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Acknowledgement
In the past few weeks, we worked very hard to ensure the accomplishment of this
case study and learning as much as we can from this assignment. During the process
of accomplish this assignment, we are really blessed to have the help and guideline
of some respected individuals, who deserve our greatest gratitude. The completion
of this assignment gives us so much pleasure.
First and foremost, we would like to extend our gratitude to every single member
who has been participated and working hand-in-hand to complete this assignment.
With the valuable suggestions and open-minded personnel, everything goes
smoothly as how we wish to be. Without the cooperation and effort of every
member, this assignment will not be a success, and the learning journey wouldn’t be
so fun. We also like to thanks to our group leader, Lee Pei Gie who always guided us
along the assignment to make sure that we are on track.
Besides, we would also like to expand our deepest appreciation to the person in
charge of PKNS Complex, Mr Mohd Khairul that giving us the approval to visit the
place and carry out our case study in the complex.
Last but not least, greatest gratitude to our lecturer, Dr Kam Kenn Jhun who always
advise and enlighten us when we seek for information, as well as giving us the
opportunity to extract knowledge through experience.
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Abstract
Building services play important roles in every aspect of the building. Homes, office
buildings, industrial plants, schools, public and government facilities and computer
technology all rely on building services systems to create and maintain safe, healthy
and comfortable living and working environments. Basically, the topics that are
covered under this report is based on what we had learnt during our lecture, which
lays out different type of systems adopted in PKNS Complex, analysis of the problem
of systems as well as suggestion and recommendation to further improvement of the
system. The case study about building services in PKNS Complex is based on four
systems which are fire protection system, mechanical and air-conditioning system,
vertical transportation system, and electrical supply system.
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Table Content
1. Introduction of PKNS Complex
2. Discussion of Existing Systems
 Fire Protection System
 Electrical Supply System
 Mechanical and Air-conditioning System
 Vertical Transport System
3. Analysis on Problems
 Fire Protection System
 Mechanical and Air-Conditioning System
4. Recommendation of Solutions and Justification
 Fire Protection System
 Mechanical and Air-Conditioning System
5. Reference List
6. Appendix
5-6
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8 – 18
19-21
22 – 31
32 – 39
40
41- 47
48 - 50
51
52 – 57
58 – 60
62 – 64
65 - 68
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PART 1
INTRODUCTION OF
PKNS COMPLEX
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PKNS Complex
PKNS Complex is one of the oldest commercial complexes that also houses offices
on the upper floors. It is a three-storied building with an open air, sheltered food
court on the rooftop.
As the first shopping center in Shah Alam, PKNS Complex is not a modern shopping
mall. There are hardly any high street shops. It's more of a bazaar with small
shops/stores/stalls. It's also definitely not a place for tourists. What it is excellent for
however, is during the month of Ramadhan, it'll be heaving with stalls selling items
for hari raya ( aidilfitri ). On the other hand, the existence of the Selangor
Immigration Office here also helps to cater the crowd. It is the place to go for
passport issues and Visas renewing.
Unfortunately, the newer malls such as SACC Mall, Alam Sentral and Plaza Masalam
are overtaking PKNS Complex in amount of patrons received. Hence it indeed
requires a lot of upgrading work to attract more patrons, especially its building
services which include mechanical and air-conditioning system, vertical
transportation ( escalator and elevator ), fire protection system and electrical supply
to buildings. This is why PKNS Complex is selected as the subject of our case study as
we see the potential area of improvement in it.
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PART 2
DISCUSSION ON
EXISTING SYSTEMS
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Fire Protection System
1.0 Literature Review
The fire protection system plays a very important role to prevent the spread of fire
breakouts in buildings. The duty of the fire protection system is to extinguish the fire
and control the spread of fire. Besides, it also reduces the impact of uncontrolled fire
and to protect human life and state, public, and private property from fire. There are
two fire protection methods, which are active fire protection method and passive fire
protection method.
1.1 Active fire protection method
Active fire protection is the process of protecting a building or structure from fire
with methods that use the action of moving parts. (wisegeek, n.d.) These systems can
be automatic or manually such as fire alarm system, smoke & heat detector, wet &
dry risers, hose reels and CO2 fixed installation.
1.1.1 Fire extinguisher
Fire extinguisher is used to extinguish small or initial outbreak fires, often in
emergency situations. It is not intended for use on an out-of-control fire. It should be
located at conspicuous location. Typically, a fire extinguisher consists of a hand-held
cylindrical pressure vessel containing an agent which can be discharged to extinguish
a fire.
In PKNS Complex, the fire extinguisher can be found everywhere, within 20m from a
potential fire hazard. The type of fire extinguisher used in complex is mostly ABC
type dry powder fire extinguisher which is in blue colour. It is effective on Class A, B
and C fires.
Under UBBL 1984 Section 227 - Portable extinguisher shall be designed and installed
in accordance with MS 1539.
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Figure 1.0 shows ABC type dry powder fire extinguisher which is in blue colour
1.1.2 External fire hydrant
A fire hydrant is a system of pipe work that allows water to flow from a water main
with the control of a valve in order to put out a fire. (wisegeek, n.d.) The water is
discharged into the fire engine from which it is then sprayed over the fire.
The external fire hydrants found around the PKNS complex are two way fire hydrants
which are made up of cast iron. It is located not more than 10m distance to the
building, not more than 10m distance to high voltage electrical mains and spaced
not more than 90m apart along access road.
Under UBBL 1984 Section 225(2) - Every building shall be served by at least one fire
hydrant located not more than 45 meter from the fire brigade access, designed and
installed in accordance with MS 1489. In any case, hydrants shall be located not more
than 90 meters apart.
Under UBBL 1984 Section 225(3) - Depending on the size and location of the
building and the provision of access for fire appliances, additional fire hydrant shall
be provided as may be required by the D.G.F.R.
Figure1.1 shows external fire hydrant
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1.1.3 Hose Reel
Hose reel systems intended for occupant to use during early stage of fire. It consist
of pumps, pipes, valves, hose reel tank and hose reels located strategically in a
building, ensuring proper coverage of water to combat a fire.
In PKNS complex, the hose reel was sited in position where they can be used without
exposing user to danger from fire. The system is manually operated and activated by
opening a valve enabling the water to flow into the hose that is typically 30 meters
away.
Under UBBL 1984 Section 226A - Hose reel systems shall be designed and installed in
accordance with MS 1489.
Figure 1.2 shows fire hose reel
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1.1.4 Water storage tank
In PKNS complex, water supplied from a designed water tank (16m3) located at roof
level. The tank is made up of pressed steel and the external surface is painted with a
red band of minimum 200mm. It has two compartments which is compartment 1 and
2. Besides, level indicator is also provided.
Figure 1.3 shows water storage tank
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1.1.5 Wet riser
Wet Riser Systems are installed in buildings for fire fighting purposes which are
permanently charged with water from a pump source. (protec, n.d.) It required when
topmost floor of building is higher than 30.5m and lower than 70.5m above the fire
appliance access level. Water supply shall be capable of maintaining a running
pressure of 410kPa at the highest landing valve and give a flow rate of 2.3 I/s.
PKNS Complex is a three-storied building which is less than 70.5m. Therefore, it uses
wet riser as internal fire hydrant. It is installed completed with an inlet breeching
connector at ground floor or and with landing valves at specified points on each
floor. Besides, air release valve is automatically open to release air and closes when
the riser is full of water.
Under UBBL 1984 Section 231(1) - Wet rising systems shall be provided in every
building in which the top most occupied floor is more than 30 meters above fire
appliance access level.
Figure 1.4 shows wet riser
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1.1.6 Sprinkle system
A sprinkler system is integrated system of piping work, connected to a water supply,
with listed sprinklers that automatically initiate water discharge over a fire area.
Where required, the sprinkler system also includes a control valve and a device for
activating an alarm when the system operates.
In PKNS complex, there are a lot of sprinkler heads. Every sprinkler head has a small
glass bulb with a glycerine-based liquid in it. This bulb normally blocks the flow of
water. In a fire, the liquid in the bulb will become hot. It will then expand, and shatter
the glass bulb, removing the obstacle and causing water to spray from the sprinkler.
(Understand building construction, n.d.) Water will continue to flow until the main
valve is shut off. The most common temperature that is designed to break is
approximately 68°C/155°F.
Under UBBL 1984 Section 228 - Sprinkler systems shall be designed and installed in
accordance with MS 1910.
Figure 1.5 shows sprinkle system
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1.1.7 Fireman’s switch
A fireman’s switch is an electrical isolation switch located beside the top edge of the
lift to permit the disconnection of electrical power supply to the relevant floor or
zone served. (Arsyad, 2011) Besides, it is to cut down the supply of electrical services
to the shop when the fire exists. This is to avoid the electric current over flow to
cause explosion. In PKNS complex, the fireman’s switch is placed in a conspicuous
and accessible location which not more than 2.75m from the ground. Besides, it is
painted in red colour and mounted onto the wall.
Figure 1.6 shows fireman’s switch
1.1.8 Manual call point
Manual alarm call points are designed for the purpose of raising an alarm manually
once verification of a fire or emergency condition exists, by operating the push
button or break glass the alarm signal can be raised. (Crouse-hinds, n.d.) In PKNS
complex, it uses break glass call point. It is installed at a height of 1.2m above floor
level and sited where user can be easily seen. Besides, it is fitted on the floor side of
an access door to a staircase so the floor of origin is indicated at the Control Panel.
Moreover, the greatest travel distance from any point in the building to the nearest
call point does not exceed 30m. (Fire safety advice
centre, n.d.)
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Figure 1.7 shows manual call point
1.1.9 Fire alarm bell
The primary function of a fire bell is to alarm people who are at risk to take the
necessary precautionary safety and evacuation measures. (Fest fire security, n.d.) Fire
bells are relatively loud and also designed to produce a specific and unique sound
pattern with the intention of eliminating confusion to successfully warn for hazards.
In PKNS complex, the fire bell is installed throughout the building with an even
distribution.
Under UBBL 1984 Section 237 - Fire detection and fire alarm systems shall be
designed and installed in accordance with MS 1745.
Figure 1.8 shows fire alarm bell
1.1.10 Smoke detector
A smoke detector's initial function is to detect that fire is present. There are two
types of detectors which are ionized smoke detector and light scattering smoke
detector. In PKNS complex, smoke detector is mounted on the ceiling. When smokes
enter the unit, it will reduce current which energies alarm relay and obstruct the light
passing through. Therefore, it will trigger the alarm bell to give signal for the
occupants to escape.
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Figure 1.9 shows smoke detector
1.1.11 Voice communication system
An emergency voice communication system allows the fire-fighting team to
communicate critical information and to notify the building occupants of the need
for action in connection with a fire or other emergency. In PKNS complex, emergency
telephone handsets are securely mounted on the wall and coloured in red. It is used
as two-way communication system. It is a network of telephone handsets located at
designated area of the building and connected to the master handset at the Fire
Command Centre. (Fire safety and protection systems, n.d.)
Under UBBL 1984 Section 239(a) - There shall be two separate approved
continuously electrically supervised voice communications system, one a fire brigade
communications system and the other a public address system between the central
control station.
Figure 2.0 shows “Telefon Bomba Api”
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1.2 Passive fire protection method
Passive fire protection method is an integrated component of the structural fire
protection and fire safety in a building. It attempts to contain fires or slow the
spread, through use of fire-resistant walls, floors, and doors. Besides, passive system
must comply with the associated listing and approval of use in order to provide the
effectiveness expected by building codes.
1.2.1 Fire door
In PKNS complex, the passive system that we found is fire door which allows the flow
of traffic around the building. Fire doors have two important functions in the fire
incident which are to act as a barrier to stop the spread of fire when the door is
closed and to provide an escape route for occupants to escape when the door is
opened. (Fire safety advice centre, n.d.)
Under UBBL 1984 Section 163 - Fire doors including frames shall be constructed in
accordance with MS 1073.
Figure 2.1 shows fire door
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1.2.2 Fire escape route
A fire escape is a type of emergency exit. It usually provides a directional exit signs
for occupants to leave for a safe place immediately. It is usually mounted to the
outside of a building or occasionally inside but separated from the main areas of the
building. In PKNS complex, the fire escape plan is located beside the lift for showing
these escape routes.
Figure 2.2 shows fire escape route
1.2.3 Staircase and compartment
In PKNS complex, the fire escape staircase is being properly designed to meet the
requirement of UBBL 168 part 8. This can be proved by the number of riser per flight
are not more than 16, tread & riser dimensions are consistence, no winders in escape
staircase and the length of the landing is not less than width. Besides, the building is
sub-divided into compartment by using compartment walls and compartment floors.
The period of insulation should not less than 15 minutes.
Under UBBL 1984 Section 168(4) - The required width of a staircase shall be
maintained throughout its length including at landings.
Figure 2.3 shows staircase and compartment.
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Electrical supply system
2.0 Literature Review
Generator output at 25kV is stepped up by transformer to 400kV, 275kV and 132kV
for transmission. In PKNS complex, transmission main intake is the interconnection
point of 132kV to the distribution network.
Figure 2.0 shows Tenaga Nasional Berhad
2.1 Main Switch Board
Switchboards consist of various electronic apparatus that are used to operate electric
circuits. The function of a switchboard is to transmit electricity from one source to
another. (Stein, n.d.) In PKNS complex, the main switch board is located at the
ground floor. It is totally enclosed and sheet steel fabricated.
Figure 2.1 shows Main Switch Board
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2.2 Service entrance
Service entrance is a service that allows the electric to flow to the building. Before the
electric is transmitted to the building, electric will pass through the meter equipment
and a device for overcurrent protection and electrical current control to avoid the
occurrence of overcurrent.
Figure 2.2 shows service entrance
2.3 Branch circuit
Branch circuit is a metal box that filled with switches and mounted on the wall. The
purpose of the branch circuit is to supply the power to the electrical devices in the
shops. Besides, it can also cut off the power when it is switched off. The device can
cut off the power without affecting the power supply of the whole building. This is
useful when there is any fire occurrence or the performance of maintenance in the
building.
Figure 2.3 shows branch circuit
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2.4 Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCCB)
Miniature circuit breakers (MCB) are designed to protect cables and lines against
overload and short-circuit. They thus used for protecting the electrical equipment
against excessive temperature rise and destruction in the event of short-circuit.
(Edvard, 2012)
Figure 2.4 shows miniature circuit breaker
2.5 Conduit
An electrical conduit is a tube that used to protect the cables from physical damage
and heat. Besides, it also provides continuous support. PVC electrical conduit is very
light weight, high strength, low cost and resistance to more chemicals. In PKNS
complex, we have found some electrical conduit elbow mounted on the wall.
Figure 2.5 shows electrical conduit elbow
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Mechanical and Air Conditioning
System
3.0 Literature Review
Ventilation is the process of exchanging or replacing air in any space to provide high
indoor air quality, which involves temperature control, oxygen replenishment, and
removal of moisture, odors, smoke, heat, dust, airborne bacteria, and carbon dioxide.
Ventilation removes unpleasant smells and excessive moisture, introduces outside air,
keeps interior building air circulating, and prevents stagnation of the interior air.
Ventilation includes both the exchange of air to the outside as well as circulation of
air within the building. It is one of the most important factors for maintaining
acceptable indoor air quality in buildings. Methods for ventilating a building may be
divided into mechanical or forced and natural types.
The case study building that we have chosen which is PKNS Complex. There is one
type of ventilation occurring in this building, which is mechanical ventilation by use
of fan and air conditioning system. In this section, this type of ventilation will be
analyzed and scrutinized.
3.1 Mechanical Ventilation
Mechanical ventilation is a building ventilation system that uses powered fans or
blowers to provide fresh air to rooms when the natural forces of air pressure and
gravity are not enough to circulate air through a building. Mechanical ventilation is
used to control indoor air quality, excess humidity, odors, and contaminants that can
often be controlled via dilution or replacement with outside air. However, in humid
climates specialized ventilation systems can remove excess moisture from the air.
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3.1.1 Mechanical Fan
We observed that PKNS building utilizes ceiling fans as well as wall mounting fans to
circulate air within the space. These air-circulating fans are commonly seen as
ventilation systems as they are usually the most visible mechanical system in a
building. However ceiling fans do not provide real ventilation, as there is no
introduction of fresh air. Ceiling fans only circulate air within a space for the purpose
of reducing the perceived temperature by method of evaporation of perspiration on
the skin of the occupants.
Figure 3.1. 1(a): Ceiling Fan Figure 3.1.1(b): Wall Mounting Fan
3.1.2 Ventilation Ducting System
At every floor of this building, there is exposed ceiling with ductworks. These
ductworks are called flexible ductworks, which are lightweight and fairly quick and
easy to install. This type of ductwork often cost less than the rigid ductwork. The
presence of ducting indicates that PKNS Complex utilizes centralize system as major
part of their air conditioning system. The chilled air is passed through the ducting
system to various parts of the building.
The ductworks in PKNS building are insulated with fiberglass in order to avoid losing
valuable conditioned air. The fiberglass surface faces in toward the duct, while the
foil face protects the outside of the wrap, preventing conductive heat loss and
protecting the fiberglass within. Insulation is applied to ductwork to enhance thermal
performance and prevent condensation and dripping.
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In this building, duct thermal performance needs enhancement since air transported
through a supply duct is at a temperature different than that of the surroundings.
Insulation reduces the rate of thermal loss to those surroundings. Without insulation,
the air would need extra heating or cooling in order to arrive at the design supply air
temperature.
Figure 3.1.2 (a): Ducting system in the building
3.1. 3 Cooling Tower
PKNS Complex utilizes centralized system as the air conditioning system, hence there
is a cooling tower, which is a specialized heat exchanger in which air and water are
brought into direct contact with each other in order to reduce the water's
temperature. As this occurs, a small volume of water is evaporated, reducing the
temperature of the water being circulated through the tower.
Cooling towers is located on the roof of PKNS building because of the noise and
vibration they generate, the tower should be isolated acoustically from the frame of
the building and noise sensitive areas such as auditorium and meeting room should
not be located directly below them.
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Figure 3.1.2.3(a): Cooling tower
Figure 3.1.2.3(b): Details of cooling tower
Source: http://cset.mnsu.edu/engagethermo/components_coolingtower.html
3.1.4 AHU Room
The Air Handling Unit is an integrated piece of equipment consisting of fans, heating
and cooling coils, air-control dampers, filters and silencers. Air Handling Units are
often called AHU. The purpose of this equipment is to collect and mix outdoor air
with that returning from the building space. The air mixture is then cooled or heated,
after which it is discharged into the building space through a duct system made up
of five-feet diameter pipes. Air Handler is normally associated with heating/cooling
(HVAC) systems in commercial buildings. These are normally very large systems
moving 2000 CFM to 10,000 CFM and higher. They often have an economizer or inlet
damper that allows for a small amount of outside air or make-up air to be pulled in
through the air handler.
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The AHU room in PKNS building is located in a large mechanical room. The size of
the mechanical room is usually proportional to the size of the building. As PKNS is
considered a large building, so its mechanical rooms can be of considerable size,
which requiring multiple rooms throughout the building.
In this building, the AHU connects to the ductwork that distributes the conditioned
air throughout the areas of the building and the warmed air is returned to the AHU
room to be cooled after going through the cooling coil and filter. The chilled water
from the cooling coil taken from the cooling tower is supplied and returned in blue
pipes.
Figure 3.1.4(a): AHU room of the building
Figure 3.1.4(b): Details of AHU room
Source: http://www.electrical-knowhow.com/2012/03/in-previous-air-conditioning-system.html
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3.1.5 Air Door
PKNS Complex installed air doors at every entrance or customer entryways. They can
be intended to help keep flying insects out by creating forceful turbulence, help keep
out outside air and prevent loss of cool air, thus reducing infiltration through the
opening.
Air doors work best when the pressure differential between the inside and outside of
the building is as close to neutral as possible. The air door for containing conditioned
air inside this building with an open door will have a high face velocity at the
opening, generated by top-down flow, and air recovery by a recirculating air plenum
and duct return to the source fans.
In the operation section, the air door is most effective with low exterior wind velocity.
At higher wind velocities, the rate of air mixing increases and the outside air portion
of the total face flow increases. Under ideal conditions of zero wind, the effectiveness
of the air door is at its maximum. In windy locations, air doors cannot create a perfect
seal, but are often used to reduce the amount of infiltration from an opening.
Figure 3.1 5(a) & 3.1.5(b): Air door located at the entrance
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3.1.6 Air Supply Diffuser
A diffuser is the mechanical device that is designed to control the characteristics of a
fluid at the entrance to a thermodynamic open system. Diffusers are used to slow the
fluid's velocity and to enhance it’s mixing into the surrounding fluid.
Diffusers are very common in heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning systems.
Diffusers are used on both all-air and air-water HVAC systems, as part of room air
distribution subsystems, and serve several purposes which are to deliver both
conditioning and ventilating air, evenly distribute the flow of air in the desired
directions and to enhance mixing of room air into the primary air being discharged.
In addition, they often to cause the air jets to attach to a ceiling or other surface, to
create low-velocity air movement in the occupied portion of room and accomplish
the above while producing the minimum amount of noise.
Through observing the building, we found out there are two types of diffusers that
use in this building which are cone diffusers and 4-ways louver bladed diffuser.
One of which is the cone diffuser, which is mounted on the ceiling especially in
installation when an adjustable pattern is required. Cones can be taken out by
pushing inward, turn around and pull down. This provides easy installation,
maintenance and access to the duct. Discharge pattern of this cone can be adjusted
for horizontal flow by extending the cones and for vertical flow by retracting the
cones, which can cool the space of various parts of the building for users’ comfort.
Figure 3.1.6(a): Cone Diffuser
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Flow Pattern of Cone Diffuser
Figure 3.1.2.5(b): Horizontal air pattern
Source: http://www.airmasteremirates.com/products_details.php?product-
id=47
Horizontal air pattern
• Pattern is obtained by extending the cones downwards.
• This arrangement handles more capacity of air with increased induction
and uniform air distribution.
Figure 3.1.2.5(c): Vertical air pattern
Source: http://www.airmasteremirates.com/products_details.php?product-
id=47
Vertical air pattern
• Pattern is obtained by retracting the cones upwards.
• Air is delivered vertically without much induction.
• Suitable for localized cooling in conditioned area and for higher
altitudes.
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Whereas, the 4-ways louver bladed diffusers are mounted on the ceiling as well,
which provide excellent diffusion performance and are suitable for surface mounting
in plasterboard ceilings or lay-in ceiling grids. The removable core, via a positive
center screw, makes them easy to install, clean and access any dampers located
behind the diffuser. This louver faced ceiling diffuser is suitable for use in this
building where cooling is required in areas of high heat and high humidity, and also
to suit heating and cooling applications in cooler temperatures.
Figure 3.1.6(b): Flow pattern of diffuser
Source: http://www.airmasteremirates.com/products_details.php?type=diffusers&sub=20&product-id=37
Figure 3.1.6(c): 4-ways louver bladed diffuser
3.1.7 Air Return Diffuser
Through observing the building, we found that PKNS Complex installs return air
diffusers attached to the wall as well as mounted on the ceiling. This return air grille
connects to ductwork that allows air to return to any cooling or heating system. The
openings that connect to ducts and other spaces for the returning air are covered
with grillwork.
Every cooling or heating system will have air being pushed through into various parts
of this building and spaces through a system of ducts. This increases the air pressure
in the conditioned area and at some time will act to even prevent any further air from
entering unless a circulating system is set up to relieve the pressure. This is done
normally through return ducts, which allow the air to be recirculated or completely
vented to the outside. This return air grill covers such ducts, and can also act to
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regulate the flow of air. They also act to close off the ducts from view. This return air
grill also has a filter mounted on it to trap particulate matter and thus ensure that the
recirculated air is more pure. This can also in the long run reduce the amount of
cleaning required for ducts.
Ducts for returning air are located at every floor level or in the walls. These require to
be covered by a grill that will ensure that duct is protected. It is considered very
necessary to use filters over such grills, which in turn can lead to higher efficiency in
cooling or heating. The filters in a way also help to reduce airflow and thus help
improve efficiency. Such filters can have increased ratings, which in turn can reduce
allergens and dust and thus make the circulated air more healthy.
Figure 3.1.7(a) & 3.1.7(b): Return air diffusers in the building
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Vertical Transportation System
4.0 Literature Review
Vertical transportation is a phrase used to describe the various means of travelling
between floors in a building. All buildings with more than one storey of course have
at least one set of stairs and the provision of stairs is a very important consideration
when designing buildings in order to ensure all the occupants of the building can
escape safely in the event of a fire.
In buildings with more than four storeys, a lift commonly known as an elevator is
desirable as there is a limit to how far people are willing to walk up stairs. In addition
to this, stairs are unsuitable for infirm and mobility impaired persons so buildings
with only two storeys are sometimes fitted with a lift. A third option is the escalator
which is ideally suited for high volume applications such as shopping malls and
airports but not practical for high rise buildings as they take up a lot of space.
We observed that PKNS Complex consists of escalators and elevators as the mean of
vertical transportation. Both of these vertical transportations play a vital role in this
building to provide an accessible path, leading from one level to another.
4.1 Escalator
An escalator is a moving staircase, which a conveyor transport device for carrying
people quickly and efficiently between floors of a building. The device consists of a
motor-driven chain of individual, linked steps that move up or down on tracks,
allowing the step treads to remain horizontal.
Escalators have the capacity to move large numbers of people, and they can be
placed in the same physical space as a staircase. They have no waiting interval except
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during very heavy traffic, they can be used to guide people toward main exits or
special exhibits, and they may be weather-proofed for outdoor use.
PKNS Complex utilizes the only one type of arrangement of escalator, which is
double bank in two travel direction. This arrangement is used in the objects in which
persons travel in two opposite direction and it normally use in major department
stores where transportation time between several levels should be kept to a
minimum. The escalator in this building is located at the center of ground floor and
second floor, which can be easily seen by the users.
The speed of the escalator in PKNS Complex is between 0.45m/s to 0.60m/s. The step
width of escalator is about 1000mm, which allow for two people to stand side by side
and to step on the escalator.
Figure 4.1(a): Step width of escalator
Width
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Figure 4.1(b): Escalators in double bank in two travel direction
Figure 4.1(c): Arrangement of escalators in double bank in two travel direction
Source: http://www.gmv.pl/eng/moving-walks.html
Figure 4.1(d): Components of escalator
Source: http://www.electrical-knowhow.com/2012/04/escalators-basic-components-part-two.html
4.2 Elevator
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An elevator is a type of vertical transportation that moves people or goods between
floors, levels and decks of a building, vessel, or other structure. Elevators are
generally powered by electric motors that either drive traction cables or
counterweight systems like a hoist, or pump hydraulic fluid to raise a cylindrical
piston like a jack.
In PKNS building, there are three fire fighter lift and three electric lifts. The fire fighter
lift is a lift within the firefighting shaft with dual power supply and is capable of being
commandeered by the Fire Service. On the other hand, the electric lift uses cable to
lift the car and movement is depending on the electrical power. The major
components of an electric car are, motor or machine room, hoistway and pit, lift car
and landing.
The elevators can support up to 800kg, which is 11 people or users can go in at one
time. The speed of these elevators is between 100-150 feet per minute, which is
suitable for normal speed of elevator. If the speed of elevator is too fast, it will result
in a nervous breakdown to the users. If too slow will cause lack of function of the
elevator.
Figure 4.2(a): Fire escape plan that showed the location of fire fighter lifts and
electric lifts
Fire Lift and
Electirc Lift
Fire Lift and
Electirc Lift
37
Figure 4.2(b): Electric lift
The UBBL requirements:
1. Under UBBL 1984 Section 123-128, lifts:
124 - For all non-residential buildings exceeding 4 stories above or below the
main access level at least once lift shall be provided
2. Under UBBL 1984 Section 152-155, Ventilation to lift shafts:
152(1) - Every opening in a lift shafts or lift entrance shall open into a
protected lobby unless other suitable means of protection to the opening to
the satisfaction of the local authority is provided. These requirements shall not
38
apply to open type industrial and other special buildings as may be approved
by the D.G.F.S
4.2.1 Elevator Lobby
In the PKNS building, elevator lobby controls and indicators shows the two items
required in an elevator lobby, which are the call buttons and the hall lanterns or
position indicator.
Figure 4.2.1(a): Elevator lobby located at ground floor
Call Buttons are used to request an elevator. They are mounted above the finished
floor and consist of an up button and a down button that illuminates to indicate the
request has been received and an elevator is on the way.
Whereas, hall lanterns or position indicators are used to indicate the arriving elevator
and the direction it will travel. In addition to the illuminated directional indicators, the
hall lanterns have an audible tone to indicate direction. Audible signals sound once
for elevators going up and sound twice for elevators going down. Alternatively, vocal
Hall Lantern Hall Lantern
Call
Button
39
indicators may say, "going up" or "going down" in lieu of tones.
Figure 4.2.1(a) & 4.2.1(b): Exterior & interior view of elevator on the third floor.
Figure 4.2.1(c): Single speed centre-opening and the movement of door is quite and
fast
4.2.2 Inside the Electric Lift
40
The electric lift in this building is equipped with lighting and ventilation fan, which
provide a bright and comfort condition for the users in the elevator.
In the elevator, there are information display and indicator. The controls inside the
elevator cab vary widely based on the types of services the owner wants to place on
the control panel. However, the elevators in this building consist of floor selection
buttons and operation and emergency buttons.
Floor Selection Buttons are used to select floors that the elevator will stop at.
Operation and Emergency Buttons are offset below the floor selection buttons. These
buttons include door open, door close, emergency stop and emergency alarm. All
these button panels are clear and easily reached at appropriate level.
Figure 4.2.2(a): Lighting and ventilation fan in the elevator
41
Figure 4.2.2(b) & 4.2.2(c): The controls inside the elevator cab
PART 3
ANALYSIS ON
PROBLEMS
42
Problems of Fire Protection
System
1.0 Active Fire Protection
1.1Fire Alarm System
Although fire alarm trigger system can be seen all over the building but whether it is
in functioning condition is another question. For example, majority of the manual call
point devices are not in operating condition. There are writings on most of the
manual call points indicating that the device is not working. Besides that, even the
ones without writings seem to be very old and warn out which put many in doubt
whether is it working or not.
One more thing that the alarm system lacking is a visible indicator alarm signal which
one of the requirement stated in UBBL 241. The system will be able to notify deaf
occupants when a fire arises in the building.
Old and worn out.
43
Only a few of the old
alarms were replaced by
new ones.
44
1.2 Voice Communication System
The voice communication system is the last thing to rely on if a fire really arises in the
building as the whole system is not functioning at all. The command and control
centre is closed and looked abandoned when we were there. Hence, we assume that
they do not rely on this protection system during a fire. However, even if the
communication system is still functioning, the telephone for users to contact the
control centre looks very dirty and faulty from the outside. The box containing the
phone is also locked and inaccessible. Hence, the occupants in the building will have
a hard time notifying the authorities when a fire really occurs.
With the building not operating the voice communication, it violates the requirement
of UBBL 239 part 3 where it states that voice communication system is required in
every office area exceeding 92.9 square metres in area. Besides it also violates the
requirement of UBBL 238 for not having a command and control system in such a big
building.
Telephone for users to contact
the control centre looks very
dirty and faulty
There is no key to access the
telephone in it.
The command and control centre which is closed
and looked abandoned
45
1.3 Fire Extinguisher
Fire extinguishers can be found at almost every corner of the building. For instance
near corridors, room exits, stairways, and near fire hazard areas such as restaurant.
The service of the extinguishers are also always up to date. However, there are some
fire extinguishers that are not kept properly but instead it is just left unsecured and
some even just on the ground. This could be dangerous as children can easily have
access to it.
Besides that, some of the boxes containing the fire extinguishers are lock and the
access key which is supposed to be within the glass is nowhere to be found. Thus,
occupants will struggle to put out fire near them and could cause fatal injuries to the
victim involved.
Glass is
broken
No access key.
46
1.4 Sprinkler System
The Sprinkler system of PKNS Complex is very poorly maintained. Almost every
visible sprinkler is covered with a thick layer of dust. The accumulation of dust
and other contaminates can result in a false alarm to occur. This result in fire
trucks coming for no reason and it might also disturb the operation within the
building.
Moreover, there are even some sprinkles then are badly corroded. Corrosion of fire
system pipes will impact the functionality of the system and also result in leakage.
Therefore, annual inspection of fire sprinkler system should carried out.
Corroded Sprinklers
Sprinklers covered with dust
47
2.0Passive Fire Protection
2.1 Fireman Lift
A fireman lift is required in a building if the top most occupied floor is over 18.5m.
The PKNS Complex has 5 floors and assuming each floor is 4 meters high, there
should be a fireman lift included in the elevator system. According to the building
floor plan there are three firemen lift located at each floor but the size of the firemen
lift is just as big as the normal electric lifts. There is also no signs indicating that
which lift in particular is a firemen lift. Not just that, the normal lift for occupants are
also very small in size, if firemen were to use that lift during a fire, it will be very
inconvenient.
No signs indicating which is the firemen lift. Lift with small capacity
Fire Lift and
Electirc Lift
Fire Lift and
Electirc Lift
Fire escape plan that showed the location of fire fighter lifts and electric lifts.
48
2.2 Escape Route
The diffusers of the staircase pressurization system are covered with a very layer of
dust. As time passes if nothing is done to clean the diffusers, dust will eventually clot
the diffusers and the staircase will not be pressurized.
In addition the fire doors handle lockset at the staircase are in poor condition. We
struggled to open a few of the fire doors leading to the emergency staircase as the
lockset were faulty. This would be crucial if occupants of the building were to escape
the building during a fire.
Diffusers covered with a lot of dust
Fire door with broken lockset
49
3.0 Conclusion
Overall the fire protection system of PKNS Complex is actually well equipped
but at the same time very poorly maintained. For example, escape routes can be
easily spotted at all corners of the building, hose reels and fire extinguishers are very
visible, water sprinklers are everywhere as well, there are also fire alarms and voice
communication system to notify others in case of fire but whether all these systems
are in working condition or properly maintained is the main problem. The amount of
problems mentioned above could cause many lives.
Therefore, the service management of the building really have to put in a lot
of effort in maintaining the fire protection system as it might come in handy one day.
50
PROBLEMS OF MECHANICAL AND
AIR-CONDITIONING
1.0 COOLING TOWER
Cooling tower is one of the main components that help to extract heat from the cold
air through lowering the temperature of water stream. The main problem as shown
in this cooling tower is leaking.
If the leakage from the cooling tower is
not properly maintain, it will affect the
distribution of the cool air through the
ventilation system in the PKNS complex.
Besides that, the water from the cooling
tower flow to nearby electrical cabling
that can cause short circuited and
causing danger to passer-by or
maintenance workers who walk by this
area.
WATER LEAKAGE
51
On the other hand, for the second cooling
tower which is located at the middle of the
PKNS complex, the louvre of the cooling
tower is already corroded and does not
function well. This is one of the ventilation
problem happening at ground floor level.
2.0 FAN
Due to the air-conditioning in ground floor
is malfunction, they have install fan as the
main ventilation. The odor of this place is
badly maintained due to poor ventilation
making less customers less inclined to pass
through the area. The place is also humid
making the customers or people working
there feeling hot and sweating.
Big fans are attach at the edge of floor slabs
between ground floor and first floor.
Some of the big fans have dust accumulated on
its fan blades. This will make the customers to
sneeze continuously due to allergies to the dust
particles. The management team will have to
continuously maintain the fan since fan is the
only available mechanical system. It can be
costly to keep the atmosphere dust free.
52
3.0 AHU DOOR UNABLE TO CLOSE PROPERLY
The Air handling unit door cannot be close fully and if there is any fire occurring in
this building the fire can easily spread through the ahu room due to an uneven gap
shown in the picture above. This can lead to undesirable explosion happening when
fire occurs when affected by pressurized tank in the AHU room.
The ducting on the ceiling is not properly
replaced. As a result, it allows the ducting
to be exposed. It might cause the failure
of performance in ducting systems to
supply ventilation.
Gaps betweenthe doors
53
PART 4
RECOMMENDATION
OF SOLUTIONS
AND
JUSTIFICATIONS
54
RECOMMENDATION AND
JUSTIFICATION ON IMPROVING
FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEM
1.0 Active Fire Protection
1.1 Fire Alarm System
A fire alarm system is number of devices working together to detect and warn
people through visual and audio appliances which may be activate
when smoke, fire, carbon monoxide or other emergencies are present. Hence, it is
necessary to improve the system for safety purpose.
First and foremost, the employees of the complex have to stay alert if there is any
broken system immediately to prevent it from not functioning during an event of fire
which will cause loss of lives within the complex. The volume of the siren may be
increased when the fire alarm system is activated due to the reason that many fire
alarm systems have a mute or hush button to silence the sounding alarm or lower
the volume of alarm which could cause further alerts to be missed by the people in
the complex. They cannot even determine where is the sound of the alarm comes
from. Hence, if the volume of siren is increased, the occupants can clearly hear the
directions that are being given.
Some frequent maintenance should also be carried out such as battery changing
and cleaning it to make it free from dust. It is important that the employees of the
complex should never leave the alarm unusable as they are often the first alert to a
fire. Besides decreasing the distance between alarms, the quantity of fire alarm
system within the complex may also be increased. If there is an event of fire, it would
take a long time for the occupants to hear the fire alarm which the valuable escape
time would be lost because of this. Hence, the distance between alarms should be
reduced so that occupant can hear the alarm whenever they are within the complex.
Lastly, the quantity of fire alarm should be increased as if some fire alarms are broken
down, at least there are a few more still can carry out its function in the case of
emergency.
55
1.2 Voice Communication System
A fire voice communication system is designed to announce an emergency message
when there is fire to all the people within the complex in order for them to escape
immediately.
The voice communication system can be improved by frequent testing and
maintenance to ensure it can be functioned as a common problem in fire safety is
not the lack of equipment but the ignorance of maintaining them. Hence, be strict
when it comes to maintaining and servicing to prevent it out of service during an
event of fire.. The employees from control centre can prepare more spare keys which
can access the telephones for users to contact the control centre as the size of key is
usually small which could be lost easily.
The telephone should also be cleaned frequently so that it would not be covered
with dust or unwanted rubbish which may hiding them away or mixing them with
other items and lead to the confusion for people in the complex in the case of
emergency. The employees have to ensure that the connection line of control centre
is still working because it could assist to contact fire fighters during emergencies in
the complex where radio communication cannot be guaranteed to work due to
interference from the fire corona.. Lastly, the command and control centre should be
reopened so that they can receive information from the occupants when there is an
event of fire for them to contact the fire fighters immediately without delaying the
time.
56
1.3 Fire Extinguisher
A fire extinguisher is an active fire protection device which used to extinguish or
control small fires in emergency situations.
The ways to improve the fire extinguisher included asking the employees of the
complex to test the extinguisher during annual fire protection inspections to ensure
that it can be functioned because the extinguisher would have easily been knocked
and damaged. All the employees should have training lesson on how to use the fire
extinguisher correctly so they can use it to prevent the spread of fire in the case of
emergency so that a fire can be tackled without delay. In addition, the employees
have to ensure that the fire extinguishers are always in place with accessible keys
beside as recorded in the fire safety log book. Although it may only take a few
seconds to remove the blockage on the extinguisher, but every second is vital in the
event of a fire. Hence, the access to fire extinguishers must never be restricted and
they should be sited in highly visible locations not hidden in a corner.
Unfortunately, all fire extinguishers will expire after a few years no matter if they have
been used or not. Due to this reason, the date of issue in their label of the
extinguisher should be checked frequently. If they are out of date, they are useless
and the employees need to replace them. Lastly, It is also highly recommended to
check fire extinguishers’ hose. If there are any signs of breakage, holes or cracks, the
extinguisher must be replaced. Hence, the old model of fire extinguisher should be
upgraded to the latest model.
57
1.4 Sprinkler System
A sprinkler system is a water supply system which provides adequate pressure and
flow rate to a water distribution piping system.
The system can be improved by increasing the water volume that can be spread out
from the sprinkler. The pumps that bring water into the building should be modified
to ensure that the volume of water increases and it should have access to an
adequate water supply and ready access to a fuel supply, whether diesel or electric.
The sprinklers should be cleaned frequently as when the maintenance and building
work is being carried, the dust and trigger or clog the sprinkler head and these
should be removed immediately when the work is finished because they may block
the sprinkler head.
The old rusted sprinkler should be replaced to a new one as they cannot be repaired
or cleaned either and must be replaced completely. Due to the reason of sprinkler
heads have valves inside them that break when they reach a certain temperature so
when the sprinkler is rusted, this can interfere with the valves or even stop them
breaking altogether. some frequent checking of the condition of the piping system of
sprinkler should also be carried out as closed sprinkler valve is the most common
cause of failure in a sprinkler system. The valve gets turned off for maintenance and
it is not turned back on, or a building worker twists it for some reason, not knowing
whether it is open or closed.
Lastly, the sensitivity of sprinkler should be tested and maintenance is required for
broken sprinkler. Hence, the valves, including those that supply water to the building,
should be checked weekly to ensure they are open, and a full flow test should be
conducted at least yearly.
58
2.0 Passive Fire Protection
2.1 Fireman Lift
A fireman lift is a type of elevator which enables fire fighters to use in order to rescue
people who may be trapped on upper floors during an event of fire in the complex.
A fireman lift should be identified by placing a sign stated ‘FIREMAN LIFT’ because
the obfuscating signage in any way will make this more difficult for people who are
not familiar with the layout of the building which will cause the misuse of lift in the
case of emergency. The size of the fireman lift should be enlarged to ensure more
fire fighters can be sent to upper floor to control the fire spread the save the
occupants who are trapped in the fire. Moreover, the velocity of the lift should be
slightly increased to reduce the time taken for fire fighters to stop the spread of fire
on the upper floor.
As with all fire safety equipment, it is important to make sure installation and
maintenance are carried out properly and thus, the maintenance of fireman life
should be done frequently to prevent it from not functioning during an event of fire
which will cause the delay in time for fire fighter to save lives. A fire resistance
coating can also be applied for internal and external wall surface of the lift which can
form a barrier to stop the spread of fire in order to send the fire fighter to upper
floor should also be done to prevent the ingress of smoke around the lift edges.
59
2.2 Escape Route
Escape route is a path to exit the complex when there is an event of fire.
The escape route can be improved by providing the diagrams to show the route to
escape at the announce board in the complex as fire exit signs should be clearly
visible and located at each point of the escape route where the direction changes. In
the event of a fire, well displayed signs can quickly guide everyone to safety. The
diffusers should be cleaned weekly by the cleaner because the build of residues
inside diffuser such as grease and dust which combined with heat can cause serious
life-threatening fires. Other than this, if the diffuser could not function well, it may
provide more oxygen to keep a fire burning for longer period.
Employees have to change the fire door lockset if it is broken because if the fire door
cannot be opened, it could lead to very dangerous situation if people are trying to
the fire door in a panic, especially if there is also smoke. This could cost lives in an
emergency. In addition, the employees have to do monthly check up of the condition
of the fire door. If there is a hole or crack on the fire resistant door, the door is
considered as useless because smoke will be able to come through the cracks and
the fire will continue to spread to other places within the complex. Lastly, employees
have to ensure that the fire door is accessible so that when people are trying to
escape from the complex, they do not need to interfere with any equipment, tools or
objects that could cause them further harm.
In conclusion, the majority of losses are preventable. Hence, the fire protection
system has to be improved because it is always easier to prevent loss than to recover
from the aftermath.
60
*For illustration purpose only
RECOMMENDATION AND
JUSTIFICATION ON IMPROVING
FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEM
Water leak from the cooling tower
The water leakage from the cooling tower maybe be caused by the tower itself or the pipes.
However, it is more likely caused by the pipes regardless of the material of the pipes due to
clog or blockage along the drain line.
Hence, periodic maintenance is required to remove the clog. For instance, remove the cap of
the access point of the pipe, pour in mixture of bleach and warm water and the clog shall be
removed as the mixture flows in the pipe.
It is important to keep the ventilation drain pipe unblock because leakagenot only may lead
to electric shock when in touch with electrical cables nearby but it also may affect the
61
*For illustrationpurposeonly
cooling system in the building due to insufficient cooling agent to take away heat from the
refrigerant.
Mechanical fan
Due to malfunction of ventilation at the ground floor, mechanical fan is installed to replace
air conditioning. However, it is less efficient because there is no adequate distribution of
ventilation and fresh air.
Hence, the centralize air conditioning should be repair and properly maintained. In order to
achieve optimum and adequate ventilation, round cone diffuser should be installed because
round cone diffuser distributes cool air evenly in an enclosed space.
Moreover, round cone diffuser can be installed in such a way to replace the mechanical fan
attached to the side between ground floor and first floor to improve the ventilation and
remove odour in the building.
Round cone diffuser
62
AHU Door
The gap between the doors of the AHU room might be caused by termite attack over the
time as it is made of solid timber. Since AHU room must protected especially from fire, the
door may be replaced with fire rated steel door.
Fire resistant door made of steel are durable in such a way that is has fire resistant up to 3
hours, termite resistant and low maintenance.
Exposed ducting
The ceiling should be covered with ceiling tiles in order to hide the ventilation ducting from
exposing. Ceiling tiles comes with plain and many other pattern for aesthetic purposes.
Plain ceiling panel
Aesthetic ceiling panel
63
64
Conclusion
In conclusion, building services play a central role in contributing to the design of a
building, not only in terms of overall strategies and standards to be achieved, but
also in facade engineering, the weights, sizes and location of major plant and
equipment, the position of vertical service risers, routes for the distribution of
horizontal services, drainage, energy sources, sustainability and so on. This means
that building services design must be well integrated into the overall building design
from a very early stage, particularly on complex building projects.
Through observing the PKNS building, we found that the building services of this
complex do not meet the requirements of Uniform Building By-Laws 1984.
For instance, we found that this building do not operate the voice communication,
which violates the requirement of UBBL 239 part 3 where it states that voice
communication system is required in every office area exceeding 92.9 square meters
in area. Besides that, it also violates the requirement of UBBL 238 for not having a
command and control system in such a big building. Not only that, we also found
that most of the fire protection system are poorly maintained and some of them are
not functioning. Especially with the sprinkler system, almost every visible sprinkler is
covered with a thick layer of dust and some of these are damaged.
We truly hope that the management team of the PKNS building would take action to
support the operation and maintenance of the mechanical, electrical and plumbing
building services to ensure all systems are fully operational and compliant as well as
supporting the building and services manager to ensure full compliance of all
operating systems particularly with the fire protection system, identifying risk and
supporting solutions to create procedures which are clearly documented. With a
good building service system, it can provide an optimum level of occupants’ comfort
and protect the customers as well as workers within the PKNS building.
Through this assignment, we have developed the ability to identify and explain the
relevant information related to fire protection system, vertical transportation system,
mechanical air-conditioning system and electricity generation and supply system. It
has also advanced our skill to distinguish and differentiate the installation of various
types of services in a building as well as increasing our capability to analyze and
scrutinize on the problem of the building service systems.
65
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http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-active-fire-protection.htm
Wisegeek (n.d.). What is fire hydrant. (Website) Retrieved from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_extinguisher
68
Appendix
69
Report 1
Date of site visite : 6th
Nov 2015 ( Friday )
Location : PKNS Complex, Shah Alam
Attendees : Lee Pei Gie, Davin, Yong Seen Yee, Thun Shao Xun, Khoo Xin Yee
Absentees : Shane Sim Ee Han, Tay Sy Min
Job Scope :
Lee Pei Gie
 Prepare letters
 Take photo during visit
 Observer
Davin
 Driver
 Observer
Yong Seen Yee
 Observer
 Note taker
Thun Shao Xun
 Liase with PKNS Complex management, get approval
 Observer
 Note taker
Khoo Xin Yee
 Observer
 Note taker
70
Report 2
Date of discussion : 7th
Nov 2015
Job Delegation :
Lee Pei Gie
 Purpose of the building
 Preparation of report
 Compilation of report and presentation slides
Khoo Xin Yee
 Discussion on vertical transportation
 Discussion on electricity supply to building
 Conclusion
Yong Seen Yee
 Discussion on fire protection system
 Discussion on mechanical and air-conditioning system
 Acknowledgement and abstract
Thun Shao Xun
 Analysis on mechanical and air-conditioning system
Davin
 Analysis on fire protection system
Shane
 Recommendation on mechanical and air-conditioning system
Tay Sy Min
 Recommendation on fire-protection system
71
Report 3
Date of discussion : 8th
Nov 2015
Content :
 Davin, Khoo Xin Yee, Yong Seen Yee, Lee Pei Gie and Thun Shao Xun complete
their parts before 12th
Nov 2015 ( Thursday ) and post on Facebook group.
 Shane and Symin commence their parts at 12th
Nov 2015 ( Thursday ) and
complete by 16th
Nov 2015 ( Monday ).
 Every member post the presentation slide on FB group before 20th
Nov 2015 (
Friday ).
Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat
1 2 3 4 5 6
Site Visit
7
8 9 10 11 12
Part 1, 2 and
3 completed
13 14
15 16
Part 4
completed
17
Report
compilation
completed
18 19
Powerpoint
completed
20
Powerpoint
compilation
completed
21
22 23 24 25 26
Presentation
27 28
29 30

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Building Services System in PKNS Complex, Shah Alam

  • 1. 1
  • 2. 2 Acknowledgement In the past few weeks, we worked very hard to ensure the accomplishment of this case study and learning as much as we can from this assignment. During the process of accomplish this assignment, we are really blessed to have the help and guideline of some respected individuals, who deserve our greatest gratitude. The completion of this assignment gives us so much pleasure. First and foremost, we would like to extend our gratitude to every single member who has been participated and working hand-in-hand to complete this assignment. With the valuable suggestions and open-minded personnel, everything goes smoothly as how we wish to be. Without the cooperation and effort of every member, this assignment will not be a success, and the learning journey wouldn’t be so fun. We also like to thanks to our group leader, Lee Pei Gie who always guided us along the assignment to make sure that we are on track. Besides, we would also like to expand our deepest appreciation to the person in charge of PKNS Complex, Mr Mohd Khairul that giving us the approval to visit the place and carry out our case study in the complex. Last but not least, greatest gratitude to our lecturer, Dr Kam Kenn Jhun who always advise and enlighten us when we seek for information, as well as giving us the opportunity to extract knowledge through experience.
  • 3. 3 Abstract Building services play important roles in every aspect of the building. Homes, office buildings, industrial plants, schools, public and government facilities and computer technology all rely on building services systems to create and maintain safe, healthy and comfortable living and working environments. Basically, the topics that are covered under this report is based on what we had learnt during our lecture, which lays out different type of systems adopted in PKNS Complex, analysis of the problem of systems as well as suggestion and recommendation to further improvement of the system. The case study about building services in PKNS Complex is based on four systems which are fire protection system, mechanical and air-conditioning system, vertical transportation system, and electrical supply system.
  • 4. 4 Table Content 1. Introduction of PKNS Complex 2. Discussion of Existing Systems  Fire Protection System  Electrical Supply System  Mechanical and Air-conditioning System  Vertical Transport System 3. Analysis on Problems  Fire Protection System  Mechanical and Air-Conditioning System 4. Recommendation of Solutions and Justification  Fire Protection System  Mechanical and Air-Conditioning System 5. Reference List 6. Appendix 5-6 7 8 – 18 19-21 22 – 31 32 – 39 40 41- 47 48 - 50 51 52 – 57 58 – 60 62 – 64 65 - 68
  • 6. 6 PKNS Complex PKNS Complex is one of the oldest commercial complexes that also houses offices on the upper floors. It is a three-storied building with an open air, sheltered food court on the rooftop. As the first shopping center in Shah Alam, PKNS Complex is not a modern shopping mall. There are hardly any high street shops. It's more of a bazaar with small shops/stores/stalls. It's also definitely not a place for tourists. What it is excellent for however, is during the month of Ramadhan, it'll be heaving with stalls selling items for hari raya ( aidilfitri ). On the other hand, the existence of the Selangor Immigration Office here also helps to cater the crowd. It is the place to go for passport issues and Visas renewing. Unfortunately, the newer malls such as SACC Mall, Alam Sentral and Plaza Masalam are overtaking PKNS Complex in amount of patrons received. Hence it indeed requires a lot of upgrading work to attract more patrons, especially its building services which include mechanical and air-conditioning system, vertical transportation ( escalator and elevator ), fire protection system and electrical supply to buildings. This is why PKNS Complex is selected as the subject of our case study as we see the potential area of improvement in it.
  • 8. 8 Fire Protection System 1.0 Literature Review The fire protection system plays a very important role to prevent the spread of fire breakouts in buildings. The duty of the fire protection system is to extinguish the fire and control the spread of fire. Besides, it also reduces the impact of uncontrolled fire and to protect human life and state, public, and private property from fire. There are two fire protection methods, which are active fire protection method and passive fire protection method. 1.1 Active fire protection method Active fire protection is the process of protecting a building or structure from fire with methods that use the action of moving parts. (wisegeek, n.d.) These systems can be automatic or manually such as fire alarm system, smoke & heat detector, wet & dry risers, hose reels and CO2 fixed installation. 1.1.1 Fire extinguisher Fire extinguisher is used to extinguish small or initial outbreak fires, often in emergency situations. It is not intended for use on an out-of-control fire. It should be located at conspicuous location. Typically, a fire extinguisher consists of a hand-held cylindrical pressure vessel containing an agent which can be discharged to extinguish a fire. In PKNS Complex, the fire extinguisher can be found everywhere, within 20m from a potential fire hazard. The type of fire extinguisher used in complex is mostly ABC type dry powder fire extinguisher which is in blue colour. It is effective on Class A, B and C fires. Under UBBL 1984 Section 227 - Portable extinguisher shall be designed and installed in accordance with MS 1539.
  • 9. 9 Figure 1.0 shows ABC type dry powder fire extinguisher which is in blue colour 1.1.2 External fire hydrant A fire hydrant is a system of pipe work that allows water to flow from a water main with the control of a valve in order to put out a fire. (wisegeek, n.d.) The water is discharged into the fire engine from which it is then sprayed over the fire. The external fire hydrants found around the PKNS complex are two way fire hydrants which are made up of cast iron. It is located not more than 10m distance to the building, not more than 10m distance to high voltage electrical mains and spaced not more than 90m apart along access road. Under UBBL 1984 Section 225(2) - Every building shall be served by at least one fire hydrant located not more than 45 meter from the fire brigade access, designed and installed in accordance with MS 1489. In any case, hydrants shall be located not more than 90 meters apart. Under UBBL 1984 Section 225(3) - Depending on the size and location of the building and the provision of access for fire appliances, additional fire hydrant shall be provided as may be required by the D.G.F.R. Figure1.1 shows external fire hydrant
  • 10. 10
  • 11. 11 1.1.3 Hose Reel Hose reel systems intended for occupant to use during early stage of fire. It consist of pumps, pipes, valves, hose reel tank and hose reels located strategically in a building, ensuring proper coverage of water to combat a fire. In PKNS complex, the hose reel was sited in position where they can be used without exposing user to danger from fire. The system is manually operated and activated by opening a valve enabling the water to flow into the hose that is typically 30 meters away. Under UBBL 1984 Section 226A - Hose reel systems shall be designed and installed in accordance with MS 1489. Figure 1.2 shows fire hose reel
  • 12. 12 1.1.4 Water storage tank In PKNS complex, water supplied from a designed water tank (16m3) located at roof level. The tank is made up of pressed steel and the external surface is painted with a red band of minimum 200mm. It has two compartments which is compartment 1 and 2. Besides, level indicator is also provided. Figure 1.3 shows water storage tank
  • 13. 13 1.1.5 Wet riser Wet Riser Systems are installed in buildings for fire fighting purposes which are permanently charged with water from a pump source. (protec, n.d.) It required when topmost floor of building is higher than 30.5m and lower than 70.5m above the fire appliance access level. Water supply shall be capable of maintaining a running pressure of 410kPa at the highest landing valve and give a flow rate of 2.3 I/s. PKNS Complex is a three-storied building which is less than 70.5m. Therefore, it uses wet riser as internal fire hydrant. It is installed completed with an inlet breeching connector at ground floor or and with landing valves at specified points on each floor. Besides, air release valve is automatically open to release air and closes when the riser is full of water. Under UBBL 1984 Section 231(1) - Wet rising systems shall be provided in every building in which the top most occupied floor is more than 30 meters above fire appliance access level. Figure 1.4 shows wet riser
  • 14. 14 1.1.6 Sprinkle system A sprinkler system is integrated system of piping work, connected to a water supply, with listed sprinklers that automatically initiate water discharge over a fire area. Where required, the sprinkler system also includes a control valve and a device for activating an alarm when the system operates. In PKNS complex, there are a lot of sprinkler heads. Every sprinkler head has a small glass bulb with a glycerine-based liquid in it. This bulb normally blocks the flow of water. In a fire, the liquid in the bulb will become hot. It will then expand, and shatter the glass bulb, removing the obstacle and causing water to spray from the sprinkler. (Understand building construction, n.d.) Water will continue to flow until the main valve is shut off. The most common temperature that is designed to break is approximately 68°C/155°F. Under UBBL 1984 Section 228 - Sprinkler systems shall be designed and installed in accordance with MS 1910. Figure 1.5 shows sprinkle system
  • 15. 15 1.1.7 Fireman’s switch A fireman’s switch is an electrical isolation switch located beside the top edge of the lift to permit the disconnection of electrical power supply to the relevant floor or zone served. (Arsyad, 2011) Besides, it is to cut down the supply of electrical services to the shop when the fire exists. This is to avoid the electric current over flow to cause explosion. In PKNS complex, the fireman’s switch is placed in a conspicuous and accessible location which not more than 2.75m from the ground. Besides, it is painted in red colour and mounted onto the wall. Figure 1.6 shows fireman’s switch 1.1.8 Manual call point Manual alarm call points are designed for the purpose of raising an alarm manually once verification of a fire or emergency condition exists, by operating the push button or break glass the alarm signal can be raised. (Crouse-hinds, n.d.) In PKNS complex, it uses break glass call point. It is installed at a height of 1.2m above floor level and sited where user can be easily seen. Besides, it is fitted on the floor side of an access door to a staircase so the floor of origin is indicated at the Control Panel. Moreover, the greatest travel distance from any point in the building to the nearest call point does not exceed 30m. (Fire safety advice centre, n.d.)
  • 16. 16 Figure 1.7 shows manual call point 1.1.9 Fire alarm bell The primary function of a fire bell is to alarm people who are at risk to take the necessary precautionary safety and evacuation measures. (Fest fire security, n.d.) Fire bells are relatively loud and also designed to produce a specific and unique sound pattern with the intention of eliminating confusion to successfully warn for hazards. In PKNS complex, the fire bell is installed throughout the building with an even distribution. Under UBBL 1984 Section 237 - Fire detection and fire alarm systems shall be designed and installed in accordance with MS 1745. Figure 1.8 shows fire alarm bell 1.1.10 Smoke detector A smoke detector's initial function is to detect that fire is present. There are two types of detectors which are ionized smoke detector and light scattering smoke detector. In PKNS complex, smoke detector is mounted on the ceiling. When smokes enter the unit, it will reduce current which energies alarm relay and obstruct the light passing through. Therefore, it will trigger the alarm bell to give signal for the occupants to escape.
  • 17. 17 Figure 1.9 shows smoke detector 1.1.11 Voice communication system An emergency voice communication system allows the fire-fighting team to communicate critical information and to notify the building occupants of the need for action in connection with a fire or other emergency. In PKNS complex, emergency telephone handsets are securely mounted on the wall and coloured in red. It is used as two-way communication system. It is a network of telephone handsets located at designated area of the building and connected to the master handset at the Fire Command Centre. (Fire safety and protection systems, n.d.) Under UBBL 1984 Section 239(a) - There shall be two separate approved continuously electrically supervised voice communications system, one a fire brigade communications system and the other a public address system between the central control station. Figure 2.0 shows “Telefon Bomba Api”
  • 18. 18 1.2 Passive fire protection method Passive fire protection method is an integrated component of the structural fire protection and fire safety in a building. It attempts to contain fires or slow the spread, through use of fire-resistant walls, floors, and doors. Besides, passive system must comply with the associated listing and approval of use in order to provide the effectiveness expected by building codes. 1.2.1 Fire door In PKNS complex, the passive system that we found is fire door which allows the flow of traffic around the building. Fire doors have two important functions in the fire incident which are to act as a barrier to stop the spread of fire when the door is closed and to provide an escape route for occupants to escape when the door is opened. (Fire safety advice centre, n.d.) Under UBBL 1984 Section 163 - Fire doors including frames shall be constructed in accordance with MS 1073. Figure 2.1 shows fire door
  • 19. 19 1.2.2 Fire escape route A fire escape is a type of emergency exit. It usually provides a directional exit signs for occupants to leave for a safe place immediately. It is usually mounted to the outside of a building or occasionally inside but separated from the main areas of the building. In PKNS complex, the fire escape plan is located beside the lift for showing these escape routes. Figure 2.2 shows fire escape route 1.2.3 Staircase and compartment In PKNS complex, the fire escape staircase is being properly designed to meet the requirement of UBBL 168 part 8. This can be proved by the number of riser per flight are not more than 16, tread & riser dimensions are consistence, no winders in escape staircase and the length of the landing is not less than width. Besides, the building is sub-divided into compartment by using compartment walls and compartment floors. The period of insulation should not less than 15 minutes. Under UBBL 1984 Section 168(4) - The required width of a staircase shall be maintained throughout its length including at landings. Figure 2.3 shows staircase and compartment.
  • 20. 20 Electrical supply system 2.0 Literature Review Generator output at 25kV is stepped up by transformer to 400kV, 275kV and 132kV for transmission. In PKNS complex, transmission main intake is the interconnection point of 132kV to the distribution network. Figure 2.0 shows Tenaga Nasional Berhad 2.1 Main Switch Board Switchboards consist of various electronic apparatus that are used to operate electric circuits. The function of a switchboard is to transmit electricity from one source to another. (Stein, n.d.) In PKNS complex, the main switch board is located at the ground floor. It is totally enclosed and sheet steel fabricated. Figure 2.1 shows Main Switch Board
  • 21. 21 2.2 Service entrance Service entrance is a service that allows the electric to flow to the building. Before the electric is transmitted to the building, electric will pass through the meter equipment and a device for overcurrent protection and electrical current control to avoid the occurrence of overcurrent. Figure 2.2 shows service entrance 2.3 Branch circuit Branch circuit is a metal box that filled with switches and mounted on the wall. The purpose of the branch circuit is to supply the power to the electrical devices in the shops. Besides, it can also cut off the power when it is switched off. The device can cut off the power without affecting the power supply of the whole building. This is useful when there is any fire occurrence or the performance of maintenance in the building. Figure 2.3 shows branch circuit
  • 22. 22 2.4 Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCCB) Miniature circuit breakers (MCB) are designed to protect cables and lines against overload and short-circuit. They thus used for protecting the electrical equipment against excessive temperature rise and destruction in the event of short-circuit. (Edvard, 2012) Figure 2.4 shows miniature circuit breaker 2.5 Conduit An electrical conduit is a tube that used to protect the cables from physical damage and heat. Besides, it also provides continuous support. PVC electrical conduit is very light weight, high strength, low cost and resistance to more chemicals. In PKNS complex, we have found some electrical conduit elbow mounted on the wall. Figure 2.5 shows electrical conduit elbow
  • 23. 23 Mechanical and Air Conditioning System 3.0 Literature Review Ventilation is the process of exchanging or replacing air in any space to provide high indoor air quality, which involves temperature control, oxygen replenishment, and removal of moisture, odors, smoke, heat, dust, airborne bacteria, and carbon dioxide. Ventilation removes unpleasant smells and excessive moisture, introduces outside air, keeps interior building air circulating, and prevents stagnation of the interior air. Ventilation includes both the exchange of air to the outside as well as circulation of air within the building. It is one of the most important factors for maintaining acceptable indoor air quality in buildings. Methods for ventilating a building may be divided into mechanical or forced and natural types. The case study building that we have chosen which is PKNS Complex. There is one type of ventilation occurring in this building, which is mechanical ventilation by use of fan and air conditioning system. In this section, this type of ventilation will be analyzed and scrutinized. 3.1 Mechanical Ventilation Mechanical ventilation is a building ventilation system that uses powered fans or blowers to provide fresh air to rooms when the natural forces of air pressure and gravity are not enough to circulate air through a building. Mechanical ventilation is used to control indoor air quality, excess humidity, odors, and contaminants that can often be controlled via dilution or replacement with outside air. However, in humid climates specialized ventilation systems can remove excess moisture from the air.
  • 24. 24 3.1.1 Mechanical Fan We observed that PKNS building utilizes ceiling fans as well as wall mounting fans to circulate air within the space. These air-circulating fans are commonly seen as ventilation systems as they are usually the most visible mechanical system in a building. However ceiling fans do not provide real ventilation, as there is no introduction of fresh air. Ceiling fans only circulate air within a space for the purpose of reducing the perceived temperature by method of evaporation of perspiration on the skin of the occupants. Figure 3.1. 1(a): Ceiling Fan Figure 3.1.1(b): Wall Mounting Fan 3.1.2 Ventilation Ducting System At every floor of this building, there is exposed ceiling with ductworks. These ductworks are called flexible ductworks, which are lightweight and fairly quick and easy to install. This type of ductwork often cost less than the rigid ductwork. The presence of ducting indicates that PKNS Complex utilizes centralize system as major part of their air conditioning system. The chilled air is passed through the ducting system to various parts of the building. The ductworks in PKNS building are insulated with fiberglass in order to avoid losing valuable conditioned air. The fiberglass surface faces in toward the duct, while the foil face protects the outside of the wrap, preventing conductive heat loss and protecting the fiberglass within. Insulation is applied to ductwork to enhance thermal performance and prevent condensation and dripping.
  • 25. 25 In this building, duct thermal performance needs enhancement since air transported through a supply duct is at a temperature different than that of the surroundings. Insulation reduces the rate of thermal loss to those surroundings. Without insulation, the air would need extra heating or cooling in order to arrive at the design supply air temperature. Figure 3.1.2 (a): Ducting system in the building 3.1. 3 Cooling Tower PKNS Complex utilizes centralized system as the air conditioning system, hence there is a cooling tower, which is a specialized heat exchanger in which air and water are brought into direct contact with each other in order to reduce the water's temperature. As this occurs, a small volume of water is evaporated, reducing the temperature of the water being circulated through the tower. Cooling towers is located on the roof of PKNS building because of the noise and vibration they generate, the tower should be isolated acoustically from the frame of the building and noise sensitive areas such as auditorium and meeting room should not be located directly below them.
  • 26. 26 Figure 3.1.2.3(a): Cooling tower Figure 3.1.2.3(b): Details of cooling tower Source: http://cset.mnsu.edu/engagethermo/components_coolingtower.html 3.1.4 AHU Room The Air Handling Unit is an integrated piece of equipment consisting of fans, heating and cooling coils, air-control dampers, filters and silencers. Air Handling Units are often called AHU. The purpose of this equipment is to collect and mix outdoor air with that returning from the building space. The air mixture is then cooled or heated, after which it is discharged into the building space through a duct system made up of five-feet diameter pipes. Air Handler is normally associated with heating/cooling (HVAC) systems in commercial buildings. These are normally very large systems moving 2000 CFM to 10,000 CFM and higher. They often have an economizer or inlet damper that allows for a small amount of outside air or make-up air to be pulled in through the air handler.
  • 27. 27 The AHU room in PKNS building is located in a large mechanical room. The size of the mechanical room is usually proportional to the size of the building. As PKNS is considered a large building, so its mechanical rooms can be of considerable size, which requiring multiple rooms throughout the building. In this building, the AHU connects to the ductwork that distributes the conditioned air throughout the areas of the building and the warmed air is returned to the AHU room to be cooled after going through the cooling coil and filter. The chilled water from the cooling coil taken from the cooling tower is supplied and returned in blue pipes. Figure 3.1.4(a): AHU room of the building Figure 3.1.4(b): Details of AHU room Source: http://www.electrical-knowhow.com/2012/03/in-previous-air-conditioning-system.html
  • 28. 28 3.1.5 Air Door PKNS Complex installed air doors at every entrance or customer entryways. They can be intended to help keep flying insects out by creating forceful turbulence, help keep out outside air and prevent loss of cool air, thus reducing infiltration through the opening. Air doors work best when the pressure differential between the inside and outside of the building is as close to neutral as possible. The air door for containing conditioned air inside this building with an open door will have a high face velocity at the opening, generated by top-down flow, and air recovery by a recirculating air plenum and duct return to the source fans. In the operation section, the air door is most effective with low exterior wind velocity. At higher wind velocities, the rate of air mixing increases and the outside air portion of the total face flow increases. Under ideal conditions of zero wind, the effectiveness of the air door is at its maximum. In windy locations, air doors cannot create a perfect seal, but are often used to reduce the amount of infiltration from an opening. Figure 3.1 5(a) & 3.1.5(b): Air door located at the entrance
  • 29. 29 3.1.6 Air Supply Diffuser A diffuser is the mechanical device that is designed to control the characteristics of a fluid at the entrance to a thermodynamic open system. Diffusers are used to slow the fluid's velocity and to enhance it’s mixing into the surrounding fluid. Diffusers are very common in heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning systems. Diffusers are used on both all-air and air-water HVAC systems, as part of room air distribution subsystems, and serve several purposes which are to deliver both conditioning and ventilating air, evenly distribute the flow of air in the desired directions and to enhance mixing of room air into the primary air being discharged. In addition, they often to cause the air jets to attach to a ceiling or other surface, to create low-velocity air movement in the occupied portion of room and accomplish the above while producing the minimum amount of noise. Through observing the building, we found out there are two types of diffusers that use in this building which are cone diffusers and 4-ways louver bladed diffuser. One of which is the cone diffuser, which is mounted on the ceiling especially in installation when an adjustable pattern is required. Cones can be taken out by pushing inward, turn around and pull down. This provides easy installation, maintenance and access to the duct. Discharge pattern of this cone can be adjusted for horizontal flow by extending the cones and for vertical flow by retracting the cones, which can cool the space of various parts of the building for users’ comfort. Figure 3.1.6(a): Cone Diffuser
  • 30. 30 Flow Pattern of Cone Diffuser Figure 3.1.2.5(b): Horizontal air pattern Source: http://www.airmasteremirates.com/products_details.php?product- id=47 Horizontal air pattern • Pattern is obtained by extending the cones downwards. • This arrangement handles more capacity of air with increased induction and uniform air distribution. Figure 3.1.2.5(c): Vertical air pattern Source: http://www.airmasteremirates.com/products_details.php?product- id=47 Vertical air pattern • Pattern is obtained by retracting the cones upwards. • Air is delivered vertically without much induction. • Suitable for localized cooling in conditioned area and for higher altitudes.
  • 31. 31 Whereas, the 4-ways louver bladed diffusers are mounted on the ceiling as well, which provide excellent diffusion performance and are suitable for surface mounting in plasterboard ceilings or lay-in ceiling grids. The removable core, via a positive center screw, makes them easy to install, clean and access any dampers located behind the diffuser. This louver faced ceiling diffuser is suitable for use in this building where cooling is required in areas of high heat and high humidity, and also to suit heating and cooling applications in cooler temperatures. Figure 3.1.6(b): Flow pattern of diffuser Source: http://www.airmasteremirates.com/products_details.php?type=diffusers&sub=20&product-id=37 Figure 3.1.6(c): 4-ways louver bladed diffuser 3.1.7 Air Return Diffuser Through observing the building, we found that PKNS Complex installs return air diffusers attached to the wall as well as mounted on the ceiling. This return air grille connects to ductwork that allows air to return to any cooling or heating system. The openings that connect to ducts and other spaces for the returning air are covered with grillwork. Every cooling or heating system will have air being pushed through into various parts of this building and spaces through a system of ducts. This increases the air pressure in the conditioned area and at some time will act to even prevent any further air from entering unless a circulating system is set up to relieve the pressure. This is done normally through return ducts, which allow the air to be recirculated or completely vented to the outside. This return air grill covers such ducts, and can also act to
  • 32. 32 regulate the flow of air. They also act to close off the ducts from view. This return air grill also has a filter mounted on it to trap particulate matter and thus ensure that the recirculated air is more pure. This can also in the long run reduce the amount of cleaning required for ducts. Ducts for returning air are located at every floor level or in the walls. These require to be covered by a grill that will ensure that duct is protected. It is considered very necessary to use filters over such grills, which in turn can lead to higher efficiency in cooling or heating. The filters in a way also help to reduce airflow and thus help improve efficiency. Such filters can have increased ratings, which in turn can reduce allergens and dust and thus make the circulated air more healthy. Figure 3.1.7(a) & 3.1.7(b): Return air diffusers in the building
  • 33. 33 Vertical Transportation System 4.0 Literature Review Vertical transportation is a phrase used to describe the various means of travelling between floors in a building. All buildings with more than one storey of course have at least one set of stairs and the provision of stairs is a very important consideration when designing buildings in order to ensure all the occupants of the building can escape safely in the event of a fire. In buildings with more than four storeys, a lift commonly known as an elevator is desirable as there is a limit to how far people are willing to walk up stairs. In addition to this, stairs are unsuitable for infirm and mobility impaired persons so buildings with only two storeys are sometimes fitted with a lift. A third option is the escalator which is ideally suited for high volume applications such as shopping malls and airports but not practical for high rise buildings as they take up a lot of space. We observed that PKNS Complex consists of escalators and elevators as the mean of vertical transportation. Both of these vertical transportations play a vital role in this building to provide an accessible path, leading from one level to another. 4.1 Escalator An escalator is a moving staircase, which a conveyor transport device for carrying people quickly and efficiently between floors of a building. The device consists of a motor-driven chain of individual, linked steps that move up or down on tracks, allowing the step treads to remain horizontal. Escalators have the capacity to move large numbers of people, and they can be placed in the same physical space as a staircase. They have no waiting interval except
  • 34. 34 during very heavy traffic, they can be used to guide people toward main exits or special exhibits, and they may be weather-proofed for outdoor use. PKNS Complex utilizes the only one type of arrangement of escalator, which is double bank in two travel direction. This arrangement is used in the objects in which persons travel in two opposite direction and it normally use in major department stores where transportation time between several levels should be kept to a minimum. The escalator in this building is located at the center of ground floor and second floor, which can be easily seen by the users. The speed of the escalator in PKNS Complex is between 0.45m/s to 0.60m/s. The step width of escalator is about 1000mm, which allow for two people to stand side by side and to step on the escalator. Figure 4.1(a): Step width of escalator Width
  • 35. 35 Figure 4.1(b): Escalators in double bank in two travel direction Figure 4.1(c): Arrangement of escalators in double bank in two travel direction Source: http://www.gmv.pl/eng/moving-walks.html Figure 4.1(d): Components of escalator Source: http://www.electrical-knowhow.com/2012/04/escalators-basic-components-part-two.html 4.2 Elevator
  • 36. 36 An elevator is a type of vertical transportation that moves people or goods between floors, levels and decks of a building, vessel, or other structure. Elevators are generally powered by electric motors that either drive traction cables or counterweight systems like a hoist, or pump hydraulic fluid to raise a cylindrical piston like a jack. In PKNS building, there are three fire fighter lift and three electric lifts. The fire fighter lift is a lift within the firefighting shaft with dual power supply and is capable of being commandeered by the Fire Service. On the other hand, the electric lift uses cable to lift the car and movement is depending on the electrical power. The major components of an electric car are, motor or machine room, hoistway and pit, lift car and landing. The elevators can support up to 800kg, which is 11 people or users can go in at one time. The speed of these elevators is between 100-150 feet per minute, which is suitable for normal speed of elevator. If the speed of elevator is too fast, it will result in a nervous breakdown to the users. If too slow will cause lack of function of the elevator. Figure 4.2(a): Fire escape plan that showed the location of fire fighter lifts and electric lifts Fire Lift and Electirc Lift Fire Lift and Electirc Lift
  • 37. 37 Figure 4.2(b): Electric lift The UBBL requirements: 1. Under UBBL 1984 Section 123-128, lifts: 124 - For all non-residential buildings exceeding 4 stories above or below the main access level at least once lift shall be provided 2. Under UBBL 1984 Section 152-155, Ventilation to lift shafts: 152(1) - Every opening in a lift shafts or lift entrance shall open into a protected lobby unless other suitable means of protection to the opening to the satisfaction of the local authority is provided. These requirements shall not
  • 38. 38 apply to open type industrial and other special buildings as may be approved by the D.G.F.S 4.2.1 Elevator Lobby In the PKNS building, elevator lobby controls and indicators shows the two items required in an elevator lobby, which are the call buttons and the hall lanterns or position indicator. Figure 4.2.1(a): Elevator lobby located at ground floor Call Buttons are used to request an elevator. They are mounted above the finished floor and consist of an up button and a down button that illuminates to indicate the request has been received and an elevator is on the way. Whereas, hall lanterns or position indicators are used to indicate the arriving elevator and the direction it will travel. In addition to the illuminated directional indicators, the hall lanterns have an audible tone to indicate direction. Audible signals sound once for elevators going up and sound twice for elevators going down. Alternatively, vocal Hall Lantern Hall Lantern Call Button
  • 39. 39 indicators may say, "going up" or "going down" in lieu of tones. Figure 4.2.1(a) & 4.2.1(b): Exterior & interior view of elevator on the third floor. Figure 4.2.1(c): Single speed centre-opening and the movement of door is quite and fast 4.2.2 Inside the Electric Lift
  • 40. 40 The electric lift in this building is equipped with lighting and ventilation fan, which provide a bright and comfort condition for the users in the elevator. In the elevator, there are information display and indicator. The controls inside the elevator cab vary widely based on the types of services the owner wants to place on the control panel. However, the elevators in this building consist of floor selection buttons and operation and emergency buttons. Floor Selection Buttons are used to select floors that the elevator will stop at. Operation and Emergency Buttons are offset below the floor selection buttons. These buttons include door open, door close, emergency stop and emergency alarm. All these button panels are clear and easily reached at appropriate level. Figure 4.2.2(a): Lighting and ventilation fan in the elevator
  • 41. 41 Figure 4.2.2(b) & 4.2.2(c): The controls inside the elevator cab PART 3 ANALYSIS ON PROBLEMS
  • 42. 42 Problems of Fire Protection System 1.0 Active Fire Protection 1.1Fire Alarm System Although fire alarm trigger system can be seen all over the building but whether it is in functioning condition is another question. For example, majority of the manual call point devices are not in operating condition. There are writings on most of the manual call points indicating that the device is not working. Besides that, even the ones without writings seem to be very old and warn out which put many in doubt whether is it working or not. One more thing that the alarm system lacking is a visible indicator alarm signal which one of the requirement stated in UBBL 241. The system will be able to notify deaf occupants when a fire arises in the building. Old and worn out.
  • 43. 43 Only a few of the old alarms were replaced by new ones.
  • 44. 44 1.2 Voice Communication System The voice communication system is the last thing to rely on if a fire really arises in the building as the whole system is not functioning at all. The command and control centre is closed and looked abandoned when we were there. Hence, we assume that they do not rely on this protection system during a fire. However, even if the communication system is still functioning, the telephone for users to contact the control centre looks very dirty and faulty from the outside. The box containing the phone is also locked and inaccessible. Hence, the occupants in the building will have a hard time notifying the authorities when a fire really occurs. With the building not operating the voice communication, it violates the requirement of UBBL 239 part 3 where it states that voice communication system is required in every office area exceeding 92.9 square metres in area. Besides it also violates the requirement of UBBL 238 for not having a command and control system in such a big building. Telephone for users to contact the control centre looks very dirty and faulty There is no key to access the telephone in it. The command and control centre which is closed and looked abandoned
  • 45. 45 1.3 Fire Extinguisher Fire extinguishers can be found at almost every corner of the building. For instance near corridors, room exits, stairways, and near fire hazard areas such as restaurant. The service of the extinguishers are also always up to date. However, there are some fire extinguishers that are not kept properly but instead it is just left unsecured and some even just on the ground. This could be dangerous as children can easily have access to it. Besides that, some of the boxes containing the fire extinguishers are lock and the access key which is supposed to be within the glass is nowhere to be found. Thus, occupants will struggle to put out fire near them and could cause fatal injuries to the victim involved. Glass is broken No access key.
  • 46. 46 1.4 Sprinkler System The Sprinkler system of PKNS Complex is very poorly maintained. Almost every visible sprinkler is covered with a thick layer of dust. The accumulation of dust and other contaminates can result in a false alarm to occur. This result in fire trucks coming for no reason and it might also disturb the operation within the building. Moreover, there are even some sprinkles then are badly corroded. Corrosion of fire system pipes will impact the functionality of the system and also result in leakage. Therefore, annual inspection of fire sprinkler system should carried out. Corroded Sprinklers Sprinklers covered with dust
  • 47. 47 2.0Passive Fire Protection 2.1 Fireman Lift A fireman lift is required in a building if the top most occupied floor is over 18.5m. The PKNS Complex has 5 floors and assuming each floor is 4 meters high, there should be a fireman lift included in the elevator system. According to the building floor plan there are three firemen lift located at each floor but the size of the firemen lift is just as big as the normal electric lifts. There is also no signs indicating that which lift in particular is a firemen lift. Not just that, the normal lift for occupants are also very small in size, if firemen were to use that lift during a fire, it will be very inconvenient. No signs indicating which is the firemen lift. Lift with small capacity Fire Lift and Electirc Lift Fire Lift and Electirc Lift Fire escape plan that showed the location of fire fighter lifts and electric lifts.
  • 48. 48 2.2 Escape Route The diffusers of the staircase pressurization system are covered with a very layer of dust. As time passes if nothing is done to clean the diffusers, dust will eventually clot the diffusers and the staircase will not be pressurized. In addition the fire doors handle lockset at the staircase are in poor condition. We struggled to open a few of the fire doors leading to the emergency staircase as the lockset were faulty. This would be crucial if occupants of the building were to escape the building during a fire. Diffusers covered with a lot of dust Fire door with broken lockset
  • 49. 49 3.0 Conclusion Overall the fire protection system of PKNS Complex is actually well equipped but at the same time very poorly maintained. For example, escape routes can be easily spotted at all corners of the building, hose reels and fire extinguishers are very visible, water sprinklers are everywhere as well, there are also fire alarms and voice communication system to notify others in case of fire but whether all these systems are in working condition or properly maintained is the main problem. The amount of problems mentioned above could cause many lives. Therefore, the service management of the building really have to put in a lot of effort in maintaining the fire protection system as it might come in handy one day.
  • 50. 50 PROBLEMS OF MECHANICAL AND AIR-CONDITIONING 1.0 COOLING TOWER Cooling tower is one of the main components that help to extract heat from the cold air through lowering the temperature of water stream. The main problem as shown in this cooling tower is leaking. If the leakage from the cooling tower is not properly maintain, it will affect the distribution of the cool air through the ventilation system in the PKNS complex. Besides that, the water from the cooling tower flow to nearby electrical cabling that can cause short circuited and causing danger to passer-by or maintenance workers who walk by this area. WATER LEAKAGE
  • 51. 51 On the other hand, for the second cooling tower which is located at the middle of the PKNS complex, the louvre of the cooling tower is already corroded and does not function well. This is one of the ventilation problem happening at ground floor level. 2.0 FAN Due to the air-conditioning in ground floor is malfunction, they have install fan as the main ventilation. The odor of this place is badly maintained due to poor ventilation making less customers less inclined to pass through the area. The place is also humid making the customers or people working there feeling hot and sweating. Big fans are attach at the edge of floor slabs between ground floor and first floor. Some of the big fans have dust accumulated on its fan blades. This will make the customers to sneeze continuously due to allergies to the dust particles. The management team will have to continuously maintain the fan since fan is the only available mechanical system. It can be costly to keep the atmosphere dust free.
  • 52. 52 3.0 AHU DOOR UNABLE TO CLOSE PROPERLY The Air handling unit door cannot be close fully and if there is any fire occurring in this building the fire can easily spread through the ahu room due to an uneven gap shown in the picture above. This can lead to undesirable explosion happening when fire occurs when affected by pressurized tank in the AHU room. The ducting on the ceiling is not properly replaced. As a result, it allows the ducting to be exposed. It might cause the failure of performance in ducting systems to supply ventilation. Gaps betweenthe doors
  • 54. 54 RECOMMENDATION AND JUSTIFICATION ON IMPROVING FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEM 1.0 Active Fire Protection 1.1 Fire Alarm System A fire alarm system is number of devices working together to detect and warn people through visual and audio appliances which may be activate when smoke, fire, carbon monoxide or other emergencies are present. Hence, it is necessary to improve the system for safety purpose. First and foremost, the employees of the complex have to stay alert if there is any broken system immediately to prevent it from not functioning during an event of fire which will cause loss of lives within the complex. The volume of the siren may be increased when the fire alarm system is activated due to the reason that many fire alarm systems have a mute or hush button to silence the sounding alarm or lower the volume of alarm which could cause further alerts to be missed by the people in the complex. They cannot even determine where is the sound of the alarm comes from. Hence, if the volume of siren is increased, the occupants can clearly hear the directions that are being given. Some frequent maintenance should also be carried out such as battery changing and cleaning it to make it free from dust. It is important that the employees of the complex should never leave the alarm unusable as they are often the first alert to a fire. Besides decreasing the distance between alarms, the quantity of fire alarm system within the complex may also be increased. If there is an event of fire, it would take a long time for the occupants to hear the fire alarm which the valuable escape time would be lost because of this. Hence, the distance between alarms should be reduced so that occupant can hear the alarm whenever they are within the complex. Lastly, the quantity of fire alarm should be increased as if some fire alarms are broken down, at least there are a few more still can carry out its function in the case of emergency.
  • 55. 55 1.2 Voice Communication System A fire voice communication system is designed to announce an emergency message when there is fire to all the people within the complex in order for them to escape immediately. The voice communication system can be improved by frequent testing and maintenance to ensure it can be functioned as a common problem in fire safety is not the lack of equipment but the ignorance of maintaining them. Hence, be strict when it comes to maintaining and servicing to prevent it out of service during an event of fire.. The employees from control centre can prepare more spare keys which can access the telephones for users to contact the control centre as the size of key is usually small which could be lost easily. The telephone should also be cleaned frequently so that it would not be covered with dust or unwanted rubbish which may hiding them away or mixing them with other items and lead to the confusion for people in the complex in the case of emergency. The employees have to ensure that the connection line of control centre is still working because it could assist to contact fire fighters during emergencies in the complex where radio communication cannot be guaranteed to work due to interference from the fire corona.. Lastly, the command and control centre should be reopened so that they can receive information from the occupants when there is an event of fire for them to contact the fire fighters immediately without delaying the time.
  • 56. 56 1.3 Fire Extinguisher A fire extinguisher is an active fire protection device which used to extinguish or control small fires in emergency situations. The ways to improve the fire extinguisher included asking the employees of the complex to test the extinguisher during annual fire protection inspections to ensure that it can be functioned because the extinguisher would have easily been knocked and damaged. All the employees should have training lesson on how to use the fire extinguisher correctly so they can use it to prevent the spread of fire in the case of emergency so that a fire can be tackled without delay. In addition, the employees have to ensure that the fire extinguishers are always in place with accessible keys beside as recorded in the fire safety log book. Although it may only take a few seconds to remove the blockage on the extinguisher, but every second is vital in the event of a fire. Hence, the access to fire extinguishers must never be restricted and they should be sited in highly visible locations not hidden in a corner. Unfortunately, all fire extinguishers will expire after a few years no matter if they have been used or not. Due to this reason, the date of issue in their label of the extinguisher should be checked frequently. If they are out of date, they are useless and the employees need to replace them. Lastly, It is also highly recommended to check fire extinguishers’ hose. If there are any signs of breakage, holes or cracks, the extinguisher must be replaced. Hence, the old model of fire extinguisher should be upgraded to the latest model.
  • 57. 57 1.4 Sprinkler System A sprinkler system is a water supply system which provides adequate pressure and flow rate to a water distribution piping system. The system can be improved by increasing the water volume that can be spread out from the sprinkler. The pumps that bring water into the building should be modified to ensure that the volume of water increases and it should have access to an adequate water supply and ready access to a fuel supply, whether diesel or electric. The sprinklers should be cleaned frequently as when the maintenance and building work is being carried, the dust and trigger or clog the sprinkler head and these should be removed immediately when the work is finished because they may block the sprinkler head. The old rusted sprinkler should be replaced to a new one as they cannot be repaired or cleaned either and must be replaced completely. Due to the reason of sprinkler heads have valves inside them that break when they reach a certain temperature so when the sprinkler is rusted, this can interfere with the valves or even stop them breaking altogether. some frequent checking of the condition of the piping system of sprinkler should also be carried out as closed sprinkler valve is the most common cause of failure in a sprinkler system. The valve gets turned off for maintenance and it is not turned back on, or a building worker twists it for some reason, not knowing whether it is open or closed. Lastly, the sensitivity of sprinkler should be tested and maintenance is required for broken sprinkler. Hence, the valves, including those that supply water to the building, should be checked weekly to ensure they are open, and a full flow test should be conducted at least yearly.
  • 58. 58 2.0 Passive Fire Protection 2.1 Fireman Lift A fireman lift is a type of elevator which enables fire fighters to use in order to rescue people who may be trapped on upper floors during an event of fire in the complex. A fireman lift should be identified by placing a sign stated ‘FIREMAN LIFT’ because the obfuscating signage in any way will make this more difficult for people who are not familiar with the layout of the building which will cause the misuse of lift in the case of emergency. The size of the fireman lift should be enlarged to ensure more fire fighters can be sent to upper floor to control the fire spread the save the occupants who are trapped in the fire. Moreover, the velocity of the lift should be slightly increased to reduce the time taken for fire fighters to stop the spread of fire on the upper floor. As with all fire safety equipment, it is important to make sure installation and maintenance are carried out properly and thus, the maintenance of fireman life should be done frequently to prevent it from not functioning during an event of fire which will cause the delay in time for fire fighter to save lives. A fire resistance coating can also be applied for internal and external wall surface of the lift which can form a barrier to stop the spread of fire in order to send the fire fighter to upper floor should also be done to prevent the ingress of smoke around the lift edges.
  • 59. 59 2.2 Escape Route Escape route is a path to exit the complex when there is an event of fire. The escape route can be improved by providing the diagrams to show the route to escape at the announce board in the complex as fire exit signs should be clearly visible and located at each point of the escape route where the direction changes. In the event of a fire, well displayed signs can quickly guide everyone to safety. The diffusers should be cleaned weekly by the cleaner because the build of residues inside diffuser such as grease and dust which combined with heat can cause serious life-threatening fires. Other than this, if the diffuser could not function well, it may provide more oxygen to keep a fire burning for longer period. Employees have to change the fire door lockset if it is broken because if the fire door cannot be opened, it could lead to very dangerous situation if people are trying to the fire door in a panic, especially if there is also smoke. This could cost lives in an emergency. In addition, the employees have to do monthly check up of the condition of the fire door. If there is a hole or crack on the fire resistant door, the door is considered as useless because smoke will be able to come through the cracks and the fire will continue to spread to other places within the complex. Lastly, employees have to ensure that the fire door is accessible so that when people are trying to escape from the complex, they do not need to interfere with any equipment, tools or objects that could cause them further harm. In conclusion, the majority of losses are preventable. Hence, the fire protection system has to be improved because it is always easier to prevent loss than to recover from the aftermath.
  • 60. 60 *For illustration purpose only RECOMMENDATION AND JUSTIFICATION ON IMPROVING FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEM Water leak from the cooling tower The water leakage from the cooling tower maybe be caused by the tower itself or the pipes. However, it is more likely caused by the pipes regardless of the material of the pipes due to clog or blockage along the drain line. Hence, periodic maintenance is required to remove the clog. For instance, remove the cap of the access point of the pipe, pour in mixture of bleach and warm water and the clog shall be removed as the mixture flows in the pipe. It is important to keep the ventilation drain pipe unblock because leakagenot only may lead to electric shock when in touch with electrical cables nearby but it also may affect the
  • 61. 61 *For illustrationpurposeonly cooling system in the building due to insufficient cooling agent to take away heat from the refrigerant. Mechanical fan Due to malfunction of ventilation at the ground floor, mechanical fan is installed to replace air conditioning. However, it is less efficient because there is no adequate distribution of ventilation and fresh air. Hence, the centralize air conditioning should be repair and properly maintained. In order to achieve optimum and adequate ventilation, round cone diffuser should be installed because round cone diffuser distributes cool air evenly in an enclosed space. Moreover, round cone diffuser can be installed in such a way to replace the mechanical fan attached to the side between ground floor and first floor to improve the ventilation and remove odour in the building. Round cone diffuser
  • 62. 62 AHU Door The gap between the doors of the AHU room might be caused by termite attack over the time as it is made of solid timber. Since AHU room must protected especially from fire, the door may be replaced with fire rated steel door. Fire resistant door made of steel are durable in such a way that is has fire resistant up to 3 hours, termite resistant and low maintenance. Exposed ducting The ceiling should be covered with ceiling tiles in order to hide the ventilation ducting from exposing. Ceiling tiles comes with plain and many other pattern for aesthetic purposes. Plain ceiling panel Aesthetic ceiling panel
  • 63. 63
  • 64. 64 Conclusion In conclusion, building services play a central role in contributing to the design of a building, not only in terms of overall strategies and standards to be achieved, but also in facade engineering, the weights, sizes and location of major plant and equipment, the position of vertical service risers, routes for the distribution of horizontal services, drainage, energy sources, sustainability and so on. This means that building services design must be well integrated into the overall building design from a very early stage, particularly on complex building projects. Through observing the PKNS building, we found that the building services of this complex do not meet the requirements of Uniform Building By-Laws 1984. For instance, we found that this building do not operate the voice communication, which violates the requirement of UBBL 239 part 3 where it states that voice communication system is required in every office area exceeding 92.9 square meters in area. Besides that, it also violates the requirement of UBBL 238 for not having a command and control system in such a big building. Not only that, we also found that most of the fire protection system are poorly maintained and some of them are not functioning. Especially with the sprinkler system, almost every visible sprinkler is covered with a thick layer of dust and some of these are damaged. We truly hope that the management team of the PKNS building would take action to support the operation and maintenance of the mechanical, electrical and plumbing building services to ensure all systems are fully operational and compliant as well as supporting the building and services manager to ensure full compliance of all operating systems particularly with the fire protection system, identifying risk and supporting solutions to create procedures which are clearly documented. With a good building service system, it can provide an optimum level of occupants’ comfort and protect the customers as well as workers within the PKNS building. Through this assignment, we have developed the ability to identify and explain the relevant information related to fire protection system, vertical transportation system, mechanical air-conditioning system and electricity generation and supply system. It has also advanced our skill to distinguish and differentiate the installation of various types of services in a building as well as increasing our capability to analyze and scrutinize on the problem of the building service systems.
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  • 69. 69 Report 1 Date of site visite : 6th Nov 2015 ( Friday ) Location : PKNS Complex, Shah Alam Attendees : Lee Pei Gie, Davin, Yong Seen Yee, Thun Shao Xun, Khoo Xin Yee Absentees : Shane Sim Ee Han, Tay Sy Min Job Scope : Lee Pei Gie  Prepare letters  Take photo during visit  Observer Davin  Driver  Observer Yong Seen Yee  Observer  Note taker Thun Shao Xun  Liase with PKNS Complex management, get approval  Observer  Note taker Khoo Xin Yee  Observer  Note taker
  • 70. 70 Report 2 Date of discussion : 7th Nov 2015 Job Delegation : Lee Pei Gie  Purpose of the building  Preparation of report  Compilation of report and presentation slides Khoo Xin Yee  Discussion on vertical transportation  Discussion on electricity supply to building  Conclusion Yong Seen Yee  Discussion on fire protection system  Discussion on mechanical and air-conditioning system  Acknowledgement and abstract Thun Shao Xun  Analysis on mechanical and air-conditioning system Davin  Analysis on fire protection system Shane  Recommendation on mechanical and air-conditioning system Tay Sy Min  Recommendation on fire-protection system
  • 71. 71 Report 3 Date of discussion : 8th Nov 2015 Content :  Davin, Khoo Xin Yee, Yong Seen Yee, Lee Pei Gie and Thun Shao Xun complete their parts before 12th Nov 2015 ( Thursday ) and post on Facebook group.  Shane and Symin commence their parts at 12th Nov 2015 ( Thursday ) and complete by 16th Nov 2015 ( Monday ).  Every member post the presentation slide on FB group before 20th Nov 2015 ( Friday ). Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 Site Visit 7 8 9 10 11 12 Part 1, 2 and 3 completed 13 14 15 16 Part 4 completed 17 Report compilation completed 18 19 Powerpoint completed 20 Powerpoint compilation completed 21 22 23 24 25 26 Presentation 27 28 29 30