EFFICIENT PLUMBING Jim Beveridge - Ipt.co.in

INDIAN PLUMBING TODAY 

EFFICIENT PLUMBING 

High-Flying Design 

- Case Study 

International airport incorporates specialized plumbing 

and fire suppression systems. 

Jim Beveridge 

I recently completed the plumbing and fire suppression 

engineering for a new international airport in Nassau, 

Bahamas. The 575,000-square-foot project is 

approximately $300 million U.S. dollars and will be 

constructed in three stages over the next four years. The 

project consists of a domestic arrival and departure 

terminal, an international arrival and departure terminal, 

and a U.S. Customs and Border Protection preclearance 

departure terminal for passengers flying to the United 

States. During the construction period, the existing airport 

will remain in full operation at all times. 

The codes and standards applicable to this project include 

the 2003 Bahamas Building Code plus National Fire 

Protection Association (NFPA) standards such as NFPA 10: 

Standard for Portable Fire Extinguishers, NFPA 13: 

Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems, NFPA 

14: Standard for the Installation of Standpipe and Hose 

Systems,NFPA 20: Standard for the Installation of 

Stationary Pumps for Fire Protection, and NFPA 415: 

Standard on Airport Terminal Buildings, Fueling Ramp 

Drainage, and Loading Walkways. This article discusses 

the plumbing and fire suppression systems for this airport. 

NOVEMBER 2011 38

PLUMBING SYSTEMS 


Airport engineering designs encompass a wide range 

of plumbing and fire suppression systems. Plumbing 

systems for public washrooms at airports must be 

able to accommodate the sudden arrival of large 

numbers of passengers detained in restricted areas 

prior to being processed through immigration and 

agricultural inspection. Similarly, large numbers of 

departing passengers may be assembled on the 

landside of the primary security line prior to being 

processed through security or on the airside of the 

primary security line, particularly in the event of long 

flight delays due to severe weather conditions. (See 

the sidebar for the definitions of airport-specific 

terminology.) 

Specialized plumbing aspects include security 

plumbing fixtures in detention rooms and search 

rooms for passengers detained by local law 

enforcement or customs and immigration authorities. 

Canine areas also require specialized fixtures. 

Laboratory areas are provided for agricultural 

inspection departments. Restaurant and food court 

vendor areas require water, gas, sanitary, and grease 

waste systems. Fluctuating retail tenant spaces and 

food and beverage outlets require sufficient capacity 

and flexibility of service connections, including submetering 

of water and gas consumption. On-site 

storage is provided for backup potable water supply, 

diesel fuel for emergency generators, and propane for 

fuel-fired appliances. Aircraft potable water-filling 

stations and aircraft waste dump facilities also are 

required. Dump facilities generally are located away 

from the terminal and are designed by civil and/or 

environmental engineers. 

Specific additional plumbing systems incorporated for 

this particular project include: 

• Rainwater harvesting, treatment, storage, and 

dedicated flushing water pipe distribution systems 

for water closets and urinals 

• On-site water storage for both potable water and 

flushing water systems 

• Solar potable water heating 

• Heat tracing of grease waste piping from the food 

court to a central grease interceptor located at 

the loading dock 

• Four 10,000-gallon diesel fuel storage tanks to 

maintain operation of the four emergency 

generators for up to seven days due to potential 

municipal power outages during and after 

hurricane events 

• Four propane storage tanks to supply fuel-fired 

appliances 

• Roof drainage overflow systems designed to 

accommodate hurricane-level rainfalls 

• Double-wall underground holding tanks to receive 

drainage discharge from 11 hydraulic elevator pits. 

These tanks were incorporated in to the project as 

potential oil-laden discharge is not permitted to 

drain to the municipal treatment plant. The tanks 


were designed as double to minimize any potential 

environmental leakage to the groundwater. 

The flushing water system piping is provided with colorcoded 

identification along its entire length as well as a 

dye-injection system to minimize the potential for crossconnection 

with the potable water system during future 

system modifications. 

Architectural features in the terminal include a 

cascading water wall with a recirculation pump system 

and water treatment to prevent streaking of the glazed 

wall. The system automatically dumps a preset amount 

of water on a daily basis to prevent excess mineral 

buildup. Two large interior gardens that step down over 

four levels are provided with an irrigation system and 

also incorporate additional supply and drainage piping 

to permit the gardens to be converted to waterfalls. 

PLUMBING FIXTURES 

Sensor-operated water closets, urinals, lavatories, soap 

dispensers, and paper towel dispensers are provided to 

create a complete hands-free washroom environment 

to minimize the passing of germs. In addition, the project 

architects designed washroom entryways to 

accommodate the flow of passengers with luggage in 

tow without the use of doors. Hardwired transformers 

for the sensor-operated faucets and flush valves located 

in adjacent janitor rooms are configured to serve a mix 

of lavatories, urinals, and water closets. Thus, when 

one transformer goes down, not all fixtures of the same 

type in the same washroom group go out of operation. 

Vitreous china water closets are wall mounted to 

facilitate ease of floor cleaning, with accessible plumbing 

service chases provided for maintenance access to 

concealed flush valves. Barrier-free plumbing fixtures 

are provided within each major washroom group, as 

well as separate family washrooms to permit assistance 

to fellow travelers where privacy is required. 

Dual-height stainless steel drinking fountains are 

provided outside each major washroom group to 

accommodate standard-height and barrier-free 

requirements. Inline particulate and carbon cartridge 

filters are provided on the potable water supply line to 

each drinking fountain. The filters are housed in 

lockable stainless steel cabinets in adjacent janitor 

rooms to permit ease of maintenance as well as security 

to prevent potential contamination of the water supply. 

Janitor sinks are provided adjacent to each major 

washroom group and at other locations in the airport 

terminal and each pier. In addition, loose-key-handle 

hose bibbs are provided in each major washroom to 

facilitate maintenance and cleaning without having to 

extend a hose across a public entrance from the adjacent 

janitor room. 

Stainless steel security plumbing fixtures are provided 

in detention and search rooms, mounted on an 

accessible service chase. Manual on/off switches 

mounted on the wall outside each room are connected 

to solenoid valves on the potable and flushing water 

NOVEMBER 2011 39



AIRPORT TERMINOLOGY 

Terminology specific to airports includes the following: 

• Runway: The area from which the aircraft take off and land 

• Taxiway: The area on which the aircraft move between the runway and the apron 

• Apron: The concrete area where aircraft park at the gates while passengers and 

baggage are loaded and unloaded 

• Airside: The areas inside and outside the terminal after passing through security 

• Landside: The areas inside and outside the terminal prior to passing through 

security 

• Primary Security Line (PSL): The division between airside and landside 

• Terminal: The main check-in, departure, and arrival halls plus ticket agencies, 

customs and security, retail, and most other functioning areas of the airport 

• Piers: The long fingers of the building that run from the terminal to the gates 

• Gates: Passenger waiting areas just prior to boarding the aircraft 

• Fixed bridges: The long, narrow walkways from the gates to the aircraft 

• Apron drive bridges: The telescoping and rotating portions of the bridges that 

connect to the edge of the aircraft 

• Baggage conveyors: Automated conveyors that transport luggage between the 

aircraft and the check-in halls or arrival halls 

• Bag hold screen rooms: Where checked baggage is x-rayed and monitored for 

traces of drugs or explosives 

supply piping, allowing security personnel the ability 

to shut off the water supplies to individual fixtures 

without entering the room or the pipe chase. 

Emergency eyewash stations with tempered water 

supplies are provided for staff just outside detention, 

hold, and search rooms. 

Floor drains with sediment buckets, tempered water 

hose bibbs, and wash-up sinks are provided for cleaning 

and maintenance purposes in the canine area for the 

security and customs departments. 

Airport staff areas are provided with stainless steel 

sinks, under-counter dishwashers, and hard-piped 

coffee machines. In addition, shower facilities are 

provided to promote fitness activities at break 

times. 

VIP lounges are provided with designer plumbing fixtures 

selected in conjunction with the interior designers. 

Potable hot water recirculation is extended right to each 

lavatory and sink fixture to eliminate wait times in 

these areas. 

AIRCRAFT POTABLE WATER FILLING STATIONS 

Potable water filling stations are provided for the aircraft 

at each gate. Connections are provided with a reducedpressure 

backflow preventer (RPBP) to prevent any 

potentially contaminated fluids on the aircraft from 

flowing back into the airport’s potable water system. 

The backflow preventers are installed within exterior 

lockable stainless steel cabinets located 3 feet above 

grade at the end of each fixed bridge. Discharge from 

the backflow preventers is permitted to spill to grade as 

these areas are accessible only to maintenance staff. 

Experience has shown that 1¼-inch-diameter supply 

lines are adequate for all aircraft sizes. Small aircraft 

with short turnaround times may be filled quickly, while 

large aircraft with longer turnaround times also are 

filled efficiently. 

The greatest challenge was to assess the total daily 

design volume requirement for all aircraft. This is 

particularly relevant if on-site potable water storage 

is a requirement. This task necessitates obtaining a 

flight schedule matrix from the client, which contains 

the number of flights of each class of aircraft for design 

days. Each class of aircraft has a specified potable 

water storage tank volume that varies considerably 

from small domestic aircraft with 17 gallons to large 

international aircraft, such as an Airbus A330 with 

277 gallons. Water storage volume per passenger also 

varies from approximately S!gallon per passenger on 

smaller aircraft up to 1 gallon per passenger on larger 

aircraft. The design calculation should factor in the 

projected growth of the number of flights over the 

projected period for which the project design is to 

facilitate. 

NOVEMBER 2011 40



BUILDING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM 

The plumbing systems and equipment are monitored 

and controlled by the Building Management System 

(BMS). The functions are tabulated in a Points List 

and integrated with the HVAC BMS system. Input data 

to the BMS is received as analogue inputs (AI—variable 

input from sensor/device to BMS) such as water supply 

temperature or digital inputs (DI—on/off input from 

sensor/device to BMS) such as tank low-water level. In 

turn, the BMS program controls various equipment and 

systems via analogue outputs (AO) such as valve 

position or digital outputs (DO) such as pump start 

and stop. 

Input data also can generate trouble signals such as 

high water temperature, or alarm signals such as low 

fire suppression storage tank water level. Monitoring 

of system functions related to life-safety systems such 

as fire suppression water storage low water level should 

incorporate UL-listed (ULC in Canada) sensors and be 

hardwired to the fire alarm system per UL requirements, 

and not routed through the BMS (although a parallel 

level sensor can provide information to the BMS). 

Trouble and alarm signals can be programmed to 

automatically display at the operations computer work 

station or dialed out to designated operations 

personnel. 

Information can be stored on the system’s hard drive 

for later retrieval by operations and maintenance 

personnel as discrete performance data to assess specific 

incidents or plotted as trend logs to indicate time of 

day or monthly system loads or consumption volumes. 

Preventative maintenance (PM) schedules can be tailored 

through software programming based on actual 

equipment run times and system performance. Potable 

water and gas consumption of retail and food and 

beverage tenants can be monitored and used for billing 

purposes. Similar data can be utilized for electrical 

tenant metering. 

FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEMS 

Fire suppression for airports incorporate a wide variety 

of systems, including on-site water storage, fire pumps, 

standpipe and hose cabinets, wet sprinkler systems, 

dry sprinkler systems, preaction sprinkler systems, 

deluge sprinkler systems, security sprinklers, clean 

agent fire suppression systems, and in some cases 

foam extinguishing systems. Reliability, redundancy, 

emergency power supply, and fire alarm system 

monitoring all play an important role in the lifesafety 

systems of large public buildings serving 

millions of passengers per year that operate on a 24/ 

365 schedule. 

In addition, fire hydrants are required within 150 feet 

of each fire department connection, as well as around 

the exterior of the terminals. Fire hydrants generally 

are provided under the civil scope of work for airport 

projects, and therefore are not discussed here. 

WATER SUPPLY AND WATER STORAGE 

The first choice for water supply to an airport is from 

the municipal water supply system. However, this may 

not always be available since many airports are located 

far from urban centers due to the requirement for a 

very large tract of land and the associated noise impact. 

Even where a municipal water connection is available, 

it may be at the end of a distribution system without 

the pressure and reliability inherent in a looped water 

main system. 

Where possible, two water supply connections should 

be provided for redundancy and reliability, and the water 

main either looped around the exterior of the airport 

terminal or interconnected within the terminal. 

On-site firefighting water storage may be required based 

on review of demand requirements noted below. 

Elevated water storage tanks constructed at sufficient 

heights have the benefit of gravity feed and do not 

require a fire pump; however, their construction is 

expensive, and they may interfere with air traffic control 

restrictions on height and line of sight. At-grade water 

storage tanks are a practical choice and may be 

constructed of concrete, prefabricated and field 

assembled bolted steel panels, or other materials. Tanks 

must be constructed to American Water Works 

Association (AWWA) or other applicable standards. Tank 

accessories include access hatches for observation, 

cleaning, and maintenance; external and internal 

ladders; inlet, outlet, drain, test, and overflow pipe 

connections; screened vent openings; level sensors; and 

usage identification. 

Tank water storage volumes must accommodate 

standpipe flow requirements plus sprinkler demand. The 

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 415: 

Standard on Airport Terminal Buildings, Fueling Ramp 

Drainage, and Loading Walkways requires fire flows for 

glazing exposure protection to be added to the other 

standpipe and sprinkler water storage requirements. 

Provision of two water storage tanks provides 

redundancy and reliability during periods of tank 

maintenance. 

If water storage tanks also are to serve potable water 

systems, then all linings, internal ladders, and other 

components coming into contact with the water must 

be constructed of, or coated with, a product adhering 

to NSF 61: Drinking Water System Components 

requirements. In addition, potable water, flushing water, 

or irrigation water that share a tank must have an 

outlet connection located above the top of the minimum 

storage volume required for firefighting. In this 

configuration, there is no reliance on control set points 

or operator interface to preserve the firefighting water 

volume. Where water storage tanks are dedicated only 

for firefighting, consideration should be given to 

providing a tank circulating pump to minimize the 

potential formation of stagnant water. 

NOVEMBER 2011 41


Water level sensor controls are required for the 

activation of solenoid fill valves and for monitoring the 

water level in the tanks. Level sensors related to the 

minimum required fire water storage volumes should 

be UL/ULC-listed and connected to dedicated trouble 

signals on the fire alarm system. 

Tanks should be mounted on concrete pads designed 

in conjunction with the civil, structural, and/or 

geotechnical engineer to properly support the tank 

structure plus the weight of the contained water. A 

40,000-gallon water tank weighs well over 300,000 

pounds and may only cover a 20-foot diameter footprint. 

Tank farms require appropriate security fencing, gates, 

bollards, lighting, and security cameras. Access for 

service vehicles should be provided from landside service 

roads. 

FIRE PUMPS 

Fire suppression systems, particularly those with 

standpipes, typically include fire pumps to satisfy the 

100-pound-per-square-inch (psi) pressure at the top of 

the system per NFPA 14: Standard for the Installation of 

Standpipe and Hose Systems. The pressure drop through 

a backflow preventer, static pressure due to building 

height, pressure drop due to flow resistance in the 

piping, and residual pressure are added to calculate 

the required pressure, which may be 125 psi or more. 

This pressure is rarely available from a municipal water 

supply connection or a water tower. 

Fire pumps must be in accordance with NFPA 20: 

Standard for the Installation of Stationary Pumps for Fire 

Protection. Fire pumps on emergency power can be the 

largest load on an electrical generator; therefore, close 

communication with the electrical engineer is required 

at the early stages of the project. Fire pumps must be 

provided with dedicated UL/ULC-listed controllers and 

transfer switches. NFPA 20 does not permit the main 

building transfer switch to be utilized in lieu of a 

dedicated fire pump transfer switch. 

NFPA 20 also requires fire pumps to be provided with a 

one-hour separation from the remainder of the building. 

This requires considerable additional floor space above 

that required if a fire pump were in a mechanical room 

with other mechanical equipment. 

SPRINKLER AND STANDPIPE ZONING 

An invisible but hard line runs through an airport 

terminal, termed a Primary Security Line (PSL). On 

landside, the public enters the airport terminal, but 

has yet to go through security. On airside, the 

passengers and staff have gone through a security 

checkpoint. The fire suppression system zoning should 

take this line into account as part of the respective 

sprinkler, standpipe, and special system zone 


boundaries. Even fire department and emergency 

response personnel will have challenges crossing the 

PSL, and response could prove confusing and challenging 

during a fire event if a sprinkler zone on the fire alarm 

panel straddled the PSL. 

SPRINKLER SYSTEMS 

Hazard Classifications are important criteria in the 

design of fire suppression sprinkler systems. NFPA 415 

classifies passenger handling areas as Ordinary Hazard 

Group 1; baggage, package, and mail handling areas as 

Ordinary Hazard Group 2; and all other areas are 

classified in accordance with NFPA 13. 

Wet sprinkler systems are provided per NFPA 13: 

Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems 

throughout all areas of the terminal buildings, piers, 

and fixed bridges. Sprinklers are not required in the 

apron drive bridges as these are considered outside of 

the building. 

Preaction sprinkler systems are provided for the bag hold 

screen rooms. These are large rooms where checked 

baggage passes through very expensive x-ray and drug/ 

explosives detection equipment. The machines may cost 

$5 million USD each; thus, a room with five machines 

may be valued at $25 million USD, and water damage 

must be minimized. Preaction sprinkler system panels 

should be located in a separate adjacent mechanical 

room or service closet. All piping within the room, other 

than the piping downstream of the preaction panel, 

including standpipe piping must be welded. 

Deluge sprinkler systems are required for exposure 

protection of glazing at departure lounges and lobbies 

located within the minimum distance limitations of 

aircraft fueling points per NFPA 415. The sprinklers and 

sprinkler piping are located on the exterior side of the 

glazing only. The type of sprinkler and placement of 

the sprinklers is very specific with respect to the 

geometry of the glazing and glazing mullions. They must 

be detailed carefully in conjunction with the architect 

during design as penetrations through glazing and 

mullions are not easily accommodated in the field. 

Water curtains served from the respective floor area 

sprinkler zones are required at the perimeter of large 

floor openings that create interconnected floor spaces. 

Smoke bafflers often are constructed of glass and should 

be detailed by the architect. Water curtains also may 

be required at glazing facing onto exit routes. 

Specific additional fire sprinkler systems for airports 

include sprinklers associated with the baggage conveyor 

systems. Sprinklers are provided on a dedicated zone 

above the conveyors where the conveyors are routed 

above ceilings and sprinklers below the conveyors where 

the conveyors are routed in rooms without ceilings. In 

NOVEMBER 2011 42


addition, sprinklers are provided on each side of 

locations where conveyors penetrate fire-rated 

separations. 

Security sprinklers are required in detention, hold, and 

search rooms where persons under question may be 

left unattended. 

Dry sprinkler systems typically are provided below fixed 

bridges and piers, at exterior loading bays, and at 

exterior baggage handling areas; however, these are not 

required in Nassau, where winter design temperatures 

are 60°F. 

STANDPIPE SYSTEMS 

Standpipe hose stations and fire hose cabinets are 

provided per NFPA 14 throughout the terminal, piers, 

and fixed bridges, as well as 2½-inch hose valves in 

cabinets along the perimeter of the building facing onto 

the airfield. Due to the large floorplate of an airport 

terminal, hose stations are provided initially at the 

intermediate landings of exit stairwells, with additional 

fire hose cabinets provided throughout the floor area. 

Considerations of the Primary Security Line must be 

taken into account as noted above. Security personnel 

will not permit a secure door to be propped open by fire 

hoses crossing from one security zone to another. 

SPECIALTY SYSTEMS 

Clean agent fire extinguishing systems designed to NFPA 

2001: Standard on Clean Agent Fire Extinguishing Systems 

such as Novec 1230, FM200, or Inergen are provided for 

spaces containing sensitive operational equipment such 

as in main communications rooms and computer 

rooms. All aspects of the complete system including 

the clean agent cylinders, solenoid valves, control 

panels, distribution piping, discharge nozzles, smoke 

detectors, manual pull stations, manual abort stations, 

pre-alarm bells, and alarm horns and strobes should 

be specified under one Division of the contract. The 

work should not be split between the mechanical and 

electrical sections of the drawings or specifications in 

order to maintain one direct line of responsibility 

including commissioning, demonstration, and warranty. 

Coordination during the design stage with the client or 

user group as well as the architect is required. The electrical 

consultant will need to provide power supply from the 

emergency power system and connections from the control 

panel to the fire alarm system. Room integrity testing as 

required by NFPA 2001 necessitates close cooperation 

among all disciplines to properly seal all penetrations in 

the room and associated raised floor spaces. 

MATERIALS 

Airports are busy facilities and generally operate 24/365. 


Materials in the public realm subject to abuse must be 

durable, easy to maintain, and easy to clean. 

As with many public buildings, there is a distinction in 

products used in front-of-house areas visible to the 

public and back-of-house spaces only accessed by staff 

and service personnel. Front-of-house spaces 

incorporate stainless steel solid-front-panel fire 

extinguisher cabinets and fire hose cabinets throughout 

the facility for aesthetics, as well as to eliminate the 

potential for accidental or intentional breakage of glass 

panels. Concealed sprinklers are provided in the large 

check-in halls and hold rooms. Back-of-house areas 

incorporate conventional tempered glass panels in red 

enamel fire extinguisher and fire hose cabinets and semirecessed 

glass bulb sprinklers. 

Exterior components are corrosion resistant due to the 

high salt content in the air. Aluminum cabinets, 

stainless steel pipe hangers, and high-performance 

paints on exposed steel piping are incorporated. 

SUPPORT BUILDINGS 

Many other buildings and facilities may be associated 

with an airport complex, including fire halls, aircraft 

hangers, maintenance and service buildings, car rental 

buildings, taxi and bus driver buildings, parkades, and 

parking lot attendant buildings. These facilities will 

have their own special requirements for plumbing and 

fire suppression engineering, but they are not discussed 

in this article, which focuses on airport terminal 

buildings. 

SUMMARY 

Many parameters must be considered during the 

engineering of airport plumbing and fire suppression 

systems, and many design solutions are available to 

the engineer. Systems must accommodate large numbers 

of passengers, often on a 24/365 basis, and must include 

reliability, redundancy, resource efficiency, and ease of 

maintenance. IPT 

Reprinted with permission from the April 2010 issue of 

Plumbing Systems & Design. © American Society of Plumbing 

Engineers. All rights reserved. 

Jim Beveridge, P. Eng., LEED AP, is a 

Principal and the Plumbing and Fire 

Suppression Discipline Leader for 

Stantec Consulting Ltd. located in 

Vancouver, British Columbia, 

Canada. He has been an ASPE 

member since 1976, is past president of the ASPE British 

Columbia Chapter, and is a member of the Association of 

Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia, 

ASHRAE, and SFPE. Jim earned his degree in mechanical 

engineering from the University of British Columbia. 

NOVEMBER 2011 43

EFFICIENT PLUMBING Jim Beveridge - Ipt.co.in

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