Facility planning buildings

Where existing buildings are of an age which would indicate that their design and construction were performed in accordance with statutory requirements, planning, building control, standards or codes of practice subsequently superseded, care must be taken to ensure that extensions to such facilities are designed and constructed in accordance with current requirements. 

Figure 10.265 shows the recommended grounding arrangement for a typical broadcast or audio/video production facility. The building ground system is constructed using heavy-gauge copper wire (no. 4 or larger) if the studio is not located in an RF field, or a wide copper strap (3-in. minimum) if the facility is located near an RF energy source. Figure 10.266 gives a functional view of the plan shown in Fig. 10.265. Note the bulkhead approach.

Regardless of the implementation strategy you select, try to build in at least some degree of local involvement in planning and implementation. Local involvement can give facility personnel "ownership" of the process, meaning that they will be more likely to work to overcome any problems or false starts. In addition, local participation means that you will be able to identify any local barriers to implementation—sooner rather than later. 

Attempting to modify structure or services to accommodate structural idiosyncrasies later is always problematic. Protection and isolation of existing facilities from the disruption of construction should be resolved early in the design. The reconciliation of building and production activities is never easy, but early planning for construction traffic, personnel, site screening, security, site access and site communications can minimize these adverse effects. 

Liston (Ref. 27) provides useful checklists for equipment and building siting and layout for safety purposes, as well as other safety-related criteria for plant design. These checklists address economic considerations and facility geographical location, site selection, layout, and unit plot planning factors. 

A first-order estimate of the impacts of the flood scenario can be obtained through an evaluation of the flood depth map after it has been overlaid onto an electronic version of a standard topographic map that depicts roads, buildings, and public facilities. Such maps are useful for preparing evacuation plans and selecting locations for roadblocks. The FLDWAV output files may be consulted to determine the time characteristics of the flood, such as the time from the dam breach to the onset of flooding, and the duration of flooding. 

Electric power companies are also making changes. American Electric Power Company, one of the major utility giants in the country, plans to build a 40-billion plant that uses coal gasification. The facility will turn coal into synthetic gas before burning it, sharply reducing emissions including carbon dioxide. 

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