MEP stands for mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering. These three technical fields cover the systems that make buildings habitable for humans. MEP installations are normally designed together, due to the high degree of interaction between them. This combined approach also prevents equipment location conflicts - clashes are a common problem when mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems are designed in isolation.
Working with an experienced MEP engineering firm offers many advantages: they can optimize material requirements to reduce installation costs, while achieving high performance and meeting codes. These services are very valuable in New York City, since local building costs are high and construction codes are demanding.
Buildings use many types of mechanical systems. However, most of the mechanical design work in residential and commercial buildings deals with HVAC: space heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.
Mechanical installations operate at their best when equipment capacity is adequate. Contrary to popular belief, over engineering has many negative consequences. For example, oversized chillers and boilers tend to cycle rapidly, wearing down faster and causing indoor temperature variations. Another consequence of over engineering in mechanical systems is poor control of indoor humidity.
Other than sizing HVAC equipment correctly, mechanical design involves finding the optimal routes for heat distribution systems: air ducts, refrigerant lines, hydronic piping, steam piping, etc. If combustion is used for heating, which is the case in many NYC buildings, equipment must be properly vented to remove harmful exhaust gases.
In high-rise constructions, finding the optimal routes for electrical conduit and wiring can save plenty of material. There tends to be more design flexibility than with mechanical systems, since electrical circuits use less space and can be routed around obstacles more easily. With the aid of MEP design software, conduit and wiring can be laid out while minimizing total circuit length, and avoiding location conflicts with mechanical and plumbing installations.
Lighting installations are the electrical system with the highest energy consumption in most buildings. LED lighting is frequently recommended by energy consultants, since it achieves typical savings of 30% to 90%, depending on the lamp type replaced. Many design software packages can simulate lighting, to determine the optimal number of fixtures and their layout.
HVAC is an area that requires close collaboration between mechanical and electrical engineers:
Furnaces and boilers are the main HVAC components that use fossil fuels as an energy source. Air conditioners, chillers, air handling systems and hydronic pumps work with electricity in most cases.
Plumbing installations are also subject to code requirements. The plumbing design process involves a layout of piping routes, similar to ductwork in mechanical design and conduit in electrical design. MEP engineers use advanced software to simplify the process and avoid clashes.
Plumbing installations interact with mechanical and electrical systems at many points, and collaboration among design teams is important:
Fire protection design can be challenging in NYC, since local codes are especially demanding in that area. In addition, Local Law 26 of 2004 made automatic fire sprinklers mandatory for all business occupancies taller than 100 feet. The law was also applied retroactively for existing constructions, and the deadline to complete the building upgrade was July 1, 2019.
When designing building systems, an integrated MEP approach achieves better results than designing each system in isolation. Interactions between building systems are difficult to coordinate when the design process is isolated, and equipment location conflicts are very likely.
When modern MEP software is used, the value of the 3D model produced during the design phase goes beyond the construction stage. The model can be used as reference for maintenance activities, and it can be updated along with the building major renovations.
Nearby EngineersNew York Engineers has a MEP design track record of 1,000+ projects. Contact us via email (info@ny-engineers.com) or phone (786) 788-0295212-575-5300, and make sure your building systems meet codes.