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Department of

Veterans Affairs

Office of Construction & Facilities Management

Facilities Standards Service (003C2B)

425 I Street NW Washington, DC 20001

Photos appearing on the cover of this document are copied from the personal collection of Mr. Forrest Frakes, VACO, Spectrum Management and COMSEC Service Special Communications Team. Mr. Frakes grants permission for their use under the following conditions:

Photos bottom row left to right, as you look at the cover:

Photos top row left to right, as you look at the cover:

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Acknowledgments Many professionals have generously contributed their expertise to guide the development of this first edition of the VA Telecommunications and Special Systems Telecommunications Design Manual. Chief among them are:

Office of Information & Technology (05)

Forrest F. Frakes, CET, PC Senior Telecommunications Specialist, VA OI&T Keith Van Bakel, ATS Telecommunication Specialist, VA OI&T Matthew Hammaker Voice Engineering Project Manager, VA OI&T

Office of Construction & Facilities Management (00CFM)

Noella Bond, CO Contracting Officer, VA CFM Lam Vu, PE Contracting Officers Representative, VA CFM Zoltan Nagy, RA Principal Healthcare Architect, VA CFM

Private Sector

This document was created by CannonDesign, under contract to the Department of Veterans Affairs, Facilities Standards Service, Washington, DC, 20001. The following subject matter experts contributed to this manual:

Peter McClive, PE Senior Vice President, Electrical Engineering F. Patrick Mahoney, RCDD, CDT Senior Associate, Technology Services Group Pete Northern, CDT Senior Associate, Specifications / 508 Compliance

Technical Content Management

Technical content is supervised and managed by VA Special Communications Subject Matter Experts. Please direct all communications to VAs Special Communications Subject Matter Experts, Spectrum Management and Communications Security (COMSEC) Service (SMCS), at the contact information provided in Paragraph 1.3.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

...................................................................................................................... 1-1

1.0 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS ............................................................................1-3

1.1 PURPOSE............................................................................................................1-3

1.2 RESPONSIBILITY ..............................................................................................1-4

1.3 AUTHORITY HAVING JURISDICTION ...........................................................1-4

1.4 ABBRIVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS .................................................................1-5

1.5 COORDINATION ...............................................................................................1-6

1.5.1 SERVICE PROVIDER COORDINATION ...........................................................1-6

1.5.2 PRE-DESIGN SITE SURVEY ............................................................................. 1-7

1.6 VA DESIGN CRITERIA ...................................................................................... 1-7

1.6.1 MASTER SPECIFICATIONS (PG-18-1) ............................................................. 1-7

1.6.2 DEFINING SPECIFIC INSTALLATION METHODS TO BE USED.DESIGN

AND CONSTRUCTION PROCEDURES (PG-18-3) ...........................................1-8

1.6.3 INCLUDING MISCELLANEOUS DESIGN DETAILS.NATIONAL CAD

STANDARD, VHA APPLICATION GUIDE & STANDARD DETAILS (PG-184) .........................................................................................................................1-8

1.6.4 EQUIPMENT REFERENCE MANUAL (PG-18-5).............................................1-8

1.6.5 DESIGN MANUALS (PG-18-10) ........................................................................1-8

1.6.6 VA DIRECTIVE 0730 VA SECURITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT

HANDBOOK ..................................................................................................... 1-10

1.6.7 DESIGN GUIDES (PG-18-12)........................................................................... 1-10

1.6.8 ARCHITECT/ENGINEER REVIEW CHECKLIST............................................1-11

1.6.9 COST ESTIMATING MANUAL........................................................................ 1-12

1.6.10 SUSTAINABLE DESIGN AND ENERGY REDUCTION MANUAL................. 1-12

1.6.11 SEISMIC DESIGN REQUIREMENTS (H-18-8) .............................................. 1-13

1.6.12 VA HOSPITAL BUILDING SYSTEM (VAHBS) ............................................... 1-13

1.6.13 COMPUTER AIDED FACILITIES MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS

(CAFM).............................................................................................................. 1-13

1.6.14 VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION; VBA INFORMATION SECURITY

PROGRAM, VBA IRM DIRECTIVE NO. 5.00.01............................................. 1-13

1.7 OTHER DESIGN CRITERIA ............................................................................ 1-14

1.7.1 ENERGY CONSERVATION ............................................................................. 1-14

1.7.2 DOE INTERIM FINAL RULE .......................................................................... 1-14

1.7.3 ADDITIONAL MEASURES (MOU) ................................................................. 1-14

1.8 APPLICABLE CODES AND STANDARDS....................................................... 1-15

1.8.1 GENERAL ......................................................................................................... 1-15

1.8.2 INDUSTRY STANDARDS: ............................................................................... 1-18

1.8.3 LOCAL CODES AND CONDITIONS ................................................................ 1-21

1.9 DESIGN REQUIREMENTS .............................................................................. 1-21

1.9.1 CRITERIA UNIQUE TO VA .............................................................................1-22

1.10 CALCULATIONS ..............................................................................................1-24

1.10.1 GENERAL .........................................................................................................1-24

1.10.2 LOAD CALCULATIONS ...................................................................................1-25

1.10.3 SEISMIC BRACING..........................................................................................1-25

1.11 TRANSPORT SYSTEMS ...................................................................................1-25

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.12 RENOVATION TO EXISTING SITES AND BUILDINGS ...............................1-25

1.12.1 DRAWINGS ......................................................................................................1-25

1.12.2 MODIFICATION VERSUS REPLACEMENT ...................................................1-26

1.12.3 AGE AND PHYSICAL CONDITION .................................................................1-26

1.12.4 PARTS AVAILABILITY .....................................................................................1-26

1.12.5 CONDUIT AND BOXES ...................................................................................1-26

1.12.6 CONDUCTORS .................................................................................................1-27

1.12.7 WORK AREA OUTLETS...................................................................................1-27

1.12.8 PATCHPANELS AND PUNCHDOWN BLOCKS ..............................................1-27

1.12.9 GOVERNMENT RETAINED EQUIPMENT (AKA GFE) .................................1-27

1.12.10 CONTINUITY OF SERVICE .............................................................................1-27

1.12.11 COMPATIBILITY..............................................................................................1-27

.....................................................................................................................2-1

RACEWAYS, PATHWAYS, WIREAYS, CABLE TRAYS, CABLE DUCTS,

CONDUITS, BOXES AND EQUIPMENT.......................................................... 2-0

CABLE PATHWAYS........................................................................................... 2-0

CONDUITS AND BOXES .................................................................................. 2-0

HORIZONTAL CONDUITS ............................................................................... 2-3

PARTITIONED CABLE TRAYS AND OPEN WIREWAYS ............................... 2-4

TELECOMMUNICATIONS CABLE DUCTS UNDER CELLULAR FLOORS ... 2-4

VERTICAL RISERS ........................................................................................... 2-5

TELECOMMUNICATIONS OUTLETS (TCO) .................................................. 2-5

DRAWINGS ....................................................................................................... 2-6

CONCEALED AND EXPOSED CONDUITS ...................................................... 2-6

UNDERGROUND DUCTS AND CONDUITS ................................................... 2-6

INDOOR CONDUITS AND PATHWAYS ......