Special aspects of design solutions for indoor water supply systems of high-rise buildings

Abstract

Introduction. The subject of research is indoor cold water supply systems of high-rise buildings. They have a complex structure due to unique architectural features, the need to pump water to higher floors and compliance with reliability requirements applicable to engineering systems. High-rise buildings are often multi-functional, and this characteristic is implemen­ted in the process of designing indoor water supply systems: it is necessary to take into account various classes of functional fire hazards typical for different areas inside a building, and equip individual rooms with automatic water extinguishing units. Of special importance is the energy efficiency of a water supply system, since pumping equipment and its mode of operation have the greatest influence on the system. The design of an indoor water supply system for any high-rise structure is always a compromise between the interests of investors (developers) and the regulations. The purpose of the study is to identify current trends in the design of indoor cold water supply systems for high-rise buildings (or complexes).
 Materials and methods. The overview is based on current regulatory and engineering documentation governing high-rise construction, as well as the research papers focused on the design of engineering systems of high-rise buildings. The author analyzed several designs of indoor water supply systems for multi-functional high-rise buildings, in respect of which positive opinions had been issued by the expert organizations.
 Results. It is established that up-feed parallel water supply systems, broken down into zones, are most widely used in the present-day projects of indoor water supply systems designed for high-rise buildings. Each water supply zone can serve 11 to 18 floors, and an increase in the number of floors within one zone reduces the energy efficiency of the system. Automatic fire extinguishing systems are an integral element of water fire extinguishing systems in multi-functional high-rise buildings. Any damage, inflicted by the false triggering of sprinklers, should be minimized at the stage of design.
 Conclusions. The author classified potential cold water supply systems for high-rise buildings, described their principle of operation, strengths, weaknesses, and applicability limits. The research project also encompasses the analysis of present-day designs of indoor cold water supply systems for multi-functional high-rise buildings.