sizes of
different conduit types are not equivalent, refer to
Chapter 9, Table 4 for comparison between Sched-
ule 80 PVC and IMC conduits. A typical 1 ½-inch
PVC Schedule 80 conduit provides 1.476 inches of
interior diameter and 1.711 square inches of total
cross sectional area, while a typical 1 ½-inch IMC
conduit provides 1.683 inches of interior diame-
ter and 2.225 square inches of total cross sectional
area. If using the 40% fill column, IMC can support
0.890 square inches and PVC-80 can only be filled
to 0.684 square inches.
To determine the minimum sized conduit that

36 • October 2019 CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER [Link]

is needed for power wiring, refer to the tables con- Selecting power wiring
tained in NEC Chapter 9. Table 4 lists the allow-
STEP DESCRIPTION
able fill capacities for typically available trade sized
conduits for each type of conduit. Tables 5 and 5A 1
Determine the conductor insulation type and refer to the appropriate portion of
Table 5. (For this example, we will be using type THHN insulation.)
indicate the nominal dimensions of insulated con-
List every size of conductor that will be located in this section of conduit.
ductors, fixture wires and compact conductors. The 2 (For this example, we will be using three #1/0 and one #6 GND.)
steps at right outline a typical installation. Note: Use Table 5 and list the inches approximate area inches for each size conduc-
This example does not address compact conductors. 3 tor with THHN insulation. (From the tables in NEC we find that #1/0 = 0.1855
In this example, we’ll calculate the size for a feeder square inches and #6 = 0.0507 square inches.)

consisting of three #1/0 and one #6 GND. Sum the areas of the all of the conductors to get the total area that will be
occupied by conductors and their insulation. (Using the data from the NEC
In the example (see steps at right), using EMT 4 and the quantities from our example, we can calculate the total area: (3 x
conduit requires 1½-inch trade size conduit, but 0.1855) + (1 x 0.0507) = 0.6072 square inches.)
if IMC conduit were appropriate and desired, 5
Determine which type of conduit will be used and refer to the appropriate por-
tion of Table 4. (For this example, we will be using EMT conduit.)
this same feeder could be installed using smaller
1¼-inch IMC trade size conduit with a 0.659 square Refer to the “square inches portion of the “over two wires 40%” column and
find the smallest conduit that has an interior area larger than the calculated
inches available area. conductor area. (From Table 4 in the NEC, we find that the calculated conduc-
6
The previous example indicates how to deter- tor area of 0.6072 square inches (from step 4), is too small at 0.598 square
inches for 1¼ inch EMT, but will work inside the 0.814 square inches available
mine the minimum conduit size for a particular in 1½ inch EMT.)
type of conduit that contains more than one size
conductor. The NEC also contains information in environment. There are also composite conduits,
Informative Annex C that allows for a quick refer- such as PVC coated steel conduits that combine the
ence of conduit size. These tables do not take into strength of metal conduits with some of the water
account fill consisting of multiple conductor sizes, protection of the PVC coating.
but can be used as a conservative sizing tool. Surface raceways: Surface raceways are avail-
For example, a feeder will typically contain a able in metallic and nonmetallic versions. These
ground conductor that is smaller than the phase can be used for renovation work where surfaces,
conductors. In that case one could use the Annex C walls or ceilings do not permit easy access for new
table and assume that the ground conductor is the recessed installations to take place. These are avail-
same size as the phase conductors for a conserva- able in various configurations that accommodate
tive conduit size. a single pathway for either power or low-voltage
Underground conduits often are used to get work or divided pathways that allow for power and
power and low-voltage services in and out of facil- low-voltage pathways to be routed adjacent to one
ities, between buildings in a campus-type setting another within the same overall structure.
and also are used to feed equipment located on
grade or out on a site. When conduits are installed
below grade, the earth inherently provides a cer-
tain amount of protection for the conduits. If the
earth above the conduits provides adequate protec-
tion, then these conduits can be directly buried in
the earth and their primary function is as a path-
way through the earth. Because of that, nonmetallic
conduits are often used (refer to NEC Table 300.5
for required depths of conduits below grade).
Common nonmetallic conduits that are installed
below grade are PVC, HDPE and RTRC. These
conduit types are preferred because they typical-
ly provide a cost savings on material and on labor
installation costs. Critical systems or power wir-
ing that requires higher levels of protection from
accidental damage from future excavation or drill-
ing can be installed in metal conduits or encased in
concrete in the form of a duct bank for additional
protection. Conduits that are installed below grade
also should be selected to maintain their integrity
while being installed below earth. These conduits Figure 5: This photo shows surface-mounted raceway used in a lab
are often exposed to water, so PVC, HDPE and renovation. This type of system can be mounted on an inaccessible
resin conduits often are selected because of their concrete wall and also provides future flexibility which is desirable in
ability to maintain their integrity in this type of a lab environment. Courtesy: Peter Basso Associates Inc.

[Link] consulting-specifying engineer October 2019 • 37

BUILDING SOLUTIONS
ELECTRICAL RACEWAYS, BUSWAYS, WIRING, CABLING

‘
Some advantages of this type of distribution are:
Cable trays allow supports and paths • The ability to get larger ampacities through a
smaller cross-sectional area than conduit and
for future cable installations without the wire.

introduction of new hangers and supports. • When using a plug-in style busway, power
can be accessed at multiple points along the
Cable trays can also be used to route and system.

’
support power conductors. • Larger busways can be routed vertically in
multistory buildings allowing power to be
“tapped” on each floor.
These systems also have options for surface
mounting of the devices that they serve, including • Smaller plug-in style systems can be used
receptacles, network jacks and audiovisual connec- overhead in machine shops or other areas
tors. Because these types of systems are exposed where lots of equipment is located.
and surface-mounted, they require proprietary sur-
face mounted fittings for all changes of directions This type of system allows for multiple feeders to
and anywhere a tap is made that requires the path- equipment and allows for simpler changes that may
way to branch off in more than one direction. be required by new or relocated equipment. Very
There is a vast array of these fittings that accom- small systems can be used in data centers to pro-
modate most situations. These fittings include vide branch circuit taps as required to feed network
boxes to connect to conduit, flat 90-degree elbows, equipment. High-ampacity busways also can be
internal 90-degree elbows, external 90-degree used as part of substations to connect parts togeth-
elbows, “T” fittings and just about any other type of er without a need for multiple conduits and con-
special fitting you may require. ductors between sections.
While these surface systems are often used for Cable tray: There are various styles of cable tray.
renovation work (see Figure 5), they also provide Some types can be partially enclosed, while oth-
benefits and can be used as part of new construc- ers use a very open support structure. Cable trays
tion. A new construction benefit is the ease with come in a multitude of sizes and configurations.
which additional conductors, cables and their asso- Cable trays are commonly used as means of gather-
ciated devices can be added to a surface raceway ing up a large quantity of low-voltage cables along
system in the future. With some of the large dual main routes and getting them back from devices to
pathway systems, it can be as easy as the contractor a main source.
snapping off a blank cover, cutting it and snapping Network cables lend themselves nicely to the use
a device mounting plate in the new space. of cable trays. The tray system can be routed along a
Busway: A busway system provides means to common route where all of the independent cables
distribute power throughout a building or feeders can gather together and make their way back to a
or branch circuits within an area. Busways consist network closet.
of an overall metal structure that provides a hous- It is important to understand the space that
ing and protection for internal conductors. The open cables are routed through. For example,
conductors are typically solid and can be made cables that are routed through a space that is des-
of copper or aluminum and can consist of flat or ignated as an air plenum are required to have insu-
round busses mounted inside of the metal housing. lation and jacket that is specifically listed to meet
the requirements of an environmental air plenum.
Table 2: Power cable quick reference Cable trays allow supports and paths for future
cable installations without the introduction of new
TYPE CABLE DESCRIPTION NEC ARTICLE hangers and supports. Cable trays can also be used
AC Armored 320
to route and support power conductors. Conduc-
tors must be specifically listed for use as Type TC
MC Metal-clad 330 tray cable. See Table 2.
Power cable assemblies: For commercial build-
NM Nonmetallic-sheathed 334
ing applications, there are various types of cable
TC Power and control tray 336 assemblies made up of power conductors. These
cable assemblies are available for everything from
Table 2: This provides a reference table to NEC Articles for common- branch circuits up to large feeders. Common types
ly used power cables. Courtesy: Peter Basso Associates Inc. of this cable are type MC and type AC. These cables

38 • October 2019 CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER [Link]

can be installed concealed within construction fin-
ishes or exposed and can be installed in cable trays.
When run independently, unless otherwise
listed, both MC and AC cables require a support
within 12 inches of every outlet box, junction box,
cabinet or fitting. AC cable requires supports every
4 ½ feet (NEC Article 320) while MC cable requires
supports every 6 feet. The NEC lists more permit-
ted uses for the MC cable than for AC cable. Both of
these solutions typically provide a cost savings over
conduit and conductors in many types of applica-
tions. However, these cables do not allow for addi-
tional conductors to be installed inside of them in
the future and many people feel that they don’t look
as neat and organized as a conduit solution.
For dwelling unit applications, power wiring is
typically accomplished using NM type cable typi-
cally routed within ceilings and walls.
Wireways: This type of enclosure can be used in
lieu of a pull box or can be used as a large junction
box to provide multiple feeder taps inside a single Figure 6: Wireways can be used to serve many purposed in an overall
enclosure. These are available in various cross-sec- raceway system. This photo shows a wireway being used to tap an inter-
tional sizes (usually square), constructed of metal- nal feeder to feed several motor controllers and safety switches. Cour-
lic or nonmetallic material and with various types tesy: Peter Basso Associates Inc.
of covers (see Figure 6).
Open wiring: In commercial building applica-
tions, open wiring is most commonly used with Figure 7: This photo
telecommunication and audiovisual cables, and also shows PVC conduit
can include some power limited control cabling. in pool equipment
As noted previously, it is important to understand tunnel. The conduit is
environment air plenums and use cables that are suited to resist corro-
listed for those areas. sion in this environ-
These cables can be independently supported or ment, but was broken
supported in groups using J-hooks or some other at some point as peo-
cable support. Most J-hooks are specially designed ple or equipment was
to support cables without focusing the load on moved through this
a single edge along the top of the support. There area. Courtesy: Peter
are code-defined support spacing requirements Basso Associates Inc.
that vary depending on the type of cable being
supported, while some support telecommunica- Figure 7 is an example of damaged PVC con-
tion spacing is driven by standards in lieu of code duit in a pool equipment area. Almost all met-
requirements. Common standards for telecommu- als corrode in a chlorinated environment, but in a
nications systems and associated cabling include properly maintained pool area, aluminum conduit
those developed by the Telecommunications Indus- should have a slow rate of corrosion as long as it not
try Association and Electronic Industry Alliance in contact with the water and should provide some
(TIA/EIA) and the Building Industry Consulting additional mechanical protection for the wires and
Service International (BICSI). cables inside. Resin-based conduits could provide
Special environments often require a conduit sys- the advantage of both a nonmetallic raceway and
tem that will withstand the conditions in which they mechanical strength similar to a metal conduit.
are installed. Take, for example, the process of con- As with many things, there is no single best or
duit selection for a pool environment. Natatoriums, correct selection, so the engineer should weigh the
pools and their associated equipment rooms that use advantages and disadvantages of each potential
chlorine as their water treatment method are a good option when selecting appropriate solutions. cse
example of special environment requirements. There
are several types of conduit that are suited for this Terry Cleis is a principal at Peter Basso Associates
environment and should be considered. A nonmetal- Inc. within the higher education group. He special-
lic conduit like PVC will not corrode in the environ- izes in electrical systems engineering design and
ment, but it is also not mechanically strong. management.

[Link] consulting-specifying engineer October 2019 • 39

BUILDING SOLUTIONS
CODES & STANDARDS
By Michael Phillips, Envise, Sterling, Virginia

Using demand-controlled
ventilation in HVAC
Mechanical engineers should consider the many factors that go into designing
buildings for indoor air quality and indoor environmental quality

A
recent article published in The Wash- For the heating, ventilation and air condition-
ington Post by Christopher Ingraham ing engineer, there are two ASHRAE compliance
clearly explained “Why crowded meet- standards: ASHRAE Standard 55: Thermal Envi-
ings and conference rooms make you ronmental Conditions for Human Occupancy, and
so, so tired.” It had a concise description ASHRAE Standard 62.1.
of carbon dioxide levels and their effect on occu-
pant comfort and performance. What is a high-performance building?
A graph of a live meeting showed how quickly According to Title IV – Energy Savings in
the CO2 in a crowded conference room went from Buildings and Industry in the Energy Indepen-
800 to 1,000 parts per million, the threshold at dence and Security Act of 2007, a high-perfor-
which ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2016: Ventilation mance building is “a building that integrates
for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality states occupants and optimizes on a life cycle basis all major
first start to feel stuffy and sleepy. high-performance attributes, including ener-
gy conservation, environment, safety, security,
Indoor environmental quality durability, accessibility, cost-benefit, productiv-
IEQ includes everything from room color and ity, sustainability, functionality and operational
ergonomic layout, to how well the pest control is considerations.”
done. For many, it is defined by the U.S. Green The convergence of making a building both
Building Council’s LEED rating system and comes comfortable and energy-efficient has been a
down to a few main topics: challenge for several years. As designers are dis-
covering, traditional HVAC designs don’t make
• Thermal comfort. it easy in many parts of the country, especially
• Lighting. those with higher levels of cooling requirements,
• Acoustics/sound. as traditional HVAC designs are developed based
• Ventilation. on an average of climate conditions across the
country.

Demand-controlled ventilation
One of the most popular ways to meet
ASHRAE 62.1 requirements and conserve ener-
gy is through DCV. This method allows the engi-
neer to decrease the amount of ventilation in a
space if it can be demonstrated there are either
no people in the space or not enough people to
justify the “cubic feet per minute rate per per-
son.” The intent of this method is to match the
provided ventilation rate with actual occupancy
(demand), maintaining indoor air quality with-
Figure 1: The schematic shows a series terminal box using dedicated out overventilating.
outside air that can be directly measured and controlled. Courtesy: The ASHRAE 62.1-2016 rules for implement-
Envise ing DCV are found in section 6.2.7:

40 • October 2019 consulting-specifying engineer [Link]

Table 1: Ventilation rates
Occupancy category Rp (cfm/p) Ra (cfm/square foot) Persons Vbz (cfm) Effective cfm/p

Auditorium 5.0 0.06 150 810 5.4

Classroom 10.0 0.12 25 370 15

Lecture classroom 7.5 0.06 65 550 85

Office 5.0 0.06 5 85 17

Retail 7.5 0.12 15 233 16

Table 1: This shows the rate per person (Rp) and rate per area (Ra), resulting in the total ventila-
tion rate for the space — called the ventilation breathing zone (Vbz) cfm. Actual values adapted
from ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2016 Table [Link]. Courtesy: Envise

Table 2: Ventilation in empty rooms

Occupancy category Rp (cfm/p) Ra (cfm/square foot) Persons Vbz (cfm) Reduction (cfm)

Auditorium 5.0 0.06 0 60 -750

Classroom 10.0 0.12 0 120 -250

Lecture classroom 7.5 0.06 0 60 -490

Office 5.0 0.06 0 60 -25

Retail 7.5 0.12 0 120 -113

Table 2: This shows the cubic feet per minute reduction if there are no persons in the room, based
on ASHRAE information. Courtesy: Envise

[Link]. DCV shall be permitted as an option-

al means of dynamic reset. Exception: CO2-based
Occupancy sensor control for:
L Learning
DCV shall not be applied in zones with indoor • Private offices. OBJECTIVES
sources of CO2 other than occupants or with • Enclosed limited purpose rooms. • Understand what indoor
CO2 removal mechanisms, such as gaseous air environmental quality is.
cleaners. Both start on the premise that if the • Learn how to save energy
[Link].1 For DVC zones in the occupied schedule is “occupied,” but no one is in by using demand-controlled
ventilation.
mode, breathing zone outdoor airflow (Vbz) shall the space, primary air is reduced to the
be reset in response to current population. minimum square foot requirement. • Gather information about what
thermal comfort is.
[Link].2 For DVC zones in the occupied
mode, breathing zone outdoor airflow (Vbz) shall Using outside air • Know how the occupant
interface experience affects
be no less than the building component (Ra x Az) The most precise way to control out- thermal comfort and indoor
of the DCV zone. Note: Examples of reset meth- side air is by having a dedicated source, environmental quality.
ods or devices include population counters, car- such as a dedicated outside air unit, feed-
bon dioxide sensors, timers, occupancy schedules ing only outside air to the terminal zones.
or occupancy sensors. The terminal zones are sequenced as follows:
Tables 1 and 2 represent the potential sav-
ings in effective cubic feet per minute per person 1. Primary air is reduced to a “minimum set-
reduction. point.” This is the ASHRAE 62.1 cubic
With this in mind, how do we determine feet per minute per square foot value only
the number of individuals in the breathing (0.06 cfm/square foot) for the office space
zones? While there are many different ways to category.
accomplish DCV sequences, here are two basic
examples: 2. If CO2 increases above the outside air CO2
level by a differential, primary air is incre-
CO2 control for: mentally increased back to the design air-
flow rate.
• Open offices.
• Meeting rooms. 3. If the occupancy sensor is activated, primary
• Other transient spaces. air is returned back to the design airflow rate.

[Link] consulting-specifying engineer October 2019 • 41

BUILDING SOLUTIONS
CODES & STANDARDS

As an option in private offices, primary air can air inlet (see Figure 3). CO2 can be measured for
be shut off completely until the occupancy sensor the zone in the return air duct. Outside air is con-
is activated. trolled to the minimum zone cubic feet per min-
Two examples of when you may need additional ute per square foot ventilation rate. If return air
primary air include temperature override and dew- CO2 increases above the outside air CO2 by a dif-
point override. In temperature override, you must ferential of 700 ppm (or 1,100 ppm for outdoor air
stop the DCV reset and return to normal design with acceptable CO2 concentrations), outside air is
airflow if the cooling setpoint cannot be main- increased back to the design airflow rate Vbz (Ra
tained with the sensible coil. In the case of dew- + Rp).
point override, you can stop the DCV reset and
return to normal design airflow if the space dew- Variable air volume systems
point approaches the sensible chilled water temper- Multiple-zone VAV systems with direct digi-
ature (58°F), if using a sensible chilled water coil. tal controls of individual zone boxes reporting to
There are a few factors to consider when con- a central control panel may include means to auto-
trolling outside air. First, you should be aware matically reduce outdoor air intake flow below
if there are very low airflow rates on the primary design rates in response to changes in system ven-
air and whether they can be controlled accurately tilation efficiency as defined by Appendix A of
below 20% of box rated flow. Secondly, one needs to ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2016.
consider the availability and cost of points for occu- A few things to note about this scenario:
pancy sensor, CO2 or dewpoint calculation.
When considering DCV at the air handler with • Outside air can be measured and controlled
a single-zone air handling unit, outside air can be directly at the outside air inlet.
measured and controlled directly at the outside
• CO2 and occupancy are measured for each
zone at the zone.

• Zones send their occupied status to the AHU

based on CO2 differential.

• There are two outside air cubic feet per min-

ute flow setpoints.

– Outside air is controlled to the measured

minimum zone cubic feet per minute per
square foot ventilation rate Ra.

Figure 2: A terminal box schedule shows that the minimum calcu- – Outside air is increased back up to the
lated cubic feet per minute per square foot is less than the primary design airflow rate Vbz (Ra + Rp) mea-
airflow minimum scheduled cubic feet per minute, which may create sured maximum.
controllability issues. Courtesy: Envise
Typical sequence of operations for this AHU/
VAV system scenario:

1. The ventilation outside air damper will mod-

ulate to maintain the minimum outside air
design setpoint value once the unit is enabled
to run.

2. The minimum outside air cubic feet per min-

ute will be increased on a trim and respond
setpoint optimization sequence: each zone
associated with the AHU will be capable of
registering a vote for more ventilation air.
Upon a demand for one or more CO2 moni-
Figure 3: A schematic of a single zone air handler indicates where tored zones, the minimum outside air cubic
outside air can be measured and controlled directly. Carbon dioxide feet per minute will be allowed to gradually
can be measured for this sequence from the return air duct or ple- increase up to the “design maximum” venti-
num. Courtesy: Envise lation rate.

42 • October 2019 consulting-specifying engineer [Link]

 3. As the CO2 in the monitored zones decreas- zone, you might find the zone outside the ASHRAE
es, minimum outside air cubic feet per min- 55 standard for thermal comfort as well. For both
ute will be decreased back to the scheduled of these reasons, controlling to a dewpoint is more
“minimum” ventilation rate. desirable than basic relative humidity control.
The general ASHRAE 55 requirement is to
4. The following represents the trim and maintain humidity that corresponds to a dewpoint
respond formula to be calculated once every temperature at or below 62.2°F. Because sensible
five minutes (adj.): chilled water systems run at temperatures of 58°F,
monitoring and maintaining a dewpoint control
OA cfm = [(max cfm stpt – min cfm stpt)/20] * at 54°F (at a zone air temperature of 74°F) for the
(votes)] + last cfm value space will meet both requirements.

‘
When the votes go to zero, then the cubic feet
per minute will be trimmed back to minimum once Mechanical engineers should
every five minutes (adj.):
consider the cost of CO2 sensors,
OA cfm = last cfm value –
(max cfm value – min cfm stpt)/*20
aesthetics and reliability/calibration

’
For engineers concerned about a ventilation
of these sensors.
increase that is too gradual, this factor in the default
formula can be changed and lowered to produce a It is recommended to space dewpoint sensors
faster and more dramatic response to CO2 changes. throughout the floorplate, approximately one per
This is best determined in the field during system 10,000 square feet. If a section of floor has a sep-
commissioning. arate environmental system or is shut off tightly
Mechanical engineers should consider the cost from other spaces, the area should have a separate
of CO2 sensors, aesthetics and reliability/calibra- monitoring point.
tion of these sensors. When considering CO2 sen-
sors, know that: Thermal comfort of occupants
The requirements of ASHRAE Standard 55-2017
• Most control system manufacturers have CO2 are various and include:
options built into their zone sensors, which
helps bring the cost down and improve the • Temperature.
“look.” • Thermal radiation.
• Humidity.
• CO2 sensors are easy to maintain and calibrate • Air speed.
if you understand how they self-calibrate.
There are many personal factors as well that
• Physical destruction is the most common need to be taken into account when designing spac-
problem. es. The standard does not cover other nonthermal
environmental factors such as air quality, lighting
• Building automation system service agree- or acoustics. While the standard is complex and
ments are highly recommended. beyond the scope of this article, in the context of
the high-performance building, occupant control
The use of a separate outside air CO2 sensor is over their comfort settings should be more acces-
not recommended for a few reasons. First, if the sible. The sophisticated technologies that allow us
sensor does need to be calibrated or otherwise fails, to perform algorithms like the DCV sequences also
you not only cause problems with a zone but with allow the designer and facility owner to allow occu-
your entire building. Second and most important- pants to customize their environmental experience.
ly, it is simply not needed. Ambient CO2 levels in
the atmosphere are currently at 414 to 430 ppm Occupant interface experience
worldwide. Attention needs to be paid to the occupant inter-
face experience. How can an occupant adjust not
Dewpoint monitoring and control only the temperature setpoints, but other factors
You may notice that several of these methods in the environment such as lighting? This is done
use sensible chilled-water coils. As a result, conden- through unified room controls.
sation at the zone may not be desired, and if you are
in a situation where you may be condensing at the Continued on page 46

[Link] consulting-specifying engineer October 2019 • 43

 HIGH-PERFORMING
Our DN Series DOAS effectively conditions outdoor air Productivity
with efficient and sustainable technology. By enabling Enhanced IAQ
HVAC units to operate independently, depending on could save up to
$200 billion in
building load. Our DOAS unit incorporates static-plate
worker performance and
total energy recovery and a wide array of features and $58 billion
configurations. Optimize your ventilation strategy, in lost
downsize equipment, decrease capital costs and sick time.
(LBNL)
realize significant operating savings.

FOR HIGH-
[Link] Read our white paper,
800.627.4499 ASHRAE 189.1: A Higher
Standard for High-
performance Green Buildings:
[Link]/CSE_ASH189
BUILDINGS
Awareness Health/Wellness Cognitive Function
People spend Poor IAQ can Students in
90% of their time have adverse classrooms
indoors. The EPA found that health effects like headaches, with higher outdoor air
indoor air is 2–5 times and may allergies, skin irritations, cancer, ventilation rates scored
be 100 times and kidney damage. And, 14–15% higher than students
more polluted deficient IAQ due to dampness with lower
than outdoor and mold can increase asthma outdoor air
air. (EPA) risk by 50%. (WHO) ventilation
rates. (EPA)

VENTILATE WITH DOAS

PERFORMING PEOPLE
input #8 at [Link]/information
 BUILDING SOLUTIONS
CODES & STANDARDS

Continued from page 43

Unified room controls can:

• Control lighting with the HVAC.
• Allow an occupant a single point
of control. ‘ DCV is a key component

in achieving both ASHRAE

When it comes to indoor comfort,
• Sense thermal comfort at the
SENS-DC Print Ad_08 [Link] 1
sensing temperature and the control of
7/21/17 10:09 AM
62.1 requirements and saving
person,not the corner of the room. HVAC in general, the traditional meth-
• Get rid of the wall warts. ods have limitations that can be over-
energy. In many cases, it can

improve energy efficiency or

gain points in a rating system

’
like LEED.

come. Sensing temperature at the wall

with a traditional thermostat or elec-
tronic sensor is no longer required.
Proper occupant comfort is sensed at
the occupant, not at the wall. Many
modern ceiling devices, even light-
ing fixtures, are available that can mea-
sure the temperature in the middle of
the room, where the occupants spend
most of their time. This is just one con-
C vergence of lighting technology with
HVAC control technology.
M
Smartphone apps are the second
Y convergence of lighting technology and
CM
HVAC control technology; they are uni-
fied room controls.
MY

CY

Key takeaways
DCV is a key component in achiev-
CMY

K ing both ASHRAE 62.1 requirements

and saving energy. In many cases, it can
improve energy efficiency or gain points
in a rating system like LEED.
Additionally, new technologies are
replacing the traditional concept of room
controls with light switches and thermo-
stats on the wall. Designers and consul-
tants can embrace unified room controls,
which give the occupant an enhanced
interface experience. cse

Michael Phillips is integration business

manager for Envise. Phillips has been in
the building automation and controls
industry for 25 years and has worked on
a number of large smart building and
U.S. Green Building LEED Gold certified
projects.

input #9 at [Link]/information 46 • October 2019

Congratulations,
MEP Giants Winners!
The MEP Giants program lists the top 100
mechanical, electrical, plumbing (MEP),
and fire protection engineering firms in
North America.

Read more about the 2019 MEP Giants at

[Link]/giants
ENGINEERING INSIGHTS
MEP ROUNDTABLE

Learning how to engineer

colleges, universities better
Read about emerging trends in college and university buildings, and learn
about the emerging trends impacting their design

CSE: What’s the biggest trend in in the updating and renovating of existing the overall energy impact to the environ-
college and university buildings? spaces. The goals may be to attract mul- ment. In some cases, we are seeing net-
tiple funding sources or to encourage zero buildings becoming a goal for several
Travis Fletcher: I’d say the biggest emerging technologies and techniques institutions.
trends in these buildings include electrifi- in interdisciplinary learning or both of David K. Piluski: Flexibility in occu-
cation, decarbonization, net-zero or near these and others. The fact is that in plan- pancy and use. With colleges and uni-
net-zero and P3. Additionally, moving to ning these collaboration spaces, colleges versities trending toward new ways of
an “open” building automation system is and universities are taking advantage of delivering instruction including tradition-
an emerging trend. Many campuses do multiple successful components of exist- al live, online and hybrid courses incorpo-
not want to be locked in anymore. Using ing programs to grow their facilities and rating online lectures with campus-based
the data from the system with analytics provide valuable student experiences, labs and collaboration sessions, the design
helps understand the opportunities in the which will stimulate economic growth in of buildings and spaces has trended
system better and optimizes the systems newly created fields and businesses that toward flexibility. What we previously had
for energy efficiency. are spurred by these collaborative learn- known as classrooms and labs are evolv-
Ryan Fryman: There are many poten- ing environments. ing into collaborative spaces, which are
tial trends like data science; security; sus- Carl Holden: Accelerated change: easily convertible for other uses and for
tainability; student engagement; science, Funding, competition, demographics, combining functionality to make the best
technology, engineering and math; and industry needs, technology, value, integra- use of space and resources.
business incubators/innovation centers. tion of disciplines, accreditation concerns, Bob Sherman: I am seeing university
Perhaps the strongest is providing inter- remote and lifelong learners and perfor- operations and maintenance staffs finally
disciplinary collaboration space. Many mance data are some factors driving a getting more of a voice in the design pro-
facility programs are written to appeal to higher rate of change than these buildings cess. Universities spent a lot of money on
multiple funding sources; from politically have seen in the past. Innovation and the a lot of new buildings over the last decade
driven state and federal STEM programs rate at which project approaches in higher and were under a lot of pressure to install
to private donor impact opportunities. education are needing to change is affect- systems that were more complicated for
Whether it is information systems ing many campuses. sake of energy efficiency, at the same
combined with medical and pharmacy John O’Connell: College and univer- time having their budgets and manpower
education, engineering programs com- sities have been at the forefront of imple- slashed. This has left a lot of these insti-
ingling with construction management, menting sustainable and energy-efficient tutions with buildings that they just don’t
live/learn honors college environments mechanical, electrical and plumbing sys- understand and/or can’t maintain. Lately I
or even the college of education working tems. While there may be a more signifi- have seen the O&M staff have much more
with the athletic department, a trend of cant upfront cost to install these types of influence over the final layout and design
“joining forces” is occurring in new facil- systems, these institutions have evolved to of the systems with an emphasis on main-
ity planning and construction and with- evaluate the life cycle cost while factoring tainability and simplicity. It doesn’t matter

Travis Fletcher Ryan Fryman, Carl Holden, John O’Connell,

Branch Manager PE, LEED AP PE, LEED AP PE, LEED AP
Envise BD+C, CxA Vice Senior Associate
Garden Grove, Principal, Senior President|Higher Kohler Ronan
California Electrical Engineer Education Practice Danbury,
TLC Engineering Director Connecticut
Solutions Henderson
Jacksonville, Florida Engineers
Lenexa, Kansas

48 • October 2019 consulting-specifying engineer [Link]

Figure 1: Engineers with Kohler Ronan worked on the Williams College Residence Hall for the Center for Development
Economics, located in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Designed to meet the Net-Zero Energy Petal of the Living Building
Challenge, all the electric systems of the 17,000-square-foot building are intended to eliminate reliance on fossil fuels
and help make the structure being independent of the central campus heating plant. Courtesy: Kohler Ronan

how good the design is if they can’t oper- 2019, shall use on-site fossil fuel combus- ical expertise into the job descriptions,
ate and maintain it effectively. tion (e.g., natural gas) for space and water these institutions have stepped up to build
Randy C. Twedt: The incoming gen- heating” (with few exceptions). This poli- lab environments that model real-world
erations of students grew up in technol- cy is in alignment with California’s Senate settings found in advanced manufactur-
ogy-rich environments where they often Bill 100 that signed into law California’s ing as well as creating exacting replicas
exerted a lot of control regarding how commitment to 100% clean renewable of systems and equipment found in the
they experience space. They expect the electricity by 2045. We are seeing similar mechanical and electrical rooms serving
same level of integration and control in policies or guidelines from other publicly commercial buildings.
the academic environment. They want funded educational facilities. Twedt: We will see growth in smart
to customize their experiences in terms buildings because students are demand-
of lighting and temperature; and they CSE: What future trends should ing full integration of technology in their
demand access to high-speed internet at engineers expect for such proj- environments and universities are look-
all times. The systems increasingly need ects? ing to be both cost-effective and sustain-
to provide technology-rich, customizable able. Smart buildings can respond to all
environments but also allow manage- Piluski: I am seeing a trend toward of these needs.
ment to override customization to con- more multipurpose flexible spaces to Holden: These changes will result
trol for efficiency. accommodate dynamic teaching envi- in an ongoing need to renovate build-
Jeffrey P. Wegner: In California, ronments encompassing on-campus and ings built to last for decades and built for
we are seeing a strong trend away from remote learning. Another trend is in specific functions. Renovations will con-
the use of fossil fuel to lower the build- the teaching of technology trades at the tinue to be centered around integrating
ing’s carbon footprint. The University of community college and technical col- departments, reallocating lecture space,
California Policy on Sustainable Practic- lege levels. As traditional occupations in adding active learning components and
es states, “No new building or major ren- manufacturing and building trades have creating spaces where skills can be prac-
ovation that is approved after June 30, incorporated greater levels of technolog- ticed or gained.

David K. Bob Sherman, Randy C. Jeffrey P. Weg-

Piluski, PE PE, LEED AP Twedt, PE, ner, PE, CEM,
Principal Principal LEED AP LEED AP
RTM Engineering Affiliated Engineers Associate Principal/ Mechanical
Schaumburg, Illinois Inc. Senior Mechanical Engineer
Chapel Hill, North Engineer CRB
Carolina Page San Diego
Austin, Texas

[Link] consulting-specifying engineer October 2019 • 49

ENGINEERING INSIGHTS
MEP ROUNDTABLE

Wegner: We are starting to see trends Council LEED Gold or Platinum appears that, we need to layer in the desire for
or at least discussions, away from cen- to be more common, as well as design the building to be energy efficient, easy
tralized heating systems, specifically cen- toward WELL Certification and Passive to operate and easy to maintain. There
tral steam. The preferred approach is House Standards. is a lot of tension at times between those
de-centralized heat pumps sized to meet Sherman: The need to balance ener- competing forces and it is imperative that
the maximum heating requirements and gy efficiency with simplicity of O&M. we make the best choices we can for the
chilled water byproduct is either used Our architectural partners are looking project.
locally or dumped into the central chilled at the engineering team to provide some Wegner: Common challenges occur
water loop. sophisticated MEP systems to meet ener- around funding and identifying whose
O’Connell: Our company has seen gy goals (or even beyond) of the project. budget the energy efficiency upgrades
a more aggressive push toward net-zero And, we do have a lot of systems at our falls within, whether it be an individual
and reducing the carbon footprint of their disposal that we can employ now that do project cost or a facilities cost.
campus. Pursuing U.S. Green Building save a lot of energy. However, we have to Piluski: Having experience with design
balance that with the desire from the cam- and construction of actual advanced man-
pus maintenance and operations group ufacturing facilities and mechanical/elec-
for simplicity of operation and upkeep. trical spaces in numerous buildings, the
Fryman: Engineers should expect to major challenge I experienced was trans-
have to listen to the varying user groups lating these environments to the realm of
of these collaborative spaces and think a teaching space. Manufacturing vignettes
outside the box of typical single-pur- and training spaces for mechanical equip-
pose facilities to create an environment ment must be designed to not only allow
that fosters the innovative thinking that the arrangement and access typically
will occur within them. This requires the found in real-world applications but must
engineer to be experienced in the design also incorporate additional space for lab
of many types of facilities, not just your teams to observe operations and instruc-
typical classroom building. The created tors while maintaining safe and functional
environment may need to more closely clearances.
resemble the environment that the stu- Fryman: These types of facilities
dents may find themselves working in may actually contain multiple occupan-
after graduation. cy types. Depending on the different dis-
ciplines represented, varying amounts
CSE: What types of challenges of ventilation or exhaust, task lighting,
do you encounter for these types audiovisual needs, large meeting spac-
of projects that you might not face es, wet labs, etc. These types of variations
on other types of structures? require building infrastructure to accom-
modate them all. That could have a pro-
O’Connell: Determining the building’s found effect on the heating, ventilation
energy use intensity early on is important. and air conditioning system type, build-
Understanding the building operation ing control systems, life safety and data
schedule, the number of occupants and cabling and lighting, among many other
proposed program is critical to design the possible needs.
on-site renewable energy source to sup- Holden: The challenges in existing
port the building. facilities come as we seek to integrate
Twedt: Educating academic clients new infrastructure necessary for chang-
about the benefits of technology remains a ing programs or space use. Building con-
Figure 2: During work on the challenge. Many of these institutions may struction, glazing and plenum space
complete renovation of the have outdated design guidelines and can don’t necessarily align with energy goals
110,000-square-foot library building be slow to adapt to change. or with system incorporation needed to
at Harper Community College in Pala- Sherman: The safety of the building support simulated workplaces or skills
tine, Illinois, RTM Engineering incor- occupants is the most important factor labs. In both new and existing facilities, a
porated LED lighting products into for the engineering design. We work on challenge is designing not just for future
interior and exterior building design complicated projects for very sophisticat- flexibility but also current flexibility. As
elements. These included highlighting ed clients. First and foremost, we need to interdisciplinary collaboration continues
architectural aspects of the building create environments that are safe for the to develop, we find many projects have
and providing attractive and useful occupants. For a teaching lab or research multiple stakeholders who will use the
lighting scenes for study areas and lab, we need to make sure that the deci- same spaces and have a variety of needs
small group settings. Courtesy: David sions we make take into account the safe- for the systems that support them. Cap-
Piluski, RTM Engineering ty of those within the facility. On top of turing and documenting these needs and

50 • October 2019 consulting-specifying engineer [Link]

providing an economic design to meet
them can be a challenge.
Fletcher: We often see older infra-
structure that hasn’t been updated in
years because it hasn’t had the need to. It’s
also difficult to gain access to data from
older systems or find the right contrac-
tor that can integrate older systems into
the newer ones. Many cannot afford to rip
and replace and start with a completely
new slate.

CSE: What are engineers doing

to ensure such projects meet chal- Figure 3: TLC Engineering Solutions worked on systems at the University of North
lenges associated with emerging Florida’s three-story Wellness Center in Jacksonville, Florida. Energy modeling indi-
technologies? cates the building is 28% more energy efficient than a baseline building, likely due
from tying into the campus chilled and hot water loops, low lighting power densities
Twedt: We’re working to educate our and use of low-mercury lamps. Courtesy: Ryan Fryman, TLC Engineering Solutions
clients about the advantages of technol-
ogy. We focus on the fact that integrated
technology benefits the end-user experi- important to incorporate allows for the cess to determine exactly what is needed
ence in the building and reduces the over- best outcomes and ensures the benefits in an effective design and then to blend
all costs of running and maintaining the of these technologies can be fully applied this with code-required design criteria.
systems. We have one university client to the project. It is also a great benefit for Advanced planning will identify high-cost
that asked us to disregard its guidelines the engineering team to be present with items early in the process while possible
and build the systems to the standards of stakeholders in programming and space lower cost alternates can still be vetted as
best practices in commercial design. The planning meetings to hear firsthand what acceptable solutions.
client recognized it was an opportunity the needs are for the building systems. Twedt: We’re helping our academ-
to push the envelope and was then able This provides an opportunity to ask clar- ic clients develop new standards, reduce
see the benefits of integrated technology ifying questions so the best solutions are costs and provide customizable environ-
firsthand. developed. ments for the students. It’s important to
Wegner: With California’s push Piluski: I work closely with the facul- perform energy studies and life cycle cost
toward clean electricity and the continued ty and leadership to establish the ultimate analyses for various features to evaluate
decline in solar photovoltaic cost, rooftop goals of the project and how technolo- the correct systems for a client’s project
solar makes for relatively easy econom- gies will be adapted into the design from budget. Since many of innovative fea-
ics. The challenge becomes supporting both the standpoint of functionality and tures can cross multiple disciplines, these
the added weight with outdated build- teaching practicality. The faculty will be types of studies are evaluated early in the
ing structures. Solutions include avoiding the primary users of the space and they project design phase to ensure the design
ballasted racking systems in preference bring their vision of the curriculum and team is taking a holistic approach.
toward mechanical attachments or choos- instructional procedures to bear in the Wegner: We are approaching more
ing a partial ballast hybrid solution. overall design. and more projects as design-build with
Fletcher: Some engineers are get- O’Connell: Emerging technologies can early onboarding of MEP subcontrac-
ting more involved with technology significantly improve a buildings ener- tors. Applying lean construction practices
companies (i.e., controls) to meet these gy performance. Using an energy model revolves heavily around planning, com-
challenges. throughout the various design phases munication, goal setting and continu-
Fryman: Engineers must plan for of a project can help validate the energy ous value engineering exercises. To keep
growth and change in today’s higher edu- impact of such technologies. costs down, we continuously benchmark
cation buildings. These buildings are our design against the client’s budget and
typically being planned to be 50-year CSE: How are engineers design- apply true value engineering versus a
(minimum) buildings. The building infra- ing these kinds of projects to major cost-cutting exercise at the end of
structure needs to be scalable and flexible keep costs down while offering substantial design completion.
to meet the changing needs of the users appealing features, complying with Holden: Communication is a key
over the expected life of the building. relevant codes and meeting client to this. Understanding what the client’s
Holden: We believe it is impor- needs? objectives and needs really are makes
tant to engage in project planning earli- translating them into solutions that align
er than engineers traditionally have been Piluski: The key is close communi- engineering best practices and code
involved. Setting goals early in the proj- cation with stakeholders, end users and requirements at more cost-effective rates.
ect for which emerging technologies are the entire design team early in the pro- By clearly communicating ideas and con-

[Link] CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER October 2019 • 51

ENGINEERING INSIGHTS
MEP ROUNDTABLE

cepts to the rest of the design and con- all power, cooling and water throughout • Specify variable air volume: This
struction team allows for more accurate the campus. saves heating, cooling and fan energy,
pricing feedback. We’re also designing Wegner: While we have had great suc- which can contribute to well over 50%%
these systems using data-driven design cess with alternative energy solutions, I of a laboratory’s total energy consump-
and testing design scenarios, explor- strongly believe it is no substitute for good tion. California’s Title 24 (2019 edition)
ing options and optimizing the applica- engineering practices. When it comes to Building Energy Efficiency Standards Sec-
tion of the right systems that achieve the energy, designing with the mantra “reduce tion 140.9(c)1 requires VAV controls for
functional needs without creating a cost before you produce” is most important. most laboratory spaces found in colleges
overrun. The greatest energy reduction at the “typ- and universities.
O’Connell: Working on a project with ical” college and university building is • Shut the sash: The safest fume hood
an integrated design team that includes a around outside air quantities. We often is a closed fume hood. Continually train-
construction manager allows for continu- default to single-pass air for laboratories ing and educating new fume hood users
ous check and balances with the proposed with any quantity of chemicals, but with to close the sash when not used is diffi-
design and estimated cost to install such good risk management and increased cult at the least. And automatic sash clo-
systems. controls, we can sustainably reduce the sures are often overlooked by mechanical
outside air load and associated energy use. designers and lab planners; however, Cal-
CSE: How are college and univer- Consider the following solutions: ifornia’s Title 24 Building Energy Effi-
sity buildings being designed to be • Minimize air change rates: ciency Standards Section 140.9(c)4 now
more energy efficient? Increased air exchange rates above six to requires automatic sash closures tied to
eight air changes per hour start to have presence sensors.
Twedt: We are seeing more central- diminishing return. There are applica- • Actively monitor air quality: As
ized systems that allow for user flexibili- tions where higher air changes are neces- previously mentioned, air changes have
ty and also provide management override sary, but this is often misapplied. Further an immense impact on fan energy, chilled
to ensure sustainability and performance reduction during unoccupied hours, per- water loads and reheat energy. The pur-
goals are met. University of Texas Austin haps as monitored by occupancy sensors pose of air changes is to remove the off-
is a unique example in that it is self-suffi- and additionally tied to lighting controls, gassing of volatile organic compounds
cient and relies on central utility plants for will yield significant savings. accumulated from the space and exchang-
ing with clean outside air. By active-
ly monitoring air quality, when volatile
UL organic compounds are not present, the
Want the Safest Way to Connect a
10 outside air exchange rates may be reduced
08 accordingly.
LI
Portable Generator to Grid-tied Facilities? ST Fryman: Buildings are being designed
ED with 100% LED lighting, demand-con-
trolled ventilation, DOAS units with ener-
While some standby power solutions can be quite costly, ESL’s emergency power
connection equipment (with integral cam connections) is an all-in-one cost-effective gy recovery from the building exhaust and
solution when comparing all the separate pieces of alternate options. With variable frequency drives controlling large
mechanical interlocked breakers, ESL’s StormSwitch provides users with safe and motors. Energy modeling is performed
simple operation so that grid-tied facilities can quickly connect to portable power. early in the design and repeated with
more detail as building components are
specified. Appropriate decisions are made
with the architectural team with regard to
glazing and other envelope properties to
provide the most efficient building design.
Piluski: Many state college and uni-
versity governing boards have mandat-

StormSwitch™
Manual Transfer Switch
UL/cUL 1008 Listed up to 3000A
Suitable for Use as Service Equipment
M More
ROUNDTABLE
GO ONLINE
Read more at [Link] about:
• Automation, controls and technology.
• Codes and standards.
• Electrical and power systems.
• Fire and life safety.
800.922.4188 - 951.739.7000 • HVAC and energy efficiency.
[Link] - info@[Link]

52 • October 2019
input #10 at [Link]/information
ed a “design toward” LEED Silver goal or similar, to establish a
guideline not only for energy efficiency but also for the goal to
incorporate the overall sustainable and occupant comfort and
health experience aspects of such certifications into the project.
As such, energy-efficient solutions are considered early on in the
design process to establish systems and approaches known to be
improvements in order of magnitude over the baseline systems
considered in LEED v.4, ASHRAE 90.1 and others.
Holden: Many campuses are simply becoming more efficient in
how they use space. Classroom and learning-space scheduling has
become a critical function, making more efficient use of the spaces
whether newly built or existing. The data from this scheduling has
also allowed us to optimize ventilation as we recognize that some
spaces go unused at times due to their specific functions or since
their use may be mutually exclusive with the use of another space
where students are present. Recognizing the sometimes-transient

y G a m e s
n’t Pla
use of these spaces allows us to only provide full ventilation (a major
component of energy use) when and where necessary.
O’Connell: An energy model can be used to evaluate the Do t r i c
y
al Sa fe t
le c
with E
building as a whole from the envelope to the systems that sup-
port it. This allows the IPD team to select building components
that will have the largest energy impact while taking the project
budget into account.

- R a t e d p l ugs and
CSE: What is the biggest challenge you come across
witch
when designing such projects? MELTRIC S ovide safe arc-free
s pr
Fryman: Designing systems to meet the owner’s expecta- receptacle k e e p y o u r operations
s to
connection
tions and the stringent requirements of the building codes, while
maintaining the budget provided by the construction manager.
r u n n in g p ast “go.”
One of these things typically has to give and unfortunately it is
usually the owner’s expectations, since the other two can usually
up and
com
meltric.
not vary. This can result in a disappointed owner.
O’Connell: Many educational institutions have distinct
design standards based on traditional systems that have been
used for many years. Some of these standards are antiquated and
do not take into account emerging technologies. Spending time
with the facility operators during design so that they fully under-
stand the operation of new technologies is critical. This allows
them to become more comfortable with maintain and operating
these systems post occupancy.
Holden: One of the biggest opportunities is to challenge our
industry to design and commission systems that are simple,
robust and functional at project completion to limit the burden
on the facilities/maintenance staff. There is often no increase of
capital budget for maintaining campus facilities as new spaces
come online as well as no increase in staff as new facilities are
built. This is just one more aspect of system selection that needs
to balance emerging technologies with proven methods.
Piluski: Higher costs and longer schedules are often associ-
ated with the pursuit of any official track for certification. The
stakeholders must be made aware of these extended timeframes
and efforts early in the project to avoid frustration later in the
process. If pursuit of an official certification track is not man-
dated by the funding or governing body, I have recommended
incorporating sustainable and energy-efficient aspects of LEED
and other certifications into the design without actually pursu-
ing certification. cse © 2019 MELTRIC Corporation AD1902 CSE

consulting-specifying engineer October 2019 • 53 input #11 at [Link]/information

ENGINEERING INSIGHTS
NEW PRODUCTS

Uninterruptable power supply

The 5P lithium-ion UPS uses lithium-ion batteries that pro-
vide enhanced performance compared to lead-acid batter-
ies, with extended service life up to eight years and reducing the
need for midcycle battery replacement. Lithium-ion batteries also
have three times faster recharge capabilities, reducing vulnerability and maximizing uptime
in the case of power disruptions.
Eaton, [Link] #200 at [Link]/information

Direct current load banks

Available ampacities range from 150 amps for
hand-held models and more than 2,000 amps
for freestanding outdoor units. Direct current
load banks provide resistive load for testing DC
power supplies, batteries, uninterruptible power
supplies and inverters.
ASCO Power Technologies, [Link],
#201 at [Link]/information
Dual-voltage/
dual frequency valve coils
Commonly used in walk-in coolers,
freezers and food retail display cases, Isolation control damper
the coils are also easily applied in air The square-blade design enables the damper
conditioning applications. Each coil to provide shut-off with very low leakage in
can operate at one of four voltage/fre- HVAC or industrial process control systems.
quency combinations: 110 volts/50 Model HCD-221 features a blade seal mechan-
hertz, 110–120 volts /60 hertz, 230 ically fastened to the blade that is field replace-
volts /50 hertz, or 208 to 240 hertz. able and available with parallel or opposed
Danfoss, [Link] blade action.
#202 at [Link]/information Greenheck, [Link]
#203 at [Link]/information

Smart thermostat
The RDS120-B BACnet/IP Smart Thermostat, with its high
level of energy efficiency and features, is effectively tar-
geted for use in light commercial, managed residential and
mixed-use applications including dorms, multiuse space
and small retail.
Siemens Smart Infrastructure,
[Link]
#204 at [Link]/information

Storage water heater

The DHT STP Series is a fully packaged storage water heater that uses double-
wall brazed plate heat exchanger to optimum heat transfer through generating
more efficient and faster hot water replenishment of the storage tank.
Diversified Heat Transfer Inc., [Link]
#205 at [Link]/information

54 • October 2019 consulting-specifying engineer [Link]

 MEDIA SHOWCASE FOR ENGINEERS

Engineering is personal.

Let’s connect socially So is the way you

use information.
CFE Media delivers a world
Follow us: of knowledge to you.

 Per s o n a l l y .
CFE Media is home to some of the
[Link] most trusted names in the business.

Consulting-Specifying Engineer
Control Engineering
Input #100 at [Link]/information
2019_CSE_SocialMedia-[Link] 1 6/25/2019 [Link] AM Plant Engineering
Oil & Gas Engineering
IIoT For Engineers

Input #101 at [Link]/information Input #102 at [Link]/information

Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation

1. Publication Title: CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER
2. Publication Number: 901-000
3. Filing Date: 9/26/19
4. Issue Frequency: 11x, monthly except in February
5. Number of Issues Published Annually: 11
6. Annual Subscription Price: USA $165 CAN $200 MEX $200 INTL $350
7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication (Not printer): CFE MEDIA, LLC 3010 Highland Parkway, Ste #325, Downers Grove, IL, 60515
8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher (Not printer): CFE MEDIA, LLC 3010 Highland Parkway, Ste #325, Downers Grove, IL, 60515
9. Publisher: Matt Waddell, CFE MEDIA, LLC 3010 Highland Parkway, Ste #325, Downers Grove, IL, 60515
Editor-in-Chief: Amara Rozgus, CFE MEDIA, LLC 3010 Highland Parkway, Ste #325, Downers Grove, IL, 60515
Editor: McKenzie Burns, CFE MEDIA, LLC 3010 Highland Parkway, Ste #325, Downers Grove, IL, 60515
10. Owner: CFE MEDIA, LLC 3010 Highland Parkway, Ste #325, Downers Grove, IL, 60515
Jim Langhenry and Steve Rourke, CFE MEDIA, LLC 3010 Highland Parkway, Ste #325, Downers Grove, IL, 60515
11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None
12. Does not Apply
13. Publication Title: Consulting-Specifying Engineer
14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: September 2019
15. Extent and Nature or Circulation
Average No. Copies Each Issue During
Actual No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date:
Preceding 12 Months:
a. Total Number of Copies (Net Press Run): 16,022 15,424
b. Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 00 00
(1) Paid/Requested Outside-County Mail Subscriptions Stated on Form 3541.
15,566 15,011
(Include advertiser’s proof and exchange copies)
(2) Paid In-County Subscriptions Stated on Form 3541. (Include advertiser’s proof and exchange copies) 0 0
(3) Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other
0 0
Non-USPS Paid Distribution
(4) Paid Distribution by Other Classes of Mail Through the USPS 13 13
c. Total Paid and/ or Requested Circulation [Sum of 15b, (1), (2), (3), and (4)-** 15,579 15,024
d. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution (By Mail and Outside the Mail) 0 0
(1) Outside-County as Stated on Form 3541 0 0
(2) Free or Nominal Rate In-County Copies Included on PS Form 3541 0 0
(3) Free or Nominal Rate Copies Mailed at Other Classes Through the USPS 243 218
(4) Free or Nominal Rate Distribution Outside the Mail (Carriers or other means) 0 0
e. Total Nonrequested Distribution [Sum of 15d (1), (2), (3), and (4) 243 218
f. Total Distribution [Sum of 15c and 15f] 15,822 15,242
g. Copies not Distributed 200 182
h. Total [Sum of 15f and 15g] 16,022 15,424
i. Percent Paid [15c divided by 15f times 100] 98.46% 98.57%
16. Electronic Copy Circulation
a. Requested and Paid Electronic Copies 23,892 26,663
b. Total Requested and Paid Print Copies (Line 15c) + Requested/Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a) 39,471 41,657
c. Total Requested Copy Distribution (Line 15f) + Requested/Paid Electronic Copies (16a) 39,714 41,875
d. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (Both Print & Electronic Copies)
99.39% 99.48%
(16b divided by 16c x 100)
17. Publication of Statement of Ownership: Publication Required. Will be printed in the October 2019 issue of this publication.
18. I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anoyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanc-
tions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including civil penalities). James M. Langhenry (signed), Owner

[Link] consulting-specifying engineer October 2019 • 55

 Publication Services
Jim Langhenry,
Co-Founder and Publisher, CFE Media
JLanghenry@[Link]
Steve Rourke, Co-Founder, CFE Media
SRourke@[Link]
Kristen Nimmo, Marketing Manager
KNimmo@[Link]

ad index Paul Brouch, Director of Operations

630-571-4070 x2208, PBrouch@[Link]
Rick Ellis, Audience Management Director
Company Page# RSN Web 303-246-1250, REllis@[Link]
Michael Rotz, Print Production Manager
717-766-0211 x4207, Fax 717-506-7238
ASCO Power Technologies . . . . . . .C-2 . . . . . . . . 1 . . . . . . . .www .ascopower .com [Link]@[Link]
Maria Bartell, List Rental Account Director
Infogroup Targeting Solutions
CARNES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 . . . . . . . . . . 4 . . . . . . . .www .carnes .com 847-378-2275, [Link]@[Link]
Claude Marada, List Rental Manager
402-836-6274, [Link]@[Link]
CleaverBrooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 . . . . . . . . . . 2 . . . . . . . .www .cleaverbrooks .com Letters to the Editor
Please e-mail your letters to
ARozgus@[Link]
Congratulations to the Letters should include name, company, and
2019 40 Under 40 winners . . . . . . .23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www .csemag .com/40Under40 address, and may be edited for space and clarity.

Congratulations to the
Information
For a Media Kit or Editorial Calendar:
2019 MEP Giants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www .csemag .com/giants
[Link]/interactivemediakit.

Cummins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 . . . . . . . . . . 6 . . . . . . . .www .cummins .com/generators/white-papers

Reprints
For custom reprints or electronic usage, contact:
Marcia Brewer, Wright’s Media
ebm-papst, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-3 . . . . . . . 12 . . . . . . .[Link] .us
281-419-5725 mbrewer@[Link]

ESL Power Systems . . . . . . . . . . . .52 . . . . . . . . 10 . . . . . . .www .eslpwr .com Publication Sales

Publisher/Midwest
Matt Waddell MWaddell@[Link]
FRIEDRICH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-4 . . . . . . . 13 . . . . . . .www .friedrich .com 3010 Highland Parkway, Suite #325 312-961-6840
Downers Grove, IL 60515
Account Manager
Fujitsu General America, Inc . . . . .6 . . . . . . . . . . 5 . . . . . . . .www .constantcomfort .com Robert Levinger RLevinger@[Link]
630-571-4070 x2218
West, TX, OK
MELTRIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 . . . . . . . . .11 . . . . . . .www .meltric .com Tom Corcoran TCorcoran@[Link]
Integrated Media Manager 215-275-6420

Reliable Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 . . . . . . . . . . 3 . . . . . . . .www .reliablecontrols .com Northeast

Richard A. Groth Jr. RGroth@[Link]
12 Pine Street 774-277-7266
RenewAire LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44, 45 . . . . . . 8 . . . . . . . .www .RenewAire .com Franklin, MA 02038
Director of Content Marketing Solutions
Patrick Lynch PLynch@[Link]
SENS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 . . . . . . . . . 9 . . . . . . . .www .sens-usa .com 3010 Highland Parkway, Suite #325 847-452-1191
Downers Grove, IL 60515
Marketing Consultant
TEKLEEN Automatic Brian Gross BGross@[Link]
Filters Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 . . . . . . . . . 7 . . . . . . . .www .tekleen .com 3010 Highland Parkway, Suite #325 630-571-4070 x2217
Downers Grove, IL 60515
International
Stuart Smith [Link]@[Link]
REQUEST MORE INFORMATION about products and advertisers in this issue by using SSM Global Media Ltd. +44 208 464 5577

the [Link]/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.

56 • October 2019 consulting-specifying engineer [Link]

Efficiency in new dimensions.
Energy saving RadiPacs - now available up to
size 1,000, and up to 18 horse power.
With these new centrifugal fans, there are no limits to AHU applications.
– Series extended with new 630, 710, 800, and 1,000 models
– Performance capabilities up to 11 inches static pressure
– Outstanding system efficiencies, based on actual measured values
– Quiet and efficient, thanks to flow-optimized blade profiles
– Plug & Play system available as a cube or with support bracket

To learn more, please contact sales@[Link]

input #12 at [Link]/information

VRP ® The Packaged IAQ Solution
For Multifamily Housing

New 3-TON Friedrich VRP helps building owners meet

ASHRAE 62.2 – 2016 for residential buildings
• VRF performance in a packaged unit
• SEER of 15.5 and HSPF of 8.6
• 0, 80, or 130 CFM of conditioned and ltered
outside-air delivery options
• 0 (30A), 10 (60A), or 15kW (60A+30A) secondary
electric heat options
• Variable speed compressor and fan motors

VRP. VRF Performance, Single Package Simplicity

Best-in-class cooling. Super efcient heating. True humidity control. Conditioned fresh air.
TO LEARN MORE VISIT: [Link]/CSEVRP
input #13 at [Link]/information