US Architects: Do You Use the Word 'Plant'...

Tim Danaher

... to describe building machinery such as generators, HVAC systems, water tanks etc.? In British English these are normally housed in a 'plant room', and 'plant' is the generic name for these types of devices.

I'm asking because I have to translate a book on SketchUp from French into US English.

mitcorb

In our office, in USA, we customarily use the terms Mechanical, HVAC, AHU(for air handling unit). Even when labeling an outdoor equipment enclosure, we might use a term like Mechanical Equipment Yard, even though it may be 100% paved.
We do not routinely use the word plant, except perhaps as a word describing a large site, such as a power plant, or manufacturing plant.
I have seen school officials describe their facilities as plants.

Just one of possibly many responses.

chrisglasier

Having worked with people whose mother tongue is not English for 25 years I would use equipment or more specific term as mitcorb notes. "Plant" can be baffling - "you mean narcissus room?"

Tim Danaher

Okay, thanks both, that's what I thought.

As an aside, we even use the term 'plant' to refer to vehicles like diggers and bulldozers. A 'plant hire firm' is where you go to rent these out.

pbacot

"Physical Plant" or "Mechanical Plant" is used for a building that is devoted to mechanical operations serving a campus or group of buildings. It is in common use at US universities (maybe that developed from anglophilic tendencies).

Box

The plant term brings back many childhood memories for me.
In Australia we also call diggers, road construction vehicles, things of that sort "Plant" and often "Heavy Plant".

So you can imagine a kid sitting in the back of the car being driven through the countryside seeing a sign saying

................. Dad Dad, don't go this way there are Triffids!!!!

thomthom

@box said:

That had me slowing down the first time I saw that sign. (I studied in England for three years) I had a series of very amusing images in my head as I saw the sign - and I do believe I was looking around half-way expecting to see a herd of giant plants crossing.