The brief
A high-specification Grade-A commercial development requiring complex MEP coordination and strict adherence to spatial clearances. The service-room levels carried a high density of MEP runs and a published 3 m floor-to-soffit minimum that was not optional.
Why it was risky
MEP coordination on dense commercial floors fails in tight, predictable ways. An oversized duct designed under an overhead pipe will block the service-room door; a 100 mm clearance miss against a 3 m minimum forces ceiling rework across the floor.
- Duct design error: an oversized duct was sized below overhead pipes, blocking service-room entry.
- Costly relocation: the proposed mitigation was to relocate the service-room door — a downstream architectural change.
- Clearance failure: the STP package was poorly coordinated with adjacent services.
- Height violation: the 3 m vertical minimum was not held in the as-designed condition.
What Kaël did
- Integrated design coordination rolled drawing management and design coordination into one workflow, surfacing spatial clashes during planning rather than during installation.
- Spatial clash detection caught the duct-vs-pipe conflict before the duct was sized for procurement.
- Clearance verification drove RFIs that confirmed the 3 m minimum at every service-room location.
- Mandatory inspections enforced vertical clearance checks at execution.
- NCR tracking formalised any corrective action so nothing slipped between vendors.
Outcome
The duct was resized and rerouted at the planning phase. The service-room door stayed where it was. The 3 m vertical clearance was held across the floor, and no extensive ceiling rework was required.
