Mechanical and Electrical Consultant- Your Design Team FAQ
Mechanical and Electrical Consultant Illustration- AC Fan
When construction professionals talk about “M&E” in a domestic project, this probably refers to the “plumbing” and “electrics”. In a large or very high specification project it implies a great deal more.
Someone on the job, whether they are a designer in an office off-site, or a skilled tradesman on-site, must design all of the following and take responsibility for their proper installation:
- Heating system
- Hot and cold running water
- Lighting
- Electrical distribution
- Waste water disposal
- Smoke detection
- Heat detection
- Alarm sensors and control
- Centralised heat recovery
In large projects, M&E can have a much broader scope; most large buildings can have numerous complex systems which account for a large proportion of the budget:
- Fire suppression and control
- Cooling/ air conditioning
- Audio systems
- Video surveillance
- Data cabling
- Lift (elevator) design and procurement
- Waste water solutions which may involve: pumping, storage treatment or attenuation.
In such cases it is important for the client to employ a suitable specialist to act as an expert advisor when dealing with expert sub- contractors. For each system, technology changes rapidly, and there are extensive regulations which must be followed. As a general rule, houses do not require M&E consultants; the plumbing and electrical systems are certified by the tradesmen or sub- contractors working for the main contractor as part of the building contract. Other systems, such as typical house alarms, which are installed by specialist suppliers, are designed certified by those specialists.
Therefore, the benefit of an M&E consultant is most apparent on larger projects. They produce an overview of how the system will work and a design on paper before the project is on- site, which allows you to tender this aspect of the design to a wide range of contractors.
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