Main electrical switchgear shall not be below toilets or
equipment rooms or if separate equipment rooms are
janitor closets or at an elevation that requires sump
required for specific tenants.
pumps for drainage. If electrical switchgear is housed in
Equipment rooms shall be connected to the communica-
the basement, provisions shall be made to prevent water
tions entrance facilities and the backbone pathway.
from flooding the electrical room in the event of a pipe
The equipment room will have 24-hour HVAC service
breaking. Automatic sprinkler piping shall not be installed
and be protected from contaminants.
directly over switchgear equipment.
Mechanical rooms as a rule shall open from non-occupied
Spaces for Uninterruptible Power Systems (UPS) and
spaces such as corridors. If mechanical rooms must open
Batteries. The UPS modules and associated batteries must
from occupied spaces because of configuration constraints
be installed in separate, adjacent rooms.
consider incorporating a vestibule with partitions that
See the UPS and battery manufacturers' installation
extend to structure and sound-gasketed doors at each side
instructions for weights, dimensions, efficiency, and re-
for acoustic and vibration separation.
quired clearances in the design. Allow space for storage
of safety equipment, such as goggles and gloves. Special
Equipment Placement. The architect shall coordinate
attention shall be given to floor loading for the battery
with the mechanical engineer to place mechanical
room, entrance door dimensions for installation of the
equipment in order to optimize access for maintenance
UPS and ceiling height for clearance of the appropriate
and replacement. Design of equipment placement shall
HVAC systems and exhaust systems.
allow maintenance of motors and replacement of filters
from the ground. When there is no practicable alternative
Electrical Closets. Electrical closets must be stacked
and equipment must be placed overhead, replacement of
vertically within the building. Closets shall be designed
filters shall require a standard step ladder requiring one
to contain adequate wall space and clearances for current
person to safely operate.
and future requirements, and should have a minimum
size of 1800 mm by 3000 mm (6 feet by 10 feet). Shallow
Communications Equipment Rooms. In addition to
closets must be at least 600 mm (24 inches) deep by 2600
the criteria stated for general mechanical and electrical
mm (8 feet 6 inches) wide. These are satellite closets for
equipment rooms, equipment rooms for communications
electrical panelboards. They should not contain extra-
equipment must comply with EIA/TIA Standard 569:
neous floor area, which may be an invitation to store
Commercial Building Standard For Telecommunications
items that do not belong in electrical closets.
Pathways And Spaces (and related bulletins).
Equipment rooms shall be sized to accommodate the
equipment planned for the room. At a minimum, the
be stacked vertically within the building. Rooms shall be
room should have 69 660 mm2 (0.75 square feet) of
sized to contain adequate floor space for frames, racks and
equipment room space for every 9.3 m2 (100 square feet)
working clearances for current need and future expansion.
of occupiable space. The equipment room should be no
Communications closets shall meet the requirements of
smaller than 14 m2 (150 square feet). Federal Technology
EIA/TIA Standard 569: Commercial Building Standard For
Service (FTS) should determine if tenants will share
Telecommunications Pathways And Spaces (and related
68 F A C I L I T I E S S T A N D A R D S
FOR THE
PUBLIC
BUILDINGS
SERVICE
3.2 Space Planning
Revised March 2005 PBS-P100
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