Limited risers in offices can also result in more service crossovers and congestion, increasing this depth further still.
Even with an optimised design it is likely that new, larger HVAC plant and additional ductwork will be required.For some office buildings this can be difficult to incorporate, with limited roof, external, riser, and ceiling void space available.
Ideally, new riser space can be formed in such a way that it doesn’t significantly reduce net usable lab space or cause issues with adjacent tenancies (where relevant).Where this isn’t possible, external ductwork can be considered, however there are other issues such as building appearance and Planning Permission that can make this unfeasible.. Exhausts for fume cabinets, ducted MBSCs, storage cabinets, and LEV (local extract ventilation) will also need to find their way to roof level.With limited riser space this means upper-floor office conversions are preferable, though these tend to be less advantageous from an access or structural point of view..
It is essential roof exhausts have efflux arrangements that ensure discharged fumes get sufficiently away from the building to prevent recirculation into make-up systems or to anyone on the roof or in a nearby building.In the UK, the British Standard has a blanket statement requiring fume stacks be either 3m high or 25% the building height – whichever is greater.
For tall buildings this can lead to very high stacks that would impact the building’s appearance and will likely require Planning Permission.
For example, a 10-storey office building with an average floor to floor height of 4m would require a stack 10m tall (nearly 3 storeys.)The UK prisons rollout is reporting dramatic reductions in delivery schedule with much improved certainty on just the second project to use this approach..
However, in other cases, where assets need to respond to site constraints and/or business needs, then the ability to adapt a Reference Design is critical to its usefulness.We have seen clients who already have Reference Designs (also called template designs).
However, with no rules for how to adapt this Reference Design to local sites, the delivery teams can end up unravelling it and are back with new designs..Many, if not most clients, need designs that can respond to unique sites and needs e.g.