Examination of relationships between building form and function, and the cost of mechanical and electrical services

This paper describes analysis work undertaken to examine relationships between building function, building form and mechanical and electrical services cost, including the collection of raw data, and the transformation work undertaken to enable analysis. Relationships are identified between building form parameters, e.g. perimeter of external walls, gross floor area, storey heights, percentage of glazing, and the mechanical and electrical services costs for buildings of different functions (commercial, industrial and residential). There are relationships between the costs of the mechanical and electrical services installations and some building form descriptors, but the particular descriptors and the strength of the relationships vary according to the function of the building.