Heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems, though an essential part of the design of any building, rarely have a place in the architect's original concept. This work aims to provide a method by which the architect can integrate the use of boilers, pipes and ducts within the total design of the building. The author offers an overview of services methodology and suggestions for selecting the appropriate environmental control systems. He examines in detail such topics as performance specification; designing individual zones within the building; arranging service routes; and making use of daylight and natural ventilation. Nelson also looks at the performance and physical characteristics of various service systems, the organisation of their routes and linkages, and the ways in which structural and services systems may be integrated within the overall building design.