ROLE OF HVAC

IN
ARCHITECTURE
DHEESHNA DILEEP
An HVAC system is a necessity, not a choice.

HVAC systems play a crucial role in the maintenance of indoor air quality.

Air Ducts/Hatches
● Many HVAC systems are designed in a way that allows them to be easily
installed between existing floors.
● This can often result in spaces within walls or ceilings where ducts will
enter the structure.
● These areas are known as ducts, hatches, or plenums, but they are
generally not accessible when the building is complete. However, the
spaces are needed for the HVAC system to function properly.
● This is why architects may need to design elevated floors, higher ceilings,
and larger rooms to make sure that these duct spaces align with one
another.
Air Vents
● HVAC systems are designed to allow air to circulate between rooms or
even throughout large areas of a building.
● This means that architects will often place vents strategically in their
designs, both to maximize the flow of air for heating or cooling
purposes and so that cleaning units can do their job properly.
● Clean air vents are especially important because the spaces where
they are installed can trap pollutants and pollen, leading to allergies
and respiratory problems.
● While vents are often placed at eye level, they can also be placed
between structural beams to allow for both heating and cooling
systems.
Window Placement
● HVAC is a major consideration when deciding where to place windows in a building,
especially in the areas of what kind of system will be used and how its installation can
affect the rest of the structure.
● Windows are typically placed strategically in a building to provide natural ventilation and
light.
● However, when deciding where they should be placed about the HVAC system, architects
need to consider not only the placement of vents for air conditioning systems but also
heating ducts that might affect how warm or cool air enters a room.

Building Core
● As it turns out, HVAC systems were a major influence on the development of the traditional building core.
● The reason for this is that the HVAC system required large pipes to be installed from the basement to higher floors.
● This meant that architects needed to consider these factors when planning how rooms would be built around them.
● In addition, the introduction of heating and cooling systems placed a lot more responsibility on architects to ensure
that their designs would keep buildings at a comfortable temperature.
● This meant building large equipment rooms into the structure to house HVAC units
Room Heights
● In order to get the most out of their HVAC systems, architects will take into account factors such as room height and
ceiling heights.
● This is particularly true for air conditioning systems, which depend on the flow of large quantities of air to perform
effectively.
● So, when designing a building and figuring out where and how to place rooms and staircases, architects need to
consider how their HVAC system will affect the flow of air across different floor levels.

Overall Size
● In order to keep a building cool or warm, HVAC systems require a large amount of power and electricity.
● This is why architects will have to take into account how much power is required from the electrical grid to run the
HVAC system and how this will affect the overall size of the building.
● A large building that is going to require a lot of electricity will have to be designed with thick walls and special insulation
in order to keep the power consumption down.
● Stairs may also need to be wider in order for people to get around without bumping into one another if they are being
circulated by powerful air conditioning systems.