Video Presentations: Designing the HVAC System for a Sustainable Supertall Building

Nicholas Antoni Byczynski
MEP Director
WME Consultants, Dubai

In 2017 WME were appointed by a client team to work alongside Killa Design on a signature 450-meter-plus residential project to be located on Sheik Zayed Road in Dubai, SRG Tower. The structural design consists of an external diagrid with a floor plate of 30 by 30 meters, giving it a slenderness ratio of 15:1. The famous “pencil” towers around New York City’s central park range from 12:1 to 18:1, putting the project firmly within that category and bringing with it unique engineering and approval challenges.

The design of the MEP systems presented many problem-solving opportunities for designers to resolve, ranging from system selection and plant location, to coordination with the structural core. This presentation discusses the main design decisions enacted throughout the design stages to ensure that energy and water consumption was minimized. The following main systems are explored in detail: chilled water network design; chiller location, selection and performance; domestic hot and domestic cold-water generation; grey water recycling. In addition, the presentation discusses the potential advantages of considering the changes in external ambient conditions in hot and humid climates like Dubai’s.