Electrical, Plumbing, and Heating and Cooling Building Systems

 Chapter 5 – Electrical Systems and Lighting

After reading Chapter 5, one understands the importance of light – daylight or not – in relation to the communication of space. The fifth chapter covered a wide range of sub-sections relating to lighting such as, effective and sustainable lighting solutions, lamp types and their uses in interior spaces, sustainable lamps and fixtures, and reflected ceiling plans.

Electricity and Lighting

Starting off with the understanding of electrical current and whether it is in the form of alternating current or direct current, the book recaps the basic knowledge of electricity. It travels through a combination of overhead and underground electrical lines. The rate at which these lines turn electricity into something else is measured in watts. We can use the equation W = V x A in which V is the voltage – in reference to the electromotive force – and A is amperes – measured in current. With this being said, a finished electrical circuit has an energy source, the current, and a resistor.

There are different components, however, that make up these electrical systems. For example, the number of voltage cycles that takes place in one second within a power grid is measured in Hertz. Electric lines also have the ability to run directly to a panel board or first pass through a service switch. This switch is then used to disconnect service to an entire building. Due to our understanding that energy can be managed in several ways it is surprising to read that “the United States uses about 2 trillion kilowatts per hour of electricity per year. Of this, 25% goes to building energy systems.” The other 86% is reported to be generated by fossil fuels.

With this in mind, interior designers must understand electricity and how it is getting distributed throughout a building. By doing this, the designer is able to integrate their designs in a safe way, while also impacting the energy efficiency and ultimate sustainability of a building. Since a very common mistake in a space is over-lighting, designers are encouraged to use daylight-enhancing devices to reduce the overall energy load of the structure.

Light is understood as a visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum and a form of energy visible to humans. Due to the fact that light does not contain color, the color we see in light is reflected off of different surfaces. There are two valuable reasons an interior designer needs to understand artificial lighting and natural lighting: lighting affects people’s health and welfare and bad lighting can ruin any interior design.

Sustainability and Lighting Design

While reading through electricity and lighting, the big question comes up: how can we make the most of daylight, save energy, and overall, save the Earth? Lighting accounts for the single largest chunk of energy use in a building. Energy efficiency of any light source is determined by the amount of energy needed to produce the light output in lumens. This all comes with controlling the distribution of light because when we do, we reduce and eliminate glare, light trespass, and light pollution. These things such as light pollution have a drastic effect on our environment and wildlife. This sort of disruption can affect sea turtle’s mating process or migratory birds from light level in the sky.

So, what are our solutions? Fixtures like vacancy systems are able to automatically turn off lights when a room or space is not being occupied. Three of the vacancy systems – passive infrared, passive acoustic, and ultrasonic – each fit into any building environment. Passive infrared sensors are able to detect body heat, passive acoustic sensors rely on microphones to detect changes within a space, and ultrasonic sensors emit sound waves to detect humans. Through this system, energy is reduced anywhere from 30% and 50%.

Chapter 6 – Plumbing Systems

Diving into Chapter 6, we better understand the efficient design of bathrooms and kitchens, plans with clearances for plumbing, the basic components of water supply and waste disposal within a structure, and sustainability concerns related to plumbing systems.

Plumbing Systems and Fixtures and Water Conservation

We understand plumbing as the elimination introduction of water and human by-products towards and away a building. A plumbing system is divided into water supply – a system operating under pressure – and wastewater – a system operating by gravity. Since wastewater systems are operated by gravity, the need for a slope in waste pipes is required. While efforts to reduce the amount of potable water being discharge into the water system have been large, the single biggest use of water is still irrigation. The close second being toilet flushing.

The toilet is the single biggest source for interior water use, so EPA’s WaterSense program incorporated certified toilets that are more efficient by 20% than others. Recent building codes have outlined using more efficient plumbing products, such as high-efficiency toilets that use less than 1.28 gallons per flush. Some toilets have gone as far as using a dual flushing mechanism that can be flushed according to the usage.

Since the location of plumbing lines impacts space planning and the interior design of a space, it is important to understand a few things. The fewer plumbing walls you have the better. Chase walls are walls that are thickened to accommodate plumbing and because they can run from floor to floor and be shared by stacked fixtures, the need for multiple 6-inch or thicker walls decrease. Furthermore, chase walls save on amount of waste pipe and supply pipe, and numerous fixtures are able to share the same vent pipe to the roof. When these walls are stacked on top of each other, everything can easily be shared from floor to floor.

One Alternative Building System: Heating and Cooling (HVAC)

Unless you live in a place with mild-weather year around, natural ventilation is hard to come by. In Chicago, wind is your enemy, and the sun is its sidekick. With the help from HVAC systems (residential heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems) we are able to heat and cool, filter out particles, and regulate humidity all within our homes. Common HVAC systems are central air conditioning unites, ductless mini-splits, furnaces, and boilers. These machines provide heating and cooling through their forced-air system that circulates air throughout it.

Certain systems, like duct systems, have a certain unit that “treats” the air and that allows the blower to circulate the treated air into a building or home. However, systems without ducts, like mini-splits, exchange air directly with the interior space using ductwork. As air runs through any HVAC system, it can pass through filters that help remove allergens, dust, and other particles. Central air conditioning requires both indoor air handlers and outdoor compressors and are the strongest and most efficient types of AC units. While they require ductwork and are typically some of the most expensive HVAC systems, central air goes a long way when the heat starts taking over.