A short guide

From what MEP is, to where BuildFlo fits.

Scroll the story in order, or jump from the contents. You’ll see how UK building services are designed — and where BuildFlo sits beside AutoCAD and Revit without replacing them.

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Building services pipework visualisation

01 — What is MEP

The engineering that makes a building liveable.

MEP (or MEPH in UK practice) is mechanical, electrical, and public health. It heats, cools, ventilates, powers, and supplies water — and removes waste safely.

Mechanical

Heating, cooling, ventilation, and plant — heat pumps, AHUs, MVHR, radiators, UFH, and ductwork.

Electrical

Power, lighting, containment, fire alarms, and controls that feed and protect the building.

Public health

Hot and cold water, drainage, and sanitary systems. In the UK you’ll often hear MEPH.

Knowing the disciplines is step one. Next: how a real job actually moves.

02 — How design works

Not one clever calc — a loop from brief to issue.

A typical UK building-services job runs across RIBA stages. Strategy and calculation sit before drawing; documentation and issue close the loop.

01Brief
Loads, constraints, and what “good” looks like.
02Strategy
Systems chosen to fit the building and regs.
03Calculate
Sizes proven before you draw them.
04Draw
Layouts and schematics in CAD / BIM.
05Document
Schedules, specs, and issue sheets.
06Issue
Package out, coordinate, revise.

The middle of that loop is where sizing decisions get made. Try a few yourself.

03 — Core calcs

The methods behind heat, pipe, air, and power.

These are the same UK sizing approaches BuildFlo uses. Run one, then ask a regs question if you want the citation beside the number.

How engineers do it

Heat losses

How much heat a room loses through fabric and ventilation — the start of emitter and heat-pump sizing.

1Gather U-values for walls, floors, roof, and glazing.
2Note areas and design indoor vs outdoor temperature (ΔT).
3Add fabric loss (ΣUAΔT) and ventilation loss.
4Size emitters or heat pump with a sensible margin.

Q ≈ Σ (U × A × ΔT) + ventilation loss

Calcs don’t live alone — they sit next to CAD, BIM, and the standards you design to.

04 — Tools & standards

Where the model lives, and what you’re designing to.

Design work sits in AutoCAD, Revit, IESVE, and specialist tools. BuildFlo doesn’t replace them — it helps between sessions with calcs, citations, and paperwork. Everything below is grounded in UK guidance.

Day-to-day software

AutoCAD2D layouts and schematics
Revit MEP3D coordination and schedules
IESVEDynamic thermal simulation
Dialux / ReluxLighting calculations
HevacompLoads and plant sizing
AmtechCable sizing to BS 7671

What BuildFlo designs to

Part FVentilation

Part LEnergy

Part BFire safety

Part OOverheating

CIBSEGuides A, B, G…

BS 7671Wiring regs

Also common on live jobs: Parts G/H/J/M/P/S, BS 8558, BS EN 806, BS EN 12464, BSRIA, BESA DW172, SAP / NCM.

So far: disciplines, process, calcs, tools. The friction usually isn’t the engineering — it’s the admin around it.

05 — Where time goes

Judgement stays with you. The grind doesn’t have to.

Schedules, issue sheets, fee proposals, and mid-calc regs look-ups eat evenings. That’s the gap BuildFlo is built for — not replacing your CAD session.

Traditional

Rebuild schedules in Excel after every revision.

With BuildFlo

Refresh schedules from project context instead of re-typing.

Equipment schedules
Drawing registers & issue sheets
Fee proposals from enquiry packs
Regs look-ups mid-design

Here’s how that helper shows up day to day.

06 — How BuildFlo fits

Keep the model tools. Use BuildFlo between them.

AutoCAD, Revit, and IESVE stay for drawings and simulation. BuildFlo is the everyday helper for cited answers, sizing, QA, and document grind.

Cited Q&A

Ask Part F, Part L, or CIBSE questions and get clause citations.

Calculators

Pipe, duct, MVHR, U-values — UK methods, not guesswork.

Drawing QA

Catch common issues before senior review.

Issue sheets

Automate registers and send-out admin.

Fee proposals

Enquiry pack to scoped proposal, faster.

Automations

Background workflows while you keep designing.

07 — Get started