FACULTY OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

DEPARTMENT OF PROPERTY STUDIES AND URBAN DESIGN

BUILDING SERVICES BLP 2205

COURSE OUTLINE

AIM
The course is organized to impart design skills and or knowledge on the structure, components
and operation systems of services that are rendered in modern buildings so that they are live
buildings. The teaching method lays emphasis on class lecturers and student conducted
seminars.

OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this course students should be able to:

 Describe electricity supply in buildings and design implications of its installation.

 Design illumination requirements in buildings.
 Classify fires and recommend the most appropriate fire-proofing installation in different
buildings.
 Design acoustically controlled sound studios.
 Evaluate the supply of cold and hot water in buildings in relation to building fabric.
 Design lifts in buildings and design implications of other transportation systems.
 Identify various building management system (BMS).

ASSESSMENT
Assessment is done through coursework and a written examination with the following
weightings towards final examination mark:

 Coursework – made up of individual and group assignments will have a 30% weighting
towards final examination mark.
 Examination – an end of semester examination that will have a 70% weighting towards
the final examination mark.

Topics
(a) Interior Electricity Supply and lighting – defining electricity and other related terms:
current, resistance, voltage, power, charge, earthing, circuit. Architectural symbols.

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 Identifying various ways of supplying electricity into buildings. Wiring circuits within a
building. Cables and accessories. Illumination and lighting designing. Applying Lumen’s
method of design.
(b) Emergency Electricity supply – identifying buildings and areas where electricity is
always needed. Sources of power: stand-by generator, housing, structure, operation
system and how the power is fed into the system. Solar power, structure, operation
system and how the power is fed into the system. Use of accumulators for small
supplies.
(c) Fires and Fire-proofing Equipment – causes and classes of fire. Portable fire
extinguishers and various agents. Fixed fire installations and their consideration during
building design: horse reels, dry and wet risers, sprinkler systems, drenchers, foam,
carbon dioxide, and powder installations – structure and operation systems. Detectors
and fire alarm systems. Control of smoke in buildings, pressurized escape routes and
design implications.
(d) Transportation Systems in Buildings – elevator structure, components, materials and
operation systems. Determining size, layout and specifications of installation. Quality of
services offered by elevators. Determining required number of elevators using
appropriate methods. Safety features. Escalator: structure, components, materials and
operation system. Fire spread control designing. Related safety features. Paternosters
and Travelators: structure, components, materials and operation systems. Assessing
suitability of installation.
(e) Cold water supply into buildings – Sources of water supply and assessment. Surface
water sources; treatment process, screening, settlement, filtration, chlorination.
Underground water treatment process. Water tests for quality assessment; hardness
and removal, turbidity, colour. Supplying water into buildings: direct and indirect
systems. Taps and valves. Backflow protection. Supplying water to tall buildings with
insufficient pressure. Pipe size determination.
(f) Hot water supply – power sources for heating. Local and central system comparison.
Local system water heaters; pressure type, cistern type, instantaneous water heaters.
Central direct and indirect systems. Determining hot water requirements.
(g) Telephone systems – components and operation systems; sender and receiver structure
and wiring, switch board, and exchange controls. Telephone points within and
extensions.
(h) Duct information
(i) Percolation tests - Dig the number of required test pits of 1m by 1m, depth 1m also, At
the base of the pit dig a 30cm by 30cm by depth 30cm, Fill the small pit with water and
late it soak for 4hrs etc
(j)

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 (k) Roofs and surface drainage – gutters, flashing fittings and roof water drainage systems.
(l) Ventilation and air conditioning – mechanical ventilation fans (propeller, centrifugal,
axial flow), Natural ventilation (cross, stack, wind pressure).
(m)Underground drainage systems – combined, separate, partially separate, septic tanks,
cess pits, soakaways.
(n) Architectural acoustics
(o) Building Management Systems

Recommended literature

1. Hall F. and Greeno R., 2007., Building Services Handbook, 4th edition, Butterworth
Heinemann, Oxford.
2. Barry R., 1998., Building Services, 3rd edition, Black Science, UK.
3. Burberry P., 1994., Environment and Services, 3rd edition, Black Science, UK.
4. Hall F., 1994., Building Services and Equipment One, 3rd edition, London, UK.
5. Hall F., 1994., Building Services and Equipment One, 2nd edition, London, UK.
6. Hall F., 1994., Building Services and Equipment One, 1st edition, London, UK.
7. Chadderton D.,2013., Building Services Engineering, 6th edition, Oxon, UK

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