How MEP Engineering Reduced Rooftop Equipment by 67% for a 3,500 sq. ft. Escape Room Facility

Project Overview

A 3,500 sq. ft. Escapology entertainment center in North Carolina was being developed within an existing building, with each escape room designed around a different theme and experience.

Unlike a conventional commercial fit-out, each room had its own combination of lighting, power, low-voltage, audio, access-control, and mechanical requirements, all within a tightly coordinated space.

The project also needed to make use of the building's existing HVAC infrastructure while accommodating equipment requirements established by the games vendor.

The challenge was to develop a coordinated MEP design that could support multiple themed environments, work within the existing building, and be delivered within an accelerated two-week timeline.

The Challenge

The existing building and specialized entertainment requirements created several coordination challenges.

The design needed to:

• Accommodate different power, lighting, low-voltage, audio, and control requirements across each escape room
• Integrate game equipment and systems specified by the games vendor
• Evaluate whether the existing three rooftop units (RTUs) were actually required
• Coordinate access-control and door systems with the fire alarm system
• Address field conditions where the installed electrical work differed from the approved design

The analysis needed to consider the facility as an integrated system rather than treating each themed room or building system independently.

The MEP Engineering Approach

Engineering Each Room Around Its Experience

Each escape room had its own combination of equipment and systems, requiring the MEP design to account for the specific experience planned for that space.

Requirements for specialty lighting, speakers, equipment, low-voltage systems, and access controls were coordinated with the games vendor before being integrated into the electrical and low-voltage layouts.

This allowed room-specific systems to function as intended while maintaining coordination across the facility.

Reducing Three RTUs to One Through Load Analysis

The client initially wanted to reuse the building's three existing RTUs.

Rather than assuming all three units were required, airflow balancing and occupancy calculations were used to evaluate the facility's actual HVAC requirements.

The analysis showed that one RTU could satisfy the facility's requirements, reducing the rooftop equipment requirement from three units to one.

This resulted in a 67% reduction in rooftop equipment while meeting the facility's ventilation requirements.

Coordinating Access Control With Fire Alarm

The facility's entertainment technology introduced additional life-safety coordination requirements.

Motion sensors and access-control systems were coordinated with the fire alarm system so that required doors could unlock during a fire alarm event.

This allowed the entertainment and life-safety systems to operate together rather than as independent installations.

Resolving Field Conditions During Construction

During inspection, the installed electrical work was found to differ from the approved drawings, including outlet faceplates that had not been installed as specified.

The discrepancy created draft- and fire-stopping concerns and required coordination during construction.

The issue was reviewed with the contractor and reviewer to identify the required correction and bring the installation back into alignment with the approved design and applicable requirements.