Cohousing-L Mailing List: Exit Signs and Other Ugly Things

[Thomas Lofft (tlofft]

RE: Exit Signs, Fire Alarms, and Other Ugly Things; > We wish our otherwise 
wonderful architects had taken these requirements into
> account because we were too naive to have foreseen them.
 
I agree. We found, unfortunately that the systems people seem to have come in 
later after the architects were finished and applied their pipes, etc. on top 
of what was previously designed. The sprinkler pipes, huge ones, in the 
basement block the HVAC unit rather strangely. You have to reach around them. 
Two sewage ejector pumps were installed in basements that people had planned to 
use as living space.
 
In the attic we discovered that the electricians had strung wires over the 
flexible air ducts and then pulled them tight, closing off the air ducts. The 
air duct people knew their ducts worked with they left. The electrical wires 
worked when the electricians left. But later?...
 
Designing living spaces, particularly multiunit spaces is very complicated with 
layers and layers of just plain stuff to be put somewhere.
 
Sharon
Unfortunately, architects seldom show the ugly. The drawings always show clean 
walls, sometimes graced with decor items, but never showing even a light switch 
or outlet, much less the Exit Signs or sprinkler heads or alarm panels or pull 
boxes. I have often thought there must be a person in charge of the Fire and 
Emergency codes charged with verifying the Ugly Factor for all code 
requirements.   On the exterior, the down spouts are never delineated unless 
specifically demanded. A request will never be enough to get them drawn in. 
Same for the gas meter, electric meter, power and communications cables, 
transformer pads, cable and telecomm pedestals, or the fire lane and stop 
signs.  Sometimes, they may be included on a traffic control plan, but often 
that is prepared by the civil traffic designer and may never be shown to the 
client. "This is technical stuff."   Do any of our cohousing architects include 
this level of detailing?  And despite the most detailed architectural design, 
the MEP drawings are always schematic, never detailed and the installers may 
even simply install piping directly from the building point of service entry 
directly to the nearest stack chase, diagonally across a utility room or 
sublevel, without any consideration of whether or not they have totally 
compromised the potential use of a residual space. This becomes the charge of 
the construction project manager to clarify with the installers exactly what 
constraints have to be honored in preserving space for future functions and 
placing fixtures for optimum service and acceptable appearance, not purely for 
code compliance. Yes, it adds to expense to have to hire additional people to 
continuously check to assure that the other paid professionals really do a 
professional, considerate job. Did you know that an electrician can fully wire 
an office building in compliance with the code and never have to install a 
hallway outlet for a floor cleaner? Thanks for writing.

Tom LofftLiberty Village, MD