reading

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Preface

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1: Electricity—Basic Concepts

1.1 INTRODUCTION

1.2. HISTORY OF ELECTRICITY

1.3 THE WATER ANALOGY

1.4 OHM’S LAW

1.5 TYPES OF ELECTRICITY

1.6 POWER FACTOR

1.7 TYPES OF CIRCUITS

1.8 POWER GENERATORS IN SERIES AND PARALLEL

1.9 VOLTAGE DROP

1.10 ELECTRICAL POWER

1.11 ELECTRICAL ENERGY

1.12 PAYING FOR ELECTRICITY

1.13 REDUCTION IN MAXIMUM DEMAND

1.14 TRANSFORMERS

1.15 ELECTRICITY AND SAFETY

1.16 ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS (EMF)

1.17 CONCLUSION

Chapter 2: Electrical Distribution in Buildings

2.1 INTRODUCTION

2.2 A BRIEF HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

2.3 CENTRALIZED ELECTRICAL POWER

2.4 DECENTRALIZED AND PRIVATE SOURCES OF ELECTRICITY

2.5 ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION IN SMALL BUILDINGS

2.6 ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION IN LARGE BUILDINGS

2.7 SWITCHES, FUSES, AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS

2.8 CONDUCTORS

2.9 CONDUITS AND RACEWAYS

2.10 OFFICE LANDSCAPES

2.11 ELECTRICAL SAFETY SYSTEMS

2.12 LOW-VOLTAGE CIRCUITS

2.13 EMERGENCY POWER

2.14 COMMUNICATION AND BUILDING CONTROL WIRING

2.15 ELECTRICAL CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS

2.16 LIGHTNING PROTECTION

2.17 SUSTAINABILITY

2.18 CONCLUSION

Chapter 3: Plumbing—Water Supply

3.1 INTRODUCTION

3.2 BRIEF HISTORY OF WATER SUPPLY

3.3 SOURCES OF DRINKING WATER

3.4 WATER USE

3.5 PRIVATE WATER SUPPLY

3.6 RAINWATER HARVESTING

3.7 WATER DISTRIBUTION IN BUILDINGS

3.8 WATER QUALITY

3.9 WATER EFFICIENCY

3.10 HOT WATER

3.11 HOT WATER CONSERVATION

3.12 CONCLUSION

Chapter 4: Drainage

4.1 INTRODUCTION

4.2 SHORT HISTORY OF SANITARY DRAINAGE

4.3 BASIC PRINCIPLES OF DRAINAGE

4.4 BASIC CONCEPTS OF PLUMBING FIXTURES

4.5 DRAINAGE PIPING

4.6 WATER CLOSETS AND ALTERNATIVES

4.7 COMPOSTING TOILETS

4.8 ON-SITE SEPTIC TANK SYSTEMS

4.9 ON-SITE AEROBIC SYSTEMS

4.10 SPECIAL AND INNOVATIVE TREATMENT SYSTEMS

4.11 CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS

4.12 BIOLOGIC MACHINES

4.13 GRAYWATER SYSTEMS

4.14 ALTERNATIVE COMMUNITY SEWAGE SYSTEMS

4.15 STORMWATER

4.16 SPECIAL DRAINAGE SYSTEMS

4.17 CASE STUDY

4.18 CONCLUSION

Chapter 5: Architectural Acoustics

5.1 INTRODUCTION

5.2 A SHORT HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURAL ACOUSTICS

5.3 THE PHYSICS OF SOUNDS

5.4 THE BIOLOGY OF SOUNDS

5.5 PERCEPTION OF SOUND

5.6 SOUND AND HEALTH

5.7 SOUND-ABSORBING MATERIALS

5.8 APPLICATION OF SOUND-ABSORBING MATERIALS

5.9 SOUND TRANSMISSION

5. 10 DESIGN FOR LOW SOUND TRANSMISSION

5. 11 ACCEPTABLE NOISE LEVELS

5. 12 OPEN-PLAN OFFICES

5.13 IMPACT NOISE

5. 14 MECHANICAL SYSTEMS NOISE CONTROL

5.15 THEATERS, CLASSROOMS AND AUDITORIUMS

5.16 RULES FOR DRAWING RAY DIAGRAMS

5.17 ELECTRONIC SOUND SYSTEMS

5.18 NOISE OUTDOORS

5.19 CONCLUSION

Chapter 6: Fire Protection

6.1 INTRODUCTION

6.2 A SHORT HISTORY OF FIRES IN BUILDINGS

6.3 FIRE PRINCIPLES

6.4 FIRE PREVENTION

6.5 PASSIVE FIRE PROTECTION

6.6 DETECTION

6.7 ALARMS

6.8 SAFE EGRESS

6.9 FIRE SUPPRESSION

6.10 NON-WATER FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEMS

6.11 SMOKE CONTROL

6.12 FIRE CODES

6.13 ELEVATORS AND FIRES

6.14 LIGHTNING PROTECTION

6.15 CONCLUSION

Chapter 7: Conveyance Systems in Buildings

7.1 INTRODUCTION

7.2 A SHORT HISTORY OF THE ELEVATOR

7.3 ELEVATOR TYPES

7.4 ELEVATOR DESIGN

7.5 ESCALATORS

7.6 MOVING WALKWAYS AND RAMPS

7.7 VERTICAL TRANSPORT AND HEALTH

7.8 SPECIAL LIFTS FOR PEOPLE

7.9 MATERIAL CONVEYING SYSTEMS

7.10 CONCLUSION

Index

End User License Agreement

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201-748-6011, fax 201-748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

For general information on our other products and services, or technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at 800-762-2974, outside the United States at 317-572-3993 or fax 317-572-4002.

Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Lechner, Norbert.
Plumbing, electricity, acoustics : sustainable design methods for architecture/Norbert Lechner.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-118-01475-2 (cloth); 978-1-118-13010-0 (ebk.);
978-1-118-13011-7 (ebk.); 978-1-118-13108-4 (ebk.);
978-1-118-13109-1 (ebk.); 978-1-118-13110-7 (ebk.)
1. Buildings–Environmental engineering. 2. Buildings–Electric equipment–
Design and construction. 3. Sustainable buildings–Design and construction.
I. Title.
TH6031.L43 2011
696–dc23
2011018345

ISBN 978-1-118-01475-2

PREFACE

“We should all be concerned about the future because we have to spend the rest of our lives there.”

Francis Kettering

“What is the use of a house if you haven’t got a tolerable planet to put it on?”

Henry David Thoreau

Plumbing, Electricity, Acoustics: Sustainable Design Methods for Architecture is a companion book to Heating, Cooling, Lighting: Sustainable Design Methods for Architects, because the two books together cover all or most of the topics in the field of environmental control. Although not mentioned in the title, this book also covers fire protection and building conveyance systems.

Although practicing architects and students of architecture are the primary audience of this book, it is also valuable for others in the building field. For engineers and contractors, this book can provide either an introduction to the subjects that are covered or an overview of topics related to their specialty. This book can also be useful to developers, building managers, homeowners, prospective building owners, and stakeholders who want to be involved in the design of their building.

This book emphasizes the concepts and facts needed at the schematic design stage, since that is where most of the important decisions are made for both the initial and long-term success of a building. Designers need to know not only what is required but also what options are available to them. Consequently, alternative strategies are presented where appropriate. This book also aids designers in making some of the more important decisions that will have to be made after the schematic design stage. Even the areas that are seen as the domain of engineers and consultants must be integrated into the design of the building at all stages. Since the architect is responsible for the success of the whole building, he or she must understand what the engineers and consultants are suggesting, and the architect must understand how these recommendations will impact the whole building.

The topic of electricity is covered in two chapters. Chapter 1 explains the basic concepts of electricity, while Chapter 2 explains how electricity is distributed throughout a building. Chapter 3 describes how potable water is obtained and distributed to the various plumbing fixtures in a building. Chapter 4 discusses plumbing fixtures and how they are drained. It also explains how to treat sewage and wastewater if a public sewer is not available, and it covers rainwater management. Chapter 5 presents architectural acoustics, and Chapter 6 covers fire protection in buildings. Finally, Chapter 7 discusses building conveyance systems with an emphasis on the people-moving systems.

In all chapters where it is appropriate, there is an emphasis on sustainability. It must be emphasized that sustainability will be achieved primarily through the elimination of waste (e.g., efficiency) and only partly through clean renewable energy. For example, zero-energy buildings result when the energy consumption is reduced about 80 percent because it is then practical for renewable energy to supply the remaining 20 percent.

Unlike renewable energy, which is constantly being supplied to the earth from the sun, no new water is being added to the planet. Furthermore, the usable fresh water, which is less than 1 percent of the total, has to meet the needs of a growing population of increasing affluence. Consequently, only greater efficiency will provide enough water for each person. Efficiency includes not only using less water for each activity but also making use of water normally discarded such as rainwater and wastewater.

Guidelines and rules of thumb are provided to help designers make their buildings use less energy, less water, and less of everything else, while making buildings achieve their primary objectives. Electrical energy can be saved not only by means of more efficient lighting fixtures and electrical appliances but also by turning these devices off when not needed. Manual and, increasingly, automatic switches and control systems are used because they take the bother out of turning things off. Saving water not only saves an increasingly limited resource but also saves the energy required to supply the water. In some situations, enormous amounts of energy are required, as in arid southern California, where fresh water is pumped over a mountain range and seawater is desalinated. Well-planned treatment of the effluent from a building’s drain system not only protects against potential health hazards but can also be a valuable source of reclaimed water and fertilizer. Building conveyance systems can utilize very efficient types of elevators and escalators, while architectural design can discourage the excessive use of elevators and escalators in situations where most people could walk a ramp or climb stairs. Green buildings are not only more sustainable but they can be healthier and more desirable places to live, work, and visit.

Because the United States is converting extremely slowly to the SI (Systeme Internationale d’Unites) system, both the old English and the SI units are given. (England switched to SI long ago.) To speed up the transition to SI, it is the policy of the federal government to use SI units on all of its projects, especially its building projects. In this book, the English “inch-pound” units are given first followed by the SI units in parentheses.

Now, in the twenty-first century, the implications of Henry David Thoreau’s words, uttered nearly 200 years ago, ring truer than ever. We must consider the environment when we build and construct buildings.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Since figures are a key method for conveying architecturally related facts and concepts, the creator of the line drawings is extremely important to the success of this book, and John Marusich, a former architecture student, produced most of the line drawings. I greatly appreciate the excellent quality of his work and the reliability of his help. I would also like to thank Joe Aplin, who created some of the drawings until he was called away on other matters.

The quality of the text is mainly achieved by numerous revisions, which are largely guided by thoughtful reviewers and editors. I am lucky to have a family that is not only helpful but also exceptionally skilled in writing. I want to thank my wife, Judith, and my sons, Walden and Ethan, for giving me valuable feedback on the text. Walden also deserves credit for typing the text and the endless revisions.

All photographs that have no source given in the caption were taken by the author. Although credit is given for all contributed photographs, I want to thank again Professors Charlene Le Bleu and Yong Han Ahn for their help. I am also grateful to the museums and manufacturers who contributed photographs and artwork. They are given credit in the caption of the figure that they contributed.