Sprinklers, standpipes and fire department connections are a grossly overlooked part of the architectural design process but can lead to a huge impact on the look and feel of your building. There are so many trades within the architectural design process that are brought in quite early to coordinate their work so you have a sense of what the building will turn out to be like. For instance, mechanical and plumbing engineers are often brought into the project quite early. But fire sprinkler engineers are almost always brought in as “design build”. In other words, the project has already been fully designed, often with little tolerance, and the sprinkler have to somehow squeeze their stuff in the space that is left. What ultimately happens when the sprinkler contractors are brought in late is that you find the sometimes massive pipes are in places you really wish they weren’t. Now, as the architect or designer, you have to build cost sensitive wall or ceiling enclosures to house the obtrusive pipes or just go for that “industrial look”.

In this article, I will touch on what sprinklers, standpipes, and fire department connections are. Then, I will suggest several factors to keep in mind when designing for these components in your architectural design. Finally, I will list resources to find out more information.

Let’s start with what these three components are. First, is the sprinkler system which is a series of vertical and horizontal pipes which distribute water through sprinkler heads in areas of the building where there is a fire. Second, standpipes are pipes inside the building that allow fire departments to connect their hoses to a water supply. Standpipes are usually located in areas of refuge or stairways where the construction is more greatly protected from fire. Third, fire department connections (or FDCs) are connections on the exterior of the building that allow fire departments to connect their hoses to a water supply. FDCs are clearly marked connection points located either on the face of the building or somewhere within the landscape near the building. The definitions are quite simple, but for the architect, they should be pretty sufficient.

Now that we know in general what these things are, let’s consider how each component integrate better within the building with a few handy tips for each component.

Sprinklers and Sprinkler Pipes

• Have a meeting with the fire sprinkler contractor as soon as possible. This probably goes without saying, but it’s the most important tip I can give you.
• Give the sprinkler contractor a plan that overlays all of the architectural ceiling plan, structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems in the building BEFORE they start to design the sprinkler system. It’s also important that the mechanical and plumbing systems are drawn to scale so you know the exact sizes of the ducts and pipes. I would also suggest that these overlays be color coded for easy reading.
• Lay out where you think the main sprinkler lines and sprinkler heads should go BEFORE they start to design the sprinkler system. Often times, the sprinkler contractors will really appreciate this input. This also helps assure that no unforeseen elements will pop up as readily as would happen if the sprinkler contractor designed the system unsupervised.
• Give the sprinkler contractor a list of design rules they should follow. These rules may include always put sprinkler heads in the center of hallways or T bar ceiling panels. You need to come up with your own design rules.
• Make sure you know what the sprinkler heads look like well before the submittal arrives.
• Be very mindful of main sprinkler runs. Sprinklers are required to be able to be drained which means that the pipes have to slope down 1/8” per foot back to the sprinkler drain. This means that any long run of pipe will get lower and lower and lower. The lower these runs get the lower your ceiling has to be or the more likely the pipes will conflict with lights or other components in the ceiling.
• Require very detailed shop drawings that include all pipe sizes. Not just lines with pipe sizes written on them.
• If possible, review all the sprinkler locations before the final ceiling is constructed. There may be little tweaks that you’ll want to make and this will be the time of least hassle.

Standpipes

• Very early on in the design of the building, place where you think standpipes will be placed in the building.
• If standpipes are placed in stairwells, as they often are, I would like to at least one foot of clearance in every direction of the standpipe. This means making the stair landings much larger than most building code’s minimum sizes. This may seem like a waste of money, but this is a rule of thumb that will really pay off. I have even been in situations where I left little tolerance for the standpipe and got burned later in the project because the standpipe ate into my landing room.
• If standpipes are placed in corridors or other public spaces, be sure that there is a reasonable amount of space for the standpipe to be concealed. What often happened with architects that have not planned is the standpipe gets plopped on one side of a corridor and just becomes unsightly. Avoid this mistake like the plague.

Fire Department Connections (or FDCs)

• Know exactly how large your FDC needs to be. I recently worked on a building that required a six way FDC. This piece of equipment is almost 7 feet wide which is OK if you have a place seven feet wide on your building that does not obstruct a window, door, or something of importance .
• Make sure to conceal the fire department equipment without really concealing it. It is required by most fire departments to have the FDCs is plain sight so the fire department don’t have to search. That said, I suggest moving this piece of equipment as far away from the main entrance as the fire department will allow. Consider this beautiful design with a big, fat series of pipes and valves right in front. Unless you’re Renzo Piano, don’t even attempt making this equipment into an architectural element.

Following these tips will bring you a long way, but if you really want to know all you can know about the design of these system components, then check out the following resources:
NFPA 13: Installation of Sprinkler Systems and Handbook Set, 2007 Edition- this information tells you exactly how a sprinkler system is to be built so there are no suprises.

The Ultimate Fire Sprinkler Buying Guide- This guide will lead you to all the suppliers of sprinkler equipment that you will ever need.

Aquatech- A good fire prevention design consultant

Viking Sprinklers- They have a vast number of sprinkler heads and accessories and are a great resource for knowing as much as you can about the various sprinkler options in the industry. They also have a vast library of CAD files that you can use.