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HPAC ENGINEERING 101
According to our publishing philosophy statement, HPAC ENGINEERING consists of a family of in-print, on-line and in-person media devoted to helping buildings professionals design and specify mechanical systems for new and existing commercial, industrial and institutional buildings.
So what does that mean?
HPAC ENGINEERING
is best understood by breaking our publishing philosophy statement down into its various components. We’ll give a brief description here. For further explanation, drill down by clicking on the underlined text.
COMMERCIAL/INDUSTRIAL/INSTUTITIONAL BUILDINGS
Basically, we’re talking about non-residential structures: office buildings, schools, hotels, stores, warehouses, hospitals, government buildings, etc. Non-residential buildings fall into one of three categories: Commercial Buildings, Industrial/Manufacturing Facilities and Institutional Buildings. We refer to this as the C/I/I Buildings market.
C/I/I buildings are often defined by their end use. For example, education (schools and universities) or warehouse and storage. C/I/I building floor space is dominated by four activities: office, retail, warehouse and education. Those four activities account for 60% of all C/I/I buildings floor space and 51% of all C/I/I buildings. Other principle categories include manufacturing, health care, government, lodging, service, public assembly, religious worship, food service, food sales and public order & safety.
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MECHANICAL SYSTEMS
That’s the HPAC part of our name: Heating, Piping, Air Conditioning. When HPAC ENGINEERING was established nearly 80 years ago, heating, piping and air conditioning pretty much covered the existing technologies. Today, the term has grown to include a number of additional specialties.
In contractor terms, the traditional mechanical systems are heating, ventilation and air conditioning, or HVAC. Sometimes refrigeration is added and the term becomes HVACR. Though HVAC contractors certainly deal with pipe (gas, water, steam), piping is considered a function of plumbing contractors.
In engineering terms, however, the primary mechanical systems are Heating, Piping, Air Conditioning. That’s the HPAC part of our name. Ventilation is considered a subset of both
heating and air conditioning systems. Because piping systems are
complex and need to be designed (engineered), they are included.
When HPAC ENGINEERING
was established nearly 80 years ago, heating, piping and air
conditioning pretty much covered the existing technologies. Today, the
term has grown to include a number of additional specialties, including controls and building automation systems, fire protection and detection an more.
Though it varies by building type, as a general rule of thumb, HVAC systems/components represent between 25% and 35% of the total cost of construction. So a construction market valued of $480 billion represents about $120 to $168 billion of mechanical systems business.
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BUILDINGS PROFESSIONALS
No, we're not referring to excavators, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, drywallers et al! Those are building/construction tradesmen. And, while they’re all important to the success of building construction and rennovation projects, before a building can be constructed, it has to be designed.
Buildings professionals in the C/I/I mechanical-systems market fall into one of three categories:
- Engineering and Architecture
- Construction and Contracting
- Building Management and Ownership
These individuals are mechanical-systems engineering professionals who design, specify, recommend and/or make product selection for the components of mechanical systems. They have the greatest influence over specifying and selecting HVAC-related systems, components, equipment, products, services and technology.
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DESIGN & SPECIFY
C/I/I buildings professionals design mechanical systems and specify which brands of components and materials to use when constructing and installing those systems. While they may not always make the actual purchase, the vast majority of the time, the equipment the mechanical-systems engineeeing professional specifies is what, ultimately, is installed.
- The Mechanical-Systems Engineering Professional controls the specification of HVAC systems
- The Mechanical-Systems Engineering Professional plays a
key role in the development of design and construction documents
- The Mechanical-Systems Engineering Professional creates the approved mechanical equipment supplier list
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