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CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER (ISSN 0892-5046, Vol. 51, No. 9, GST #123397457) is published 11x per year, monthly except in February, by CFE Media, LLC, 1111 W. 22nd Street, Suite #250, Oak Brook, IL 60523. Jim Langhenry, Group Publisher /Co-Founder; Steve Rourke CEO/COO/Co-Founder. CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER copyright 2014 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 Oak Brook, IL 60523 and additional mailing of ces. Circulation records are maintained at CFE Media, LLC, 1111 W. 22nd Street, Suite #250, Oak Brook, IL 60523. E-mail: [email protected]. Postmaster: send address changes to CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER, 1111 W. 22nd Street, Suite #250, Oak Brook, IL 60523. Publications Mail Agreement No. 40685520. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: 1111 W. 22nd Street, Suite #250, Oak Brook, IL 60523. Email: [email protected]. Rates for nonquali ed subscriptions, including all issues: USA, $150/yr; Canada/Mexico, $180/yr (includes 7% GST, GST#123397457); International air delivery $325/yr. Except for special issues where price changes are indicated, single copies are available for $30.00 US and $35.00 foreign. Please address all subscription mail to CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER, 1111 W. 22nd Street, Suite #250, Oak Brook, IL 60523. 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.

DEPARTMENTS

07 | ViewpointPreparing our companiesfor the future

08 | MEP RoundtableEngineering workable,successful office space

19 | Career SmartWant to be your own boss?

21 | ResearchCx Giants make their mark

COVER STORY

28 | Balancing active and passivefire protection Fire protection engineers can and should consider the buildings construction, fire suppression systems, and smoke control when designing fire protection systems.BY GREGORY K. SHINO, PE

23 | Codes & StandardsLighting controls increase energy performance

35 | Digital Edition Specifying passive firestop systems

55 | Advertiser Index

56 | 2 More MinutesEverything starts withan idea

FEATURES

36 | Applying building energy modeling Whole building energy modeling techniques and software are cru-cial for designing code-compliant buildings. At the same time, this near-mandatory exercise introduces opportunities for engineers to add significant value to projects.BY PAUL ERICKSON, LEED AP; AND BILL TALBERT, PE, LEED AP

44 | Sizing, selecting pumps and circulatorsBy making correct pump and pip-ing selections, a hydronic system can operate at or near peak effi-ciency, avoiding cavitation and vibration. Heres a look at relevant codes and best practices. BY RANDY SCHRECENGOST, PE, CEM

3www.csemag.com Consulting-Specifying Engineer OCTOBER 2014

OCTOBER 2014

ON THE COVER: JBA Consulting Engineers provided engineer-ing consulting services for the new Horseshoe Casino Balti-more, including specifications for the active fire suppression systems. Horseshoe Casino provides a code-prescribed bal-ance of active and passive fire protection features. Courtesy: JBA Consulting Engineers/Hedrich Blessing

AUTOMATION & CONTROLS

COMMUNICATIONS

ELECTRICAL

FIRE, SECURITY & LIFE SAFETY

HVAC

LIGHTING

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ENGINEERING DISCIPLINES Use the icons to identify topics of interest.

4 Consulting-Specifying Engineer OCTOBER 2014 www.csemag.com

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On-demand webcastsCouldnt catch your favorite webcast live? See the on-demand webcast series at www.csemag.com/webcast.

September 11: HVAC: New chiller requirements

August 14: Critical power: Transfer switches in switchgear

June 12: Electrical systems: Designing electrical rooms

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Blog: IEEE Power Perspectives IEEE power industry experts Sam Sciacca, Dick DeBlasio, and Mark Siira bring their combined experience in the electrical power industry to engineers and specifiers in the IEEE Power Perspectives blog. New information and actionable intelligence can help guide engineers on a wide range of electrical power issues and developments in electrical distribution, Smart Grid, and associated topics of renewable energy, microgrids, and integration of the electrical grid with communications and IT, elec-tric power standards, integration, and interconnection. Read this blog from IEEE at www.csemag.com/blogs.

Consulting-Specifying Engineer OCTOBER 2014 www.csemag.com

Top articles of the weekEach week, Consulting-Specifying Engineer highlights the top articles from the previous week, based on feedback from website viewers. To see past articles from each week, search Top 5 Consulting-Specifying Engineer articles.

Read this onyour tabletThe tablet and digital editions of this pub-lication are greatly enhanced and have unique content for digi-tal subscribers. Update your subscription at: www.csemag.com/subscribe.

Engineeringe-newslettersStay in touch with changes in the industry, including news, technical articles, and codes and standards updates. E-newsletters include: Codes & Standards, Electrical Solutions, Fire & Life Safety Solutions, HVAC Solutions, News Watch: Data Centers, News Watch: Hospitals, News Watch: Office Buildings, News Watch: Educational Facilities, and Pure Power. Subscribe to one or more e-newsletter at www.csemag.com/newsletters.

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Editors Viewpoint

Amara Rozgus, Editor in Chief


Preparing our companiesfor the future

In September, we honored both the 2014 MEP Giants and the 2014 40 Under 40 winners. With each year, youd think that the awards would become de rigueur, and everyone would find the programs old and stale. Noth-ing could be farther from the truth.

The MEP Giants awards honor the top mechanical, electrical, plumbing (MEP), and fire protection engineering firms in the United States. This year, representa-tives from the 102 firms (there was a three-way tie) Consulting-Specifying Engineer honored were thrilled to accept their award on behalf of their firms. While each engineering firm has its own engineering specialty or geographic area, it also competes directly with every other firm in the room. The competi-tion is fierce, and yet each individual representing a firm knows that he or she might wind up at the next tablerepre-senting a different firmin a couple of years. The camaraderie and profession-alism among honorees are amazing, and they know not to take themselves too seriously. Read about these companies at www.csemag.com/giants.

The 2014 Commissioning Giants are highlighted in this issue on page 21. Much like the MEP Giants, these are the leaders in commissioning, retro-commissioning, and recommissioning, and make a good percentage of their design billings in one or all of these specialties.Revenue from

commissioning edged up 1% this year over 2013, which doesnt seem like a big deal, but it represents a large portion of design revenue when you take all 102 firms into account.

The 40 Under 40 program, now in its seventh year, honors the best and the brightest engineers age 40 or younger. While this is a slightly row-dier crowd when it comes to accepting their individual awards at the event, the professionalism and friendly com-petitiveness are still apparent. Each of these Generation X or Y winners will likely change jobs several more times before retirement, and they know how important networking at events can be. Read about the winners at www.csemag.com/40under40.

The challenge is now on your shoul-ders: How will you move your firm into new and expanded markets and ideas in 2015? How will you ensure your company remains at the top of the heap, like the MEP Giants? How will you ensure up-and-coming indi-viduals in your firm are prepared for the newest engineering technology and legislation? I invite you to share your forward-looking ideas with me. The best movers and shakers ideas will be shared with this audience in a future engineering trends article, which launches in January. Send me your ideas at [email protected].

CONTENT SPECIALISTS/EDITORIAL AMARA ROZGUS, Editor in Chief/Content Manager

630-571-4070 x2211, [email protected]

AMANDA McLEMAN, Director of Research630-571-4070 x2209, [email protected]

MICHAEL SMITH, Creative Director630-779-8910, [email protected]

ALLEN MOWERS, Production [email protected]

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARDANIL AHUJA, PE, LEED AP, RCDD, President, CCJM Engineers, Chicago

PETER ALSPACH, PE, LEED AP BD+C, Associate Principal, Mechanical Engineer, Arup, Seattle

J. PATRICK BANSE, PE, LEED AP, Senior Mechanical Engineer,

Smith Seckman Reid Inc., Houston

JERRY BAUERS, PE,National Program Executive,

Outcome Construction Services LLC, Kansas City, Mo.

MICHAEL CHOW, PE, LEED AP BD+C,Principal, Metro CD Engineering LLC, Powell, Ohio

JASON GERKE, PE, LEED AP BD+C, CXA, Mechanical Engineer, GRAEF, Milwaukee

JOSHUA D. GREENE, PEVice President, RJA Group Inc., Chicago

RAYMOND GRILL, PE, FSFPE, Principal, Arup, Washington, D.C.

DANNA JENSEN, PE, LEED AP BD+C,Associate Principal, ccrd partners, Dallas

WILLIAM KOFFEL, PE, FSFPEPresident, Koffel Associates Inc., Columbia, Md.

WILLIAM KOSIK, PE, CEM, LEED AP BD+C, BEMP,Principal Data Center Energy Technologist,

HP Technology Services, Chicago

KENNETH KUTSMEDA, PE, LEED AP, Engineering Design Principal, Jacobs Engineering Group,

Philadelphia

KEITH LANE, PE, RCDD, LC, LEED AP, President, Lane Coburn & Assocs., Seattle

JULIANNE LAUE, PE, LEED AP BD+C, BEMPSenior MEP Engineer, Center for Sustainable Energy, Mortenson

Construction, Minneapolis

KENNETH L. LOVORN, PE, President, Lovorn Engineering Assocs., Pittsburgh

DAVID LOWREYChief Fire Marshal, Boulder (Colo.) Fire Rescue

MICHAEL MAR, PE, LEED AP, Senior Associate, Environmental Systems Design Inc., Chicago

BRIAN MARTIN, PE, Electrical Engineer, CH2M Hill, Portland, Ore.

DWAYNE G. MILLER, PE, RCDD, AEE CPQChief Executive Officer, JBA Consulting Engineers, Hong Kong

SYED PEERAN, PE, Ph.D., Senior Engineer, CDM Smith Inc., Cambridge, Mass.

BRIAN A. RENER, PE, LEED AP, Associate,

SmithGroupJJR, Chicago

RANDY SCHRECENGOST, PE, CEM, Austin Operations Group Manager and

Senior Mechanical Engineer, Stanley Consultants, Austin, Texas

GERALD VERSLUYS, PE, LEED AP, Principal, Senior Electrical Engineer,

TLC Engineering for Architecture, Jacksonville, Fla.

MIKE WALTERS, PE, LEED AP,Principal, Confluenc, Madison, Wis.


CSE: Please describe a recent office project youve worked on.

Tony McGuire: Among recent office building projects have been the following: conversion of the 30-plus-year-old former Kraft Foods headquarters into new headquarters for Illinois Tool Works (ITW). The building is located in Glenview, Ill., and is approximately 550,000 sq ft; tenant occupancies in the historic Wrigley Building in Chicago; Parkway North, which is an office building complex of multiple build-ings in the size range of 120,000 to 180,000 sq ft (the location is suburban Chicago); and ret-rofit of a 120,000-sq-ft 4-story warehouse into a U.S. Green Building Council LEED Platinum owner-occupied office building in Chicago.

Nathan Snydacker: As a leader within our workplace solutions group at ESD, my focus is primarily on commercial interiors and renova-tion projects. We work with a number of excep-tional clients on a national and international basis, but the CBRE Chicago office relocation to 321 N. Clark and the Hillshire Brands HQ at 400 S. Jefferson in Chicago are two recent projects that provide great examples of recent trends in office space design. Both are multiple-floor projects implementing an open ceiling, loft-type design with a focus on open worksta-tions and collaboration stations.

CSE: How have the characteristics of such projects changed in recent years, and what should engineers expect to see in the next 2 to 3 years?

McGuire: Characteristics of office buildings in our region have been shifting toward levels of scope design with design professionals pro-viding oversight. As in most of America, the sustainable design concept still sells. We find fewer private developers looking for LEED buildings because they can accomplish the same results without the added costs of docu-mentation.

Snydacker: In general, we are seeing the associated costs of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) and technology systems becoming an increasingly larger percentage of the overall project costs compared to in the past. This is due to integrated technology such as lighting controls, wireless networks, and audio visual systems. Even as the economy improves over the next few years and project budgets become less restricted, the percentage of MEP and technology costs will likely con-tinue to drive a higher portion of total costs.

CSE: Please describe any experience you have using sustainable heating/cool-ing technology, such as geothermal sys-tems or ground source heat pumps.

Julianne Laue: For the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery: In an effort to build a U.S. Green Building Council LEED Silver Certi-fied facility, the team incorporated a variety of sustainable elements into the buildings con-struction. Most notable is the teams develop-ment and construction of a ground source heat pump system. To take advantage of this, the

MEP Roundtable

PARTICIPANTS

Julianne Laue,PE, LEED AP, BEMPSenior MEP Engineer,

Center for Sustainable EnergyMortenson Construction

Minneapolis

Tony McGuire,PE, FASHRAE

FounderMcGuire Engineers Inc.

Chicago

Nathan Snydacker,PE, LEED APVice President

ESD GlobalChicago

Tony McGuire,

Nathan Snydacker,

Engineering workable, successful office spaceWhether new or retrofit, office buildings can be a challenge for the mechanical, electrical, plumbing (MEP), or fire protection engineer.A team of experienced professionals offers advice on what to expect, and how to come out on top.

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team drilled 75 bore holes, 300 ft deep below the site to capture the geothermal energy of the earth. Using geothermal power is expected to be so efficient that it will cut projected energy use of the facility by 10% annually. The system is expected to function for at least 50 years and will provide 3.6 million BTUs of heating and cooling capacity. Additional sustainable features include rooftop solar panels, energy-efficient mechanical sys-tems, heat-recovery system for labora-tory exhaust, triple-pane glazing, ground water recovery system for multiple uses including irrigation of interior planting, a night flush system to cool the building during summer months, intelligent build-ing architecture with system monitors for all energy and utility usage, automatic shades to adjust to outside light levels, and exterior walls commissioned as a high-performance terra-cotta rain screen system that includes recycled insulation. The project was 330,000 sq ft and cost $213 million.

McGuire: We have used ground source heat pumps on only two projects we designed. However, we have performed consulting on six or seven projects which malfunctioned. Several of these could not reach temperatures above 60 F until 11 a.m. on Monday mornings during Janu-ary/February cold spells.

Snydacker: We are currently imple-menting a geothermal system for Chi-cago Botanic Gardens using an adjacent lake as a heat sink for the cooling systems serving the building.

CSE: Please share a success story in which you were able to deliver a highly sustainable project to an office structure client.

Snydacker: Retro-commissioning is one way that we are able to help our office space and building owner clients optimize their system operations and reduce energy usage. A great example is the Hyatt Center at 71 S. Wacker in Chi-cago. Through a combination of imple-menting revised operation sequences and functional testing as part of our retro-commissioning services, we were able to help this building achieve a reduction of over 1.6 million kWh in annual electricity consumption.

McGuire: A 120,000-sq-ft LEED Plati-num building we completed a few years ago has functioned as well as we imag-ined. The owner maintains it very well with in-house staff and has instituted biannual recommissioning in its budgets.

CSE: What are the newest trends in tenant retrofit projects?

Snydacker: We are seeing a tremen-dous amount of projects focused on col-laborative environments coupled with workstation densification and a departure from private offices. Many of the projects we are working on are implementing an open ceiling design for a loft-type aes-thetic.

McGuire: We design several million sq ft of office tenant spaces annually. Many projects are moving toward less footage of hung ceilings and more space for team concept areas. We see fewer private offic-es while incorporating higher technology features.

CSE: What are some challenges you have faced in coordinating structural systems with mechanical, electrical, plumbing, or fire protection systems?

McGuire: Mechanical work is always a source of special concern. Fewer ceilings require more sensitivity to acoustics. New building designs keep moving toward lower floor-to-floor heights.

Snydacker: Unfortunately, I have never met an architect that strives for the lowest ceiling height possible in his or her aesthetic vision. As such, coordination of MEP/fire protection (FP) systems with structure is always a challenge. Where we have plenum spaces, they are con-

Figure 1: Hillshire Brands wanted an open space with a loft-type design to physically manifest a cultural emphasis on collabora-tion; the company turned to the engineers at ESD Global to help execute the building project. Courtesy: Michelle Litvin


MEP Roundtablestantly restricted and ductwork, piping, conduit, etc., are often shoehorned into place. Even with an open ceiling concept, coordination of MEP items with structure can become more difficult as the runs need to be neat and orderlyelbows, flattened fittings, and inconsistent eleva-tions become undesirable not only from a functional perspective, but also from an aesthetic perspective.

CSE: When dealing with space constraints (tight floor-to-floor conditions), what tips or tricks can you offer to other engineers? What type of clash detection systems or software do you use to help avoid problems?

Snydacker: Utilizing Autodesk Revit and Navisworks for clash detection has improved our design efficiency while also helping to aid in coordination. Tight floor-to-floor conditions require addition-al coordination among the entire design

team. Regular face-to-face meetings help sort out trouble areas and allow for all parties to collaborate on solutions.

McGuire: Tight floor-to-floor conditions can be an opportunity for creative engineer-ing. Not too many years ago, we helped convert an apartment building with 9-ft floor-to-floor heights into an office build-ing by using perimeter induction units.

CSE: Because office buildings must often be flexible (tenants change, space use changes), what are some best practices?

McGuire: Flexibility of office buildings is important, and we are very concerned that todays new buildings will be dif-ficult to change 20 years from now due to present energy and sustainability code language. That results in limited flexibil-ity in capacities of infrastructure.

Snydacker: We tend to allow for diver-sity assumptions in our designs to provide better flexibility for future space modifi-

cations or usage. A methodical approach to air distribution, power distribution, and circuiting can alleviate many headaches when 3 years into a lease a client decides either to look at densification or possibly subleases part of its space to a tenant with much different office space usage.

CSE: What types of medical or health care offices have you worked on recently? Describe the challeng-es and solutions.

Snydacker: With many hospitals open-ing outpatient care facilities, we are see-ing an increase in imaging suite projects. Often these imaging suites are going into office buildings, which may not have the power/cooling capacities available within existing infrastructure to support MRI equipment. Coordinating new electrical services and supplemental cooling sys-tems is typically necessary.

McGuire: We have designed a number of outpatient care facilities. The difficult


Figure 2: The Wisconsin Institute for Discovery project includes a geothermal energy system. Courtesy: Mortenson Construction

ones have been the speculative multi-tenant projects. Mechanical and electrical infrastructure will vary widely if tenants vary in their practices.

CSE: How do you see the design approach for office buildings chang-ing in the next 2 to 5 years?

McGuire: We are seeing more and more adaptive reuse type projects as opposed to new speculative office buildings. Tenant needs are increasing, but they are being served with a large inventory of vacant space available. We also see corporate cultures moving toward spaces with more modest accoutrements.

Snydacker: I anticipate that we will see more integrated technology built into core and shell or base buildings: distrib-uted antenna systems (DAS), fiber-optic backbones, hubs for meet me rooms/fiber exchange centers for multiple carri-ers to provide services and allow tenants better connectivity to co-location (colo),

cloud storage, and satellite offices. From an interiors standpoint, I anticipate that the pendulum will eventually swing away from dense open office space and back toward a balance between open and pri-vate offices.

CSE: Many aspects of sustainabil-ity (power, HVAC, maintenance, etc.) require building personnel to fol-low certain practices in order to be effective. What, if anything, can you as an engineer do to help increase chances of success in this area?

Snydacker: Sustainability goes beyond design and extends to educa-tion. Continuous coordination is needed among not only the design team, but also with the facility owners and operators to understand their goals and to help communicate the thoughts behind our designs. Working with the facility opera-tion team during the onset of a project improves the chances for their buy-in


MEP Roundtableby making them a part of the design process.

McGuire: Sustainability/energy-efficient installations require complete training of operating personnel. The best design intents may be lost if operating staff are not adequately trained. In our

buildings which pushed for extremely efficient operations, we find a need for more maintenance work to assure equip-ment and systems stay finely tuned.

CSE: When designing inte-gration monitoring and control

systems, what factors do you con-sider?

McGuire: Our primary concern in monitoring and control systems is com-missioning. The best designs are com-promised if the smallest details arent correct.

Snydacker: We take many factors into account when designing monitoring and controls systems, including how the build-ing or space will be used, how long it is expected to last, who will provide main-tenance and upkeep, expandability of the system, and associated cost benefits.

CSE: What are some common problems you encounter when work-ing on building automation systems (BAS)?

McGuire: BAS is a wonderful approach that is often a problem when software does not permit the owner/user to read-ily access for adjustments. All buildings need flexibility.

Snydacker: Coming into a renovation project where there is an existing BAS, we often find systems that are either antiquated or have limited expandabil-ity. Upgrades to the existing systems have often not been anticipated in proj-ect budgets and can be difficult to build into a project once lease agreements and tenant improvement funds have been implemented.

CSE: What codes, standards, or guidelines do you use as a guide as you work on these facilities?

McGuire: In our firm, one may often hear, The worst building we can design, by law, is one that only meets the code! We always meet or exceed code require-ments in the jurisdiction.

Snydacker: Our design work is typi-cally based on International Building Code, International Energy Conserva-tion Code (IECC), and ordinances spe-cific to certain jurisdictions such as the Chicago Building Code or California Title 24.

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CSE: Have Energy Star, ASHRAE, U.S. Green Building Council, etc., affected your work on office build-ing projects? What are some positive/negative aspects of these guides?

Snydacker: These organizations have done a tremendous job not only in driv-ing design standards and legislation to improve energy efficiency, but also in cultivating general public knowledge and interest. With each new iteration of energy code, come new design challenges and client educationbut this is what is exciting and keeps our industry moving forward.

McGuire: Energy Star, ASHRAE, U.S. Green Building Council and other organizations have been providing a great amount of stimuli for improved energy use, reuse of material, less waste, and so on. We, the engineers of

MEP Roundtable

Figure 3: With the help of McGuire Engi-neers, Walsh Construction transformed a facility (a former car showroom and packaging plant) into a 93,300-sq-ft office structure. Courtesy: McGuire Engineers

today, can work with these groups and their documents. However, my per-sonal belief is that too much material is being prematurely put into standards and codes without adequate verifica-tion. My feeling is that the use of the word standard implies that regular, proven, and acceptable items are being required as a minimum. As a member of the original coordinating committee that oversaw the writing of ASHRAE Standard 19-75, I am appalled at what are being called standards today. To me, many should be called concepts or guidelines and not standards.

CSE: Describe some recent elec-trical/power system challenges you encountered when designing a new building or working in an existing building.

McGuire: We are seeing more require-ments to provide standby power for data processing systems.

Snydacker: We have encountered capacity to support densification, and arc flash.

CSE: What types of renewable energy systems have you recently specified in one of these projects? This may include photovoltaics, geo-thermal systems, wind turbines, etc.

Snydacker: We are currently working on a project for Chicago Botanic Gardens that is implementing several renewable energy systems. The design currently includes the use of a lake source geo-thermal system using surface water as a heat sink during the warmer months of the year. Photovoltaic (PV) panels will be installed on the roof that will produce up to 24 kWh of energy annually (or 7% of the facilitys energy consumption).

McGuire: We used both photovolta-ics and wind power in our recent LEED Platinum project. Grey water from the green roof was also used.

CSE: What unique lighting and daylighting requests have you ful-filled in recent office projects?

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CSE: What updates in fans, vari-able frequency drives, and other related equipment have you experi-enced?

Snydacker: While not terribly new, use of electronically commutated motors (ECM) in fan-powered box terminal units has become less cost prohibitive over recent years with more manufacturers offering this as an

option. Utilizing an ECM with a direct digital control (DDC) interface to a building management system (BMS) allows tremendous flexibility for ret-rofits with the ability to easily rebal-ance airflows. They can also allow for fan speeds to be decreased when zone setpoints are met to improve overall system energy efficiency.

McGuire: All HVAC equipment and systems are regularly being upgraded by manufacturers.

McGuire: Unique lighting is becoming ordinary lighting as is daylighting. Our 18,000-sq-ft office uses less than 0.30 W/sq ft in the space, which is LEED Platinum itself. Lighting controls are extensive.

Snydacker: Perhaps not unique, but oftentimes a request for simplicity can provide a tremendous challenge when it comes to lighting controls. Code require-ments for zoning, daylight harvesting, and automation, coupled with all of the products on the market offering inte-grated audio visual controls, network-ing, addressable ballasts, etc., can make it very difficult to develop a solution that is elegantly simple and intuitive to use for anyone stepping foot into the new office space. We have helped several of our cli-ents tone down their lighting controls either installed by integrators or proposed by lighting consultants to achieve intu-itiveness while meeting code require-ments for energy efficiency.

CSE: In your experience, have alternative HVAC systems become more relevant? This may include displacement ventilation, chilled beams, etc.

Laue: During the design charrette pro-cess, high-performance HVAC systems are usually discussed; however, it can be difficult to incorporate these systems in spec office buildings. With an increased focus on building performance and the adoption of more energy-efficient build-ing codes, high-performance systems will be seen less as alternative and become the mainstream design choices.

Snydacker: Displacement ventilation works very well for open areas, and we have designed these systems for call cen-ters and libraries. However, it has limita-tions when the floor plate has enclosed spaces or offices. Chilled beams are very practical for use along perimeters, but again can cause the space to become less flexible for future renovations if used throughout the floor plate due to hard-piped connections.

McGuire: We have done displacement ventilation and also chilled beam designs. These were driven by project specifics.

Figure 4: The MEP team at McGuire Engineers worked on the existing chillers and their associated chilled water pumps at the office facility of Illinois Tool Works. The 550,000-sq-ft structure had been used by Kraft Foods. Courtesy: McGuire Engineers

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CSE: What indoor air quality (IAQ) challenges have you recently over-come? Describe the project and how you solved the problem.

Snydacker: Many of our projects deal with renovations to increase the workplace density either on a specific floor or throughout a facil-ity. When a building is repurposed or a renovation is implemented to increase workplace density, limita-tions within the existing building air handling system for minimum out-side air become a challenge.

This becomes an oppor tuni ty for consulting on options ranging from replacement of existing coils, replacement of the full air handling unit (AHU), or addition of a supple-mental dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS).

McGuire: We have not experienced any IAQ problems in our designs. Over the past 10 years, I have pro-vided expert witness services on a number of buildings that had IAQ problems.

CSE: How do you deal with stack effect in larger office buildings, or in those with central open atriums?

Snydacker: Where possible, separating areas adjacent to vertical pathways (such as elevator lobbies) with demising parti-tions can aid in minimizing stack effect. Use of entry vestibules can also help mitigate stack effect issues. The 175 W. Jackson building in Chicago showcases two large light wells within the mas-sive floor plate within the building. At this building, we implemented a design solution taking advantage of natural air buoyancy through these light wells for the main building return air path.

MEP Roundtable

Codes and standards Fire and life safety challenges Smart buildings.

Read more about office buildings at www.csemag.com/archives

Figure 5: The office structure projects performed by McGuire Engineers include Parkway North in Illinois, an office building complex consisting of multiple buildings in the size range of 120,000 to 180,000 sq ft. Courtesy: McGuire Engineers

The 2014 Lighting and Lighting Controls study asked key questions on specifying lighting and lighting controls, including annual revenue, products specifi ed, and challenges engineers are facing. Find out how you compare in:

Revenue Experience Products/Systems you specify Project types and locations

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More than 12 years ago, I made a change from a corporate career to being independenta change that had been years in the making (Im a long-term planner). The reasons were many, chief of which was to dramatically reduce exces-sive travel while my kids were still at home. Id also observed that the denominator in an equation is analogous to the length of our lives, and the numerator represents how we decide to spend that time. That time is almost entirely within our controlif we decide to live with the consequences, good and bad:

Numerator: How we spend time is almost entirely controllable

Denominator: Life span can be influ-enced by good diet, exercise, etc.

but we cant control it.

Interestingly, the question people most frequently asked me after making that change was: What are you doing for health insurance? The individual asking me that question typically followed it by saying he would like to make a change but was stay-ing with his current position for the health insurance. Clearly, insurance benefits are critical, but it often seemed like this was a reason to put off making a career decision.

Pre-existing health conditions and tax complexities such as becoming an inde-pendent contractor can prevent you from departing from a job, but if you decide that you want the freedom of working for your-self, look closely at how constrained you really arethere may be options. Private health care insurance can be more costly than having a majority of a plan paid for by an employerbut at what cost? The

Affordable Care Act changed the mind-set of many Americans, now that they can visit a health exchange to select from a variety of plans. Put together a spreadsheet after looking at the variables to help quan-tify the actual cost and viability of becom-ing independent. It may surprise you.

After eliminating barriers like health insurance, consider the following.

What skills do you have thatwill be in demand?

Are there others who make a living on a contract or retainer basis doing similar things? Write down specifically what those skills are, which organizations can use them, and why they might want to go outside their company for that scope. Another independent contractor targeted companies smaller than $1 billion in rev-enue because they had the greatest need for her skills. Those companies werent quite large enough to have invested in that skill set and were typically just realizing that they needed those capabilities. Shes been busy ever since as a consultant.

What contacts do you have that can lead to real work?

Having a contact in the companies that you target makes the difference between having an insider say, I know someone who can do this for us and the reality of cold calling to sell your skills to strangers who are not familiar with your capabilities. Keeping in touch with former coworkers who have moved on to other companies is an easy way to develop a network of friendly contacts in your field.

How do you feel aboutmarketing yourself?

Picture how youd contact potential companies, what youd say, how youd capture your value to them, how youd charge for your services, what your eleva-tor speech will be to capture your value, and how youd follow up with them to close the deal. Bottom line, can you pic-ture spending time selling yourself?

Do you want to be a sole proprietor or hire/collaborate with others?

Hiring others is significantly more complex than being a self-employed indi-vidual, so its important that you have a clear vision.

A wise person with whom Id worked said, If you think youre undercompensated or unappreciated, you will find your real value when you hang out your own shingle. It can be a great alternativeor notbut if work-ing for yourself has always been of interest to you, take control of your life, your numerator, and look into it. That deep dive could tell you to stay put or to become independent, but at least it will be your decision!

John Suzukida was Tranes senior VP of global marketing and strategy prior to founding Lanex Consulting in 2002, which focuses on strategic planning and product-to-solutions business model transitions. He has a BSME and distinguished alum-nus award from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Want to be your own boss?Ask four key questions to determine whether to becomea private consultant.

JOHN SUZUKIDA, PE

Lanex Consulting, Minneapolis


For references and additional info, visit www.csemag.com/careersmart.

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Cx Giants make their markThe 2014 Commissioning (Cx) Giants had several new entries this year, namely because some firms did not report any commissioning revenue when they submitted data in early 2014, and because Consulting-Spec-ifying Engineer opted to expand the list to the top 15 firms. The 15 firms reported a total of more than $351 million in revenue dedicated to com-missioning new buildings or retro-commissioning existing buildings.

Among all 2014 MEP Giants, 1,362 projects were commissioned by a third party, with each of the 102

firms listed averaging 13 projects commissioned by a third party. Over-all, 8% of the percentage of design revenue for all firms came from commissioning projects, up 1% from 2013 data.

Cx Giants not listed last year include: AECOM Technology Corp., GLUMAC, Syska Hennessy Group, Stanley Consultants, Aon Fire Pro-tection Engineering Corp., Affiliated Engineers Inc., RMF Engineering, AKF Group LLC, and Vanderweil Engineers.

www.csemag.com/research FOR MORE RESEARCH INFORMATION

www.csemag.com Consulting-Specifying Engineer OCTOBER 2014

58%of engineering firmsare always or frequently using closed lighting specifications that include multiple sources; only 23% use closed specifications with one source: Source: Consulting-Speci-fying Engineer 2014 Lighting and Lighting Controls Study

$2.8 million: Average dollar amount of HVAC and BAS products specified for new and existing buildings. Source: Consult-ing-Specifying Engineer 2013 HVAC and Building Automation Systems Study

67% of engineersinvolved in fire and life safety sys-tems indicted the subjective inter-pretation of regulations by code authorities as a top challenge to their designs. Source: Consulting-Specifying Engineer 2014 Fire & Life Safety Study

More researchOn a quarterly basis, Consulting-Specifying Engineer surveys its audi-ence based on four main topics: fire and life safety, electrical and power, lighting and lighting controls, and HVAC and building automation sys-tems. All of the reports are available online, free for a limited time, at www.csemag.com/research.

Top 3 electrical or powersystem qualities

Overallproductquality

Servicesupport

Manufacturer'sreputation

84%

57%52%

Total MEP design rev-enue ($ US)

Commissioningpercentage of design billings

2014 Cxtotal

revenue

2013 rank

Jacobs $1,812,063,394 10% $181,206,339 2

AECOM Technology Corp. $582,200,000 10% $58,220,000 *

exp $167,869,470 13% $21,823,031 7

Sebesta Inc. $29,592,115 51% $15,091,979 4

OptimationTechnology Inc. $41,405,680 20% $8,281,136 9

Smith Seckman Reid Inc. $45,405,811 16% $7,264,930 6

GLUMAC $48,000,000 15% $7,200,000 17

Stantec Inc. $101,633,830 7% $7,114,368 8

Syska Hennessy Group $77,518,498 9% $6,976,665 13

Stanley Consultants $34,847,000 20% $6,969,400 11

Aon Fire Protection Engineering Corp. $27,490,000 25% $6,872,500 89

Affiliated Engineers Inc. $94,238,000 7% $6,596,660 12

RMF Engineering Inc. $30,750,000 20% $6,150,000 22

AKF Group LLC $59,151,000 10% $5,915,100 18

Vanderweil Engineers $70,520,305 8% $5,641,624 14

TOTAL $351,323,732

*Not a 2013 MEP Giant

Figure 1: The 2014 Commissioning (Cx) Giants include several new firms not found on last years list. Among all 2014 MEP Giants (consisting of 102 firms), commission-ing increased by 1% over last year. Courtesy: Consulting-Specifying Engineer

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High-performance, energy-efficient buildings tend to be the obvious choice in todays design of commercial buildings, and light-ing is a primary target for energy savings. How-ever, not that long ago, energy conservation was not a primary consideration in building design. In response to the energy crisis of the 1970s, the first standard for energy efficiency was established in 1975 and is the standard we still know today as ASHRAE Standard 90.1: Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings.

The creation of this standard initiated the for-mation of many energy codes and standards over the next few decades, and in 1998, the Interna-tional Energy Conservation Code (IECC) was developed. Today, both ASHRAE 90.1 and IECC have become widely adopted as the benchmarks for energy efficiency in buildings. There are numerous other relevant energy codes such as ASHRAE Standard 189, California Title 24, and various state energy codes, as well as building rating systems such as Energy Star, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED, International Green Construction Code (IgCC), and the Archi-tecture 2030 Challenge.

For the purposes of this article, the term energy codes is used to describe both ASHRAE 90.1 (a standard), and the IECC (a code) as a collective group. To check the sta-tus of current energy code adoption across the United States, refer to the U.S. Dept. of Energy Building Energy Codes Program at www.energycodes.gov (see Figure 1).

The primary purpose of the energy codes is to conserve energy in commercial building construction. The codes include requirements for building envelope and HVAC equipment, and devote an entire chapter to lighting. While energy codes may be confusing, their proper application has the potential for significant energy savings.

Lighting power densitiesThere are two main methods of reducing

lighting power consumption within build-ings: restricting the input wattage of fixtures and restricting the length of time the fixtures operate. Energy codes address both of these methods; however, this article will only dis-cuss methods of lighting control with the intent to optimize the length of time a fixture is in operation.

This is not meant to diminish the importance of lighting power density in lighting design; it is simply not within the scope of this article. The concepts discussed in this article should be used in tandem with lighting power reduction as a complete method to reduce lighting power consumption.

Automatic space controlOne of the fundamental principles of the

energy codes is to regulate how lights are turned on and off in a space. Controlling the duration artificial illuminance is energized is one of the most basic methods of conserving energy. The

By Danna Jensen, Pe, LeeD aP BD+C, and Jason JuLLie, Pe, LeeD aP BD+C, ccrd partners, Dallas

The primary purpose of the energy codes is to conserve energy in commercial building construction.

Codes & Standards

Lighting controls increase energy performanceEngineers should look at the specific lighting control requirements in the latest versions of ASHRAE Standard 90.1 and IECC and review some best practices and insights on how incorporating lighting controls influences a buildings energy performance.

CT

DE

DC

ME

MD

MA

NH

NJ

RI

VT

KS

SD

AZ AR

CACO

ID

ILIN

IA

KY

MI

MN

MO

MT

NENV

NM

NY

NC

ND

OH

OK

OR

PA

SC

TN

UT

VA

WA

WV

WYWI

HI

MS AL

FL

GA

LATXAK

HI

FL

GA

TX

AK

*

*

American SamoaGuamN. Miriana IslandsPuerto Rico*U.S. Virgin Islands

HI

FL

GA

TX

AK

ASHRAE 90.1-2010/2012 IECCequivalent or more energy efficient



No statewide codeASHRAE 90.1-2001/2003 IECCequivalent or more energy efficient

As of May 2014*Adopted new Code to be effected at a later date

code requirement states that the lights in most areas must be automatically switched off either via schedule-based or occupancy-based shutoff. (Certain exceptions apply to this requirement as well as to the other the requirements discussed in this article; however, a dis-cussion of the exceptions is omitted for the sake of brevity.)

Next, the codes address how the lights are permitted to be turned back on. The latest codes mandate that using sensors that simply switch lights on and off based on passive infrared or ultrasonic technologies is no longer acceptable. The controls are still required to auto-matically switch the lights off when a space is unoccupied, but now they are not allowed to automatically switch the lights back on. The controls must be set so that the fixtures are either manually turned on, or if automatically switched on, they may only be switched on to not more than 50% power. This can lead to additional ballasts, fixtures, and wiring, so an automatic on design at this reduced power may not be the most economical solution.

Meeting these fundamental require-ments may be accomplished in a num-ber of ways, and the designer must first consider the use of the space. Small areas with less predictable schedules or inter-mittent usage, such as private offices and conference rooms, are good candidates for occupancy-based shutoff. Occupant sensing devices are installed to signal the lighting to turn off when an area becomes unoccupied and are set to automatic off/manual on (referred to as vacancy sens-ing). Controls for larger spaces with regu-lar schedules, such as common areas and open offices, are better suited for a sched-ule-based shutoff. A relay panel design solution suits this application because it offers flexibility with scheduled automatic shutoff during normal business hours with the option to manually override the con-trols if an occupant should require lighting beyond the normal schedule.

Lighting reductionAfter applying automatic control

strategies, lighting reduction require-ments offer additional energy sav-ings by further reducing the lighting

Codes & Standards


Figure 1: This map depicts the status of state energy code adoption across the United States as of May 2014. Courtesy: www.energycodes.gov

power used throughout the day. The codes state that separate controls are required to reduce the lighting power in a reasonably uniform pattern across the space. The lighting reduction require-ment is designed to allow occupants to actively reduce the output of the light-ing in the space to adjust to their per-sonal comfort level. Several methods of reduction are described in the codes, ranging from separate switching to con-tinuous dimming.

Dimming of fixtures in a space is achieved by adding a dimming ballast or driver to the fixture, and while this option will yield the greatest range in flexibility for lighting reduction, it may drive up the overall cost of the lighting control sys-tem. A dual-ballasted or stepped-ballasts approach may reduce the premium for dimming by as much as 85%.

Daylight zone controlThe use of natural daylighting com-

pares favorably to most artificial light-ing systems, and the codes are writ-ten to take advantage of daylight as a supplemental lighting source. In spaces with plenty of daylight, this strategy is inherently one of the best ways to reduce lighting energy consumption by control-ling the amount of time the fixtures are on during occupied hours. The energy codes define various daylight zones based on side- or top-lighted areas and require that these zones are separately controlled.

The daylighting zone control require-ments are relatively new to both codes, so it is important for the designer to understand the building envelope and zoning requirements to design the cor-rect control strategy. ASHRAE 90.1-2013 defines the zones based on the total wattage installed, whereas IECC-2012 defines the zones based on square foot-age and distance from the daylight fen-estration. The codes also differ on their method of control. IECC-2012 allows the daylighting controls to be either manual or automatic, but ASHRAE 90.1-2013 requires all daylight controls be automatic.


Acceptable automatic methods are continuous dimming, or stepped dim-ming using multi-level switching and daylight-sensing controls. As previous-ly discussed, dimming fixtures tends to add initial costs; however, with some facilities seeing an average of 46% energy savings when installing day-light harvesting systems, the return on investment is relatively quick (Energy savings in schools, 2011). A continuous dimming system includes indoor photo sensors where, as the daylight contri-bution increases in a space, the lights automatically dim to preset levels. This provides gradual lighting adjustments without lowering the lighting quality or levels in the space. Zoning the light fixtures based on their proximity to the window or skylight allows the system to properly adjust the artificial light in response to daylight.

Exterior controlsIf the project includes exterior light-

ing, additional requirements are outlined in the codes. The exterior fixtures must automatically turn off based on daylight, and any decorative faade and landscape lighting must be automatically shut off between midnight and 6 a.m. (security lighting is exempt from this require-ment). The exterior lighting must also be controlled by a combination of photo sensor and time switch. The basic com-ponents of an exterior control system will easily interface with whatever con-trol strategy is applied on the interior of the building for a total building lighting control solution.

Specialty and parkinggarage controls

Once the above standards are met, the energy codes have more specific requirements for specialty areas such as display/accent lighting, case light-ing, and task lighting. These sections remain relatively unchanged from pre-vious versions of the code and require separate control devices for specialty lighting. However, in 2010, ASHRAE 90.1 added a new section dedicated to

parking garage control, and in 2013 it enhanced the requirements even further. Previously, requirements for control of parking garage fixtures were not man-dated, but now ASHRAE 90.1-2013 requires automatic shutoff in garages based on both occupancy and exposure to natural daylight.

The occupant control must be by one or more devices that automati-cally reduce power of each fixture by a minimum of 30% when no activity is detected within a zone. A basic solu-tion to the requirement is to provide fixtures with onboard occupant sensors. The onboard sensor signals the fixture to reduce the light output to a preset level. The designer must be cognizant when incorporating such a system, however, to not jeopardize the safety of the garage occupants. ASHRAE 90.1-2013 defines the zone as not more than 3,600 sq ft, so the controls must be trig-gered far enough in advance so that a car or pedestrian is not entering a dark

area before the fixtures are triggered to react.

The code also mandates that addi-tional controls are required to auto-matically reduce lighting levels of fix-tures located with 20 ft of a perimeter opening exposed to daylight. Similar to the indoor application of daylight control, garage daylight sensors must be installed to reduce the light output in response to daylight.

Total building lighting control solution

With a better understanding of how to manage the multiple individual compo-nents of the energy code requirements, lets discuss a total building lighting control system that integrates all of the code required controls into a single sys-tem. A full networked lighting control system is a digital architecture that inte-grates occupancy-, schedule-, and day-light-based controls into one networked system (see Figure 2). The network con-

Figure 2: A fully networked lighting control system provides digital addressable technology in every device in every zone for maximum flexibility and control. Courtesy: ccrd partnersFigure 2: A fully networked lighting control system provides digital addressable technology

To other networkbridges

Networkbridge

To otherspaces andassociatedrelay packs

Localnetwork

Networkgateway

Low voltagelocal switch Addressable low

voltage occupancy/vacancy sensor

To user accesspoints (ex.central plantcomputer)

Room relay/power pack

Addressablephotosensor

Light fixture withonboard addressabledevice (typ)


Codes & Standardstrol system includes addressable light fixtures, switches, occupancy/vacancy sensors, relay panels/time switches, and photosensors, and when implemented in a facility, it not only meets the current energy code requirements, it also reduc-es energy consumption and enhances occupant convenience. The system pro-vides the ability to modify any number of parameters such as adjusting time delays in specific occupancy sensors, recalibrating setpoints for daylight con-trols, and adjusting maximum power consumption on any device in the net-work from a single location. As the system is calibrated to more accurately react to occupant schedules and the pres-ence of natural light, the overall building lighting power consumption may reduce significantly.

The ultimate goal is to provide not only a code-compliant design, but also a high-performing, energy-efficient build-ing. Fully understanding the detailed requirements of the codes (and the dif-ferences between them) will lead the designer down the correct path. Refer to Table 1 as a quick reference guide to the different requirements discussed in this article. As the codes continue to change, so will the available lighting and control products.

A full building lighting control solu-tion may very well become a standard design practice in the near future. The actual energy savings will depend on a multitude of factors such as occupant behavior, building type, site orienta-tion, device settings, and level of com-missioning, and the initial upfront cost may sound daunting (anywhere between $1 to $2 per sq ft). However, the realized energy consumption savings average as much as 40%, making the investment well worth the effort.

Danna Jensen has 14 years of experi-ence at ccrd in Dallas, where she became associate principal in 2012. Most of her work consists of designing electrical dis-tribution for hospitals. She also designs electrical systems for office and retail facilities. She is the project manager for major hospital projects, which includes

Table 1: Lighting control requirements of ASHRAE 90.1-2013 versus IECC-2012

Controlrequirements

ASHRAE 90.1-2013 IECC-2012

Automatic shutoff

Separate controls within 20 ft of perimeter opening automatically reduce by 40%

Scheduled shutoff required, must include override switch for up to 2 hours

Turn lights off within 20 minutes Turn lights off within 30 minutes

Automatic on not permitted unless switched to 50% power

Automatic on not permitted unless switched to 50% power

Lighting reduction

Must include at least one intermediate step between 30% and 70%

Must reduce lighting by at least 50%

Daylighting controls

Sidelighting: Required where installed lighting in primary lit area is 150 W or more

Sidelighting: Required where installed lighting within 15 ft from vertical fenestration

Toplighting: Required where installed lighting completely or partially within daylight area is 150 W or more

Toplighting: Required where installed lighting in the area equal to the area under the toplight plus floor to ceiling height dimension

Calibration adjustments readily accessible

Calibration adjustments readily accessible

Lighting in secondary sidelighted areas controlled independently from primary sidelighted areas

Manual controls required per zone are permitted

Reduction via continuous dimming or at least one control point between 50% and 70% and a second control point between 20% and 40%

Continuous dimming to less than 35%, or stepped dimming with one step between 50% and 70% and another step less than 35%

Exterior lighting controls

Combination of photosensor and time switch required

Combination of photosensor and time switch required

Faade and landscape lighting auto shutoff between midnight and 6 a.m.

Time switches must maintain programming for minimum 10 hours

Automatic reduction to 30% for signage lighting

Time switches must maintain programming for minimum 10 hours

Specialty controls

Separate controls for display/accent/specialty lighting

Separate controls for display/accent/specialty lighting

Parking garage controls

Automatic control and reduction required No specific requirements

Reduce lighting power by minimum 30% within 20 minutes

Entrances/exits separate controlled and automatically reduce by 50%

Separate controls within 20 ft of perimeter opening automatically reduce by 40%

Courtesy: ccrd partners

knowledge of all mechanical, electrical, plumbing (MEP), and fire protection systems, as well as commissioning. Jen-sen was a 2009 Consulting-Specifying Engineer 40 Under 40 winner and is a member of the Consulting-Specifying Engineer editorial advisory board.

Jason Jullie has 10 years of experience with ccrd in Dallas as an electrical engi-neer and associate. He works mainly in the health care field designing electri-cal distribution systems. He is a 2014 Consulting-Specifying Engineer 40 Under 40 winner.

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BY GREGORY K. SHINO, PE, JBA Consulting Engineers, Las Vegas

Like most people, I am regularly asked what I do for a living. When I respond that I am a fire protection engineer, the response is either a blank stare expecting

me to explain further or a comment to effect of: Oh right. Sprinklers.

Fire protection engineering is not just about active protection like automatic sprinklers and fire alarm systems. While the suppression side of fire protection engineering is well known because of the excitement of watching water or other

suppression agents suppress or extinguish fire, it is by no means the extent of fire protection. People are also familiar with the annoying horns and strobes of the fire alarm system.

Fire protection involves multiple forms/means of protection that include both active and passive elements. Active fire protection can involve automatic sprin-klers, clean agent suppression systems, standpipes for manual suppression, and fire alarm and smoke management sys-tems. Passive fire protection primarily

Fire protection engineers can and should consider the buildingsconstruction, fire suppression systems, and smoke control when designing fire protection systems.

Balancing activeand passive fire protection


Learningobjectives Understand the differences between active and passive fire protection systems.

Learn which codes pertain to these systems.

Know that each AHJ has different requirements.

Figure 1: JBA Consulting Engineers provided engineering consulting services for the new Horseshoe Casino Baltimore, includingspecifications for the active fire suppression systems.Horseshoe Casino provides a code-prescribed balanceof active and passive fire protection features. Thebuilding is U.S. Green Building Council LEEDGold Certified. Courtesy: JBA ConsultingEngineers/Hedrich Blessing

involves construction elements that either limit the spread of fire by containment, or provide fire-resistive protection to struc-tural elements to mitigate high heat that would otherwise cause them to fail. To fully understand how we can best balance active and passive fire protection features, we will first look at minimum require-ments that govern building construction.

Building and fire codesIn the realm of building construction,

most fire protection requirements are established in building and fire codes. Model building codes, such as the Inter-national Building Code (IBC) promul-gated by the International Code Council, establish minimum requirements for buildings based on how they are occu-pied and what type of construction is used. For example, a standard single-family residential home is permitted to be constructed of wood with very limited requirements for fire-resistive construc-tion. A 10-story apartment building, on the other hand, would require noncom-bustible steel and concrete with most of the structural elements requiring 2-hour fire-resistive construction or better.

Additionally, model building codes often dictate the type of fire protection aspects required. Using the same exam-ple as above, a single-family residential home historically has not required auto-matic sprinklers but does require smoke alarms. As a high-rise building, a 10-story apartment building would require auto-matic sprinklers, standpipes, a fire detec-tion and voice alarm evacuation system, secondary power supplies, and some form of smoke management. Both examples are buildings where people live. The pri-mary differences are the size of the build-ings, ease of evacuation, and quantity of people within them.

Building and fire codes establish the minimum requirements as governed and adopted by the respective jurisdiction in which the building is to be constructed. Specific building code requirements vary from state to state, county to county, and city to city. The local authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) responsible for build-

ings and construction is tasked with moni-toring construction so that the level of fire protection is not less than that adopted by its state, county, or city. Where multiple jurisdictions such as state, county, and city each have their own adopted codes, typically the citys code is not permitted to be less stringent than that of the coun-ty or state. Engineers must review with the local jurisdiction what the minimum requirements are and be aware that there may be additional requirements.

It is important to establish that the model building codes are often the basic,

minimum requirements. Environmental, social, economic, climatic, and other influences may dictate levels of active and passive protection as well.

Alternatively, some jurisdictions may enforce more stringent passive fire pro-tection requirements depending on their circumstances. In areas where there is higher potential for conflagration, a jurisdiction may require that buildings have noncombustible or limited com-bustible construction. Wildland urban interface fires have thousands of homes, a fact that weighs on the minds of the AHJs that govern building construction in those areas. As a result, some of those jurisdictions require minimum clearances around structures, providing a natural passive barrier to limit/restrict fire from impinging on structures. Clearances may require vegetation that is more resistant to fire, noncombustible landscaping, and even noncombustible construction of the structure itself.

How does one balance the active and passive features of fire protection in the best interest of the project? The question is best answered by highlighting that the building and fire codes establish the minimum level of protection required. Therefore, it depends on the project, and understanding what is most important to protect.

ProtectionAs the term fire protection engineer-

ing suggests, one of our primary focuses is on protection from fire. In the building and construction industry this primarily relates to keeping people and buildings safe from fire. As in most industries, the safety of people comes first and prop-erty protection is secondary. Protecting the occupants of the building from the effects of fire is the primary objective, but designers should also be conscious of emergency responders when design-ing. Ideally, all occupants of the building

are capable of self-preservation and can escape on their own. In reality, emergen-cy responders are called on daily to risk their lives saving and protecting people and property.

Because firefighters train regularly, they know and understand the fire phenomena. While their tactics and strategies typically use the equipment they maintain, they also often rely on buildings active and passive fire protection features. In high-rise buildings, firefighters stage and attack from minimum 2-hour fire-resistance rated stair enclosures where the build-ings standpipe outlets are maintained. Therefore, as designers, it is important to recognize that stair enclosures will not be used solely by building occupants, but also by emergency responders.

In concert with protecting people, the design must protect property. While prop-erty loss from fire is devastating regard-less of size, some fire losses are more difficult to recover from financially and emotionally. Priceless artifacts in muse-ums are often well protected from fire, theft, and other elements. Because people want to look at and admire the artifacts, active and passive protection requires a design cognizant that people will need to evacuate in a fire scenario. Conversely, data centers that maintain billions of dol-lars of financial transactions may have


In the realm of building construction, most fire protection requirements are established in building and fire codes.


zero occupants 95% of the time, but may have equal or more robust protection in place to safeguard against losses.

Determining the best protection requires understanding what needs to be protected and what means of protection are available.

Passive fire protectionPassive fire protection is not as glorious

or dramatic as active fire protection. Most people do not look at a fire wall and real-ize how smart it is to build a 3- or 4-hour wall to protect people and property. It is reasonably safe to say that 99.99% of the population would not recognize a 2-hour horizontal exit if they went through it 10 times a day. Passive fire protection fea-tures are elements of fire protection that most people have little to no understand-ing of. Some of these include:n Fire-resistance-rated walls, floors,

and ceiling/roofsn Fire-resistance-rated structural

members (columns, beams, etc.)n Fire-protection-rated doors and

windowsn Penetration fire stop sealants and

joint protection systemsn Fire dampers, smoke dampers, and

combination fire/smoke dampersn Smoke barrier construction.

Passive fire protection features are considered passive because they take no active means to suppress fire or notify occupants. The primary benefit that pas-sive fire protection provides is contain-ing fire and smoke within a compartment. There are often questions about doors and dampers because those technically move to close. They are not considered active features because they do not act to sup-press fires or notify occupants. Doors and dampers close to contain fires, but they do not suppress fire or notify occupants.

Passive fire protection is often over-looked and undervalued by most people. In an age where action movies demon-strate heroes fighting blazing fires with voluminous streams of water or all the sprinklers in a room discharging from an incipient or comedic fire, it is easy to

overlook a fire wall that may protect half of the building or the fire-resistive stair enclosure that protects occupants exiting and firefighters staging. In the field of fire protection engineering, passive fire pro-tection features can be equally beneficial as active suppression.

The example of the firefighters using the stair enclosure to stage and attack a fire is very real. High-rise buildings have required protected exit enclosures for nearly as long as such buildings have been around. While the stair enclosure does not provide active suppression, it does serve as a safe compartment for occupants to egress and firefighters to stage from.

It is relatively common in fire protection engineering and building design to employ passive fire protection features for defend-in-place strategies. The most common applications are straight from the building code, where fire-resistive construction is used in institutional occupancies such as hospitals and jails to limit fire and smoke spread to specific compartments. Because hospitals have patients who are inca-pable of self-preservation, they employ fire-resistive compartmentation to move incapacitated or non-ambulatory patients from one compartment to another. While prison inmates may be capable of self-preservation, their circumstances prevent them from moving without restrictions. Therefore, prisons and jails often use pas-sive fire-resistive compartmentation to limit the spread of smoke and fire while maintaining secure conditions.

Passive fire protection may use fire-resistive construction or simply apply

construction that restricts smoke and hot gases from moving freely beyond the compartment of origin. Smoke partitions may or may not have fire-resistance rat-ings; they are primarily constructed to limit smoke migration. IBC minimum requirements establish that elevator lob-bies are provided with a smoke partition, which does not require a fire resistance rating. Because elevator hoistway doors provide the fire protection rating but offer little smoke protection, the smoke partition provides additional protection to restrict smoke from entering and/or leav-ing a hoistway and impacting other floors.

Fire and smoke partitions require pro-tection where piping, conduit, or other items penetrate the walls and/or floors. These passive fire protection features are known as through-penetration or mem-brane-penetration firestop systems. Most often these penetrations occur above false ceilings and out of view. As designers, we know that these penetration firestop systems require listings and/or approvals from UL, Warnock Hersey (Intertek), or other nationally recognized testing labora-tories. Listings typically include the type of wall, ceiling, or floor penetrated; type of penetrant; and details of the assembly, including material components.

One of the most common questions our mechanical engineering associates ask is, Do I need a fire or smoke damper in this wall?

Again, the IBC sets out in reasonable detail the minimum conditions for where fire, smoke, and combination fire/smoke dampers are required. Mechanical engi-neers do not have any difficulty read-ing and interpreting where fire, smoke, or combination fire/smoke dampers are required; their difficulty is with establish-ing what types of walls their ductwork penetrates.

The IBC establishes many types of fire-resistance and smoke-rated walls. Table 1 provides a summary of the types of walls from the IBC and examples of fire-resistance ratings. Figure 1 provides a general reference flowchart to assist in determining whether a fire, smoke, or combination fire/smoke damper may

Active, passive fire protection

Passive fire protection features are

considered passive because they take no active means to

suppress fire or notify occupants.


Table 1: This lists the types of different fire-resistance-rated walls referenced in the International Building Code. Designers should be fully aware of not only the fire-resistance rating, but a

consulting specifying engineer october 2014

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