You have determined that the equipment room (ER) you are designing will be the minimum size of 15 sq m (160 sq ft) and is servicing 80 but architectural changes will add 175 , which will require you to add a horizontal cross-connect (HC). What size should the equipment room (ER) be?
When designing an equipment room (ER) that services a certain number of work areas, the room size should increase proportionally. Initially, the ER services 80 work areas, and the architectural changes add 175 work areas, totalling 255 work areas. According to the industry standard, for every work area, approximately 0.07 square meters (0.75 square feet) should be allocated for the ER. 255 work areas * 0.75 square feet per work area equals 191.25 square feet, which rounds up to approximately 193 square feet. Since none of the provided options offer a size of exactly 193 square feet, the closest and most appropriate option is 37 square meters (400 square feet), providing adequate space for the additional horizontal cross-connect and any unforeseen future requirements.
In pg 3-39: Multiply the number of work areas by approx. 0.07sq m (0.75 sq ft) 80 + 175 255 * 0.75 sq ft = 191.25 sq ft