atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Cabling Telephones Systems Wiring Conduit expectations in a steel frame buidling

I am looking over some plans for a 3 story steel frame building with poured concrete floors. I only have the electrical plans and the lighting plans. I see the architect has placed an electrical room on the roof. There is an elevator serving the floors. I see no closet facility on any of the floors for cable concentration and termination. Before I get too deep into this project what should I expect to find on the final plans? Will the architect plan for conduit between the 3 floors specifically for low voltage? Will the installer be responsible for this? Is it a safe bet they will employ the elevator shaft? How would you deal with the lack of a closet or other structure to accomodate the cable runs, relay racks, wall boards, termination blocks, etc? I can't see putting all that in a non climate controlled room on a roof. Would you ask the architect to make changes?

Just as an FYI, I've done a lot of cabling of tiltups with build outs for office space. I've always worked under the wing of licensed contractors but did all the planning and cabling myself. But all wood construction, easy to fit anything needed, no fire floors etc. This project appears to be all plenum ceilings and I surely expect to see fire floors. WHy would an architect not include some interior space dedicated for these cable runs?

It's not uncommon for the phone guys to be overlooked in the planning stages. There are still plenty of architects out there who think that the telco takes care of everything. These folks think that a conduit to the pole is all that's needed. You are doing the right thing by asking questions, and you should ask these questions of your customer. Ask lots of questions.

Remember that the cost per square foot to construct commercial buildings is insane, so they (the architect and customer) will cut corners wherever they can. The first place is closets and the first one of those is ours. They don't understand that electronics require a climate-controlled environment or a path to get there.

Electricians rule our segment of the construction industry and their equipment doesn't require climate control in most cases. That's why nobody understands our needs. Something tells me that the IT folks will be getting all of the air conditioned space that they want. I'd tag along with them if you can. Let them ask the questions; they always get whatever they want. That wasn't meant to be sarcastic. I was serious.

Is it a safe bet they will employ the elevator shaft?

Absolutely not. Nothing is allowed in the elevator shaft except the elevator.

Why are there no telephone closets? As Ed says, these are questions you are going to have to ask. If there is no electrical drawing with specs and details for telecom risers the architect needs to be consulted.

-Hal

I've run into this before, went into a new building to install an ECS and there was no provisions for the telephone room/wiring. they actually had to convert one of the offices into a wiring closet for us.

We will be meeting with the GC and the architect next week. There was no provision at all for wiring closets nor did the plans include any interfloor conduit. They just assumed the electrical room on the roof was enough apparently. So we're eyeing converting a corner of the employee lounge into a wiring closet and then I'll specifiy at least 4 3 inch pipes. We'll have to get ahold of the IT department next and find out what they will need for racks. Hard to believe they almost signed off on the thing without thinking about this.

Hope you are not doing this for free! The telecommunications wiring standards should be in every architects library.

Is this a multi-tennant occupancy or will the entire building be occupied by one company?

-Hal

One company, a major insurance company. 3 floors, looks to be about 100-150 people in offices, cube farms and open bullpens. Your basic corporate prison camp.

I think I know where you are going. I would norally expect to have an MDF plus IDFs on the various floors. True, it should be wired that way and I will propose just that but I have a hunch they'll go cheap and let future tenants pay for the changes.

Geeze, I would think that the ethernet limitation of 300 feet would be exceeded coming from the farthest location on the bottom floor to the electrical room on the roof, no?

-Hal

We aren't going to the roof as they had planned. No climate control and that room could easily reach 140F in the summer. If they want it that way, I would probably say let them find somebody else because it isn't going to work. This is SoCal and summers are hot. We'll be proposing a partition wall in the lounge forming a closet which will be 3 feet deep and have ventilated doors. This will act like a MDF and will house the phone gear and main patch panels and relay rack. That will be on the second floor so the runs will come down from floor 3 and up from floor 1. Longest run could be close to 280 feet. Then we will talk to the IT guys and discuss where their servers will go and we'll run 6 or more cat 5e or 6 lines to serve as links to their relay rack. Using port aggregating switches we can link them and provide high bandwidth. Or we may run a short fiber link. I'd prefer that.