The coolest way to cut your operation cost
VOLUME 2 – 2011
PL
U TE
of
U A
RS
ST
RA
LA
SI
A
T
IN ST
N
IT
A
EE IN G EN
CONTENTS
7
3 7
Adbourne PUBLISHING
www.adbourne.com
11
18/69 Acacia Road Ferntree Gully, VIC 3156 PO Box 735, Belgrave, VIC 3160
Melbourne Office Neil Muir Ph: (03) 9758 1433 Fax: (03) 9758 1432 Email: neil@adbourne.com Adelaide Office Robert Spowart Ph: 0488 390 039 Email: robert@adbourne.com Production Sonya Murphy Tel: (03) 9758 1436 Email: production@adbourne.com Administration Robyn Fantin Tel: (03) 9758 1431 Email: admin@adbourne.com Marketing Tania Lamanna Tel: (03) 9500 0285 Email: tlamanna@bigpond.net.au
11 15 19 25 30 32
19
34 40 42 44
34
47 51 55
National and State Reports Comparing buildings with buildings: How to pick the low hanging fruit Delivering liveable, sustainable cities Are architects failing building service personnel? Extending the NABERS rating scale to 6 stars A cooler way to cut chillers operating costs Regulation Update Summit Matsu Chillers – A Project Success Story Australia’s First Trigeneration Precinct For Commercial Buildings Commercial Building’s Energy Efficiency – Game Changer DDA Implications for Existing Building Upgrades and Alterations Building Information Modeling and Security Design How Clean is our air? Three major issues affecting a successful FM practice Product News
www.ipea.org.au DISCLAIMER Adbourne Publishing cannot ensure that the advertisements appearing in The Building Services Journal comply absolutely with the Trade Practices Act and other consumer legislation. The responsibility is therefore on the person, company or advertising agency submitting the advertisement(s) for publication. Adbourne Publishing and The Institute of Plant Engineers of Australasia reserves the right to refuse any advertisement without stating the reason. No responsibility is accepted for incorrect information contained in advertisements or editorial. The editor reserves the right to edit, abridge or otherwise alter articles for publication. All original material produced in this magazine remains the property of the publisher and cannot be reproduced without authority. The views of the contributors are not necessarily those of The Institute of Plant Engineers of Australasia or the publisher. Adbourne Publishing seeks to provide a forum for expression of ideas and opinions from companies and individuals. By presenting these articles the publisher in no way endorses any particular ideology but gives the reader the opportunity to access a variety of different views.
2
| Volume 2 – 2011 | The Australian Building Services Journal
National Reports President’s Report hank you to the committee for their endeavours this year, it appears we are recruiting well thanks in the main to Craig and Roz White in SA with new corporate and individual members.
T
New corporate members Butterfield Service in SA APM Property Maintenance in SA AGL Boilerland in Queensland IMC – Independent Monitoring Company in NSW HydroChem Pty Ltd in Victoria
State News Victoria e have had a good response to our membership drive through our journal and with thanks to our publisher Adbourne. There have been a number of enquiries.
W
The Committee is happy to welcome members who would like to consider sitting on the state committee to help in the growth of IPEA. Positions for nomination are President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. Our long standing treasurer, Jeff Fraser is very ill and will not continue as Victorian Treasurer. We will be seeking a replacement for the position. We wish Jeff well and hope
JMG Air conditioning and Electrical in WA Fitch Real estate Pty Ltd Golden Grove Shopping Village SA New Individual members in SA Peter Doyle – ODG Alby Cerella – APM Property Maintenance Bob Irvine – Complete Steam Engineering Gary Wade – Steam & Process Controls Alex Shepherd – Incospec & Associates Australia Wayne Vilanova – Silcar Chris Percelli – Hays Recruitment Bill Pataioanno – Golden Grove Village Shopping Centre Mark Kerr – Adelaide Festival Centre In Queensland David Buttsworth – IMC – Independent Monitoring Company In NSW Paul Black – IMC – Independent Monitoring Company
for a quick recovery. Thanks Jeff for your many years of service to IPEA. All building, mechanical and plant engineering institutions ensure that the information provided is available and up to date for those interested and that the technical information the recipient may pass on is correct. IPEA assists and supports with promoting training programs and seminars that will benefit our members and readers. Overall, the growth of IPEA nationally is very positive Victoria can continue to be part of the growth. Please view our web site www.ipea.org.au for IPEA national and state information. If you require any state information, please do not hesitate to contact me on my mobile 0419 306 963. Best regards, Barry Wilding Secretary – IPEA Victorian Division
“Providing Support, Fellowship & Recognition” In WA Stephen Cairns – Environmental Services Michael Gribble – JMG Air conditioning and Electrical Trevor Nye – Younis Tehfe – Triple M Mechanical Services WA To all welcome aboard and we look forward to a long involvement and input The National AGM will be held Friday 26th August in SA and phone link with WA Ian Paterson National President IPEA
South Australia
C
ongratulations and welcome to the new corporate and individual members.
Congratulations to the New SA committee and thank you to the out going committee for your assistance The New Committee is: Ian Paterson, President; David Brown, Vic President; Peter Freckelton, Secretary; Roz White, Treasurer; Peter Otten, Meeting Coordinator; Craig white, Membership Officer. Committee: Trevor Measday, Alby Cerella, Chris Porcelli and Bernessa Brytan. Guess speaker at the State AGM was Tom Jones from ECO Plus Solar Energy who gave a very interesting talk on the domestic solar power environment Les Gurney was thanked for his years of service on the committee and a well deserved break Ian Paterson State President – IPEA SA Division
The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 2 – 2011 |
3
IPEA Office Bearers
Application for Membership You are cordially invited to become a member of the Institute by completing the details below.
NATIONAL EXECUTIVE C/- PO Box 81 Dry Creek SA 5094 TITLE
NAME
President
Michael Josephs michaeljosephs@buildings.schneider-electric.com
This form will be passed to the respective division and following acceptance the Secretary will contact you. Current Membership fee is $75 and includes certificate, and 4 copies of the Institute Journal. I agree to abide by the current rules of the Institute.
Vice President
Ian Patterson 0439 030 140 ian.paterson@cbre.com.au
(08) 8305 8828
Please provide the following contact information:
Secretary
Barry Wilding (03) 9553 1011 barry.wilding@hydrochem.com.au
(03) 9553 1387
Treasurer
Roz White (08) 8297 4099 Roz.White@hydrochem.com.au
(08) 8297 4709
PHONE
FAX
MELBOURNE EXECUTIVE PO Box 4182 Knox City Centre VIC 3152 TITLE
NAME
PHONE
President
Position vacant
Vice President
Miron Krzywinski
Secretary
Barry Wilding (03) 9553 1011 barry.wilding@hydrochem.com.au
Treasurer
Jeff Fraser
FAX
(03) 9751 4111
Last Name
.............................................................................................................................................
Title
........................................................................................................................................................................
Occupation
(03) 9837 5774
Craig White
.............................................................................................................................................
(03) 9553 1387
..........................................................................................................................................
Street Address
ADELAIDE EXECUTIVE PO BOX 8053, Station Arcade SA 5000 President
First Name
.............................................................................................................................
0422 150 090
(08) 8376 7336 craig.white@
............................................................................................................................................................................................
Secretary
Les Gurney 0413 151 763 lgurney@aircomfortservices.com.au
(08) 8360 5253
City
Treasurer
Roz White roz.white@iinet.net.au
(08) 8376 7336
Membership Officer
Ian Patterson ian.paterson@cbre.com.au
Meetings Coordinator
Peter Otten 0413 027 675 peter.otten@ap.joneslanglasalle.com
iinet.net.au
0428 830 436
.........................................................................................................................................................................
State
...................................................................................................................................................................
Postcode Country
PERTH EXECUTIVE C/O 113 Mickleham Rd Morley WA 6062 President
Lynn Callcott 0409 335 408 lynn.callcott@108sgt.com.au
(08) 9213 3501
SYDNEY EXECUTIVE PO Box A 720 Sydney South NSW 2000 Treasurer
Cliff Harper
(02) 9931 9959
...................................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................................
Work Phone
...................................................................................................................................
Home Phone
...................................................................................................................................
Fax
......................................................................................................................................................................
(02) 9931 9995
................................................................................................................................................................
Journal Editor for IPEA Inc Douglas Lee – doug.lee@shell.com Contact Ph: (03) 9666 2868 Fax: (03) 9666 2872
Web Master Les Gurney – lgurney@aircomfortservices.com.au Contact Ph: 0413 151 763 Fax: (08) 8360 5253
4
| Volume 2 – 2011 | The Australian Building Services Journal
Forward form to: The National Secretary IPEA C/- PO Box 81 Dry Creek SA 5094
AIMS
CORPORATE MEMBERS of IPEA
a
To promote the science and practice of building services engineering in all their branches and the usefulness and efficiency of persons engaged in therein.
b
To raise the character and status and advance the interests of plant and building services engineers and to recognise the competency of those engaged therein.
c
To encourage unified organisation on local, divisional and national basis by establishing a certain point of reference for its members.
d
To preserve and maintain the integrity of members by imposing strict rules of conduct as a condition of membership and by other means of promoting just and honorable practice in such industries.
e
To foster the development of this specific branch of engineering in Australasia.
f
To cooperate throughout the world with compatible organisations having similar objectives.
g
To represent plant and building services engineers upon engineering and administration matters which concern them with relation to discussions and negotiations with property owners, management, statuary authorities, professional consultants, manufacturers, contractors and others.
h
To encourage the study of plant and building services engineering and to improve and elevate the general and technical knowledge of persons engaged in or intending to engage in the industry.
i
To advise members on various aspects of engineering maintenance services and machinery insurance contracts and their importance.
j
To keep members aware of current items of development and interest and concern by arranging and holding lectures, exhibitions, public meetings, classes and conferences calculated to advance the cause of education in industry.
k
To initiate research and publish reports into areas of mutual interest, such as:
Chillmech Services Pty Ltd Factory 50, Industrial Park Drive, Lilydale VIC 3140
HydroChem Pty Ltd 27 Viking Court, Cheltenham VIC 3192
CB Richard Ellis (W) Pty Ltd Level 2/216 St Georges Tce, Perth WA 6000
TAC Pacific 36 Hasler Road, Osborne Park WA 6017
Dalkia (Trane)
Contract Technical Services
i ii iii iv v
Unit 4/611 Hay Street, Jolimont WA 6014
vi
75 Howe Street, Osborne Park WA 6017
l
To communicate to members information on all matters effecting the plant and engineering industries and to print, publish, issue and circulate such periodicals, books, leaflets and any other literary undertakings as may seem to be conductive to any other objects of the Institute.
m
To admit and recognise as members of the Institute of such persons as shall conform to its rules and regulations which amongst other things shall provide that to entitle a person to membership he/she shall possess the qualifications in the Rules.
n
To assist members in the pursuit of their profession and all factors related thereto.
DCE Vokes Pty Ltd PO Box 325, Kingsgrove NSW 2208
Butterfields Services (SA) Pty Ltd 44-48 Sherriff Street, Underdale SA 5032
JMG Air Conditioning Unit 54, 159 Arthur Street, Homebush West, NSW 2140
6
| Volume 2 – 2011 | The Australian Building Services Journal
Engineering and equipment standards. Standardisation of operational reporting. Standardisation of maintenance contracts. Promotion of planned maintenance programs. Maintenance service rates and costs of various services, and any other matters.
Comparing buildings with buildings: How to pick the low hanging fruit Romilly Madew, Chief Executive Green Building Council of Australia
As Australia moves towards a price on carbon, robust carbon accounting within the built environment will become increasingly critical.
Buildings have long been identified as ‘low hanging fruit’. The United Nations Environment Program, for instance, has found that proven and commercially available technologies could reduce energy consumption in old and new buildings by 30-50 per cent, without significantly increasing investment costs. Building rating systems are one of the best ways to capitalise on this low hanging fruit. Globally, building rating systems are improving environmental attributes and increasing
the environmental performance of buildings, while also raising industry, government and consumer expectations. In some countries, such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, rating tools have been extremely successful and their widespread uptake has generated the critical mass required to create new sustainable benchmarks. But now, with the World Green Building Council’s membership growing to 86 councils and counting, the global green building industry is faced with a
The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 2 – 2011 |
7
great challenge: how to make direct comparisons between buildings across international borders. Currently, we have no international agreement about how to measure and report carbon, much less other environmental and socio-economic benchmarks such as indoor environment quality or liveability. The WorldGBC believes that each country should be able to develop an individual rating tool that reflects its unique environment, climatic conditions and types of housing stock. However, while nations may require individual
8
sustainability rating tools, the downside to this is that there is little consistency between rating tools. This in turn has created complications for stakeholders, such as property investors who may have portfolios in a range of countries and no way to compare apples with apples, or buildings with buildings. Earlier this year, the WorldGBC Board approved the establishment of a WorldGBC Rating Tools Committee. This committee, which I chair, is tasked with developing criteria and guidance for the development and quality assurance of rating tools;
| Volume 2 – 2011 | The Australian Building Services Journal
developing a socio-economic category that WorldGBC members can use to integrate or overlay into existing tools; and collaborating on the development of a common carbon metric for buildings. We are currently working on an ambitious project list, which includes research and consultation with a range of countries to determine how we can harmonise rating tools. Harmonisation between international rating tools is already beginning to occur in mature markets. While this does not mean we will see one
international rating tool emerge, representatives of the USGBC’s LEED and the Green Building Council of Australia’s Green Star, along with the German and UK GBCs and the Sustainable Building Alliance, agreed to work together to develop a common method of measuring and reporting the environmental impact of buildings. The alliance, established in 2009, is overseeing the ‘Common Carbon Metric project’, which will enable the development common metrics to measure emissions of carbon equivalents from residential and commercial buildings.
10
Without a common language and an agreed accounting method for measuring and reporting environmental impacts such as greenhouse gas emissions, we cannot effectively participate in the global carbon market. Without a common voice, we cannot share the sector’s progress or its contribution to achieving emissions reductions targets.
carbon reductions in a cost-effective way that complies with the UN’s requirements. A common metric for measuring carbon emissions from buildings will enable the global construction sector to participate in carbon markets and attract investment that may not otherwise have been available, in turn delivering tangible carbon reductions.
For example, at the moment the construction industry’s participation in the United Nations’ Clean Development Mechanism projects is restricted, because we cannot demonstrate
So, while we won’t see a universal rating tool for the world’s buildings, we are certainly getting closer to a common language for buildings which will enable us to pick that low hanging fruit. ■
| Volume 2 – 2011 | The Australian Building Services Journal
Delivering liveable, sustainable cities Tony Arnel, Chairman Green Building Council of Australia and World Green Building Council
A
ustralia’s cities rank among the best in the world on global indices of liveability. In the 2009 Economist Intelligence Unit’s Liveability Index, for instance, Melbourne was beaten by only Vancouver and Vienna as the world’s most liveable city. In fact, out of 140 world cities, Perth ranked fifth, Sydney ninth, Adelaide eleventh and Brisbane sixteenth. While ‘liveability’ may mean different things to each of us, a liveable city is one that meets our physical, emotional and social needs. A liveable city is healthy, prosperous, clean, well-designed and accessible. It is a city where everyone can safely and conveniently participate in all aspects of daily life and enjoy a sense of well-being. Certainly, Australia’s cities are world-leaders in terms of liveability. However, they are trailing the field in the sustainability stakes. Recent analysis from Professor Peter Newton from the Swinburne University of Technology found that city liveability is being achieved at the expense of ecological sustainability.
Each Australian city resident requires, on average, up to seven global hectares of land and water to supply all the resources needed to support their current consumption lifestyle. And, while the average human eco-footprint is 2.2 hectares, there are only 1.8 hectares of productive land and water ecosystems remaining per person on Earth. Consequently, if everyone on the planet aspired to the built environment quality and lifestyle offered to a resident of Melbourne, then two and a half more planet earths would be required to supply the subsequent demand on resources. The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 2 – 2011 |
11
Australians may be justifiably proud of our industry’s leading-edge green buildings and commitment to sustainable design, but until we have made significant progress toward reducing our average eco-footprint from almost seven to 1.8 hectares, our ‘liveable’ cities will remain some of the least sustainable on Earth. And therein lies our challenge. We must find new ways of achieving
sustainability without eroding the quality of life which Australians so dearly prize. Our challenge is to create cities that are liveable, competitive, productive and environmentally sustainable. How do we do this? As Albert Einstein once said, “The problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them in the first place.”
If we are to build – and rebuild – truly liveable, sustainable cities, a radical shift in thinking is required. We must shift our thinking away from the old dichotomies of urban infill versus urban sprawl, high-tech advancements versus back-to-basics architecture, and shift away from the idea that bigger is better. In the last decade we have seen projects like BedZed in the UK, Dockside Green in Canada and, more recently, the London Olympics site demonstrating leadership by creating new pathways to building communities. Dockside Green features a variety of high-tech green features such as wind turbines, green roofs and solar power. The residential developments include energy-saving appliances, heat recovery ventilators, and doubleglazed windows. A centralised biomass gasification plant converts waste wood, such as tree clippings, into a gas that provides hot water and heat, and which enables Dockside Green to be carbon neutral or even carbon positive. However, it’s not Dockside Green’s high-tech eco-features that have people lining up to live there. Speaking at the Green Cities 2011 conference in Melbourne in February, the codeveloper of Dockside Green and now part of Lend Lease’s Sustainability Leadership team, Joe Van Belleghem, said that what attracted people to the residential developments was the open spaces and community facilities available at their doorsteps. Dockside Green encourages alternative methods of transportation to reduce the impact of car ownership and use. Some of these measures include a residential carpooling program, the provision of bicycle racks and showers for those commuting to the development’s commercial areas, and the connection of the development to a regional cycling trail. The first phase of the residential development, known as Synergy, achieved a Platinum rating - the highest possible - under the US Green Building
The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 2 – 2011 |
13
Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating tool for its sustainable design. The second phase, Balance, is also targeting LEED Platinum. In Australia, industry and governments are working collaboratively on the development of a Green Star rating tool to assess the sustainability of developments at a community scale.
The Green Star - Communities rating tool has entered the critical phases of BETA testing and peer review. Twenty five projects are participating in a ‘beta testing’ phase. These projects span the spectrum of Australian development projects: from small, private sector infill precincts to large, government masterplanned communities.
We are confident that the Green Star - Communities rating tool will play a fundamental role in shaping sustainable cities of the future. Green Star - Communities will help us manage our natural resources, minimise our environmental footprint and create places that are healthy, liveable and provide opportunities for people and economies to prosper. The Green Star - Communities rating tool is currently under development in partnership with a technical working group of Green Building Council of Australia members and with the support of organisations and industry associations across the country.
14
| Volume 2 – 2011 | The Australian Building Services Journal
While the challenges facing us are immense, the more people that are prepared to commit to this challenge, the greater our chance of achieving it. While we may, at some time in the future, have another world to move to, in the short term we need to protect the one we have so there is enough room for all of us. ■
Are architects failing building service personnel? By GREG BLAIN
An architect has to design a building to a design brief, but there are many users of a building, including HVAC technicians. Greg Blain details some of the constraints and details that an architect has to factor into a design.
T
his article is about the design of HVAC building facilities from an architect’s point of view.
A primary duty of an architect is to design buildings suited to user needs. This is a challenge as there is a wide range of building users, from the owner to occupants to irregular visitors to people who only use the spaces outside the building. Building users also include HVAC maintenance personnel. HVAC systems and their efficient operation are an important part of a building. Owners financially benefit from installing state of the art, efficient HVAC systems as any higher install costs can be recouped by energy and maintenance savings. Shorter
on-site time maintenance contributes significantly to lower operation costs. This on-site time depends on many things, including building planning. Building design needs to incorporate good building planning for user operational efficiency. To do this the architect needs to analyse all who will use the building and their activities, then design the building to suit. Building planning is not the only part of building design. Other considerations include aesthetics, building costs, climatic and environmental controls, structural design, services design, landscaping, build-ability, material and finishes selections, authority regulations and approvals, contractual
The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 2 – 2011 |
15
requirements and others. These, as well as building planning, need to be resolved largely by the architect, on a project by project basis. This article only investigates building planning relating to HVAC maintenance. Building planning affects all building users and ranges from fundamental things such as building entry location and movement within the building, to minute detail such as which way a door swings or which way a control panel faces. HVAC maintenance contractors know that every site visit has its particular challenges, regardless of building quality. Building planning relating to HVAC maintenance involves design of three basic facility features: vehicle access and parking, work area access and the work areas. Each of these three basic features can be broken down further into subfeatures including: Vehicle access and parking: • direct and easy access • adequate parking without double parking • loading/unloading without restricting other vehicle or personnel movement • safe vehicle and equipment movement
16
Work area access: • close to and as direct as possible to vehicles • close to and as direct as possible to other related work areas • minimal ladder and harness use • safe and facilitated equipment movement. Work areas: • adequate space for plant • adequate space for work conduct • adequate space for plant component access and installation or removal • facilitation of communication with other maintenance personnel • avoidance of unnecessary movement to other work areas • provision of in-built facilities including gantries, work benches, anchor points, first aid and fire-fighting facilities. These basic sub-features can also be broken down further into sub-subfeatures including the provision of adequate shelter, ventilation, lighting, noise control, security and safety. For the architect, building planning for HVAC maintenance needs to be done together with planning for all the other building users. Building planning as a whole needs to be done
| Volume 2 – 2011 | The Australian Building Services Journal
together with all the other architectural considerations not addressed in this article (e.g. aesthetics, building costs, etc.) This is the challenge of architecture. Designing a building with building planning and other architectural considerations is not done by the architect alone. The architect coordinates a range of other professionals including the architect’s own staff and consultants. Consultants are usually separate business entities engaged on a job to job basis. Consultants often include a quantity surveyor, land surveyor, landscape architect and a variety of engineers. Different engineers are dedicated to structural, civil and earthworks, acoustics, electrical and communications services, hydraulic services, fire protection and security services and mechanical services. The mechanical services engineer is the consultant the architect relies on for HVAC expertise. The mechanical engineer designs a specific HVAC system based on architect requirements and it is an integral part of building design. Basic
HVAC design considerations include cost, operational efficiency and maintenance. The architect requires basic HVAC understanding but will make decisions and do related building planning in consultation with the mechanical engineer. HVAC facility features, sub-features and sub-sub-features (mentioned previously) need resolution. Resolution quality is determined by building owner commitment to quality, but also to the professional standards of the architect and mechanical engineer. These professional standards are influenced by ability and experience, but also by determination to pursue quality. This determination works at two levels, firstly to be the best in a chosen field of endeavour and, secondly, by the architect convincing the building owner to invest in efficient building services. Professional standards and determination vary between individuals. The range of professional standards and determination reflects a corresponding range of building design outcomes. An architect may aim for maximum fees to produce plain buildings which just comply with legal codes. An architect may aim for expensive aesthetic sculptures which perform poorly as buildings but win awards and magazine exposure. A building designer may not be an architect. Many architects, however, work with integrity and strive to diligently provide for building users in an environmentally clean way, as best they can under commercial pressure. Complaints of poor HVAC building planning may be valid. Architects can mistakenly concentrate on ‘front of house’ issues while neglecting everyday ‘back of house’, including HVAC maintenance facilities. Architects, like all professionals, need constant reminding of the importance of these everyday issues. Reminders can occur in many ways. One way is for CCN readers to use the lobbying power of their relevant professional associations to engage architectural associations in meaningful dialogue. Professional associations exist to support members. Why not put them to the test? ■ Greg Blain started his Architectural studies part-time in 1978 in Brisbane while working with a variety of Architects and Builders gaining Registration as an Architect in 1989 and his building license in 2000. Greg has worked on many different size and type projects during his career, often in the role of Project Architect. Currently Greg operates a Technical Consultancy and Specification Writing Service to other Architectural Practices and is working to develop a Subscriber based design, technical and educational resource for the Building Industry, hopefully to be operational in a year of two. Greg has authored the design and construction e-book www.letsbuild.com.au guide for house Owners and will soon publish a similar e-book for commercial building Owners.
The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 2 – 2011 |
17
18
| Volume 2 – 2011 | The Australian Building Services Journal
Extending the NABERS rating scale to 6 stars NABERS is the industry standard for measuring the environmental performance of Australian buildings. It uses operational data to rate a building’s actual impact, rather than modelled design performance.
The new rating scale: 0
Very poor
1
Poor
2
Below average
2.5 to 3
Average
4
Good
5
Excellent
6
Market leading
he NABERS tools were developed to help building owners and tenants reduce environmental impacts and costs by rating a building’s performance compared to other buildings on a five star scale. On this scale, 2.5 stars represented market average performance, and 5 stars was an aspirational target that had not yet been achieved.
T
After more than 10 years in operation, NABERS ratings are used throughout the property sector and in government policies and programs to drive measurable cuts in environmental impacts. Technology and management practices in the building sector have improved greatly and approximately
5% of rated buildings are now achieving 5 star NABERS Energy ratings. The ultimate purpose of NABERS is to drive improved environmental performance. To ensure that NABERS continues to offer an aspirational target and to drive innovation and environmental improvement, a 6th star is being added to the existing rating scale. A 6 star building will be considered ‘market leading’. Eight office buildings will have their current NABERS Energy or Water rating upgraded to 6 stars to reflect their market leading performance and efficiency. A further twenty four office buildings have achieved 5.5 stars through efficiency alone.
The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 2 – 2011 |
19
Twenty five office buildings have sufficiently reduced their greenhouse gas emissions or potable water consumption through the purchase of renewable GreenPower or recycled water to earn a 5.5 or 6 star rating. Thirty three office tenancies, hotels and shopping centres have also received 5.5 or 6 star NABERS Energy or Water ratings.
How will the extension affect existing ratings? The existing 0 to 5 rating levels will not change. All buildings currently rated at 5 stars that are performing at a 5.5 or 6 star level will be issued new certificates reflecting their new rating. This will affect 80 existing ratings. Other current ratings will not change, and the meaning of those
20
ratings will also remain the same. All future ratings will have the potential to achieve 6 stars.
How has the 6 star rating been calculated? The first step in extending the rating scale was to set an upper limit of optimal building performance. For example, for a NABERS Energy rating, optimal performance is zero carbon emissions, and for NABERS Water, it is zero potable water consumption. The rating scale was then extended to reach optimal performance, which occurred at a hypothetical 7 star point. The 6 star level is set halfway between 5 and zero emissions/potable water consumption. For NABERS Energy, the 5.5 and 6 stars are calculated by applying a fixed
| Volume 2 – 2011 | The Australian Building Services Journal
reduction in the percentage of actual greenhouse gas emissions from the existing 5 star benchmark. The 6 star rating represents a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions over 5 stars benchmark (and 5.5 stars is a 25% reduction). This is explained in more detail in a Technical Fact Sheet that will be made available on the NABERS website. Note that while a climate correction is currently applied to ratings from 0 to 5 stars, no climate correction will be applied to ratings above 5 stars. This is because the highest performing buildings are generally designed to be climate-independent. This expansion methodology will be applied consistently across the suite of NABERS tools including hotels and
shopping centres. For more information of the technical details refer to the Technical Fact Sheet available on the NABERS website.
Are all the NABERS tools changing? The rating scales for NABERS Energy and Water tools for offices, hotels and shopping centres are being extended to 6 stars now, with 6 stars representing market leading performance. The existing five star scale for each tool will not change. The rating scales for NABERS Waste and Indoor Environment and NABERS tools for homes will be extended by mid 2012.
Has industry been consulted? A position paper was released on the 23 November 2010 and comments were received over a 12 week period. 23 stakeholder submissions were received, with 20 expressing support for the expansion. The submissions can be viewed on the NABERS website. The NABERS Stakeholder Advisory Committee, comprising a wide range of peak industry bodies1 from across the property sector, has also been consulted, and has provided advice throughout this process.
What are the next steps for NABERS? Extending the scale to 6 stars is an important part of the ongoing quality assurance and strategic review process for NABERS. The release of the 6 star rating now will enable NABERS to recognise current market best practice, and to offer an aspirational target. Over the next 2 years, the NABERS office tool calculation methodology and benchmarks will be modified to work the same way as the hotel and shopping centre tools, aligning the suite of tools. Once this is completed, it will be possible to use the NABERS tools together to rate a multi-use building with any combination of these functions. As part of this project, the rating scale will be reviewed again, with a view to potentially incorporating recognition of zero emissions performance. NABERS will undertake formal consultation with industry over the next two years to progress this important project. Concern about climate change is driving rapid changes in the property industry, which is adopting new technologies and supply agreements for low emission energy and recycled water. The NABERS
National Administrator (NSW Office of Environment and Heritage) is also undertaking a strategic review of NABERS to consider how to highlight and reward the use of these low emission, low impact innovations. Key industry representatives and experts will be invited to join technical advisory groups to provide direction to this process.
Why 6 stars? Why not 7? The 6th star has been released at this time to recognise the advances made in building energy efficiency in recent years and to provide an aspirational target that drives innovation. The inclusion of a 6th star will also enable upgrading the ratings of buildings whose environmental performance currently exceeds 5 stars. Only the 6th star has been released at this time as it is unrealistic for most buildings to achieve zero emissions or 7 stars. Future moves to extend the rating scale to recognise zero emission buildings will be considered as part of the development of a multiuse tool and will be subject of further consultations with industry and governments over the next two years, and broader policy developments that impact building rating tools nationally.
The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 2 – 2011 |
21
NABERS CASE STUDY 76 Berry Street As the flagship project of the refurbishment program for Local Government Super’s (LGS) property portfolio, 76 Berry Street, North Sydney, is one of the first two buildings in Australia, and the first in North Sydney, to sign a NABERS 6 star Energy Commitment Agreement. Due for completion in late 2011, the refurbishment builds on the excellent NABERS 5 star Energy rating currently held on the 24-year-old, A-grade commercial building. In 2010, the project was recognised by the Federal Government’s Green Building Fund as an exemplar project and received a $2.1 million grant towards the refurbishment. The building comprises two levels of basement parking, lobby and retail areas, including a coffee shop, restaurant and landscaped gardens and 10 levels (11,000m2) of office accommodation. Walker EcoStrategies director and project director of 76 Berry Street, Roger Walker, said that the grant allowed LGS to take a more ambitious green position with regards to the technologies used in the refurbishment. “As this was the first time that the lean burn low environment impact Bennett Clayton engines have been used in a trigeneration plant, the funding essentially enabled us to take that risk,” Mr Walker said. By utilising this technology, which provides simultaneous production of energy, heating and cooling, LGS is aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80 per cent and improve the environmental performance of 76 Berry Street to achieve a market leading 6 star NABERS Energy rating. It is anticipated that the project, which includes the Shaw Method of air-conditioning and Bennett Clayton engine technology, along with other leading Australian technologies, will operate 100 per cent independent of the electricity grid within the first year following completion. With five office building upgrades in NSW already under its belt, LGS has used the experience to adapt tried and tested energy efficient technologies for 76 Berry Street. The most energy efficient building in Sydney -the group’s 120 Sussex Street -led by example. The same E1 Lighting, manufactured in south west Sydney, and PowerPax chillers, manufactured in Melbourne, have been installed in 76 Berry Street. These technologies reduce the heat load in the building, which Mr Walker said will be crucial to achieving the NABERS 6 star Energy rating. “Being able to refer to the portfolio’s experience, with all commercial upgrade projects delivered through property managers CBRE, has given LGS the confidence to take
22
| Volume 2 – 2011 | The Australian Building Services Journal
the next step to reduce energy emissions to a much lower level,” he said. For Brian Churchill, LGS property portfolio manager, the main challenge has been in the design, management and delivery of the works in an occupied building without disturbing the tenants. This is significant from a bottom line perspective in that LGS has avoided loss of rental income during the upgrade. “The 76 Berry Street project has shown there are cost effective ways to upgrade existing buildings to a NABERS 6 star Energy rating. LGS has taken a leadership position in relation to environmental performance, which in the long term should provide advantages for tenant retention and attraction,” Mr Churchill said. The environmental leadership shown by LGS was recognised at the 2011 Green Globe Awards, the NSW Government’s annual environment awards, where LGS was a finalist in both the Energy Award and the Built Environment Sustainability Award. LGS commenced measuring the environmental footprint of its property portfolio in 2004, and by 2007 all property assets had adopted GreenPower for base building energy. The organisation’s policy to aim for a NABERS 5 star Energy rating or better (without green power) on all its properties has driven LGS to find innovative, sustainable solutions to transform the form and function of existing buildings while at the same time increasing the value of their asset pool. ■
Th T The he he Australian Building ng Ser ng S Se Services errvvic e viic ices ces es J Jo Jou Journal ou ourna ourna rrn nal | Volume na Vol V Vo ollu o um ume me 2 – 2011 me 2011 |
23
NABERS CASE STUDY Legion House A global benchmark for sustainable refurbishment of a heritage building After Pixel in Victoria, widely recognised as the first carbon neutral office building in Australia, Grocon has signed a NABERS 6 star Energy Commitment Agreement with the NSW Government who administer the NABERS program nationally for the refurbishment of Legion House in Sydney’s CBD. Legion House, a heritage-listed building dating back to 1902, is part of the 161 Castlereagh Street project. The site also includes a premium office tower, which will be the new home of ANZ and Freehills in 2013. The project is jointly owned by Grocon and GPT Wholesale Office Fund. GPT CEO Michael Cameron said Legion House would set a new benchmark for heritage refurbishment. “It marks the next sustainable GPT investment, joining iconic buildings such as the 6 Star Green Star workplace6, which features tri-generation and a black water treatment plant and has achieved a 5.5 star NABERS Energy rating,” Mr Cameron said. Grocon Site Engineer (Sustainability) Brendan Coates said sustainability was one of Grocon’s four core values, along with safety, community and innovation. “With Pixel currently being Australia’s greenest building as rated by the GBCA, we believe we are at the forefront of sustainable technology and we want to push the boundaries even further,” he said. “Grocon is committed to achieving a market leading 6 star NABERS Energy rating in operation at Legion House.” The NABERS Commitment Agreement is a contract between the NSW Office of Environment & Heritage as NABERS National Administrator and Grocon. Legion House will be the new head office of Grocon in NSW in 2013. It will be the first refurbishment of a heritage building to commit to a 6 star NABERS Energy rating since the NABERS scheme was recently extended. Grocon is planning to achieve a carbon and water neutral outcome at Legion House. In an Australian first for a CBD office building, it plans to disconnect from the mains electricity grid, and is investigating a range of options to supply surplus renewable power, including biomass gasification technology to be supplied to the office tower on site. “The most significant challenge in achieving the 6 star rating will be that Legion House doesn’t have any
24
| Volume 2 – 2011 | The Australian Building Services Journal
access to sunlight or wind, so we’re restricted in what forms of renewable energy we can use,” Mr Coates said. “As far as we are aware, Grocon is the only organisation to look at using the technology in this way, with the entire fuel, gas, electrics and electricity production on the one site. The technology is not new or unique, but the way we will set it up on the one site is unique,” Mr Coates said. The project aims to transform Legion House into one of the greenest buildings in the world, setting a new benchmark for the creation of sustainable city precincts. The highly energy efficient design embraces a number of other environmental initiatives, from vacuum toilets, to timber sourced from sustainably managed forests and high thermal performance curtain wall facades. Mr Coates said Grocon had undertaken a significant amount of design innovation and application to make the aims achievable. “Along with our consultants, Grocon will be running energy models regularly and stringently in order to meet our NABERS targets,” he said. “For example, a computer model examines how the building is built, including all the materials, the envelope, and services, such as lighting and HVAC (heating, ventilation and airconditioning), which enables us to run it against occupancy and other known variables. “As the design decisions are finalised, the model is developed to ensure we are running on track and that we pick the best sustainable options. “From the outset, we’ve been aware of tailoring the design solution for Legion House and the 161 Castlereagh Street project to demonstrate a very cost effective yet extremely high level of performance,” he said. Key Facts The 161 Castlereagh Street redevelopment comprises a 50 level, 44-story premium grade office tower. It has 55,000 square metres of office space and 3,200 square metres of retail space. Grocon has signed a Commitment Agreement to achieve a 5 star NABERS Energy rating for the office tower. It incorporates Legion House, an existing 4-level heritage building, two single level retail buildings and a large open plaza space. Grocon has signed a Commitment Agreement to achieve a 6 star NABERS Energy rating for Legion House. ■
A cooler way to cut chillers operating costs
I
t is not often that an expensive and time consuming maintenance task can be effectively eliminated.
Condenser tube cleaning is a job sometimes subject to building owner procrastination due to its requirement for expensive shut downs and, quite often, the problem is hidden from plain view. Through the evolving sophistication and use of controls and an increasing ambition for building owners to seek energy efficiency solutions, attention has turned to condensers particularly as condensers are seen as a prime cause of energy loss due to fouled piping.
Colonial First State Global Asset Management (CFSGAM) has demonstrated a strong commitment to sustainable technologies throughout their portfolio. CFSGAM was introduced to the BallTech product by Airmaster Australia and found that this simple solution kept the problem of condenser pipe cleaning out of sight and at the same time would reduce the overall running cost of the chiller plant.
BallTech BallTech is an automatic in-line tube cleaning system installed in the condenser water piping of watercooled chillers. Specialized sponge
balls are randomly introduced into the condensing water. These spongy, but rugged, balls are 1mm larger than the internal diameter of the condenser tubes. As the balls are forced through the tubes at preset intervals their roughness maintains the cleanliness of the tubing by removing biofilm that accumulate during the operation of any chiller. As they are passed through to the discharge side, the balls are captured in a special trap and returned to the suction side via a bypass line to the injector ready to start the cycle again. The cycles are performed automatically every 30 minutes by a pre-programmed PLC through a set of actuator and check valves.
The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 2 – 2011 |
25
The BallTech system is designed to be maintenance–free, where the only requirement is replacing the sponge balls every 1000 hours of operation. The principle behind BallTech is to maintain optimum chiller coefficient of performance (COP) by keeping the condenser tubes free of biofilm or any other deposits that accumulate during the operation of the chiller. These biofilm can act as an insulator, reducing effective heat transfer in the condenser. The BallTech system is completely automatic and requires very little maintenance or replacement, as Colonial discovered.
Colonial First State Global Asset Management Sustainability In line with the CFSGAM’s company vision & mission Statement to be a world-class property management and development company, it has recognized the important role it can play in minimizing the environmental impact of its assets operations. In recognition of this, CFSGAM has embedded sustainability principles into its business culture, setting objectives, targets and demonstrating achievement through on-going implementation of sustainable efficiency improvements.
This strategy aims to trial and ultimately embeds and mainstream sustainable efficiency improvements (such as BallTech) throughout the assets operations for the benefit of all stakeholders. The asset portfolio comprises CFSGAM-managed funds and third party clients throughout Australia and New Zealand: — 47 shopping centres and retail precincts located in every state of Australia and in New Zealand attracting more than 232 million customer visits annually, and
Richard Brown – Chatswood Chase Maintenance & Compliance Manager next to the BallTech injector.
26
| Volume 2 – 2011 | The Australian Building Services Journal
The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 2 – 2011 |
27
Running snapshot of each chillers COP on the PlantPro for Chatswood Chase. The left bar is the designed results from set inputs, the right bar is PlantPro’s expected COP from the given parameters and the middle bar is the actual COP in real time. PlantPro represents the cutting edge in real-time plant and chiller efficiency analysis. Detailed charts are produced in real time using calibrate instrument grade sensors. Through a variety of propriety calculations, operational efficiency at all operating load points are accurately predicted. This data gives the end user the ability to quickly and easily pinpoint efficiency changes within the plant or individual chiller.
— 54 major office buildings located in CBD and suburban office markets in Australia and New Zealand Managing relationships with; — more than 5,900 Australian and international retail tenancies — more than 900 major business and government tenants in office space across Australia and New Zealand
Chatswood Chase Sydney counts the Savings Chatswood Chase Sydney is located about 20 minutes north of the Sydney CBD and has a total retail area of 58,239 sqm spread over four trading floors. The main air conditioning plant room has two identical Carrier variable speed centrifugal chillers that are fully serviced and maintained by Airmaster Australia. Airmaster Australia have formed a strategic partnership with CFSGAM and take care of many other sustainable tasks such as energy monitoring and chiller plant optimization using the PlantPro Plant and Chiller optimization tools. To further enhance the overall chilled water plant efficiency, Airmaster Australia recommended the installation
28
of BallTech automatic in-line condenser cleaning system to CFSGAM. As the two chillers within the main air conditioning plant are connected to a common condensing water header it was possible to install one BallTech system to service both chillers. This strategy served to reduce the overall installation cost without compromising the operation of the BallTech system. With the BallTech system now installed, evaluation of the chiller COP’s were carried out using PlantPro chiller optimization tools. The chiller COP’s were measured with both the BallTech system in operation and again with it disabled. During both periods the operating parameters were recorded and normalized to ensure that like for like load conditions were being compared. With BallTech in operation, COP’s were measured at an average of 6.7. With BallTech disabled COP averages decreased to 5.6 whilst at the same time the cost to produce each kilowatt of refrigeration increased from 2.5c with BallTech enabled to 2.9c cents with the system disabled. The improved performance with BallTech in operation was measured at a very impressive 13.7%.
| Volume 2 – 2011 | The Australian Building Services Journal
Based on these figures over a year, the operating cost of the chillers will be lowered by $20,000.00 per annum. Frank Sturgess (Senior Operations Manager, Chatswood Chase Sydney) purchases a bag of the BallTech balls for around $150 on average once a year and that is all the maintenance required for the BallTech systems on his two chillers. Michael Herman (BallTech Australia Managing Director) finds the system always gains advocates as soon as clients see the results BallTech provides. Hidden from plain view, it is difficult for clients to gauge the effectiveness of the simple technology until the power usage data makes it obvious. “Manufacturers’ specifications for heat exchangers typically quote reductions in efficiency (fouling factor) of greater than four per cent. Practical field tests and a prolong case study show, however, figures greater than 15 per cent. The BallTech system is the only maintenance-free, online cleaning system with proven success since 1996 through thousands of installations worldwide and in Australia.” http://balltech.com.au
The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 2 – 2011 |
29
Regulation Update By DEREK HENDRY
Systems Interface Testing
Basic Test Procedure (typical)
AUST – Building Engineers should be aware that System Interface Testing, better known as Full Function Fire Systems Testing, is now mandatory where the requirements of AS1851-2005 are applicable.
Automatic sprinkler and fire alarm systems when activated in specific ways automatically cause operation of interfaced systems such as: • Stair pressurisation systems • Release fire doors • Operate roof vents to permit smoke to escape • Shutdown non-fire essential plant • Operate elevator override controls • Automatically cause fire pump sets to operate
To better facilitate operational reliability of fire protection systems, amendments were made to AS1851 – Maintenance of Fire Protection Equipment and Systems (AS1851-2005) to include a requirement for building owners, managers and engineers to complete a System Interface Test annually. This means where fire systems are interfaced with other building systems these interfaces must be tested annually i.e. a Full Function Fire Systems Test. The testing may be disruptive to building operations during a System Interface Test. It is recommended that the hospital engineer coordinate testing of the interfaced fire protection systems to minimise this disruption by engaging an independent and suitably experienced consultant to minimise the time taken to complete the testing. Depending on the size and type of occupancy the System Interface Test may require the services of a mechanical and hydraulic engineer, technicians specialising in fire alarms, sprinklers, HVAC, electrical power and control and building management systems etc. Accurate fire protection system interface documentation is critical to facilitating a successful System Interface Test and must be provided or obtained/created prior to the System Interface Test commencing.
The criteria for the methods of initiating the testing is specified in AS1851-2005 under the respective sections for each type of fire safety installation. All of the System Interfaces must be verified as operational. System Interface Test is an opportune time, whilst all of the services contractors are onsite, to check your systems capacity i.e. do annual flow, hydrostatic, sandwich and stairwell pressurisation testing to ensure your services meet their design criteria.
Locks on an Exit Door and Doors in Path Of Travel – BFRS
Types of Documentation Required
QLD – Building owners, managers and engineers are reminded that recent changes to Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008 (BFSR) prohibits locking of doors on evacuation routes without reasonable cause and adopts the Building Code of Australia (BCA) as the benchmark for exit door hardware.
• Drawings – Mechanical Services, Electrical, Fire Services and Building Transportation. • Equipment Schedules - Mechanical Services, Electrical and Fire Services, Building Transportation. • Current Fire Matrix • Current System Cause and Effect Charts • Specifications for zone and floor pressurisation
There is now prohibition on locking of doors on path of travel to an exit, with special exemptions for child care centre and places of lawful custody in Queensland. The new provisions apply to doors on path of travel to an exit i.e. doors on the path of travel from a common area of a building through a final exit door to a place of safety outside a building.
30
| Volume 2 – 2011 | The Australian Building Services Journal
The BFSR now specifically deems a door compliant if it complies with the provisions of the Building Code of Australia (BCA) Volume 1 Part D. Doors that have locking mechanisms that do not pass this test must be replaced or modified, and otherwise are deemed illegal. This new regulation now recognises that the BCA sets the building standard. Engineers have one month to modify or replace door hardware after being advised it is non complaint by an inspector when the mandatory 6 monthly inspections are undertaken. The typical requirement of the BCA is that an exit door or a door in the path of travel to an exit, operate in the following manner; • must be able to be opened from the internal side using 1 device that can be operated by 1 downward or pushing action using 1 hand; • automatically allows the door to be opened if the door fails to open electronically
Examples of devices— • a handle, lever or panic bar • a device consisting of a button or switch that can be operated to allow a door to open electronically and • exit door hardware is a prescribed fire safety installation under the Building Act 1975 and BFSR.
AS1905.1 Clause 6.3.2 also requires a fire door schedule of evidence with the numbered certificate and the following information to be provided in a record system and made available if required: Fire door identification number, Fire door location, Fire door type, Frame type, Nominal dimensions of the door – width, height and thickness, Fire resistance level (FRL), Facing and edging material type, Lockset and closer type, Miscellaneous items (for example, vision panels), Test opinion reference, Date of inspection and Manufacturer or certifier. Permanent maintenance records for fire doors may need to be kept in accordance with AS1851.7. Maintenance of fire protection equipment - Fire-resistant doorsets, are usually provided in a logbook format. Maintenance records under various State essential safety measure regulations will dictate whether this provision is a statutory function under the regulation. Some States may nominate AS 1905.1 as the ongoing Standard for compliance. We strongly suggest you keep fire door records under AS 1851, to protect all parties’ interests. Most States will nominate fire doors as an essential safety measure / essential fire safety measure, where all fire door verification of inspection and maintenance will form part of the Annual Essential Safety Measures Report / Annual Fire Safety Statement. ■
Fire Door Installation – Verification Evidence: AS1905.1 AUST - Building owners, engineers, property managers and occupiers of buildings only need to rely on fire doors for life safety during an emergency e.g. a fire. Determining whether a fire door was suitable for its use is meaningless where the fire door failed and loss of life has occurred. Part of a building occupier’s protection is a requirement in AS1905.1-2005 Components for the protection of openings in fire-resistant walls, Fire-resistant-doorsets. Section 6.3 Evidence – Fire Door. Clause 6.3.1 Installation states: 6.3. EVIDENCE 6.3.1 Installation When the installation of a fire-resistant doorset in a building has been completed, the manufacturer or the certifier shall provide to the building owner (or his or her representative) written evidence in the form of a numbered certificate indicating that – (a) an inspection of the installation has been carried out; (b) each fire-resistant doorset is identical with the tested specimen, or, where there are variations form the tested specimen, variations are in accordance with this Standard; and (c) as far as can be ascertained, the fire-resistant doorset has been installed in accordance with this standard. The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 2 – 2011 |
31
ADVE RT O R I A L
32
| Volume 2 – 2011 | The Australian Building Services Journal
DEUTSCHE BANK PLACE 126 PHILLIP STREET, SYDNEY
Two major players in Australia’s corporate landscape recently switched on a brand new system to generate tower-emissions electricity in North Sydney at Coca Cola Place and across the harbour at Deutsche Bank Place.
Australia’s First Trigeneration Precinct For Commercial Buildings
I
n a first for Australia, the NSW Minister for Resources and Energy, Chris Hatcher, officially launched the trigeneration precinct for these two commercial buildings. Investa Property Group and Cogent, a subsidiary of Origin, have established a trigeneration facility that reduces the carbon footprints of two commercial buildings in Sydney. The recently installed trigeneration plant at Coca-Cola Place in North Sydney supplies lower-carbon electricity, hot water and chilled
34
| Volume 2 – 2011 | The Australian Building Services Journal
water to the base building and now exports surplus electricity via Ausgrid’s electricity distribution network, so the benefits can be shared with another Investa building (Deutsche Bank Place, 126 Phillip Street, Sydney). This is a first for a commercial building in Australia; paving the way for
TRIGENERATION PLANT
precinct-based trigeneration systems that can serve multiple buildings.
WHAT IS COGENERATION AND TRIGENERATION?
This new precinct is formed via an arrangement between Cogent and Investa which overcomes operational challenges and will enable other organisations to share surplus lowercarbon benefits between buildings.
Cogeneration uses natural gas-powered engines to generate on-site electricity. The waste heat from the engine is captured to provide heating, or for conversion to chilled water for cooling through an absorption chiller. When an absorption chiller is used, the solution is often referred to as trigeneration. Using gas as a fuel offers a significant reduction in carbon emissions when compared to coal-fired power generation.
CHALLENGES The commercial property sector is striving to make buildings greener to meet increasing government, tenant and shareholder standards. Trigeneration is a recent addition to the Australian property market however some technical challenges must be overcome to realise all the benefits, namely:
This is a first for a commercial building in Australia; paving the way for precinct-based trigeneration systems that can serve multiple buildings
The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 2 – 2011 |
35
• When buildings are being designed and constructed it is difficult to estimate the final energy demands, because they depend on the types of tenants that move in.
between the two buildings. This solution allows Coca-Cola Place’s trigeneration plant to operate at maximum capacity and efficiency all year-round.
• As with any large energy user, there are peaks and troughs in demand throughout the day and throughout the year, however trigeneration systems are designed to run at maximum capacity.
Under the cogentpower model the plant at Coca-Cola Place in North Sydney runs at maximum capacity and sends surplus power to the grid, sharing the benefits with Investa’s Deutsche Bank Place Building at 126 Philip Street in the Sydney CBD. The North Sydney building can achieve its sustainability targets and also share the lower carbon benefits with the Phillip Street building. This is the first step in the creation of a precinct-based trigeneration system where buildings are connected within the same distribution network and surplus, lowercarbon electricity can be exported to the electricity grid.
• Responsible building operators strive to use as little energy as possible. This can compromise the benefits of a plant if demand falls below efficient operating parameters. • For commercial building owners it is not economically viable to sell co- or tri-generated power into the electricity grid, so direct export of electricity is not usually an option
SOLUTIONS Origin’s cogentpower addresses the challenges that have been limiting the use of other cogeneration plants at large commercial sites. cogentpower creates a ‘virtual private energy network’ overlaid with the Ausgrid network to balance the energy demand
36
• Increases the NABERS energy rating of both buildings. • ‘Waste heat’ captured from the plant is used on site for heating and cooling, significantly reducing the operation of boilers and electric chillers, thereby increasing efficiency and reducing energy use and CO2 emissions. • In the event of a black out, the trigeneration plant at Coca-Cola Place would still provide power, heating and cooling to the tenants. • Surplus energy is exported to the grid, maximising efficiency and allowing the benefits to be shared between buildings. • As waste heat is harnessed, trigeneration provides up to 80 per cent efficiency, a significant increase on conventional coal-fired power stations which convert only 30-40 per cent of their fuel energy into electricity.2
KEY BENEFITS • Major energy efficiencies and carbon emission reductions for buildings. • More than 1,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum1 is expected to be saved between Coca-Cola Place and Deutsche Bank Place.
| Volume 2 – 2011 | The Australian Building Services Journal
More than 1,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum is expected to be saved between CocaCola Place and Deutsche Bank Place.
The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 2 – 2011 |
37
• The generation of electricity using natural gas produces significantly less greenhouse gas emissions than the generation of electricity using coal. • When electricity is generated inside the CBD and shared into the grid locally, energy is not lost via the high-voltage transmission network.
KEY COMPONENTS OF THE ARRANGEMENT • Cogent leases Coca-Cola Place’s trigeneration energy centre from Investa increasing the building’s capital value and the overall rental returns for Investa. • Two Energy Service Agreements (ESA) allow Investa to purchase electricity, hot water and chilled water from Cogent, as well as top-up peak and off-peak electricity for both sites. • Cogent will purchase the gas consumed by the plant and provide the monitoring, operation and maintenance of the plant for the duration of the long-term agreement.
THE SYSTEM AT COCA-COLA PLACE The trigeneration plant at Coca-Cola Place consists of: • 774kW MWM, low NOx, gas fired reciprocating engine coupled to a 415V generator located on level B2 which provides power to the base building. • 650kW single-double effect broad absorption chiller located on B1 mezzanine level. The absorption chiller utilises both engine jacket and exhaust heat and can supply either chilled or hot water to the building. • Control, metering and switch gear that will manage the plant and interface to the site’s main switch boards and the grid for safe operation. Plant Operation • The trigeneration plant provides 774 kWe of power to the base building and 650 kWR of cooling to the air conditioning system when running at full capacity. • Exhaust gas from the genset rises via the exhaust flue system to the mezzanine floor to either vent or divert to the absorption chiller based on air conditioning requirements. • The bypass valve modulates exhaust flow through the absorption chiller based on actual chilled water load. • The trigeneration system is configured as the primary boiler and chiller in the Building Management System (BMS) if available. • The trigeneration plant can operate as a standby set during a grid failure, delivering a large portion of the base building’s power and is capable of a black start with no external power required.
38
| Volume 2 – 2011 | The Australian Building Services Journal
COCA-COLA PLACE 40 MOUNT STREET, NORTH SYDNEY
• The trigeneration plant will run in parallel import/export mode with the incoming Ausgrid grid feeder and is synchronized to this feeder. Cogent operates the generator where a portion of the power is fed to the base building, any excess power which cannot be utilised by the base building will be exported out of the building to 126 Philip Street using the Ausgrid Network. • The trigeneration plant will operate between 7am and 10pm during the working week (peak/shoulder period) and uses grid energy for top up and off peak periods. The plant’s operation is determined by the combined base building load for the two buildings. It is estimated that the plant will run 2500-3000 hours per annum.
Refs 1 CO2 savings estimates are calculated on information from the Australian Government National Greenhouse Accounts Factors July 2010. Calculation methodology externally reviewed by PAE Holmes. 2 http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/rn/1998-99/99rn21. htm, see Table 1, Electricity Generation Efficiencies for Coal Power Stations and Cogeneration.
The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 2 – 2011 |
39
ADVE RT O R I A L
Commercial Building’s Energy Efficiency – Game Changer
S
ydney CBD’s lowest energy intensity building is the Local Government Superannuation Fund (LGS) owned 120 Sussex St and this 19 year old building is listed on the NABERS website at 5 stars base building energy. The 5 star rating is achieved without any allowance for green power and its energy intensity is almost 1 full star higher than one of the construction industries energy benchmark buildings at 30 The Bond. The LGS received Commonwealth Government Green Building Funding (GBF) for the retrofitting of energy efficient technologies to 5 of their buildings and 120 Sussex St is their first to be NABERS rated. The 5 star rating was achieved after 9 months of operation with the retrofitted technologies and with 3 months operation prior to the retrofitting included in the NABERS rating hence for a full 12 months operation a further reduction in energy intensity is expected. Currently both the base building’s energy reduction and summer peak electrical demand have been reduced by over fifty percent.
other 4 LGS buildings have also achieved significant energy reductions and they will be NABERS rated after 12 months retrofit operation. All retrofit works were carried out without relocating any tenants, and all existing air conditioning ductwork, variable air volume boxes, controls and supply air fans were retained. The LGS has undertaken a pre and post retrofit Occupancy Productivity study on its 5 buildings and this study concludes that a tenant productivity gain of $188/sqM has been achieved . Metrics associated with air conditioning in this study included air quality, thermal comfort and general tenant satisfaction and all of these showed a significant improvement post retrofit. The retrofit works including the GBF at 120 Sussex St cost $160/sqM and this is less than 25% of property industry expectations of $765/sqM as published in the PCA/Arup Existing
The air conditioning on all 5 LGS buildings have been retrofitted with the Australian invented Shaw Method of Air Conditioning (SMAC) and this technology at 120 Sussex St has been the major contributor to the over 50% air conditioning energy reduction. The
40
| Volume 2 – 2011 | The Australian Building Services Journal
Buildings Survival Strategies II- 2009. The $765/sqM has proven to be a substainual financial barrier in improving existing building’s NABERS rating to 5 star however this now proven $165/ sqM for SMAC and complementary technologies should become an important and significant energy efficiency game changer. The energy and tenant comfort outcomes at the LGS properties and other SMAC projects throughout Australia clearly demonstrates that SMAC is a World class technology, for further information and contact details visit www.smactec.com
The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 2 – 2011 |
41
DDA Implications for Existing Building Upgrades and Alterations By MARK LEWIS Manager Building Surveying, Hendry Group
Recent moves to improve the commonality of the Access Code for Buildings to the Building Code of Australia 2011 (BCA) and the Disability (Access to Premises – Buildings) Standards 2009 have substantially harmonised the BCA with the Disability Discrimination Act. As a result, the integration of the Access Code with the BCA carries significant implications for building owners, tenants, building engineers and facility managers.
42
The Premises Standards contain detailed information specifying the circumstances and types of building where the Standards apply, and they apply to a new building, a new part of an existing building, and the affected part of an existing building. The affected part of a building means: • the principal pedestrian entrance of an existing building that contains a new part and • any part of an existing building that contains a new part, that is necessary to provide a continuous accessible path of travel from the entrance to the new part. Generally speaking, the affected part of a building must comply with the new access requirements where alterations and/or additions are proposed to an existing building, and the proposed work is subject to a building permit/ complying development certificate or a construction certificate. The affected part of the building does not apply to: • existing parts of buildings outside the area of the new work and the affected part upgrade • an accessway from the allotment boundary, from any accessible car
| Volume 2 – 2011 | The Australian Building Services Journal
parking space on the allotment or between other buildings on the allotment. Upgrading works for an affected part may include: • accessibility of upper floors to new work • providing lift access features such as Braille or tactile buttons • signage • removing a step at a building entrance • upgrading handrails on a ramp • minimum width requirements of doorways or passageways, including passing and turning spaces. Lessees submitting an application for approval for the building work to their leased area only, do not need to ensure that the affected part of the building complies with the Premises Standards. However, this concession does not apply if the new part is within a building with only one lessee, or where the works include works to other parts of the building. Note that for building owners who make alterations or upgrades to their buildings, the Premises Standards provisions will apply regardless of whether the building is multi-tenanted or not.
and ultimately, unjustifiable hardship may only be conclusively determined by a Federal Court or the Federal Magistrates Court.
The Premises Standards makes some limited concessions to these circumstances. For example, a lift is not required in a building of not more than three storeys, with a floor area of each storey, of not more than 200m². There are also concessions for existing lifts and disabled persons toilets under certain circumstances, and there is also a general exemption for areas where providing access would be inappropriate because of the purpose for which the area is used, such as a fire lookout tower for example, or to areas that would pose a health or safety risk for people with a disability. Existing buildings that are not undergoing any alterations or change of use are not required to be upgraded to comply with the BCA 2011. However the existing building could still be the subject of a compliant under the
Disability Discrimination Act, and the case made that the building does not meet the general requirements for access in accordance with the Premises Standard. While an application can be made on the grounds of unjustifiable hardship, the extent of documentation that must be submitted with the application, (including financial position and so forth) is likely to make the process a difficult one that will receive serious scrutiny by the applicable State or Territory Appeals authority,
The circumstances under which these provisions will prevail will in all likelihood be tested going forward, but there is no doubt that the provisions for access code compliance have been significantly strengthened, and the scope for dispensations significantly curtailed. Source material courtesy Victorian Building Commission website, the NSW Building Professionals Board website and the Australasian Legal Information Institute (A joint facility of UTS and UNSW Faculties of Law) website. For further reading go to the Victorian Building commission website - “Practice Notes”, or the NSW Building Professionals Board website – “Premises Standards” menu item. ■
The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 2 – 2011 |
43
Building Information Modeling and Security Design By SIMON HENSWORTH | GHD Pty Ltd.
INTRODUCTION Imagine if you could learn all the security issues a building will experience as it is being built, and after it has been built and is being used, before you start to build. You could design out these issues before they became issues. Well, the ability to do this is now closer than ever. Building Information Modeling (BIM) which uses a 3D format to design buildings is currently experiencing a boom as designers and engineers recognise the advantages and efficiencies it produces and it is also providing new advantages for Security design.
BIM BIM stands for Building Information Modelling. It generally uses software such as Revit to produce a 3D virtual model of a building in place of the typical 2D plans used in conventional building Architectural and Building Services design. Whilst the actual virtual building model is designed in 3D, BIM is often described as being a 6D system, where the fourth dimension represents time, the fifth dimension being cost and sixth dimension being lifecycle. This enables efficiencies in the planning of the facility in terms of its overall design staging and associated costing. Whilst it has been suggested that the concept of BIM has been around as early as the 1970’s, the first implementation of BIM (in its infant
44
stages) was not pioneered until the late 1980’s. It is not until recently, due to advances in IT and new software available that BIM has recently escalated into a new boom period. Constructing a 3D virtual model of a building generally follows the same construction process as constructing the actual 3D building in real life. Initially, pads and footings are designed and modelled, followed by walls, roofs, infrastructure, services, right down to the final fittings and furnishings. 3D representations of building infrastructure, services, furnishings and fittings are all modelled using accurate real life dimensions and can even include manufacturers’
| Volume 2 – 2011 | The Australian Building Services Journal
details for specific equipment and technologies. This provides a realistic preview of the building process and potential issues that may arise. The outcome is a perfect 3D virtual model representing the final finished building.
ADVANTAGES GHD recently used BIM to design and document the Oxford Youth Foyer Project in Perth WA for Foundation Housing, Central Institute of Technology and Anglicare. The use of the 3D modeling assisted in meeting a number of challenges including spatial
constraints for building services, and early assessment of security considerations. One of the greatest advantages of BIM is the enhanced ability to visualise the finished building. This allows the building owner to see an almost perfect representation of the finished product at the design stage. This is very useful for security design as it provides the ability to select optimum locations for CCTV, and select specific fields of view (FOV) for each camera at the design stage. This also allows security inspections and CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) reviews at the design stage using the model, so that design elements that may offer opportunities for crime or unwanted behaviour can be identified an mitigated early in the design process.
END NOTE Designing in 3D has already started to supersede traditional 2D design methods, and the efficiencies and advantages it offers is sure to accelerate it as a preferred design method. BIM’s early advantages have already started to include enhancements for Security design and as BIM evolves and becomes the design standard, it is sure to offer even greater potential to safety and crime prevention.
Before undertaking any activity related to this article, it is recommended you consult a Security Professional licensed in your State. Some information from this article has been referenced from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Building_Information_Modeling
ABOUT THE AUTHOR The enhanced visualisation of a 3D model also assists in communication potential security issues to the building owner. For example, climb points and natural ladders that may allow intruders to climb the building are easier to visualise and demonstrate on a 3D model than they are on a 2D plan.
Simon is a Senior Security Professional and Security Service Line Leader with global engineering consultancy GHD. Simon has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Security Science from Edith Cowan University and is an ICA (International CPTED Association) certified CPTED practitioner (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design). Simon has provided security solutions for many clients with major assets in Western Australia and is involved in all aspects of security, security technologies, promoting security and security awareness.
The 3D model allows more advanced consideration and assessment of the spatial relationships in and around the building and analysis of lighting for sustainable design purposes. The 3D model can be designed concurrently by all disciplines which assists in the early identification of clashes in services. All information making up the model is a structured database. Information can be scheduled to enable the exaction of quantities, and materials/equipment can be easily extracted from the model for pricing purposes. Builders are provided with far more detailed and specific information that provides efficiencies in construction. For example, a builder can have building elements manufactured to the exact dimensions required to save work on site. The 3D design assists in maximising the transfer of information from the design team to the construction team and on to the end user. The BIM could be used downstream by an end user to go back and reference elements of the building throughout its design lifecycle. For example, if extensions are required to security systems, rather than a building operator search through documentation, or have technicians inspect conduit runs through the building, the BIM will show specific details of what exists and where it is located. The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 2 – 2011 |
45
46
| Volume 2 – 2011 | The Australian Building Services Journal
How Clean is our air?
UVGI Ceiling Unit
By PAUL MASCALL | Air Solutions International
Health Care Acquired Infections Nosocomial infection (i.e. infection originating in hospital) is a serious and growing problem in hospitals throughout the world. Nosocomial infections are frequently referred to as Health Care Acquired Infections (HCAI) and are often difficult to eradicate, with many being drug resistant. For example, Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) is a major problem within many healthcare facilities. Despite strenuous efforts on the part of healthcare professionals and hospital authorities HCAI is a growing problem. Whilst some of this increase is attributed to improved reporting, it is undoubtedly the case that infection control practices are struggling to manage the problem. The most frequent HCAI’s being Tuberculosis, Meningitis, MRSA, Clostridium Difficile, Chicken Pox, SARS, Influenza including H1N1 and Avian Flu.
Financial Implications While nosocomial infections cause much morbidity and mortality, they also have considerable economic impact on healthcare systems. These infections affect between 10 and 20% of patients, the infected person subsequently spending up to fifteen days in hospital, instead of the average stay of just four days and are 7.1 times more likely to die. It is estimated that it costs the healthcare provider and additional
$23,000 per HCAI, accumulating to hundreds of $ Millions per annum.
Transmission Route The term transmission refers to the route by which an infectious agent travels to reach a host. Transmission generally occurs by four common routes: • Contact; • Common vehicle; • Vector-borne; and • Airborne. Direct contact between healthcare workers (HCW’s) and patients is generally considered to be the primary route by which HCAI’s spread between wards. It also includes in-
The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 2 – 2011 |
47
direct contact via light switches, door handles and surfaces. Common vehicle spread includes all transmission which involves inanimate vehicles serving multiple persons, such as food, water and drugs. Vector borne spread of infection involves the action of an animate third party such as a fly. Malaria is an example of a disease spread by vector which is not a common transmission route for nosocomial infections in Australia. Airborne transmission refers to those microorganisms which become truly airborne and which are inhaled. A number of important infections are known to spread through the air including tuberculosis, legionnaires disease, aspergillosis and measles. Because of the nature of the transmission route, susceptible people can contract an infection without having direct contact with an infected person. Many airborne infections arise from infectious particles dispersed in droplet nuclei when infected individuals cough or sneeze. During coughing and sneezing, thousands of droplets are liberated into the air, many of which contain
48
| Volume 2 – 2011 | The Australian Building Services Journal
bacteria or viral particles. When expelled the larger droplets fall to the ground, while evaporation of smaller droplets takes place and they rapidly decrease in size to become droplet nuclei. Consequently, most of the droplets produced by a cough or a sneeze will form droplet nuclei many of which contain pathogenic micro-organisms. Droplet nuclei are so small that they settle slowly and in a calm room will take approximately 4.2 hours to fall a distance of 2 m and can stay suspended almost indefinitely. Given the long suspension time, particles can carry long distances in convection currents and thus can distribute widely throughout hospital buildings. There is a large body of evidence supporting the view that staphylococci are frequently disseminated by the aerial route in the clinical environment. Contaminated clothing and bedding colonized patients release staphylococcus aureus into the air when disturbed. During bed making in particular, staphylococci bearing particles are liberated into the air and deposited on surfaces within the environment causing a significant increase in the microbial bioburden.
Although contact spread is considered to be the principle route of transmission for most infections, the contribution of airborne micro-organisms to the spread of infection is much greater than generally currently recognised. This is partly because many airborne micro-organisms remain viable while being non-culturable, with the result that they are not detected, and also because some infections arising from contact transmission involve the airborne transportation of micro-organisms onto inanimate surfaces. There is increasing evidence that nosocomial infections are transmitted by the airborne means and it has been estimated that between 20 to 35% of HCAI’s are caused by this route. ASHRAE the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers produced a position document on Airborne Infectious Diseases in June 2009 detailing the health consequences of exposure to airborne infectious diseases and the implications this knowledge has on the design, installation and operation of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems.
What is UVGI? UVGI Systems devices use UVC irradiation at a wavelength of 254 nanometres (nm) to lethally damage airborne microorganisms. This is known as the germicidal irradiation wavelength, and the recognised term for this, throughout the world, is UVGI.
How does it work? UVGI works as a mutagen to bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms on a cellular level, penetrating the cell wall. This disrupts the microorganism DNA (deoxyrilbonucleic acid), breaking the carbon bond, which causes the death of the cell and/or renders it incapable of multiplying.
Proven Results Basingstoke North Hampshire NHS Hospital UVGI Systems’ original product, was deployed in a long-term (two year) test in four high dependency rooms, used for the treatment/recuperation of immune compromised patients at Basingstoke North Hampshire Hospital, UK.
The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 2 – 2011 |
49
Two of the high dependency rooms contained UVGI units, offering a dedicated pressurised and sanitised room environment at a significantly lower cost to that of a central plant system. The third room used positive air pressure sanitisation and the fourth room contained a placebo unit. In controlled laboratory tests, colonies of microorganisms growing in air samples taken from the rooms using the UVGI technology showed a significant reduction in measured mean colony count, when compared to those taken from the positive air pressure and placebo environments. Government Healthcare Agency Test House, Porton Down Tests took place at the UK Government Healthcare Agency test house, Porton Down. The performance evaluation of the UVGI purification unit tested air samples in triplicate at four flow rates (600, 930, 1260, 1600 m3/h) against microbial aerosols of: Staphylococcus Epidermis – (MRSA), Aspergillus Niger – (Aspergillus Fumigatus/Anthrax) Mycobacterium Vaccae – (Tuberculosis TB/MDRTB), MS-2 Coliphage (Influenza/SARS Corona virus/E coli) The results demonstrated (at all four flow rates) an average efficiency greater than 99.9% against these bio-aerosols.
outdoor air quality; servicing areas where patients may have compromised immune systems, and for re-circulated indoor air systems where there is a need to sanitise specific indoor spaces. Ceiling-Jet This ceiling mounted device, designed to replace a standard 600mm x 600mm ceiling tile, sterilises indoor air through localised recirculation, specifically for individual rooms and treatment spaces. The directional air-jet system gently agitates all the room air, dissipating areas of high bacterial concentration. The displaced air is drawn back in to the ceiling unit for further UV dosing and recirculated as often as necessary, the treated air being jetted back in to the room minus the harmful microorganisms. Free-Standing This floor-standing, portable device is used to sterilise air in specific spaces such as waiting-rooms, workspaces or areas with restricted access. This means you can achieve maximum effect for minimal installation costs. Bespoke Solutions UVGI products are designed to serve any given air duty, within any type of ventilation or air-conditioned system, and are suitable for both new developments and existing systems.
University of Leeds Product performance tests were carried out in partnership with the University of Leeds and Mansfield Pollard & Company Limited. The tests used three microorganisms: Staphylococcus aureus, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Bacillus subtillis. Results showed reduced concentrations of these microorganisms by 99.9%.
What makes UVGI Systems unique? UVGI Systems products have been developed from UVGI patented technology, and are the result of over ten years intensive research and over £14M investment.
Energy Saving In addition UVGI systems can also significantly reduce energy operating costs by 20% in cooling and heating through a reduced fresh air respiratory requirement.UVGI Systems products provide the most powerful suite of air sterilisation units in the world. All models have been rigorously laboratory tested under ‘live’ HEVAC conditions for pathogen destruction performance. UVGI Systems are to provide guaranteed & verifiable confirmation of performance ensuring total client confidence in reducing microbial infection. ■
This has produced an air sanitation product range that harnesses maximum light intensity with optimum dwell time.
The definitive World Standard for UV Air Sterilisation has now been set The Products In-Duct UVGI Systems’ range of in-duct air sterilisation units has been developed specifically for environments with poor
50
| Volume 2 – 2011 | The Australian Building Services Journal
A UVGI Ceiling Jet
Three major issues affecting a successful FM practice By Kristiana Greenwood Director FM Innovations Pty Ltd and Director FMA Australia.
Recently I posted a question on LinkedIn which sparked a fair amount of interest as it is a topic that brings out the passion in FM professionals. My interest in posting this particular question was to gather a global view from a range of companies and countries to see if their issues are similar wherever
I received feedback from professionals in Australia, UK, USA, India, Nigeria, Trinidad, Sweden, Kenya, Indonesia and Canada. And that’s so far. I want to thank all of those respondents who provided a very interesting insight into their market and their current roadblocks to ensuring they run their facilities as efficiently and professionally as possible. The first thing I noticed when I analysed the feedback is that there is no obvious commonality of issues between companies in the same country. For example, I received several responses from FM professionals who practice in Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean Islands.
The issues they face are very different from their peers within the same market. One respondent reports that relevant FM tools, communication and education are the main issues they face. Another reports that getting good competitive service and response from outsourced providers is their major trepidation. Also educating those in authority of the importance of good maintenance practices rather than the “run to failure” approach. However, every single respondent from every single country had one particular grievance in common: Communication. Even if the contributors to my question didn’t so much as spell the word
they live in the world. My question was: “If you were to name your top three major issues that hinder successful management of your FM practice, what would they be?”
The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 2 – 2011 |
51
out, every single one of them infers that communication is a major issue. Communication between a client and the supplier and communication internally being the most obvious issue. One FM professional from the UK emphasizes that there are pressures from both sides when outsourcing and
when they are not clearly conveyed it can cause a relationship breakdown. A Swedish professional emphasises that communication in the form of understanding what the client requires and what the contractor is capable of delivering is so important. From my experience, expectations are often
built on assumptions, and deliverables should be clearly articulated and documented before any contract begins. This may seem very obvious to some, but in some countries it is not common practice. In Africa there again is the issue of communication – but not as obvious. In Nigeria there are concerns with customer satisfaction, there seems to be a real issue with pleasing the customers. Some companies only look to the end result and don’t appreciate the partnership approach that is needed to run an effective FM project. Open and honest communication between the stakeholders at the beginning of the process and before a contract is put in place is lacking. In Kenya the issue is getting good efficient teams together with complementary skills to function like clockwork – communicating and delivering. One respondent from India comments that their FM market is less sophisticated than many and a lot of automated processes are still done manually. For them communication with other more advanced FM markets in order to understand better FM practices and processes will help them to educate the key stakeholders in their country. The Australian respondents are also mired by communication. Better communication internally with those who control the budgets would help with another major issue that our Facilities professionals constantly face, access to funds. Budget and communication seem to go hand in hand. One professional from San Diego remarks that in one company he worked for, the executives were cutting budgets and making decisions that made no sense at all to the FM department. It transpired that they were making these seemingly bizarre decisions based on information they had about the direction the business was taking. They didn’t communicate
52
| Volume 2 – 2011 | The Australian Building Services Journal
or discuss the reasons for their actions – this makes a very difficult working environment. Budget was the second largest hinderance to my respondents – one of whom complains that operating costs continue to grow but budgets seem to shrink. It seems to me that just because Facilities Management as a business does not contribute to the profit line, it is often not considered fairly when budgets are allocated. Marketing gets a large budget because it brings in the sales, R&D will get a large budget as it formulates the future direction, but FM suffers unless the executives approving the budgets are astute and understand the importance of managing the built environment. Which brings me to the third biggest issue facing successful FM, Education. Obviously FM education as in accreditations are a part of this, but also educating the stakeholders is key. One respondent from the UK has a constant battle trying to get his clients to understand the importance of good asset management and how much money you can save by doing it right. A respondent in Indonesia would love to see internal staff educated but budget is preventing any formal process to take place. Respondents from the US, the UK and Australia complain that stakeholders are not educated on the importance of having good FM tools and processes in place. Internal staff need constant education so that they understand the latest legislations and requirements in areas such as compliance, energy and environmental management. In some countries, not understanding these legislations can result in large fines and even gaol. An interesting consultancy and research company in Canada called FM Insight has done several polls and surveys on FM related topics and they have come to the same conclusion that communication is a major issue in FM. In addition, the lack of education and budget for applicable FM tools. I found their website very interesting and informative and would encourage you to look at the results of some of their polls and surveys: http://fminsight.com So what is the conclusion I have drawn from this exercise? We need better communication in order to educate those in need so as to be able to secure an acceptable budget. Or do we need to educate our leaders to realise that we need budget in order to purchase the correct tools which will provide better communication with our clients? Whatever the sequence, it is apparent that across the globe the three major issues that hinder successful facilities management are communication, budget and education. â–
The Sustainable FM program By MEG MICHELL, Director Program Management, UNE Partnerships
S
ustainability is an issue of increasing and long-term importance to society. In the facilities management sector it is a growing issue but building users generally take an immediate view of operations, and still tend to view facilities as a cost. Whilst resources exist to assist with managing sustainability, awareness among individual practitioners is low and no training program exists to suit the operational level. With Introduction of national greenhouse reporting, an impending emissions trading system and the incoming Mandatory Disclosure requirements, sustainability in facilities management is a skill that must be embraced as core knowledge.
Guided by the FM Action Agenda #9, UNE Partnerships and the University of Sydney paired with Brookfield, a provider of FM services, to scope, develop and deliver an innovative training program for facilities managers and facilities supervisors in sustainable facilities management. Brookfield is passionate about sustainability and about exploring and implementing new ways in which it can grow and prosper into the future. In recognition of this and to make a contribution to the industry, environment and their business, Brookfield agreed to fund the development of a short course focused on sustainable facilities management. The Sustainable FM program aims to develop participant’s ability to apply process rather than product and refers to industry recognised resources for managing sustainability to ensure the desired impact at operational level. It incorporates various tools, standards and guidelines already in existence, bringing them together to raise awareness and encourage a consistent approach to managing sustainability. The objectives are to: •
introduce the concept of sustainability and position its importance to the facilities management sector
•
provide participants with the tools and skills to identify relevant operations and facilitate their measurement
•
provide participants with the skills to analyse and report on key factors affecting sustainability and identify areas for improvement with regard to the facilities under their management
•
encourage implementation of sustainable measures to improve performance.
The program is designed to enable participants to operate buildings in the most sustainable way through improvements in operational performance across the key areas in which facilities managers can make a difference: energy, water, waste, indoor environment quality and procurement. In addition to the development of skills and knowledge of participants, the training program provides the employing organisation with the capacity and ability to set performance targets and implement management strategies.
For more information regarding Sustainable FM corporate workshops, please contact Meg Michell at UNE Partnerships on 1800 066 128. ■
Water Chiller Cost Considerations
W
ater chillers today are very sophisticated, generally very efficient and certainly are a major capital cost to any project.
The 2 major cost considerations are: 1) Capital cost – easy to see and quantify as a fixed and immediate cost. 2) Running cost – these are more difficult to quantify. The key elements of running costs are: (a)
Power required to produce the required cooling effect at full load C.O.P. and at Part Load IPLV & NPLV. Since to introduction of the federal government Minimum energy Performance Standards in July 2009, all water chillers, air and water cooled, over 350 kW cooling capacity must meet stringent full and part load performance guidelines as new machines. Often Building owners pay more money for machines with a higher performance (ie: less input for more output). The extra money paid up front is often justified by reduced electricity costs providing payback periods of 1-2 or more years. This performance is all verifiable at the time the chiller is purchased.
IT’S IN THE BAG “It’s in a bag , permanent and not afraid of water!” That’s the message from Jackie Thew, owner of Sales Agency Australia and distributor of Asphalt in a Bag. Ready to use in all conditions, Asphalt in a Bag provides a pre-mixed product that offers a permanent repair solution for potholes, cracks, utility cuts, driveways, cycle ways, and car parks. We have been supplying many local Queensland Councils and Roadtek depots for a couple of years now. Due to recent changes to our internal structure and the addition of a 10 gauge and a 14 gauge mix on top of the already successful 7 gauge mix we are now in a position to expand our supply across Queensland and the rest of Australia. We currently supply three different grades of mix. Mix 7 – 7 gauge stone – residential roads, car parks – cracks and small potholes Mix 10 – 10 gauge stone – rural roads, highways – larger potholes Mix 14 – 14 gauge stone – specialised use – extra large potholes. “Asphalt in a bag is not designed to replace traditional hot mix for road building purposes, but to provide a quick and reliable means of effecting
(b) Maintenance and Breakdown. These costs are often not treated with the same priority as the cost of the power to run the chiller. Maintenance is however paramount to ensuring that costly breakdowns are avoided but more importantly that the performance you paid for is achieved over the life of the chiller. Once the chiller is operating in the real world heat exchanger surfaces on both air and water cooled machines become fouled with the dirt and grit of our busy cities. Corrosion on temperature sensors can give inaccurate feedback to chiller controllers causing erratic or inappropriate response to the real system requirements, resulting in poor chilled water temperature control and poor comfort control of the building. Simple preventative maintenance visits, logging chiller heat exchanger performances, sensor and transducer performances as well as refrigerant charges and water flows will ensure that your chiller continues to perform as it did on the test rig for the majority of its lifespan as well as ensuring that the performance costs savings that were expected continues to be realised. ■
MTA Australasia Pty Ltd Ph: 1300 304 177 Email: sales@mta-au.com
permanent repairs,” says Jackie based in South East Queensland. “The mixture works so well that many of the Asphalt contractors and local councils now use it for repairs and maintenance all around the country.” Manufactured from selective aggregates, bitumen and polymers, the bagged mixture is designed to suit the harshest of weather conditions. With an indefinite shelf life, the ready-mix is ideal for maintaining paths, driveways and roads and can be safely stockpiled awaiting future use. “Asphalt in a Bag expands and contracts with the surface and will bond to concrete, steel, asphalt and even wood,” explains Jackie. “The application of the product is five times faster than the average solution and can be exposed to traffic immediately.” Providing minimal disruption to traffic.
specifications, Asphalt in a Bag will permanently adhere to the area which is being repaired. With the kind of wet weather we have been enduring this past few months, demand for our product has increased, we have a number of stockist’s throughout the country who can supply 1 or more bags, for quantities by the pallet load (50 bags) either contact one of our stockist’s/ resellers or Jackie directly. Asphalt in a bag is a perfect and quick solution in the wet or dry for repair of those dangerous potholes. For more information, consult the website at www.asphaltinabag.com.au or give Jackie a call on 1300 789 967 for price and availability. Fill that hole!
With a lifetime performance guarantee, when applied according to the manufacturer’s The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 2 – 2011 |
55
CRAIG FREE CONSTRUCTIONS RETAIL AND COMMERCIAL MAINTENANCE MADE EASY Our clients receive 27 years of industry experience and project management with efficiency and professionalism to ensure we get your job done stress free. Through internal and external business consultants we work closely with our clients to achieve their vision within their budget and time frames. We are committed to providing quality workmanship and our ability to assist our clients various individual requirements. Some examples of the maintenance solution tasks we offer ■ Flood repair works ■ Licenced Asbestos removal ■ Repairs to counters and cupboards ■ Repairs and installation of locks ■ Repairs to joinery ■ All internal and external plastering needs ■ All internal and external painting needs ■ All flooring needs ■ All electrical needs ■ Installation of new fixturing ■ Signage and poster installations ■ Visual merchandising roll outs We have been working closely with a five star hotel in Brisbane for the last 12 months on various projects. These projects have included replastering a ball room, refurbishment of 8 levels of room bathrooms, new walls for restaurant areas as well as customized pool fencing and a mixture of other jobs. Recent other works have been varied from shop and office de fits, shop fit-outs, joinery and fit outs for offices, clean up and re fitting of flood effected show rooms and kitchens as well as continuing our maintenance services for national companies in the Brisbane and Sydney areas. QBSA 1202562
Phone 07 4822 8288 Fax 07 3342 7288 Mobile 0403 947 296 www.craigfreeconstructions.com.au
The Safety Cooling Tower
cooling tower range, which includes the German designed Modupol range and the low noise and super low noise fibreglass forced draft towers. The MPCT tower is a modular tower, with an extremely strong and durable pulltruded fibreglass frame. The basin and fan cowling are made in traditional high quality marine grade fibreglass. The full size removable side panels are made from preformed plastic and are designed for easy removal and handling to allow entire access for cleaning and maintenance. The panels are very light and small enough for one person to handle without the risk of any injury. The tower is designed to fully comply with the Australian standards and has the best and most efficient drift eliminators and air intake louvers available on the market.
The locally designed and locally manufactured new Superchill cooling tower type MPCT (Modular pulltruded cooling tower) is the latest and safest addition to the high quality Superchill
56
The air intake lovers are double the thickness compared with most currently offered local cooling towers. This reduces light ingress into the tower basin and helps prevent algae and bacteria
| Volume 2 – 2011 | The Australian Building Services Journal
growth. It also reduces water splashing outside the tower and reduces noise level. The best fill for this tower is the high quality 2H plastics cooling tower fill called Sanipacking. (see www.sanipacking.com for more information) This fill is arguably the safest cooling tower fill available. It is made from moulded polypropylene (PP) and treated to prevent bacteria growing on it’s surface. To distinguish this high quality fill from normal fill the colour of the fill is blue. The polypropylene fill is also extremely long lasting and can withstand temperatures up to 80 degrees. Superchill is working closely together with 2H plastics and we are the local distributor and manufacturer for the number one European fill producer GEA 2H Water Technologies (former 2H Kunststoff).
For further information please contact Superchill Australia or 2H plastics Australia www.superchill.com or www.2h.com.au or 1300667 018 and 03 9793 6166