In Part I of “ Future Shock,“ the cover story in Viewsletter issue Winter ‘97, 3D reviewed structural issues and HVAC systems, based on more than 15 years of retrofit experience. In this issue, we will continue this series by discussing electrically powered distribution systems and voice / data infrastructures. 
 
     Technology is evolving faster than ever. In the past,  technologies outlived buildings, therefore, building design only needed to respond to fixed systems. Today the situation is reversed. Buildings often outlast the most current technologies, and new consideration must be given to make buildings and technologies work together. Buildings must be flexible enough to adapt to technological changes. 

     Main service entrances for electrical systems should be flexible and sized for estimated maximum service. Distribution systems should also be flexible, using bus duct pipe or wire feeders. Bus ducts can deliver large amounts of power along its length at a reasonable cost, and loads can be added or subtracted easily. However, pipe and wire feeders are more economical than bus ducts at shorter lengths. 

     Electrical systems should be at the highest, most practical voltage to make feeders smaller, allowing for easier changes. Transformation to utilization voltage should occur as close to usage points as possible, confining secondary cabling to a smaller location that provides for better accessibility. 

     Fire-alarm and security systems should be designed for the maximum number of points, with expansion capabilities incorporated into system architecture. Installation of a telecommunications infrastructure should be done with the greatest possible bandwidth for both vertical and horizontal cabling systems. 

     Current business downsizing trends, the rising popularity of modular furniture system, and high initial costs are various arguments against flexible design. 
Downsizing reduces overall building loads and the need for building flexibility. In addition, downsizing has reduced the staff in today’s corporations and more people are being consolidated on fewer floors and in smaller workstations. Decreasing the workstation size can increase the number of people on a floor by twenty-five (25) to thirty (30) percent, requiring building-system upgrades to support these increased loads. 

      Modular workstations have also created their own flexibility requirements. Their portability makes it easier for organizations to reconfigure office plans, instead of simply moving people as management styles change. Infrastructures must be revised to service the workstations as these changes occur. Systems originally designed for five years of use can end up lasting three years or less. 

     Concentrating on initial costs instead of overall operating costs can be shortsighted. The original cost consisting of construction, architects’ fees, land, equipment and financing is usually identified at the beginning of the construction process. Tight budgets can reduce or eliminate a building’s ability to adapt if flexibility is not perceived as an added value. 

      While flexible buildings cost more to build, they can cost much less to operate during their life-cycle. Changes to flexible buildings are less expensive. This relationship implies that life-cycle costing, including both initial and operational costs, might provide a better method of evaluating flexible buildings. Life-cycle costing looks at total building and operating costs during a building’s lifetime and estimates those values in today’s dollars. 

      No one knows what the future holds, other than change is inevitable. Engineering text from twenty-five (25) years ago covered the intricacies of radio vacuum tubes and stood witness to technology’s rapid evolution. Such changes will continue to shape how individuals live, play and work. If we can accept the rapidly changing technology around us, we will understand that our buildings must become more flexible.

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3D/Group, Inc.
266 North Fourth Street, Suite 200
Columbus, Ohio 43215-2565
email: mailto:3dgroup.com
phone: (614) 464-3600
fax: (614) 464-9331

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