From electricity to architecture

In fact, electrical equipment in buildings is extremely large in scale. In large facilities, it starts with receiving high-voltage, large-capacity electricity. The electricity is then stepped down, stabilized, and distributed throughout the building to provide easy-to-use, safe, and efficient power. This is a small substation. In some cases, a generator is installed inside the building to prepare for power outages and stabilize the supply of electricity. This makes it a power plant. The distributed electricity powers not only lighting, but also air conditioning equipment and elevators, breathing life into the building. Naturally, high-performance electrical equipment is selected, and in some cases products are developed as well. In addition, when electricity is used, easy-to-use adjustment devices such as switches are needed, and a mechanism for monitoring and controlling usage is also required. Furthermore, information systems are now installed throughout the building, and the transmission of vast amounts of information without error and its effective use are also part of electrical equipment.

On the other hand, the world of electricity seems to be far removed from the world of architecture, unchanged since 1950, or even more specialized. However, the wonders of the world of electricity are not unrelated to architecture, and they are likely to inspire the world of architecture. Although I am an amateur when it comes to electricity, the knowledge and electrical work I have learned since elementary school remain as experiences of the wonder of electricity. For example, the mechanism of the periodically fluctuating flow of electricity called alternating current, the conversion of voltage through magnetic force in a transformer, the mechanism of generating electricity by turning electricity into force in a motor, or conversely, the amplification or blocking of only one side of the positive or negative side, as in vacuum tubes and semiconductors. These principles and more advanced, up-to-date electrical wisdom may bring about a dramatic change in the structure of buildings, including the structure of architecture. If so, it will be even more meaningful for engineers who have mastered the principles of electricity to participate in the structure and planning of architecture.

Nowadays, it is not easy to recruit new electrical equipment engineers to the construction industry, especially in the design department. There are few architecture departments that train people interested in electrical equipment in architecture. However, since electrical engineering is a major field of engineering, there should be an abundance of talented people. Although there are issues with the qualification requirements for architects, I hope that talented young people will understand that the electrical equipment field in architecture is a meaningful and important world and leave the electrical engineering world to join the world of architecture.