Building equipment

This refers to electrical, mechanical, supply and processing, transportation, and information transmission facilities that fulfill the various functions required of various buildings, protect the health of the people who live in the building, and improve safety, work efficiency, and comfort. Of course, the building itself is constructed based on a design that suits the purpose, using appropriate materials and structures to improve the building's functions and livability. The idea of ​​improving livability by utilizing natural energy such as sunlight, daylight, wind, water, soil, and vegetation as much as possible is the basic idea of ​​design. Today, the direction based on this idea is called passive or soft, and the direction that relies on equipment that consumes resource energy is called active or hard. In order to achieve a high level of livability and specific functions, we have no choice but to rely on building equipment. However, while many building equipment are useful and convenient, they are not indispensable. What is indispensable is the natural environment. The future challenge will be to realize a direction that does not destroy the natural environment, and covers the areas that will inevitably deteriorate if only passive, especially a direction that minimizes energy-consuming equipment.

Building facilities can be broadly divided into eight types:

(1) Heat and air conditioning equipment Ventilation, heating and cooling equipment are installed based on the relationship between human health, work efficiency, comfort, thermal sensation and the thermal and air conditions of the environment. Ventilation equipment prevents indoor air from deteriorating and contaminated, and provides the ventilation volume (introduction of fresh outdoor air) required for hygiene. Heating and cooling equipment is equipment that improves livability by adjusting the temperature and humidity of indoor air and the temperature of the surrounding walls. Heating methods using steam, hot water and hot air have been widespread since the early 19th century. Today, heating using heat pumps has been added. Air conditioning equipment is a comprehensive equipment that includes the functions of ventilation, heating and cooling, and further adjusts humidity and indoor airflow and purifies the air. It was developed in the early 20th century and was initially applied to facilities for production processes and storage. Clean room equipment used in places that require highly clean air, and factory ventilation equipment used in factories with high air pollution and heat generation, etc., constitute one category.

(2) Water conditioning facilities Water supply and drainage facilities, which supply the water necessary for human habitation and production processes and remove polluted water after use, are the most important and indispensable of all facilities. Water supply purification and wastewater treatment are important in terms of hygiene and environmental conservation, but the decline in water source quality, along with the shortage of water, is a problem that constantly requires a solution, and since today's wastewater treatment systems include industrial wastewater, it is likely to become increasingly difficult to maintain them without polluting the environment. Countermeasures will include the development of small systems that can be considered part of building facilities, such as individual treatment of industrial wastewater, treatment based on the natural circulation principle of domestic wastewater (soil use), and plans to promote the use of well water. Water conditioning also includes facilities for hot water supply, drinking cold water supply, and fire water supply.

(3) Electrical equipment: Electricity receiving and transforming equipment, piping (electrical conduit), wiring equipment, and lighting equipment as power sources, heat sources, and light sources, as well as various control devices associated with them.

(4) Gas Equipment: All types of city gas and LPG gas equipment (engines, refrigerators, heating/hot water equipment, cooking equipment) and gas piping equipment.

(5) Fire extinguishing and fire protection equipment: Fire detection, smoke detection, alarm reporting equipment, fire extinguishing equipment, and smoke exhaust equipment.

(6) Transportation equipment: elevators, escalators, air chutes, and various goods transport machines.

(7) Information transmission equipment: telephones, intercoms, audio equipment (auditorium audio equipment, speaker systems for calling and announcing messages, background music, etc.).

(8) Refuse treatment equipment: dust chutes, waste incinerators, kitchen waste processors, vacuum waste transport devices.

[Masao Ishihara]

"Building Equipment Handbook" edited by Inoue Uichi et al. (1981, Asakura Publishing)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

各種の建物に求められる諸機能を充足し、建物に居住する人の健康を守り、安全性、作業能率、快適性を高めるための電気、機械、供給処理、輸送、情報伝達などの設備をいう。建物自体はむろん、建物の機能と居住性を高めるために適切な材料と構造を用い、目的にあった設計に基づいて建てられる。日射、昼光、風、水、土、植生といった自然エネルギーをできるだけ利用して居住性を高めようとする考えは設計の基本的思考である。今日、この考えによる方向をパッシブまたはソフトであるといい、資源エネルギーを消費する設備機器に頼る方向をアクティブまたはハードであるという。高度の居住性や特定の機能を充足するためには建築設備に頼らざるをえない。しかし、建築設備の多くは有用便利なものではあるが、なくてはすまされない不可欠なものではない。不可欠なものは自然環境である。自然環境を破壊せず、パッシブな方向だけではどうしても悪化するところを建築設備でカバーするという方向、とくにエネルギー消費型の設備を最小化する方向を実現することが今後の課題であろう。

　建築設備は大きく次の8種に分けられる。

(1)熱・空気調整設備　人の健康、作業能率、快適感、温冷感と環境の熱・空気条件との関係に基づいて換気・暖房・冷房設備が設けられる。換気設備は室空気の悪化、汚染を防止し、衛生上必要な換気量（新鮮外気の導入）を与える。暖冷房設備は室空気の温湿度、室周壁の温度を調整して居住性を高める設備で、蒸気、温水、温風による暖房方法は19世紀初頭から普及した。今日では熱ポンプによる暖房が加わった。空気調和設備は換気、暖房、冷房の機能を含み、さらに湿度と室内気流を調整し、空気の浄化を行う総合的設備であり、20世紀の初頭に開発され、初めは生産過程や貯蔵を目的とする施設に適用された。高度な清浄空気を必要とする所に用いられるクリーンルーム設備や、空気汚染や熱発生の大きい工場などに用いられる工場換気設備は一部門をなしている。

(2)水調整設備　人の居住および生産過程に必要な水を供給し、使用されて汚れた水を排除する給排水設備は諸設備のなかでもっとも重要で不可欠な設備である。給水浄化、排水処理は衛生および環境保全の点で重要であるが、水源水質の低下は水量の不足とともに絶えず解決を迫られる問題であり、また今日の排水処理システムは工場排水を含むために、環境を汚染することなく維持することが今後ますます困難になると思われる。対策は、工場排水の個別処理、生活排水の自然循環原理にたつ（土壌利用）処理、井水利用促進計画など建築設備の一部とみられる小システムの開発であろう。水調整にはこのほか、給湯、飲用冷水供給、および消火用水供給の設備が含まれる。

(3)電気設備　動力源、熱源、光源として電力の受電・変電設備、配管（電線管）、配線設備、および照明設備と、それらに付属する各種の制御装置。

(4)ガス設備　各種都市ガス用、プロパンガス（LPG）用の各種設備機器（エンジン、冷凍機、暖房・給湯機器、料理用機器）およびガス配管設備。

(5)消・防火設備　火災感知、煙感知、警報通報の機器類、および消火設備、排煙設備。

(6)輸送設備　エレベーター、エスカレーター、エアシューター、各種物品輸送機。

(7)情報伝達設備　電話、インターホン、音響設備（オーディトリアム音響設備、呼出し・告知用、BGM用スピーカーシステムなど）。

(8)塵芥(じんかい)処理設備　ダストシュート、塵芥焼却炉、厨芥(ちゅうかい)処理器、真空塵芥輸送装置。

［石原正雄］

『井上宇市他編『建築設備ハンドブック』（1981・朝倉書店）』

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