Blog | MEPS Building Engineers

Video Conferencing – A Good New Tool Waiting

7 September 202310 February 2020 by MEPS Building Engineers

With the recent advancement and affordability of video conferencing and collaborative software, more and more project managers are opting to meet with project teams over the Internet.

MEPS Building Engineers has attended video conferencing-based meetings. Here is what we found;

The quality of video and audio are very good even with a good number of attendees.
Ability to share screens and plans on the fly, never forgot to print a plan again.
Travel costs, parking cost and travel time etc, was cut to nothing!
Time spent on attending a meeting is cut by more than half if one considers travel is not required.
Positive impact on the environment, as there would be no CO2 emissions and no printing of plans.
Safer for the participants as risk from normal travel is removed.
More flexibility in meeting times as you can go straight from one to another.
Greater discipline participation from each firm becomes economic as multiple representatives from the same firm no longer required to attend in person.

We believe that the coming months will see a greater uptake of video conferencing among building professionals.

Hawkes Bay Sports Park Hall Nears Completion

1 August 202123 May 2019 by Brenda Connell

MEPS Building Engineers designed the Electrical, HVAC and Hydraulic services for the new Sport Hall at Hawkes Bay Sports Park. This include a large variety of spaces including indoor netball and athletic facilities, gym, office spaces, conference spaces, and sports lab with the capability of heating the space up to 30°C for simulating overseas ambient temperatures during competitions. The building has also been designed with no services penetrations in the roofs (to minimise roof maintenance and maximise lifespan), hidden air conditioning condensers (to keep the clean building look) and communal water heating and HVAC services to maximise energy efficiency.

Hawkes Bay Sports Feature Light — Feature Light in Entrance

Hawkes Bay Sports Showers — Changing room showers with exposed services for an industrial look

Hawkes Bay Sports Exposed services — Sports Lab with exposed services and high temperature heating system

Hawkes Bay Sports Athletics — Sports Hall Athletics area

Hawkes Bay Sports Hidden condensers — Hidden Condensers

Hawkes Bay Sports Staff room — Staff area

Hawkes Bay Sports Feature light 2nd floor — Feature light framed to be seen from multiple locations and angles

Hawkes Bay Sports Gym — Gym with exposed systems and both air conditioning and ceiling fans for air movement so the air conditioning can be left off in mild weather

Hawkes Bay Sports Cafe — Cafe served by feature lighting and radiant electric heaters as the doors will be generally open during sport days

Hawkes Bay Sports Exterior — Building exterior

Copper or Plastic Piping: Which is best

7 September 202320 May 2019 by Sam Mukhtar

Water Piping – Copper or Plastic

When it comes to water pipes, copper has been the material of choice for a very very long time.

Plastic pipes of all sorts (PEX, uPVC, HDPE) have become increasingly popular in the past 20 to 30 years. One reason being the increasing cost of copper pipes over their equivalent in plastic.

So, what are the pros and cons?

Conclusion

There is no one 100% safe solution. Little is known at present about the plastic piping release of volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) and assimlable organic carbon (AOC’s). Copper is the system with the easiest of issues to control and mitigate and on balance appears to be the better option.

Pacific Consultants Rebrands to Become MEPS Building Engineers

1 August 20211 May 2018 by MEPS Building Engineers

As of the 1st of May 2018, Pacific Consultants (in Auckland) after nearly 20 years of service to the building industry in New Zealand and the South Pacific have rebranded to MEPS Building Engineers. However, business continues as usual with no change to past, present or future projects. The practice legal name MEPS Pacific Limited remains.

Mitigating Potential Terrorist Attacks on Buildings

1 August 202124 May 2015 by MEPS Building Engineers

Murrah Federal Building, Oklahoma City, USA.

Terrorism is not an easy or pleasant topic of discussion, but in this day and age, it is a reality that we need to be prepared for, rather than experience the consequences.

As building professionals, it is incumbent upon all of us to at least address the issue when we are engaged in our normal daily design processes. As we hear on the news daily, the enemy is getting more sophisticated with brains running their ill quests for the destruction of humanity. We need to be aware of our own vulnerabilities and potential risk.

There are rules we follow in relation to minimum distance between building fresh air intakes from toilet exhausts, sanitary vent pipes and other sources of objectionable odours. Thanks to dilution, these are not typically life threatening.

But, what if a terrorist released poisonous or radioactive gas into the fresh air intake of a large iconic building with large occupant densities? How safe are these fresh air intakes? Are they secure? Can they be quickly evacuated if detected?

Whilst New Zealand may seem removed from this, we are not immune. As some say ‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.’

It is worthy to note that existing buildings with fresh air intakes that are impractical to secure can be protected. This includes the installation of sensor array, capable within milliseconds of detecting chemical, biological and radioactive acts of terrorism. The sensor array can immediately shut down the building ventilation system and sound the fire alarm to evacuate the building.

The above is only one scenario that we need to be considering.

The US Department of Homeland Security has a reference manual to Mitigate Potential Terrorist Attacks Against Buildings. We can assure you this manual is an eye opener and a must read.

Download it here: http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/st/st-bips-06.pdf.

Cooling and Heating by Chilled Beams are Here to Stay

1 August 202126 November 2014 by MEPS Building Engineers

Chilled beams is the world’s most recent technique for in-ceiling heating and cooling applications.

Simply based on a horizontal air coil with room air induced over it by a combination of buoyancy and induction air forces, the system’s benefits are;

A virtually silent system,
No moving parts, no fans,
No routine maintenance within the office space,
Low ceiling space requirement (about 220 mm),
Can be either exposed or ceiling concealed,
Most efficient system available,
No condensate drainage,
Very good zone control capability,
Can be installed in a raking ceiling.
Can easily substitute conventional 2 or 4 pipe chilled water systems in existing buildings and
Now chilled beams are fabricated in New Zealand.

Pacific Consultants (now known as MEPS Building Engineers) have to date completed two projects incorporating chilled beams;

Recently, the new Mainfreight Terminal building and offices in Christchurch and
The Willis Centre, Wellington. (Merit Award- ACENZ Innovate Awards of Excellence)

Natural Green Pools!

1 August 202114 September 2014 by MEPS Building Engineers

Natural Green Pools is a new trend in the domestic swimming pool industry. Hopefully not due to the dreaded common algae (Pediastrum boryanum).

Whilst a private pool is an asset and a pleasure for the family, many people suffer from allergic reactions to chlorine, normally added to swimming pools as a disinfecting agent.

If you are intending on designing a new pool for your family or for a client, why not consider a natural green pool.

Admittedly, this is not a new idea.

Based on a chemical free natural filtration system, it allows the perimeter water-loving plant beds to act as a water filter and do all the work a typical pool filter would do.

Pool water overflows onto the perimeter plant beds (water restoration area). Water is filtered by absorption through the carefully designed plant bed. Pumped underdrains (acting as subsoil drainage coils but in reverse) the clean and filtered water is then returned to the pool. Simple, no chemicals added!

So, your next natural green pool will require no harmful chemicals, will be fairly low-tech, and once established, it will require little of your time to maintain. Only top up now and then whilst you are drinking a cold minty mojito. Oh, these summer days are coming!