MEP
MEP stands for mechanical, electrical and process piping (most think it stands for plumbing, but that is only part of it). As the building structure begins to take shape, start to think of your project as if it were a person. You will hopefully see the skeletal system (structural steel) begin to appear over the next week, followed by the skin (exterior sheeting, plaster, windows, doors). During the prior month, maybe you noticed a great deal of piping and conduit disappear under the building pad. Those were the underground portions of the MEP system. As the skin goes on the building, the MEP subcontractors will tie into the underground lines and begin to "rough-in" (rough-in is the portion of the MEP system hidden above the ceiling, in the walls or under the floor). The MEP finish is the trim- switches, light fixtures, toilets, sinks, etc. The trim is the easy part of the project. The rough-in takes the most time and is ultimately the most critical part of install due to the consequences of a mistake. If a light bulb needs changing, not a big deal, right? If the switch is flipped and no power hits the fixture, finding the problem could require opening walls, ceilings or concrete slabs (sometimes all of the above). Extra care must be taken to minimize mistakes during rough-in.
Think of the M (mechanical) as the heart and lungs of a building. The piping of a mechanical system is used to heat and cool a building and the ducting in a building inhales fresh air and exhales the return air, regulating both temperature and humidity in your building.
The E (electrical) operates much like the central nervous system, sending commands through a network of nerves (wires) and signaling the major systems to operate as required. The electrical system in your building also provides most of the power for those systems to function as opposed to the hydraulic system that the human body relies on. Shutting off the power to a building leaves you with an expensive tent. Power and data systems range in cost from 20% up to 45% of modern construction project budgets.
The P (process piping) includes the plumbing system which closely correlates to the digestive system in a human and the fire sprinkler system. Any good analogies for the fire sprinkler system? Maybe sweat glands? Get too hot and the sprinkler release fluids to cool the temperature? Feel free to chime in. Rumor has it we have at least one medical doctor in the audience, maybe he would be willing to work out the sprinkler/body correlation.
Point Pleasant - Live Job Site Camera
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WE HAVE VERTICAL!!! There were three structural support beams in place on the north end of the multi-purpose building this morning when I walked to work. The supports for the south end have been brought over, and the office doors are open so I can watch when the equipment is in place to stand them up and bolt them down. This is EXCITING! And so appropriate. Yesterday, Pastor Kathy preached on the "dry bones" from Ezekiel 37 coming together, bone to bone. Our future is coming together bone to bone, bound by steel and concrete instead of sinew and skin. And sometime in September when God breathes the breath of life into these bones...what a glorious day that will be!
I've been pretty quiet these past few days...but I have to tell someone... there are five more GINORMOUS vertical supports up and I watched one of the lifts hoist up a crossbeam while two guys stood on top of ladders attaching the crossbeams to the uprights at the north end of the building. This morning started out pretty quiet, no visible changes, but when I went to deliver the mail to the church I was astounded to see the three GINORMOUS supports standing at the east side of the building, with a crossbeam tying them all together! I'm especially amazed at how tall the building will be. The vertical supports are graduated in size, the southern-most one is the tallest, the northern-most one is the shortest. The tallest must be 30 feet tall! (Warning: my sense of height isn't perfect.)
I'll try not to talk too fast now, but my pulse is racing! I just watched a man, no, a monkey, wait, a man, shinny UP the tallest of the three eastern supports. No ladder, no rope, just hands and feet on the slippery steel! And he did it without a misstep! I was so shocked that I forgot to get any pix of it. He was tossed up some cable by his partner and tied the crossbeam and support together for additional strength for overnight, I suppose. (Flashes of the villagers on King Kong's island keep coming to mind. Climbing those tall poles, lashing them together to keep the mighty Kong out...and the groans and growls from the earth movers sound just like the dinosaurs.)To my utter amazement, he crawled across the crossbeam to the second support and tied that one off too. I managed to snap a few pix of this along with one of him sliding down the support when he was done. During this time, two more uprights were stood up on the western side of the building, and behind the office two men are putting together what looks like galvanized steel (pretty silver pieces) in the shape of a one-dimensional dollhouse. I have NO IDEA what that will be, but it's pretty. I'm off tomorrow, but I'll be watching the building from my computer while Kimi's taking her nap. Be prepared for a beautiful sight when you come to church on Sunday!
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