This article was published in ASHRAE Journal, July 2010.

Copyright 2010 American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. Posted at www.ashrae.org. This article may not be copied and/or distributed electronically or in paper form without permission of ASHRAE. For more information about ASHRAE Journal, visit www.ashrae.org.

Security is one of the primary concerns when designing ventilation systems for correctional facilities.

HVAC for Prisons

By Scott McMillan, P .E., Member ASHRAE

he Pew Center on the States recently issued a report that one in 100 adults

in the United States are in prison or jail.1 This is an all-time high and a

surprising statistic for many. For those involved in correctional design, construction, and operation, it was a sobering validation that the industry is having a hard time keeping up with the need for new correctional facilities. Not only do these facilities take time to design and construct, the costs associated with building correctional facilities are increasing, and owners resources are dwindling, as state government budgets tighten. Todays engineers are being called upon to help solve a large societal issue. This article will provide a back30 ASHRAE Journal

ground regarding correctional design considerations for jails and prisons and will offer a glimpse of what lies ahead.
Security

to house pre-trial (jails) and convicted (prison) inmates. Therefore, without adequate security and care by the design team, the facility cannot fully serve its purpose. Quite often, bond referendums seek approval and funding after months or years of planning. Elected officials and civic leaders provide backing and support, even at the expense of their political careers to make decisions in the best interest of their constituents and the at-large public. It is critical after the design phase begins

About the Author

Scott McMillan, P .E., is a professional associate and senior mechanical engineer for HDR, Inc., in Dallas. He is also research chairman of ASHRAE Task Group TG9.JF, Justice Facilities.

Security is probably the most obvious concern in the correctional facility. The facility has been funded and designed
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Photo courtesy of HDR Architecture, Inc.; Paul Schlismann Photography

Photo courtesy of HDR Architecture, Inc.; W.Scott Chester Photographer

Life safety is a serious concern in a correctional environment because inhabitants cannot freely access means of egress.

that the right decisions are made. Many people are counting pressurization of adjacent spaces and maintaining appropriate on it. pressure differentials are critical to a successful smoke purge For the mechanical engineer, several important factors related system. Often the air-handling unit serving the dayrooms and to their design can compromise security. The rst item to con- cells will provide makeup air to the area in a smoke purge event sider is the security level of the facility or the area of the facility: by ramping up via a variable frequency drive (VFD). Other minimum, medium, and maximum security. It is not uncommon times, when the pressure differential is too great, makeup air for a mixture of security levels to exist within the same facility will be supplied via a supplemental makeup unit or louvers that or multibuilding campus, so the engineer must design accord- communicate directly to the outdoors. ingly. The secure perimeter is dened Smoke purge systems should not be by security consultants and/or the staff. confused with an engineered smoke Air devices are available to the specier, control system, as def ined in some appropriate to each security type. Heavy building codes. Engineered smoke congauge steel air devices are typically used trol systems are typically applicable to for all maximum security applications in atriums, rotundas, arenas, and other high cells, particularly when they are in reach volume spaces where the main purpose of inmates. Suicide-resistant grilles can is to maintain a tenable environment as be used in psychiatric and other highoccupants egress out of the compartment. risk areas. An engineered smoke control system Hollywood has dramatized jail and requires more calculations and effort on prison escape by way of large sheet the engineers part, primarily because metal ducts. This is certainly possible, the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) and it does occur, but rarely are barrier usually requires it. grilles/bars not specied in all ductwork This type of system is not typically penetrating the secure perimeter walls, applied within a jail or prison because making escape virtually impossible. Grilles and bars usually are specied in all it is not always practical. First, not all Walls to deck and other means of sespaces have combustible materials within ductwork for correctional facilities. curing the construction are carefully them. The contents of individual cells considered during design by security specialists. It is critical for (mattresses, jumpsuits, shoes, bed sheets) are typically made the engineer to work closely with them as the design progresses. of non-combustible, treated materials and fabrics. Most correctional environments do not include many items that would Life Safety contribute to a signicant re or smoke event. Second, many This is a serious subject in a correctional environment because spaces within jails and prisons do not have the volume to all inhabitants cannot freely access means of egress in the event support this type of treatment. For example, most cells have of re. Many facilities are an institutional occupancy throughout a precast concrete lid or a secure ceiling that is usually 8 ft and, as a result, require smoke purge systems that are designed (2.4 m) from the nished oor. With most cells having operto remove smoke, based on detection at a local smoke detector able slider or key-lock doors at 7 ft (2.1 m), it is not practical or in-duct detector. As with most negative-pressure applications, to maintain a developed smoke layer in the space when there
July 2010
Photo courtesy of HDR Architecture, Inc.; Mark Trew

Photo courtesy of HDR Architecture, Inc.; Tom Kessler Photographer

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is typically no more than 12 in. (305 mm) of space between In both cases, a refuge area is created within the housing pod in the top of the door and the top of the cell. an emergency, without having to leave the connes of the secure Since most jails and prisons are classied as I-3 building perimeter. Dependent on the size of the dayroom and the size/ type (per the building code), there are some conditions where quantity of cells served, these areas are often served by separate an engineered smoke control system is required. For example, air-handling units. Ductwork mains, branches, and air devices are a below grade, windowless smoke compartment would fall typically selected and sized based on smoke purge cfm. into this category and would require additional protection for exhaust or pressurization for smoke compartments. This condi- System Selection tion is unusual, but it is possible in this building type. Engineers often hear the term design to budget and, deIn a correctional environment, the concern is not re and spite their efforts, see good intentions and good practices in protection of the contents. It is the smoke and harmful gases. design diminished in the bidding and award phase because the Smoke inhalation presents the greatest threat to the inhabitants project is over budget. This is certainly no more prevalent in of the building, most of which cannot egress freely, if at all. my experience than designing correctional facilities. As with A smoke purge system addresses this many health-care projects, beds are and protects inmates and staff alike, in typically the main focus of most corsuch an event. In most occupancy types rectional projects. The number of beds and building types, engineers encounter and the projects capacity to provide the egress paths, re and smoke rated assemrequired number sometimes supercedes blies, and other construction methods to many other engineering decisions. provide free access for occupants to ee When selecting a system, it is cersafely in an emergency. Obviously, incartainly important to consider the rst cerated individuals cannot be allowed this costs and make reasonable decisions. freedom and measures must be taken by However, in my experience, the operathe engineer to address this. tor is critical to this equation as well. The location and type of facility are Who will actually be operating and critical to the engineer when designing maintaining the equipment? Quite a smoke purge system. If it is a state often, correctional owners do not mainor county facility, does the state have a tain a staff of highly skilled technicians jail standard to follow? If it is a federal and specialists. As the engineer, you do not want to design a system that extends facility, is there a published guideline way beyond the owners capabilities or that is applicable? Who is the authorthe capabilities of their maintenance ity having jurisdiction? Will the facility Bed count, rst costs or square footage often personnel. No amount of care during seek accreditation? Is the facility public take the focus away from energy efciency. design and construction can overcome or privately funded? Many requirements are available to the engineer, and few of them are consistent in the operators inability to keep the system maintained and their approach to smoke purge. The engineer must be careful functional long after the projects completion. It is also important to understand the requirements of the projwhen researching applicable standards for the project. The State of Texas, for example, has a jail standard that re- ect. In many states, correctional facilities are not air conditioned quires a minimum of 6 air changes/hour for normal operation at allthey are only ventilated and heated. For example, in Texas and 15 air changes/hour for smoke purge. Some states allow 6 only 19 out of 112 prisons have systems that provide heating and air changes and 10 air changes while other states have no jail cooling. Many of the 19 air-conditioned facilities are for sick standard or guideline at all. It is critical that the engineer meet and mentally ill prisoners.2 Surprisingly, this is not unusual in with the AHJ and come to an agreement on all life-safety aspects Louisiana, Florida, and other states with warm, humid climates. Obviously, natural ventilation in northern climates is much of the project, particularly the approach to smoke removal and more bearable. Evaporative cooling is more commonplace in control, early in the project. As requirements vary from state to state, so do the approaches to arid climates of the desert southwest and California. Quite often, smoke purge. Quite often, the dayroom spaces are exhausted, and sheriffs and wardens consider air conditioning, televisions, and the cells are not. In other cases, dayrooms may be supplied, and other amenities to be perks, and they are used as a means of the cells exhausted. Many believe that a better design approach control. The theory being that a more comfortable population is to provide smoke purge fans to exhaust cells and dayrooms will lead to a decrease in violence and other disturbances, not separately, regardless of location. If smoke is detected in the day- to mention recruitment and retention of staff. room, it becomes highly negative to the surrounding area when its dedicated smoke purge fan is energized. At the same time, the Energy Efciency It is not unusual for energy efciency to be forgotten in a new cells that are adjacent to the dayroom (often double tiered) are pressurized to prevent passage of smoke from one area to the next. correctional facility. The bed count, rst costs, or square footage
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Photo courtesy of HDR Architecture, Inc.; Mark Trew

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often take the focus away from this critical component. The energy efciency of the system will affect the utility consumption and costs of the facility for the life of the project. Quite often, these facilities are designed, constructed, and operated with the use of public funds and high efciency equipment is not the highest priority. The engineer should work to advise the owner of the long-term impacts of designing around, purchasing, and installing the least expensive equipment. The effects of this decision are long-lasting. Design-build projects are prevalent today. The engineer and contractor must work closely on behalf of the owner to deliver an energy-efcient system. As the designer, you cannot forget that all correctional facilities operate 24/7/365. In todays economy, building owners and operators already have stretched budgets and are struggling to make the numbers add up. Saddling them with an inefcient system will not do them any favors in the long run. They need systems that they can afford, and this extends far beyond the rst cost. They need systems that are efcient, maintainable, and are designed to last for many years.
Water Efciency

of certication, the designer has to go beyond relying upon a superior building envelope to reduce energy consumption and costs. Cogeneration, massive solar arrays, photovoltaics, and other non-typical approaches have been successfully implemented by engineers in correctional facilities across the United States to reduce energy. A large prison in Canada is constructing a wind turbine installation that will generate approximately 20% of the penitentiarys electricity demands.3 Rainwater harvesting, cooling coil condensate reclaim, cooling tower blowdown recovery, and laundry water recycling systems are becoming more prevalent and can save unbelievable quantities of water at a jail or prison.
Conclusions

Correctional facilities are large consumers of water, which is often overlooked. The idea of water conservation has been brought to the forefront in the last few years by the U.S. Green Building Councils (USGBC) LEED rating system, but it has been a difcult idea to grasp in a correctional environment. The main reason for this has been that correctional plumbing xtures have not been available in low ow models as other standard xtures have. Since the great majority of xtures in a jail or prison are penal xtures, the overall water reduction by using low ow xtures elsewhere is typically minimal. Recently, water efciency credits in LEED became more easily achieved in a jail or prison when a credit interpretation ruled that xtures in housing and other secure areas do not need to apply to achieve this credit. Before this decision, water efciency credits were difcult to achieve because the quantities of secure inmate xtures versus staff/public xtures were disproportionate.
Sustainability

This is obviously a hot topic in our industry, regardless of the building type. Everyone wants to go green. It is an important initiative of ASHRAE, the Department of Energy, and others to reduce building consumption signicantly within the next few years. Net zero energy articles, discussions, webcasts, and forums seem to be everywhere. Pressure to minimize energy and water consumption in correctional facilities is no different. However, one main problem within the correctional industry is that lawmakers support initiatives or require sustainability to be incorporated into the project, without providing nancial backing. As a result, many good intentions die in the budgetary phase of the project. Fewer than 20 correctional facilities have been awarded LEED certication to date. In many cases, designers have been forced to think outside the box from the earliest stages of the project. Obviously, the level of LEED certication is the largest driver. The requirements of certied and Platinum are vastly different. To reach higher levels
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As with any specialty building type, architects and engineers within our industry are aware of the nuances specic to that type of facility. Correctional facilities are certainly no exception. Unlike many facility types like hospitals, for example, there are not typically widely accepted standards or guidelines for engineers to turn to reference. If standards or guidelines do exist, they can be confusing and contradictory, in some cases. Many experts in the correctional eld, especially regarding new technologies and sustainable initiatives, believe sources of information are lacking, as well as the knowledge base by engineers to implement these concepts. As a result, ASHRAE formed task group TG9.JF, Justice Facilities, in 2005. The members of this technical group include engineers, designers, and owners involved in the correctional industry. The rst order of business was to update Chapter 8, Justice Facilities in ASHRAE HandbookHVAC Applications. The ultimate goal of this group is to see a guideline/standard written for correctional facilities. Writing such guidelines and standards take time to come to fruition; the HVAC Design Manual for Hospitals and Clinics,4 published in 2003, took many years to complete. Today, this ASHRAE publication is an invaluable resource to health-care professionals in our industry. It could be argued that correctional facility design is an isolated niche within our industry and, in many ways, it is. However, the need for new, energy-efcient facilities will only increase as the population continues to rise, and existing facilities become more aged. To uphold our promise to protect the public health, safety, and welfare,5 the time for ASHRAE and engineers to respond is now.
References
1. Pew Center on the States, Pew Public Safety Performance Project. 2008. One in 100: Behind Bars in America 2008. http://tinyurl.com/ onein100pew. 2. The Associated Press. 2009. Most Texas State Prisons Deal with Summer Heat Without Air Conditioning. July 5. 3. Thum, S. 2009. Canadian prison looks to wind power for cost savings. Correctional News. Sept/Oct:2829. 4. ASHRAE. 2003. HVAC Design Manual for Hospitals and Clinics. 5. Texas Board of Professional Engineers. 2009. The State of Texas, Texas Engineering Practice Act and Rules Concerning the Practice of Engineering and Professional Engineering Licensure. ashrae.org July 2010