Unnecessary Expenses

TES’ experience with prototypes and knowledge of large-quantity equipment costing helped Hyatt Hotels achieve significant cost savings without sacrificing comfort or safety in the MEP design of three hotel properties.

Our review of the prototype designs revealed three areas that contained unnecessary expense:

• Piping materials
• Fire/smoke dampers and exhaust system design
• Condensate collection of room air-conditioners.

The prototypical design called for copper pipe to be installed, which is very expensive. We evaluated first cost savings for material and installation labor for all-PEX piping and PEX/copper hybrid piping options. The smoke evacuation system in the prototype called for multiple combination fire/smoke dampers at shaft wall penetrations. We reviewed the code, and saved significant cost by installing the exhaust ductwork on the roof, requiring a single combination smoke/fire damper to the variable speed roof-mounted exhaust fan, with individual exhaust fans installed in the rooms. The prototypical design also collected condensate from the room air-conditioning units on multiple floors and connected it to the sanitary system via underground piping. TES obtained approval from the local authorities to install a condensate stack that discharged out of the buildings’ exterior at grade into gravel leach beds―eliminating the expense and potential future maintenance issues with underground laterals of sanitary piping.

TES also solved light trespass problems with the hotels’ small parking lots by modeling various full cut-off site lighting fixtures with optional side shields. This allowed for owner review and use for planning approvals.