Oulton-Stanish Centre

ANSI Standards Action: January 26, 2024

“Maison tournante aérienne” 1883 Albert Robida

During today’s colloquium we audit the literature that sets the standard of care for mechanical engineering design, construction operations and maintenance. Mechanical systems — which includes building service engineering* — runs upwards of 35 percent of new building construction.   After architectural disciplines that produce the building envelope, the mechanical disciplines dominate technical considerations for building and maintaining education community physical spaces.  The requirements that affect cost change on a near-daily basis and now given heightened scrutiny of building air flow patterns with the circumstances of the pandemic.

For the moment, we co-locate plumbing and mechanical system consensus products in the same group.

We track standards setting in the bibliographies of the following organizations:

AHRI | Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Institute

AIHA | American Industrial Hygiene Association

ASHRAE | American Society of Heating & Refrigeration Engineers

ASME | American Society of Mechanical Engineers

ASPE | American Association of Plumbing Engineers

ASTM | American Society for Testing & Materials

AWS | American Welding Society

AWWA | American Water Works Association

AHRI | Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Institute

IAPMO | International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials

ICC | International Code Council

IEC | International Electrotechnical Commission

IMC | International Mechanical Code

IPC | International Plumbing Code

ISEA | International Safety Equipment Association

ISO | International Organization for Standardization

NFPA | National Fire Protection Association

SEFA | Scientific Equipment & Furniture Association

SMACNA | Sheet Metal Contractors National Association

UL | Underwriters Laboratories

(All relevant OSHA Standards)

It is a large domain.  Through 2024 we will break down our inquiries thus:

Mechanical 200: Case studies

Mechanical 330: District energy

Mechanical 400: Commissioning

* Building services engineers are responsible for the design, installation, operation and monitoring of the technical services in buildings (including mechanical, electrical and public health systems, also known as MEP or HVAC), in order to ensure the safe, comfortable and environmentally friendly operation. Building services engineers work closely with other construction professionals such as architects, structural engineers and quantity surveyors. Building services engineers influence the architectural design of building, in particular facades, in relation to energy efficiency and indoor environment, and can integrate local energy production (e.g. façade-integrated photovoltaics) or community-scale energy facilities (e.g. district heating). Building services engineers therefore play an important role in the design and operation of energy-efficient buildings (including green buildings, passive houses and zero energybuildings.  uses. With buildings accounting for about a third of all carbon emissions^] and over a half of the global electricity demand, building services engineers play an important role in the move to a low-carbon society, hence mitigate global warming.

LEARN MORE:

Mechanical Engineering / DRAFT AGENDA

George Herman Babcock — through his patents of pumps, steam engines, and novel boiler designs with collaborator Stephen Wilcox — raised the standard for safe boiler design & operation.https://t.co/qakAw4jfCn pic.twitter.com/3rCxXHkBfM

— Standards Michigan (@StandardsMich) October 21, 2020