Designing efficient office buildings with visual appeal

摘要

Jason Gerke: Many of the projects we are currently designing include no or very open ceiling systems. This deviation from a more traditional lay-in ceiling system has caused us to rethink the layout of ductwork, locations of variable air volume (VAV) boxes, and potential HVAC breakout noise. While this is not an engineering-specific trend, it does require all of the building engineers to be more thoughtful in the design of their respective systems. Without ceilings, the layout of ductwork, piping, conduit, cable trays, and the building steel and concrete must have an aesthetically pleasing aspect to it, besides being functionally sufficient for the building. This is a trend that some engineers have an issue with because they do not feel it is their responsibility to create a design layout that works with the architect's plan for the building's visual appeal.