Any building service using machines.
They include plumbing , elevators , escalators , and heating and air-conditioning systems. The introduction of mechanization in buildings in the early 20th century brought about major adjustments; the new equipment demanded floor space, and the design team began to include electrical and HVAC (heating, ventilating , and air-conditioning) engineers. Heating and cooling changed dramatically. Modern buildings, with their large heat gains, turned central heating into little more than a supplement. Heat removal is a much more serious burden, especially in warm weather. The roofs of high-rises are occupied by cooling towers and mechanical penthouses ; entire floors are often dedicated to the containment of blowers, compressors, water chillers, boilers, pumps, and generators.