Mechanical + HVAC
Equipment siting, duct routing, ceiling depths, zoning and the ceiling plan consequences of each.
Technical · Systems + Infrastructure
The systems are the difference between a house that looks resolved and one that is.
Mechanical, electrical, plumbing, low-voltage and smart home infrastructure designed into the architecture rather than fitted around it.
The idea
Every system leaves a mark on the architecture.
Ducts need depth. Panels need walls. Lighting needs ceiling space and a plan. Water and waste need slope. When these are resolved after the design is fixed, they surface as dropped soffits, relocated windows and details that no longer work.
Because Apel Design carries its drawings through construction, systems are coordinated at design stage against real dimensions and real installation sequences, so the resolved architecture survives the mechanical rough-in.
Knowledge + experience
Infrastructure planned with the building, not after it.
Engineering is performed by licensed engineers of record; Apel Design coordinates the integration with the architecture.
Electrical + power
Service sizing, panel and subpanel locations, circuit planning and equipment coordination.
Plumbing + waste
Fixture layout, supply routing, waste slope, venting and the wall depths each requires.
Lighting design
Architectural lighting, integrated LED tape detailing, layered control and fixture coordination.
Low voltage + network
Structured cabling, network infrastructure, access points and equipment rack planning.
Smart home + control
Lighting control, shades, audio, climate and security integrated on a single control platform.
Pools + water systems
Pool equipment, overflow, circulation, heating and the site engineering they depend on.
Solar + energy
Photovoltaic layout, battery storage, service coordination and Title 24 compliance.
The path
Plan, integrate, detail, commission.
Plan
Establish system requirements, equipment sizes and space needs while the plan can still absorb them.
Integrate
Coordinate routing, ceiling depths, chases and wall thicknesses against the architecture.
Detail
Draw the conditions where architecture and systems actually meet, before they are built.
Commission
Verify installation, control programming and performance through closeout.
Questions
Useful clarity before the first conversation.
Does Apel Design perform MEP engineering?
Mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering is performed by licensed engineers of record. Apel Design coordinates that work with the architecture and manages the interfaces during design and construction.
Why coordinate systems so early?
Because system requirements consume architectural space. Ceiling height, wall depth and soffit lines are decided by duct and pipe routing, and reversing those decisions late is expensive.
What smart home platforms do you work with?
The studio has designed and installed low-voltage infrastructure including networked lighting control, structured cabling and integrated control systems. Platform selection follows the project and the client.
Is solar coordinated as part of this?
Yes. Photovoltaic layout, battery storage and service coordination are handled with the electrical design and the Title 24 energy compliance path.
One continuous thread
These do not happen in isolation.
Site engineering, approvals, documentation and building systems all constrain each other. On our projects they are resolved together, by one team, rather than handed between consultants.
Systems in construction
Infrastructure, before it disappears.
Every image below is from an Apel Design project.