Future is all about smartness and anything being planned for the future must have an essence of smartness in it. Innovation, invention, renewal, and smartness are always considered for things of the future. If not, your project, planning, and designing are of no use. In the world of construction and building project management, new systems are always talked about and liked to the maximum. But to achieve them, new ideas and technologies must be promoted. However, explaining them to anyone linked to construction such as project stakeholders is of no use if presented without a solid base and background. In countries around the globe, there is an utmost demand for climate and this very planet Earth’s atmosphere stats show crystal clear that it is high time now to incorporate cutting-edge trends and application of green engineering rules and regulations in our building systems. MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing) systems in buildings play a pivotal role in governing the annual cost of energy efficiency. Gulf regions hold huge demand for top-notch HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air conditioning) systems to combat unpredicted heat zone spaces.
The title of our read maybe integration of digitalization in the world of MEP, but without showing you the need, importance, and benefits of them, we may not achieve our purpose. Big names such as Wafaiyah have been a great asset to the world of construction. Their continuous growth in implementing new technologies, systems, and services in MEP has made them one of the top firms in the construction sector in Saudi Arabia. But how come top firms continuously develop their systems? It is because they perform ground-reality surveys and calculations regarding trends that are in demand and what a stakeholder looks for in the current market. Combining them, smart technologies are incorporated for their ease. So let’s begin our expedition.
Let’s begin at the core of our discussion, that is, MEP. MEP stands for Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing and is the most comprehensive system in any construction project. Some buildings may not require MEP as a primary system however buildings such as commercial malls, plazas, shopping malls, and offices do need MEP systems to sustain their existence and operations. To understand an MEP system, you should consider that such a system consists of a series of sub-systems of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing services. Hence, the three services of MEP act as a sub-system of three branches, combining to produce a large and single MEP system.
Mechanical System
A mechanical system is a basic and important aspect of the MEP system. In mechanical systems, various concepts and technologies are linked however the HVAC design and installation is the foremost service in this category.
Plumbing System
The plumbing system is the third service, branch, or category of an MEP process that involves designing, planning, and installing of plumbing systems in a building. Any plumbing system includes water channel installation to cover each building area and floor alongside the installation of a foolproof sewerage system to prevent any type of water leakage.
Electrical System
In an electrical system, everything associated with electrical connections and designs such as cables and wirings is considered. Electric system services include preparing an electricity propagation plan for buildings alongside designing power circuits. The lighting system design for a building is the basic requirement and responsibility of an electrical system.
Digital technologies are here to improve an MEP system. Their presence is key, effective, and useful in many ways from easing the life of the occupants of buildings to energy saving and smart consumption. But in detail, the benefits and positives are much more.
The primary benefit that integrated MEP technologies incorporate includes increased energy efficiency. Smart technologies make use of calculations, observations, and sensors to improve the outcome of any system. With smart sensors and adaptive controllers, the system can judge what level of requirement is needed for example in lighting, temperature, and security. The controller then adjusts its requirements based on these factors and simply decides if it needs more or less energy. When this conservative approach is utilized, it allows minimal energy to be consumed and more to be saved.
Detailed Digital Models Using BIM (Building Information Modeling)
To ensure smooth and smart workflows during the design and construction of MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing) BIM plays a governing role throughout the building life cycle. These models have made a huge impact in achieving the maximum efficiency of energy conservation. It has dedicated features to incorporate energy conservation design models while working on MEP design.
Provision of Digital Thermostats
Let us begin with HVAC which is considered the backbone of the entire MEP system. HVAC is the service that performs around 60% of the entire MEP system. This service is responsible for maintaining and achieving ambient temperature, air quality, and purity within any space. When combined, it needs to work using various components such as thermostats. A thermostat is a place to control temperature but smart thermostats take controlling to a whole new level. With advanced smart thermostats, there is more power to the thermostat and less worry for you. Smart thermostats can adjust their operations based on the occupancy and set the temperatures accordingly. The thermostats automatically adjust the temperature when there is no one inside a space and limit the operations to a minimum.
Digitize Lightning Controls
The integrated lighting control system is another key smart technological advancement made in the field of MEP. With integrated lighting controls, the key is to look out for occupancy and daylight harvesting. The smart systems incorporated for such quality systems are to understand the occupancy levels within the space alongside the judgment for the daylight visibility inside the space. Making use of these calculations and observations, the lighting system can adjust the required lighting and brightness for proper visibility. This technological advancement is key to saving electricity, and energy consumption, and preventing the building from gaining temperature since it can control the unrequired lights by switching them off or dimming them since they are not needed.
The Importance of Smart MEP Digital Technologies
Smart technologies are here to improve an MEP system. Their presence is key, effective, and useful in many ways from easing the life of the occupants of buildings to energy saving and smart consumption. But in detail, the benefits and positives are much more. The primary benefit that integrated MEP technologies incorporate includes increased energy efficiency. Smart technologies make use of calculations, observations, and sensors to improve the outcome of any system. With smart sensors and adaptive controllers, the system can judge what level of requirement is needed for example in lighting, temperature, and security. The controller then adjusts its requirements based on these factors and simply decides if it needs more or less energy. When this conservative approach is utilized, it allows minimal energy to be consumed and more to be saved.
Smart technologies bring in smart solutions before anything serious happens. This is a key helpful aspect when it comes to a system’s maintenance. System maintenance is carried out mostly when an issue is highlighted during inspection or it becomes serious enough to get easily recognized. But smart solutions and technologies make life easier for everyone. Smart technologies make use of smart sensors to predict any abnormalities at the earliest stage. This allows for timely maintenance to be conducted before major problems or risks. With this, many benefits are associated such as less cost consumption with minor countermeasures taken at the right time. What smart technologies are directed at is occupant comfort at maximum capacity. This is made possible through sensors and controllers, again. With smart sensors, every system can predict its true requirements and consumption plans. For example, occupancy is observed by smart thermostats to keep ambient and necessary temperatures inside a building. This allows thermostats to judge if there is someone within a building or not to adjust the energy requirement and consumption feasibility.
Conclusion
Smart building technologies are a thing of the present and future. At present, you analyze and decide on various factors that will help you in designing futuristic systems. In the world of MEP, smartness is highly appreciated and required since advanced solutions always amount to massive simplicity and easiness. Companies like Wafaiyah have a great history of adapting to smart technologies and systems that promote client satisfaction and likeness. Various companies in the world conduct research, surveys, and observatory sessions to look for the trends and requirements that clients bring forward. With this, a smart yet effective MEP system comes before you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is MEP used?
MEP systems are widely used in the world of construction. Construction projects of complex structures are often incomplete without the integration of MEP systems within them.
What is an integrated MEP system with smart technologies?
The MEP system is integrated with smart technologies to provide smart benefits such as energy conservation, energy efficiency, enhanced security, adaptive thermostat-controlled temperature, and smart lighting system.
How enhanced security is met in an advanced MEP system?
In an integrated advanced MEP system, security is enhanced in the form of biometric authentications, smart card readers, and video surveillance.