Consulting-Specifying Engineer - June 2008 - (Page 28)

Figure 2: Smoke control systems typically are required along the Las Vegas Strip for enclosed parking garages. Pictured here is a an AMCA-certified damper. Source: control diagrams is the first inspection specifically accepted. The system can now be inspected in the field using approved drawings. As the general contractor continues with building construction, floors, walls, ceilings, shafts, chutes, stairs, doors, and other smoke zone boundaries are completed (see Figure 4). The mechanical subcontractor installs ducts, dampers, fans, pressure relief hoods, the sprinkler system, and the various initiating devices for the smoke control system. Rough mechanical inspections are scheduled and completed upon installation of mechanical equipment in different sections of the building. Some sections of the building are unique; others are repetitious, such as the middle section of the hotel for many floors. Those unique or nearly so are: • Low-rise casino • Restaurant and retail areas • Back-of-house support areas • First few floors of the high-rise hotel • Top floors of the high-rise hotel. The first few floors of the high-rise hotel often are called the podium. The top floors often feature much larger rooms than the middle levels, sometimes having two-story penthouse suites. Inspections and testing While the building is under construction, the building inspectors of the Clark County Building Division inspect construction of smoke barriers and placement of smoke control equipment. The special inspection agency assigns inspectors who attend site meetings on the smoke control system and perform acceptance testing on the smoke control equipment. The testing agency fills out a daily report any time they are on site. These reports and any test results are maintained on-site at the general contractor’s office for review by the Building Division. The first acceptance test usually is performed by a test and balance firm that ensures the riser duct, which connects all the floors for smoke exhaust, is pressure tested in segments that are typically 15–20 stories high. The pressurized duct must hold 150% of the design pressure with a maximum leakage of 5% of the design airflow. The building inspectors ensure that wall, floor, and ceiling constructions are tight, with joints and utility penetrations properly sealed, and any openings are protected by fire- and smoke-rated doors, dampers, or curtains. Acceptance testing of the smoke control system begins in earnest as the building Figure 3: On this firefighters smoke control panel, the smoke exhaust system has been manually activated. The red lights indicate mechanical equipment is activated. nears completion and the smoke control graphics panel (see Figure 3) is installed in the fire command center, a special room at ground level that serves as the emergency response location for the fire department. The general contractor and mechanical subcontractor test the smoke control system after the panel is energized. A system programmer will staff the fire command center during the weeks required to shake down this complicated system until the graphics panel is free of trouble lights. The smoke control agency writes proposed test scenarios from the matrix on the smoke control diagrams and submits these as a test plan to the Building Division. The test plan also must include the percentage of passive smoke zones that must be leaktested with door fans, or door fan assemblies, in building areas where the passive method of smoke control is used. The general contractor notifies the testing agency when the smoke control system is ready for acceptance testing. The testing agency then tests all initiating devices, verifying the proper responses were obtained. Pressure readings will verify that the required minimum 0.05-in. water gauge differentials have been obtained. Door-opening forces are measured to ensure they are less than 30 lb. Exhaust quantities, leakage Unlucky numbers can floor designers Of course, the number 13 is generally considered an unlucky number in Las Vegas and is rarely used on a floor numbering system. In addition, the number 4 is generally considered an unlucky number and is often deleted from the floor numbering system, which results in the confusing situation where some 30-story hotels have penthouse suites located on floors numbered in the 50s. 28 Consulting-Specifying Engineer • June 2008

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Consulting-Specifying Engineer - June 2008 Contents Viewpoint Letters News M/E Roundtable No Gambling Allowed on Smoke Control in Las Vegas Be Prepared: Hospital Protections for Catastrophic Events Ready for Retail Commissioning Documents: Necessary Evil Codes & Standards Codes & Standards Case Study Equipment Lifecycles New Products Advertiser Index Green Space

Consulting-Specifying Engineer - June 2008

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