I noticed that in AIA B101 section 3.1 it identifies the structural, mechanical and electrical engineers but doesn’t include a plumbing engineer. I would have assumed all MEP is considered part of the basic services. Are plumbing engineers considered a specialty consultant and therefore an additional service? Or is it assumed plumbing engineering services are part of the basic services even though its not specifically stated?
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Hi @mroby ! One of our expert architects will be able to help with your question. @coachdarionziegler do you mind jumping in?
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Hi @mroby ,
The architect would consult with a plumbing engineer as necessary as part of basic services. It is not an additional service.
Plumbing technically falls under mechanical engineering. While a lot of times engineering firms have a dedicated person who focuses plumbing engineering, those people are licensed as “mechanical engineers”. There is no separate licensure which only tests engineers on plumbing concepts as they relate to building design. Sometimes the “mechanical engineer” on the project does both what we think of as mechanical and the plumbing work!
I don’t really know the B101 decides to phrase it this way, but plumbing engineering a definitely a part of basic services.
I like this resource for learning more about how the architect determines their fee for basic services:
Hope this helps!
-Darion