Plan for Systems or Pay for It Later

About this episode

Chris and Phil discuss the importance of planning for mechanical systems in green architecture.

Chris and Phil get into the mechanical room, the space every green architect underestimates and every installer wishes was bigger. They talk through what actually ends up in there, from heat pump water heaters and ducted systems to ERVs, dehumidifiers, batteries, solar inverters, and the server room your client forgot to mention until week three of construction. Along the way they cover sizing rules of thumb, the new refrigerant space requirements that will catch a lot of people off guard, why maintenance access needs to be designed in from the start, and how to think about distribution before the structure makes it impossible. It is a practical one for architects and designers who want to stop guessing and start planning.

People in this episode

Hosts: Chris Briley, Phil Kaplan

Topics covered

• mechanical systems
• green architecture
• design planning
• maintenance access
• construction challenges

Keywords

• green architecture
• mechanical room
• heat pump water heaters
• ERVs
• design planning
• construction
• maintenance access

Mentioned in this episode

Products: heat pump water heaters, ducted systems, ERVs, dehumidifiers, batteries, solar inverters

Places: mechanical room, server room

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