Actress Lily Tomlin once famously said,
‘The road to success is always under construction.’ Well, in construction, the road to MEP (M&E) design and MEP coordination effectively being delivered in the shortest time leads to a single source. Finding that single source will either be with the designer, who also executes coordination, or with a contractor, who also executes design. A single source, therefore, must have additional skills to perform both functions and thus complete the workflow in its entirety. MEP consultants in India can help in this regard by providing the complete design and contracting service required, such as MEP design engineering, BIM modelling, 3D BIM coordination and MEP shop drawing services, for example, but before considering the advantages of this kind of workflow, MEP design and MEP coordination outputs should be understood.
MEP Design
MEP design outputs generally include providing mechanical, electrical, public health and fire protection building services design information (also known as building engineering and architectural engineering) by building services designers and consultants. This design data and information is provided in a comprehensive manner for all design stages, from concept design, design development, tender and construction. The design is typically delivered in BIM format and include spatially coordinated models that contractor and installation teams can install from or use to progress their detailed design and coordination.
Specifically for MEP design, the following design details can be provided for mechanical, electrical, public health or plumbing and fire protection:
Mechanical Design:
– Heating, ventilation and air conditioning design (HVAC) for environmental control
– Water supply/return distribution design
– Energy-related design – including gas, oil, renewable and solar design systems
– Air conditioning load analysis
Electrical Design:
– High and low voltage electrical power distribution system, including essential/emergency power (generator & UPS) systems
– Lighting (including artificial and emergency lighting) and lighting controls
– IT, telecom, security and lightning protection
– Fire detection and activation alarm system
– Riser and panel schedule
– Lux level calculation and lighting
Public Health Design:
– Domestic water supply (both normal and hot water systems)
– Sanitation and waste water
– Storm water drainage and rainwater harvesting
Fire Protection Design:
– Sprinkler protection
– Water and mist system
– Dry riser and wet riser
MEP Coordination
The above individual designs are incorporated and spatially organised to be install ready in the process known as MEP coordination. Once an intelligent model is sent to the MEP engineers, they can begin working, using the building envelope, rooms and volumes as reference points. With Revit MEP, MEP engineers can determine spaces and zones and can use intelligent data which provides greater detail. The parametric tools will update automatically, and calculations can be more quickly and easily analysed when building designs change. The results are reported and shared across the entire project team. MEP engineers can calculate sizing and pressure loss. Simulation and visualisation tools can predict system behaviour, appearance and connectivity.
MEP coordination thus includes providing spatially coordinated building services drawings for construction and engineering projects, which can be utilised by MEP building services contractors. All building services (HVAC, pipework, public health and electrical systems) are also coordinated with other disciplines contributing to the building fabric and structure (steel, concrete, false ceilings, etc.). Plant rooms, building risers, prefabricated corridor and ceiling modules for healthcare, education, entertainment, commercial and mixed-use projects are included in MEP coordination drawings. This multiservice coordination work is created in a 3D environment for all the disciplines, resulting in several benefits, namely:
– MEP coordination ensures that there are no clashes (validated using clash-detection software tools).
– MEP coordination provides models, through BIM modelling, and representations of all mechanical components/kit with precision (unlike 2D CAD drawings).
– MEP coordination prevents site-based delays and disputes, as all services have been proven to work.
– MEP coordination facilitates ease of communication, since the 3D model can be viewed and enables easy walk-throughs for demos, reviews or value engineering.
– With MEP coordination, there is a faster approval/sign-off (since 3D BIM modelling allows clients to view detailed areas in 3D).
Verification of 3D MEP coordinated drawings is possible with the help of the latest MEP modelling software Revit MEP, and clash detection in Navisworks has been found to be effective for 3D building services coordination. With this software tool, the 3D MEP model can be checked for spatial coordination of MEP building services models and also to ensure that they live up to engineering standards and constraints as well as the structural and architectural elements within a building. Project files can be shared and reviewed on a cloud with MEP design engineering teams, MEP consultants and MEP contractors worldwide, using cloud-based collaboration tools such as Collaboration for Revit (C4R) and BIM 360 Team. The continuous communication and collaboration helps create spatially coordinated clash-free and installation-ready drawings. Web Design in Dubai