At Morrison-Maierle, we approach building design with the end user in mind. One way our structural, mechanical, and electrical engineers accomplish this is by adopting the three-legged stool model. This analogy is a great guide for designing permittable, constructible, and maintainable projects and provides our clients in Spokane and throughout the northwest with buildings geared toward the end user.
While permittable and constructible tend to be the first discussion points with design teams, designing for ease of building maintenance is one area that sometimes gets overlooked.
The three-legged stool of esign
When we talk about the three-legged stool approach to design, all projects must be equally:
Like a three-legged stool, if one of these legs fails and attention is not given to all three areas of design, building projects may come up short, resulting in a finished product that is hard to maintain throughout its design life.
The importance of maintenance considerations
For years, the design industry has been moving towards more energy-efficient designs, and system design and equipment efficiency have improved measurably. Additionally, many projects see some form of post-construction commissioning to ensure that all systems operate as they were designed.
However, that only ensures design compliance when the project is handed over to the owner. All equipment needs to be maintained, and if maintenance is difficult or sometimes impossible due to equipment placement or building constraints, then maintenance will likely get deferred or not happen at all. If equipment is not maintained correctly, it will become less efficient, cost more to operate, and eventually fail.
For example, a building is generally assumed to last at least 50 years, whereas an HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) system might only last 15 years. If there isn’t an easy way to remove and replace HVAC components from the building at the end of their useful life, the tendency will be to keep using them as they become less efficient and until they eventually fail. When this happens, the building owner is going to have a very hard time replacing the system, which will cost them time and money. And when it comes down to it, the bigger inconvenience is the unpredictability and the possibility of your building being unusable should it happen at the wrong time of year.
To avoid things like this, design teams have several approaches they can take, such as:
As building designers and owners know, without ways to easily access equipment and perform updates addressed early in the design phase, there’s a risk of creating a facility that is potentially difficult and expensive to maintain.
That’s why at Morrison-Maierle, we use the three-legged stool model for building design, a tried-and-true approach to excellent project outcomes.
If you have questions or want to know more about our company, projects, and approach, contact me at rbalfour@m-m.net or (509) 219-7111.