fairly vital. at least a good overview to understand if the engineer or contractor are trying to pull the wool over your eyes.
Do you need to know exact plumbing sizes, no but you should basic line sizes relative, understand the plumbing code basics, etc...what proper soldering looks like. when and where to use PEX.
For utilities, under stand basic capacities of incoming services. i.e. for so many square foot of house you need a 60Amp panel, phase, etc...
Knowing and grouping services together helps a great deal... but I know plenty of p.eng who can't recognize their own drawings when I ask them why they pass pipes where they should not so... maybe it's not crucial afterall.
I find plumbing the least important thing to know, code is pretty definitive about what is required. However, if you're working on a type that requires a certain supply size, for a commercial, or restaurant, then I'd say it's important. With electrical, knowledge of what incoming electrical service, and panel capacity, again commercial and hospitality, important. HVAC, very important. It's the largest thing affecting the space, and most costly.
My systems/controls professor in grad school summed this up nicely when she said: "I'm not here to teach you everything about this, I'm here to teach you enough to know when your consultants are bullshitting you."
That was about as much as I needed to pass the Building Systems ARE.
Knowing enough to consider placement, ducting, clearances, chase locations, building entry locations, etc..makes you an Architect, and not the designy person who the guys at the site roll their eyes at. Coordination is key to successful projects.
OMFG, wants to design buildings but doesn't want to learn how buildings work?
"Oh, yeah, I was about to put some structure to hold the building up and then some toilets where somebody would shit, but i didn't understand those pesky books"
Depends on how good your consultants are, but the more you know, the more you're able to foresee the issues at hand, design with anticipation of the systems (thereby reducing coordination and design changes), and negotiate with the consultants to keep design intent. That is to say, the more you know the more control over the design process you'll have. At the bare minimum know enough to ask the right questions at the right time.
Ideally, everything. Traditionally we were master carpenters. But since its not practical these days, learn whatever that affects your spaces and fixtures. Foresight is key.
Sep 8, 16 10:15 am ·
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How much should an architect know about building services?
I am reading a construction book and having a difficult time understanding how utility services, plumbing etc work.
How vital is it to have knowledge of such subjects as an architect?
fairly vital. at least a good overview to understand if the engineer or contractor are trying to pull the wool over your eyes.
Do you need to know exact plumbing sizes, no but you should basic line sizes relative, understand the plumbing code basics, etc...what proper soldering looks like. when and where to use PEX.
For utilities, under stand basic capacities of incoming services. i.e. for so many square foot of house you need a 60Amp panel, phase, etc...
Knowing and grouping services together helps a great deal... but I know plenty of p.eng who can't recognize their own drawings when I ask them why they pass pipes where they should not so... maybe it's not crucial afterall.
No need to learn what constitutes a building. Just whip something up in Rhino and let the plebes fit the PME in somehow.
My systems/controls professor in grad school summed this up nicely when she said: "I'm not here to teach you everything about this, I'm here to teach you enough to know when your consultants are bullshitting you."
That was about as much as I needed to pass the Building Systems ARE.
Knowing enough to consider placement, ducting, clearances, chase locations, building entry locations, etc..makes you an Architect, and not the designy person who the guys at the site roll their eyes at. Coordination is key to successful projects.
"as much as U needed to pass the Building Systems ARE." :D
OMFG, wants to design buildings but doesn't want to learn how buildings work?
"Oh, yeah, I was about to put some structure to hold the building up and then some toilets where somebody would shit, but i didn't understand those pesky books"
Come on Balkins, leave this forum!
Depends on how good your consultants are, but the more you know, the more you're able to foresee the issues at hand, design with anticipation of the systems (thereby reducing coordination and design changes), and negotiate with the consultants to keep design intent. That is to say, the more you know the more control over the design process you'll have. At the bare minimum know enough to ask the right questions at the right time.
Ideally, everything. Traditionally we were master carpenters. But since its not practical these days, learn whatever that affects your spaces and fixtures. Foresight is key.
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