THE STUDY OF SERVICE CORE IN A TALL HOTEL BUILDING

Saumya Panicker*
#
Faculty Of Architecture
Manipal University
Manipal, Karnataka
India

 Ensure high- quality living and working conditions

I. INTRODUCTION
including access to public and private open space, interior
A. Tall buildings day lighting, natural ventilation, and privacy for building
Tall buildings, as they are today, are the product of need, occupants
mostly to address the growth of urban population by
supplying residential and commercial space. Tall buildings
also act as landmarks, symbols of power, often becoming the III. BUILDING SERVICES
city‟s identity.
A. Elevator Design
B. Service core The building should be examined to establish the following
The service core provides the skyscraper with structural criteria, which should then be incorporated correctly into
solidity, room for elevators, toilets, and other amenities and traffic flow models:
constitutes the main network for utility, power and data. • Height of the building and its individual storeys
The different types of service cores are - • Distribution of the population throughout the building
Central core, peripheral core, and multi cores • Main entrance level(s) (points of entry and exit)
• Distribution of population over elevator groups (if the same
destination can be reached using more than one group)
II. TALL BUILDING DESIGN • Stair usage
(Toronto tall building design guidelines) The following parameters need to be determined in sequence
for the anticipated traffic flow, given the building‟s envisaged
Regardless of stylistic approach, the design and placement of function:
all tall buildings should make a positive contribution to the • Population (number of employees and/ or residents)
• Occupancy (presence/ simultaneousness)
public realm, fit harmoniously within the surrounding context • Peak demand (indicative traffic flow peak) where,
and skyline, and be consistent with the following: required capacity = population x occupancy x peak demand
(expressed as a % of the occupancy per 5 minutes).
 slender point towers, rising above well-proportioned and
well-articulated base, with a strong relationship to the Optimizing traffic performance in tall buildings: Traffic
handling is more efficient when the number of destinations
existing context and adjacent public realm, are preferred per elevator is reduced. There are 3 basic methods for
 Avoid free standing towers without direct relationship to reducing the number of destinations:

the street. Method 1:

High-rise buildings (>150-200 m high) are split up in separate
 avoid big, boxy, dominant massing, and large, elongated,
stacked towers (zones) to minimize continuous shafts over the
or slab like floor plates tower‟s total height. To reach the sky lobby of the higher
zone(s) shuttle elevators are required
 Minimize shadowing and wind impacts and protects
sunlight and sky view, for streets, parks, public and
private open space, and neighboring properties;
 Respond appropriately to prominent sites, important
views from the public realm, and the shape of the skyline
to reinforce the structure and image of the city; and
Fig.1 method 1
Method 2: multilevel projects. Vertical piping uses fewer supports,
Elevators in local tower zones are split up in groups, serving hangers, and inserts and requires less horizontal space in
local low-rise and high-rise floors. Low-rise and high-rise ceiling plenums for sloping to achieve drainage (Connelly,
elevators in the same zone serve the same home floor (ground 2007). However, the drawback of vertical piping is the
floor or sky lobby). multiple penetrations through structural slabs. Each of these
penetrations must be sealed or protected to fulfil the
requirements of building codes, in term of protecting the
building pressurization and also to prevent vertical migration
of fire and smoke.

Zoning:
To avoid excessive pressure, several schemes have been
developed over years to achieve an economical, efficient and
conserving installation. Usually building over 100 feet in
height require multiple water distribution zones.
Fig. 2 method 2
Method 3: D. fire and life safety
Destination control reduces the number of destinations per car Although fire hazards in very tall buildings are essentially the
and thus the number of stops per cycle. This decreases the same as in low-rise buildings of similar uses (e.g., business,
average travel height and the cycle time. When elevators are residential, mixed-use), the consequences of a fire have a
equipped with destination control, this can even reduce the potential to be more severe given the large numbers of
number of elevators per group. occupants, the inherent limitations in egress and access, and
the physical aspects of the structure which can affect the
hazard (e.g., stack effect).

As a minimum, all tall buildings should have sprinkler

systems on each floor and standpipe systems in each stairwell.
All tall buildings containing fire protection systems have large,
dedicated fire pumps to provide the flows and pressures
required for the individual system.

For hotels wet-riser cum down comer both the systems shall
Fig. 3 method 3
be provided. Diameter of riser will be 150mm for all the
buildings. For each 1000m2 floor area or its part one riser
B. Electrical and mechanical system shall be provided.
 The primary mechanical concerns are heating, ventilation Every building more than 15m in height shall provide both I.e.
and air-conditioning, and other services. Electrical M.O.E.F.A & A.F.A.
generators, chiller plants, water pumps, and so on.
 Communication and control systems that service the Section: As per D 10(Appendix D) of part IV of N.B.C. For
building and sometimes outbound communications, such High rise buildings above 60 m in height provision for
as through a large rooftop antenna (which is also Helipad should be made.
physically held in place inside the top-floor mechanical
levels).
 Modern computerized HVAC control systems minimize
the problem of equipment distribution among floors, by
enabling central remote control
 A mechanical floor or service floor is a story of a high-
rise building that is dedicated to mechanical and
electronics equipment.

C. Plumbing

Plumbing engineers learn early that as you lift water above a

datum, you lose 1 pound per square inch for every 2.3 feet of
elevation.
Vertical piping systems are generally more economic and
need less maintenance than horizontal piping systems in
Table 1.travel distances from NBC
 IV. CASE STUDY 1- BURJ KHALIFA  The domestic cold and hot water systems will consist of a
gravity-feed system from the elevated water storage tanks
Facts and will provide water to all plumbing fixtures and
Official Name - Bur Halifax equipment requiring cold and hot water.
Former / Other Name - Bur Dubai  Express water line carries the water to the 40th floor and
Type- building distributed to the other tanks above.
Status - completed  A complete soil, waste and vent system from plumbing
Country - United Arab Emirates fixtures, floor drains and mechanical equipment arranged
City - Dubai for gravity flow and, ejector discharge to a point of
Street Address -emaar Boulevard connection with the city municipal sewer is provided.
Building Function - office / residential / hotel  A complete storm drainage system from roofs, decks,
Structural Material - steel / concrete terraces and plazas arranged for gravity flow to a point of
Global Ranking #1 tallest building in the world connection with the city municipal sewer system is
Height: Architectural 828.00 meter / 2716.54 feet provided.
Floors Above Ground :163  A complete low pressure propane gas distribution system
Floors Below Ground : 1 is provided including independent incoming service
# of Apartments 900 pressure regulator and meter rooms located on the
# of Hotel Rooms 304 building
# of Parking Spaces 2957

A. ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS C. HVAC SYSTEMS

 burj Dubai as one of the first super-tall buildings in  Cooling water for the complex, as well as a nearby mall,
Dubai and was also one of the first projects to is provided by central plants located off site.
distribute 11 kv voltage.  The district chilled water is routed to heat exchanger
 the provided 11 kv services enter via underground stations located on the Concourse Level.
concrete encased duct banks into the building by the  On the Concourse Level, separate heat exchanger stations
dubai electricity and water authority (dewa). will be provided for the office building, residential low
 multiple 11 kv risers will provide power to the zone, residential high zone express, hotel low zone, hotel
transformers to produce 400y/230v power. high zone and cooling of the incoming domestic cold
 due to the extreme heat and humidity, the water.
transformer rooms are air conditioned and have  Given the height of the building, conventional design will
ventilation fans as back-up in case of emergencies. require a minimum of 3 heat exchangers and pumping
 the emergency standby power generation system is loops to move the chilled water up the tower.
diesel fueled engine generator set  By selecting the maximum equipment pressure available
 five 11 kv emergency generators; one 400 v and placing them at strategic locations, 2 heat exchanger
emergency generator will provide power to the fire, loops, one runs express from the Concourse Level to the
life safety and critical systems. 75th floor, are designed for the chilled water to reach the
top of building without the use of custom equipment.
B. PLUMBING SYSTEMS  In the tower, six mechanical zones equipped with
 The water available at the site is desalinated sea water centrally treated outside air handling units provide fresh
from the Persian Gulf. air to the fan coil units located at each floor. Exhaust fans,
 250,000 Gallons of fresh water is required on peak. pressurization fans, chilled water pumps and electrical
 This incoming water can reach as high as 104 F degree in substations are located in the mechanical zones.
the summer and a minimum of 68 F in the winter.
 Therefore, pre-cooling of the water is required in the
summer before serving the domestic cold water needs of D. FIRE AND LIFE SAFETY
the building.  Given the environment and the height of the building, a
 The hot water system includes liquid petroleum gas (LPG) “defend in place” approach to fire protection in high rise
hot water heaters placed in the podium, to heat the buildings was adopted as the design approach.
incoming water before transferring to multiple tanks  Areas of refuge are provided for throughout the building,
within the tower. respective to occupancy zones.
 Local electric heaters are designed to heat the returning  Stairwell pressurization and fire lift vestibule
water from the riser prior to reaching the tanks. Transfer pressurization systems with fire rated enclosure are
pumps will pump the cold and hot water to the water provided for the tower.
storage tanks located at multiple levels in the building.  Smoke removal systems for different spaces are provided
in the public hotel areas.
 A central smoke removal system for typical tower
corridor is sized for 1 floor.
 The building is full-sprinklered.
 Similar to the domestic water system, a gravity feed
system is designed to provide fire water for the tower.
Tanks are located on multiple mechanical floors similar
to the plumbing system.
 A total of 31050 Cubic Feet of water storage is available
for the tower, or, up to 90 minutes protection for the
lower portion of the tower and 30 minutes for the top
portion.

E. ANALYSIS

ADVANTAGES
 Peak electricity demand – 50MVA – meets requirement
the transformer rooms are air conditioned and have
ventilation fans as back-up in case of emergencies
 Emergency generator will provide power to the fire, life
safety and critical systems.
 A central battery system with capacity for three hour Fig.4 elevation
operation will provide continuous power for egress
lighting.
 Well worked out plumbing system
 „The defend in place‟ concept for fire safety
 Service core- central core - Equidistant from all three
ends
 Top Elevator Speed 10 m/s

DISADVANTAGES
 Not very sustainable
 High usage of power and energy.

Fig.5 typical floor plan- burj khalifa

V. CASE STUDY 2- MARRIOTT MARQUIS

FACTS
 1535 Broadway, times square
 New york city, new york
 Status: built
 Construction date: 1985
 Building use: hotel, office, restaurant, theatre
 Structural type: high rise , atrium
 Architectural style: brutalist
 Materials: glass, concrete
 No. of elevators – 12no.s
 Looking into atrium.
 Waiting time – earlier 30 min, now 5 min.
 Use destination dispatch control Fig.6. typical floor plan-- marriott hotel
 REFERENCES

 CTBUH Criteria for Defining and Measuring Tall Buildings

 Economics Planning of Super Tall Buildings in Asia Pacific Cities
 Dr Paul H K HO, Hong Kong SAR, China
 João Miguel Serras Delgado Valente, Tall Buildings and
Elevators - Historical Evolution of Vertical Communication
Systems, Università IUAV di Venezia. 2012
 Tall Building Design Guidelines, City of Toronto, March 2013
 Richard H. Penner; et al. (2012). Hotel Design, Planning, and
Development
 M. Y. L. Chew, Michael Chew Yit Lin, Construction Technology
for Tall Buildings,1995
 The national association of fire officers, India Fire Safety In High
Fig.6. typical floor plan-- zoning Rise Building
 deerns consulting engineers, Elevator planning for high rise
ADVANTAGES buildings
 Central core- Opening up the perimeter for  Baker, W. et al, 2007. Burj Dubai: Engineering the World’s tallest
light and views. building

 Mechanical services located on the centre of Trabucco, D., 2009. Historical evolution of the service core.
CTBUH Journal: Tall Buildings Design,
the floor  Construction and Operation, [Online] 36 (2/2), pp. 2843-2852.
 Ease of construction  Fortune, J., 2011. New Thoughts On Building Emergency
 Flexible arrangement for hotels (multi-tenant) Evacuations Via Elevators After 9/11
 greatgridlock.net (http://www.greatgridlock.net/NYC/nycadd.html)
 The core is accessible through straight  Ahmed Cherif Megri, TEACHING HIGH-RISE PLUMBING
passageways. Avoiding confusion especially DESIGN FOR ENGINEERS, University ofWyoming, American
during peak times. (considering theatre and Society for Engineering Education, 2011
restaurant)
 Elevators view into atrium- aesthetics
 4 external staircase- adequate for fire exit
 public bathrooms
 Visual connection of fire exit from every point
of the hotel.

DISADVANTAGES
 Overcrowding near the lifts and escalators,
especially during peak times
 Service shafts are in plain view – aesthetically
bad.
 45 story building- no evacuation lifts, refuge
areas.
 2 service lifts- inadequate for rooms and
theatre.
 No ancillary rooms- such as pantry, cleaning
store etc

Acknowledgment
I would first like to express my gratitude to Professor Pradeep
Kini, Professor Nandineni Ramadevi, Professor Nancy, and
Professor Kala for their support, guidance and encouragement
through this process.

I would like to thank the Faculty Of Architecture and Manipal

University for giving me this opportunity and also for their
well-stocked library.