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Sources

Electrical Willis Tower

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubS4Fy7zDUU

http://www.willistower.com/office-leasing/building-infrastructure/

http://www.chicagorelo.com/l/category.php?catID=12

http://madepossiblewith.com/campaigns/willis-tower/

http://theskydeck.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Teachers-Guide-2014.pdf

http://www.ctbuh.org/portals/0/events/Conferences/Chicago09_Report/Speakers/S7.2_Smith_Re-

energizingJinMao.pdf

http://www.sandc.com/edocs_pdfs/edoc_001684.pdf

Vertical Circulation - Willis Tower

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=175802

http://skyscrapercenter.com/building/willis-tower/169

HVAC One Spinningfields

One Spinningfields Design Statement, Ian Simpson Architects

One Spinningfields Ventilation Strategy Statement, Ian Simpson Architects

One Spinningfields Energy Strategy Statement, Ian Simpson Architects

Plumbing Willis Tower

http://smithgill.com/work/willis_tower/

http://www.swegonairacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Chris-Pal-110214.pdf

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/224/when-a-toilet-atop-the-sears-tower-is-flushed-do-

the-contents-fall-110-floors

http://plumbingengineer.com/content/commercial-high-rise-plumbing-design

http://digital.plumbingengineer.com/app.php?RelId=6.1.4.0&BookCode=20150401&lang=enu

Solid Waste Management One Spinningfields

One Spinningfields Waste and Service Strategy Statement, Ian Simpson Architects

Building Management Willis Tower

http://bdresearch.org/home/attachments/article/524/jp44c5ca45d23d9.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubS4Fy7zDUU

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Fire Safety and Protection Management Willis Tower

http://theskydeck.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Teachers-Guide-2014.pdf

http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1971/04/04/page/371/article/sears-tower-to-have-total-sprinkler-

system

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Summary of Analyses:

Mechanical and Electrical Systems:

Electrical Systems - Willis Towers, formerly Sears Tower, Chicago, USA

Vertical Circulation - Willis Towers, formerly Sears Tower, Chicago, USA

HVAC - One Spinningfields, Manchester, UK

Plumbing and Waste Management Systems

Plumbing - Willis Towers, formerly Sears Tower, Chicago, USA

Solid Waste - One Spinningfields, Manchester, UK

Fire Protection Systems - Willis Towers, formerly Sears Tower, Chicago, USA

Building Management System

Building Management & Security- Willis Towers, formerly Sears Tower, Chicago, USA

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Vertical Circulation Analysis

Building:Willis Towers, formerly Sears Towers, Chicago City, Illinois, USA

Quick Facts:

System Concept: Sky Lobby ConceptNo. of Elevators: 104 Cabs

Elevator Cables: 130 km total

Analysis

System Concept

The Willis Tower employs the Sky Lobby concept the fourth building to use this concept, the

first being the John Hancock Center, also by the same architects.

In the Sky Lobby concept, two (2) types of elevators, except for an additional type freight

elevator, will be used:

1.) Express Elevator which will travel only to the sky lobbies and the observation decks

2.) Local Elevator which will travel to all the floors within a section of the building

meaning they are for intra-zonal travel

The sky lobby, for which this is named, is the intermediate floor where people can change from

express elevators to local elevators. They are located on the 34thand the 66thto 67thfloor

Elevator Specs

The Willis Tower employs a 104-cab elevatorsystem.

The express elevatorsare one of the fastest

in the world operating at 488 meters per

minute.

There are double deck shuttle elevators

serving sky lobbies.

For the local elevators, there are single deck

elevators.

The elevators are DC Gearless Traction types.

Architectural Consequences

1. Huge elevator lobbies

2. Elevator equipment at the Mechanical

floors previously stated.

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HVAC System Analysis

Building: No. 1 Spinningfields, Manchester, United Kingdom

Quick Facts:

Site Climate: Mild Summers and Cool Winters

Temperature Range: Average 1.6C 20.6C @ 86% Average Relative Humidity

Number of Floors: Podium 7 floors, Tower 20 floors (Incl. Podium) @ 90m height

Ventilation Type: Centralized Fresh Air Unit

Heating and Cooling: Low Temp. Hot Water (LTHW) and Chilled Water (CHW) System

via 4-Pipe Fan Coil Units (FCU) w/ individual control units;

Temperature Control is Decentralized

Analysis

Ventilation Strategy:

The ventilation system is a Centralized Fresh Air Unit which means that fresh air will be regularly

circulated around the building.

No. 1 Spinningfields has three major areas that require different ventilation strategies:

1.) The podium and tower which is centrally ventilated with Air Handling Units from the 19 th

floor and podium roof.

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2. The basement parking which receives air from the parking entrance and circulates it via soffit

mounted impulse fans which will exit at the ground floor louvres via parallel mounted

extract fans.

3. The ground floor retail area and the ground floor reception areas which will receive some

ventilation from the central AHU but will ultimately be ventilated via packaged heat

exchanger modulesconnected to louvers in the ground floor faade. The retail tenants

will be responsible for the installation of these modules in their units while the lobby

comes installed with the modules.

Heating and Cooling

Heating and cooling, instead of air-conditioning, will be done via Low Temp. Hot Water (LTHW)

and Chilled Water (CHW) Systemsrespectively.

Water will either be cooled or boiled in air cooled chillers and condensing boilers found on the

plant rooms on the basement and 8thfloor. This water will then be fed to various 4-Pipe Fan Coil

Units (FCU) (installed within the ceiling voids) which

will provide the heating and cooling to the individual

spaces.

This system is used to allow for multiple zone usage

which allows for better user flexibility, increased

comfort, and decreased energy use.Fan Coil Units

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1. Huge Floor Spacesas plant rooms to house Large Air-Handling Units, Boilers, and Chillers. In

One Spinningfields, there are plant rooms in the basement, the 8 thfloor, the podium rooftop,

and the 19thfloor.

2. Service spacefor the piping, vents, and the fan coil units

3. Very visible Intake Grillson the Faade for the Ventilation System

Ventilation Intake GrillsBay Section Showing Floor

and Ceiling

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Electrical Systems Analysis

Building:Willis Towers, formerly Sears Towers, Chicago City, Illinois, USA

Quick Facts:

Connected Load: 124 Mw

Maximum Demand: 61 Mw

Service Feed: Four (4) 138-kv underground pipe cables

Substation (TDC): 1 200-Mva Edison Distribution Substation @ Basement

TDC Transformers: Four (4) 50MVA Water-cooled Transformers @ 1stUG level

Internal Distribution: Eight (8) 12-kv feeders

Total Wiring: 3200km of Electrical Wire

Generators: Two 2,100 KW diesel generators

Power Source

The Willis Tower is powered by a 200-Mva Edison Distribution Substationlocated at the

basement mechanical level. They call this the Transmission-Distribution Center or TDC.

This Substation or TDCwill be supplied power from the outsidethrough four (4) 138-kv

underground pipe cables. Each pipe cable will go through a 50MVA Transformer.

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This four transformers would then supply Two (2) 12.5-

kv ring buseswith switchgears for each buses on two floors. The

ring buses will each have four (4) busesfrom which there will

come forty (40) feeders.

Of these forty feeders, thirty-two (32) will serve theneighboring area while the remaining eight (8) 12-kv feeders

from each of the four buses will serve the Willis Towers.

A capacitor would be found on another floor below the

switchgears.

Distribution System

12-kv risers, from each of the eight buses will serve the Willis Towers. The switchgears

for these would be metal enclosed, and consists of metering bays, fuse bays, and gang-operated

disconnect bays.

These risers will extend up to the building through two (2) vertical conduit runs or cores

located on the north-east, which will run all the way up to the top floor of the building, and the

south-east, which will run up to the 64thfloor. This vertical conduit runs are actually dry-type

transformer rooms stacked one upon the other on every floor of the building.

The building will have dry-type transformers on almost half of the floors of the building.

They would be able to supply three to four floors each. Any of these transformers can be switch

to an emergency riser.

Five (5) riser cableswould will supply transformers on Sears-occupied floors, three will

supply transformers for tenant fluorescent-lighting load, and one will feed transformers for

tenant receptacle load.

Also, fifteen (15) riser cableswill feednetwork and unit transformerslocated on the B2,

29th Floor, 64F, 88F, and 104F. These floors will house the buildings mechanical equipment

wherein you can find network-type transforms serving as spot-network centers.

Emergency Power

For emergency power, the Willis Tower has two (2)

2100 KW Diesel Generatorsthat could produce enough

electricity to power two hundred fifty (250) typical

homes.

For the whole its career, however, the Willis Towers

has never had the occasion to use these generators

because of the effectiveness of its system.

Metal Enclosed 12-kv Building

Switchgear of the Willis Towers

2100 KW Diesel Generators of the Willis Towers

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Powering this very tall building was

indeed a very challenging task. The

resulting electrical system required a

huge amount of space that becamevery important factors to the design

of the building.

Here are the architectural

consequences of the design:

1. Up to three underground floors

were dedicated to the complex

machinery required of the design.

2. Floors dedicated solely toMechanical and Electrical machinery

was employed. Refer to the stacking

diagram for those floors.

3. Consequence 2, however, allowed the electrical designers to create an even more efficient

distribution system by allowing the transformers be located as close as possible to the loads.

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Plumbing System Analysis

Building: Willis Tower, formerly Sears Tower, Chicago

City, Illinois, USA

Quick Facts:

Total Plumbing: 40000km of Plumbing

Total No. of Fixtures: 992 Toilets and 796

Washroom Faucets

Analysis

Water Supply:

The Willis Towers employs a series of pumps and tanks located in

the mechanical floors in order to supply water: the basement, 31stfloor,

64thfloor, the 88thfloor, and the 104th-110thfloor.

Piping System (For Both Water Supply and Soil Pipe)

From these mechanical floors, the Willis Towers will use standard

plumbing practice, reliant on gravity.

This systems work because the different mechanical floors, which

act as pressure breaks, make it so that the whole Willis tower can be

considered as a collection of shorter buildings.

Another significant feature of the design is the express riser,a riser not

connected to any fixtures. Solely intermediate building drains are connected to these risers.

This would lead to:

1.) Smaller pipe sizes

2.) Avoidance of any impacts to the operation of

the fixtures in case of any pressure surges in the

stack


1. The design called for mechanical floors in

regular intervalswhere plumbing equipment

and tanks could be located.

2. The design is standard. The risers and pipes

are hidden in chases in walls, ceilings, and floors.

Plumbing in the Willis Tower

Pressure Break Design

Express Riser Configuration in the Willis Tower

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Building Management and Security System

Building: Willis Tower, formerly Sears Tower, Chicago City, Illinois, USA

Quick Facts:

Building Monitoring Type: Full Automation

Security System: CCTV

No. of Employees:

25 Engineers

3 Electricians

110 Janitors

100 Security Guards

Analysis:

Building Monitoring System

The Willis Tower is a fully automated building. All

building operations are monitored and controlled from

a command center.

The responsibilities and capabilities of the system

include:

1. CCTV Security

2. Building System Monitoring: HVAC, Water Systems,

and Electrical Systems

3. Room Temperature Control

4. Elevator Systems Control

Security System

Building security is primary handled by the

Command Center which controls hundreds of CCTVcameras in the building.One hundred (100) security

guardsare also employed.

Visitors are also screened through various

machines, such as metal detectors, in response to the

September 11 attacks.Willis Tower Lobby

Willis Tower Command Center

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Maintenance System

The building employs daily maintenance in cycles

because of the sheer size of the building.

The exterior is cleaned via six (6) automatic window

washersone of which is shown on the picture.

Apart from this, a hundred (100) janitors and

housekeepers are employed. There are also twenty-

five (25) engineers and three (3) electricians who

handle more than one hundred four (104) elevator cabs,

three thousand two hundred (3,200) km of electrical wire, forty thousand (40,000) km of

plumbing, and one hundred and forty five thousand (145,000) lighting fixtures.


This arrangement would require the following:

1. A huge lobbythat would fit 25,000 peoplea day and the machinery that would require to

screen them

2. A whole floor, perhaps more, to accommodate the command center, its employees and

computers

3. Floor space to accommodate the huge machineries

required

4. Separate entrances and internal circulation for the

hundreds of employees that maintain the tower. A

manifestation of this are the freight elevators hidden

from public view

5. Support spaces such as lockers and pantry area for

the hundreds of employees that maintain the tower

6. Special roof-top tracksfor the automatic window washers

Tracks on one of the roof tops of the Willis Tower

An automated window washer in the Willis Tower

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Solid Waste Management Analysis

Building: One Spinningfields, Manchester, England, UK

Quick Facts:

Handling System: Compactor System

Facilities: Trash Compactor Room and Storage

Collection Schedule: Daily

Analysis

Basis

The basis of the One Spinningfields Building Solid Waste Management Strategy is the UK Central

Governments Waste Hierarchy.

System

One Spinningfields uses a three step system in waste management and collection:

1. Localized/Tenant Waste Management Waste Management begins at the source in One

Spinningfields. Tenants are encouraged to separate their waste as they are produced.

In order to promote good waste management behavior, One Spinningfields has adequate

paper bins/containers and general waste bins at each floor.

2. Whole Building Waste Management Outside working hours, office workers would then

collect the trash from each floor. All of these would end up in the basements compactor and

storage room where waste is further segregated, compacted, and then stored awaiting collection.

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3. Government Waste Management Everyday, segregated waste from One Spinningfields will

be collected by the government, as part of a wider system and effort in Waste Management.


1. Separate circulation for Waste Management Services, since waste collection is often an

unsightly affair for office workers.

2. Dedicated vertical circulation or freight elevator for trash collection

3. Space for Trash Compactor and Bin Storage that is near a dedicated means of vertical

circulation

4. Dedicated area where trash collection may be performed away from public view (Loading Bay)

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Fire Safety and Protection Systems

Building: Willis Tower, formerly Sears Tower, Chicago City, Illinois, USA

Quick Facts:

Monitoring System: Centralized from Command Center

System Components: Fire Sprinklers

Heat Detectors

Smoke Detectors

Smoke Control

Analysis

Monitoring System

The Command Center monitors about 30,000 points in terms of fire-safety in the building.

Fire Detection System

Advanced smoke detectors on every floor can pinpoint the source of any smoke and alert

the command center. Heat detectors are also installed.

As a note, smoking is not allowed anywhere inside the Willis Tower.

Fire Control System

The Willis Tower is the first major office building to have a complete fire sprinkler system.

There are around 40,000-50,000 sprinkler headsin the building covering every square meter of

space.

It also features exhaust systemswhich may reduce flow of air in an area which may fuel

a fire. Alternatively, the exhaust system can also be used to remove smoke from an area after a

fire has been cleared.

There are fire pumping stationsin many levels including in all of the mechanical rooms.

Fire Escapes

Four (4) stairwells, each with more than 2000 steps, can be used in case of fire. They arefire-rated and air-tight.

There are also firemens elevators.

Documents

2015-11-17 Analysis No.2