Sunil Khemani avers strong MEP design is key for hotels to not only ensure guest comfort but also achieve energy efficiency.
As the world continues to face challenges of climate change and depletion of natural resources, it is crucial and our moral responsibility to provide energy-efficient solutions for hotels. With technological advancement and increased awareness for green buildings, good mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) design ensures not only operational functionality but also environment friendly solutions.
Integrating energy-efficient MEP equipment, such as renewable energy systems, wastewater recycling, smart thermostats, LED lights, automatic controls, dimmable lights, low-flow fixtures and building management system, collectively help in creating energy-efficient buildings and reducing overall energy consumption. Above all, optimally sized high-side equipment is the key to achieving maximum operational efficiency.
Enhancing guest comfort
While good architectural design gives an aesthetic experience to guests, a comfortable experience comes from good MEP design. Sunil Khemani, Founder and Principal Consultant, Aufait International Engineering Studio, underscored, “A well-designed MEP system leads to a higher degree of comfort and safety, enhancing overall guest experience.”
Some of the key focus areas are:
- Providing both cooling and heating requirements in guest rooms, as they come from various regions with different climatic conditions.
- Ensuring adequate domestic water pressure and constant temperature of the hot water supply in bathrooms.
- Installation of low-noise fan coil units (FCUs) helps create a peaceful and tranquil ambience as guests spend the majority of their time in their rooms.
- Supplying treated fresh air inside guest rooms and maintaining constant exhaust in toilets, even when the room is unoccupied, to ensure freshness and odour-free.
- Integration of a high-quality air filtration system ensures clean and fresh air, reducing allergens and improving overall indoor air quality (IAQ).
- Simple lighting controls and sufficient charging sockets in guest rooms add guest comfort and satisfaction.
- Equipment elevators with UPS supply can avoid unsafe jerks in case of frequent power failure.
- Guest room management system not only sets different moods and ambience but also helps in energy conservation, allowing personalised settings, switching to energy-saving modes when the room is unoccupied and even enabling the guest’s previous room setting when he checks in the next time.
- High-speed Wi-Fi throughout a hotel is key for guest satisfaction and operational efficiency
Safety measures
Hotels are unique as they have continuous movement of guests 24 hours a day. Guests’ safety and security are of utmost importance. When it comes to fire and life safety, it is important to have the right equipment in place for detection, warning and protection, giving a sense of security to guests and staff.
When implementing a fire and life safety (FLS) system, Khemani emphasised that it should meet stricter requirements of NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) standards or the local building codes. These systems encompass elevator recall (primary and secondary), smoke control management, water sprinkler systems, fire alarm systems for detection and a public address system for timely evacuation. Additionally, IP-based CCTV/access control is also vital to ensure full safety and security and mitigates any external threats.
Green design
As resources are limited, it is a moral responsibility to reserve them for future generations. Therefore, sustainable mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) solutions, along with green initiatives, are the most important aspects of building design. It is crucial to prioritise the use of renewable energy resources like solar power and utilising recycled wastewater. These practices help reduce electricity and water consumption, directly contributing to sustainability. Besides, low-flow fixtures, LED lights and automatic controls significantly help in reducing a property’s carbon footprint. Khemani stressed that avoiding the use of any equipment powered by conventional fuel can reduce Scope 1 carbon emissions.
Cost savings
An efficient mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection (MEPF) system may be slightly higher initial cost. But these systems are energy-efficient, resulting in a much shorter return on investment, by reducing energy bills, fewer maintenance issues, regulatory compliances, avoiding fines and penalties and system longevity ensures extended life span. He highlighted, “In most cases, savings from baseline design for a 100-room hotel come out in the range of ₹25-30 lakh per annum, which translates to ₹175 lakh in total savings over a 10-year life cycle.”
About the author
Sunil Khemani is Founder & Principal Consultant of Aufait International Engineering Studio, a multi-disciplinary MEP design and consulting firm with over 200 projects, including hotels, hospitals, retail, residential, commercial, and industrial. His key experience comprises design, execution, testing and commissioning of engineering services (HVAC, public health engineering, building automation, fire and life safety, etc) for all spectrum of buildings.
A well-designed MEP ensures a higher degree of comfort and safety as well as enhances overall guest experience
