Consulting-Specifying Engineer - June 2008 - (Page 44)

Figure 2: This back-of-house corridor schematic shows a clustering of ductwork from restaurant spaces placed in lease space without proper consideration given to corridor space for utilities. Source: Graef, Anhalt, Schloemer, & Assocs. Inc. Understanding what is important Regardless of the approach taken during the design of large retail outlets, the hurdles involved with the design remain the same. HVAC designs for these structures often are faced with ambiguity. Typical guidelines focus on limiting cooling loads, and defining the type of equipment in the space, exhaust provisions from the space, and the allotted electrical service size for the retail space. From these guidelines, it becomes the task of the engineer to plan for any type of retailer to occupy that space, from a jeweler with tremendous amounts of display lighting to a daycare facility with high amounts of sensible and latent loads from people in the space and outdoor air required. Without a full understanding of the use of the space, the process becomes a futile effort of speculation and guessing. This is not the only consideration that must be made by the designer. The typical retail store might occupy a storefront space for 10 years. After that, a completely different tenant might choose to lease this space. Most large retail outlet designs need to account for this type of flexibility within the design and it becomes the main focus of decision-making conversions throughout the project life. The leased spaces are not the only spaces that must be taken into consideration during the design. Back-of-house spaces are critical to the success of such properties. If the transport of goods or access to stock locations becomes too difficult, the property will struggle to find tenants. However, store frontage for retailers is valuable space and cannot be earmarked for building systems that require access through exterior walls. The back-of-house areas should have well-organized utilities and coordinated services for a successful retail property. Space for ductwork, piping, conduit, and other services must be planned in the design. Access is equally important. Plenum and chase management plans are chiefly the responsibility of the design engineer. Design for the unknown HVAC design starts by understanding what building services the developer is willing to provide to each tenant to attract potential leasers to the property. Items such as centralized exhaust systems for toilet rooms and janitor closets, or outside air ducts for serving split system units can be part of the utilities run by a developer to improve the appeal of leased spaces. Other utilities that must be part of the collection are water, power, and natural gas. All of these utilities have a common design hurdle to overcome: There is no clear direction as to what the end-use of the space will be. It is useful to determine the utility service strategy at the onset of the project in order to minimize the amount of potential rework that will be done to accommodate different tenant types. The developer’s leasing plan will outline which retailer will occupy each leased space. This plan will provide invaluable guidance as to the requirements of the space. Food service and clothiers with in-house capabilities for cleaning and pressing operations are the two tenant types that tend to be the most challenging. If not planned in advance, finding space in tight quarters for grease exhaust and steam-laden exhaust ductwork can be a challenge. A simple solution to the issue is to require that these types of tenants be identified prior to starting the design of the building systems. This is unlikely, because the signing of tenant lease agreements for most restaurants is dependent upon the other types of retailers in the same development. Another compromise that might be initiated by the engineer would be another proposed restriction to the leasing plan document. Restricting where problematic tenant types might lease space can help avoid situations where code variances need to be obtained as a result of lack of planning for specific tenants requirements. This practice will help avoid significant costs incurred as a result of forcing a building system into a space not originally conceptualized for that use. In town center-type developments, it is common for a developer or architect to provide a single specified storefront system for all of the retail spaces. This places more emphasis on the internal loads and their interaction with that glazing system for different occupancy types. When accounting 44 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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