Hotel Engineer Volume 24 No. 3

HE

Volume 24, Number 3 October 2019

PP 319986/101

HOTEL ENGINEER

Official Publication of the Australian Institute of Hotel Engineering

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CONTENTS 27 46 24 Features

Cover image shows The Darling at The Star Gold Coast

HE

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Volume 24, Number 3 October 2019

5

President's welcome

7

AIHE State news

12 Review of August 2019 Gold Coast AIHE Conference

PP 319986/101

HOTEL ENGINEER

14

AIHE Update Conference 2019

16 AIHE Update Conference 2019 Exhibitors 19 Corrosion & asset protection in the hvac and r1 industry – the forgotten issue 24 In a nutshell – 3 technologies explained: BLE Locks for the environment, Token hosting, GRMS 27 Pro active property maintenance 33 Why guest room telephones remain crucial for hotels

Official Publication of the Australian Institute of Hotel Engineering

Hotel Enginneer 24–3.indd 1

23/10/19 14:27

38 Solutions to counter the number one guest complaint in hotels – Noise 43 Waterproofing hotel bathrooms 46

Know your risk

50

Security awareness

52 The internet of things — What it means and why it matters to hotels 54 Lacrosse Decision: What does this all mean?

59 Inconveniences to guests electrical gremlins 63 Back of House – October 2019 67 Membership form 70

Product news

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PUBLISHER'S welcome

THE HOTEL ENGINEER The Official Publication of the Australian Institute of Hotel Engineering

AIHE STATE PRESIDENTS Anura Yapa, NSW E: Anura.Yapa@shangri-la.com David Zammit, VIC E: david.zammit@hyatt.com Tony Fioraso, WA E: Tony.Fioraso@crownperth.com.au QLD President E: ryan.mcguicken@star.com.au

W

elcome to this edition of Hotel Engineer.

As we approach the end of the year, we’re pleased to say there has been plenty of optimism about the industry’s future at the highly successful Update conference at the QT Hotel on the Gold Coast.

One of the most exciting outcomes was the AIHE Queensland chapter welcoming a new committee, along with a new President, Ryan McGuicken, from the Star Gold Coast. All the chapter committees and presidents would like to pass on their appreciation to everyone who made the conference such a success, with a special thank you to Bev, and all those whom attended.

In the coming issues, we will bring you a taste of what was experienced at the conference, starting with some articles by Daryl Brett of Vintech and Brendon Granger of Technology4Hotels. Their presentations at the conference focussed on the current state of play in hotel technology, what guests are looking for, and how the industry can supply the best of what’s currently on offer.

Mark Thomson from Ecoeffective, regular writer for us and a guest speaker at the conference, talked about architectural design and hotel refurbishments from an ecological perspective In this issue he gives a run down on the conference and the various presentations.

ADBOURNE PUBLISHING 18/69 Acacia Road Ferntree Gully, VIC 3156 PO Box 735, Belgrave, VIC 3160 www.adbourne.com ADVERTISING Melbourne: Neil Muir T: (03) 9758 1433 F: (03) 9758 1432 E: neil@adbourne.com Adelaide: Robert Spowart T: 0488 390 039 E: robert@adbourne.com

How to reduce noise in your hotel is another focus of ours. In a special series,starting with Attila Szabo of Polyvox, he looks at how to create a high-quality acoustic environment, which blocks out unwanted sound from neighbouring rooms and outside the hotel. Naturally, rooms are sold on the promise of a good night’s sleep, so reducing noise is a critical piece of the hotel product.

We also investigate how to protect your building, assets and plant through preventative maintenance and corrosion prevention. This is essential for the longevity and energy saving and can save considerable money in the long run.

Our next issue will land on your desk early next year. We would like to thank our contributors and our readers for your support in 2019, and we look forward to another big year for Hotel Engineer to come.

Merry Christmas!

Neil Muir

PRODUCTION Emily Wallis T: (03) 9758 1436 E: production@adbourne.com ADMINISTRATION Tarnia Hiosan T: (03) 9758 1436 E: admin@adbourne.com SUBSCRIPTIONS Enquiries: (03) 9758 1436 Fax: (03) 9758 1432 Email: admin@adbourne.com

Adbourne Publishing cannot ensure that the advertisers appearing in The Hotel Engineer comply absolutely with the Trades 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 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 and all submitted editorial are the author’s views and are not necessarily those of the publisher.

5

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WESTERN AUSTRALIA

G

reetings from WA. In July we held our meeting at the Intercontinental Hotel.

We had two guest presenters: Poolwerx: Who provided us with an overview of the latest pool management principles which included code and legislated requirements.

Maxwell Robinson & Phelps: Who presented on The Evolution of Risk Management for the Hotel Industry, and this in regard to protecting your Brand.

The meeting was well attended with over 30 members.

In August we headed over to the Gold Coast for the conference with 8 Hotel Engineers fully sponsored by the WA institute.

We were also joined by some of our corporate members – ThyssenKrupp, MPM Group, Roy Batt Sales and HFM Assets.

The conference was well supported by the Hotel Institutes and by the exhibitors, sponsors and guest speakers and we thank them all from Western Australia for making this a truly special event.

We would like to also like to acknowledge the amazing work the QLD Chapter put into making this conference one of the best ever and special mention to Bev Allen and Geoff Baldwin for their extra special efforts in bringing this together.

Iwalk – moving walkway without pit…ideal for pumping punters into Crown via the tunnel from the car park.

TWiN – 2 lift in 1 shaft = 0 Crowds Accel – Accelerating moving walkway – starts at 0.6 m/s accelerates to 2.4 m/s decelerates back to 0.6 m/s at other end.

Microsoft HoloLens – Using HoloLens, elevator service technicians can now visualise and identify problems ahead of a job, and have remote, hands-free access to technical and expert information when onsite, improving the way people and cities move. Virtual reality goggles for lift maintenance…no need to leave the coffee shop.

This meeting had over 35 members attend. Here also Doug Stemp was presented his honorary membership to the AIHE for outstanding service to the institute for over 29 years.

Doug held positions of past President, Treasurer, Secretary and currently social coordinator.

On a personal note I was also very proud to have received an honorary membership to the institute at the conference and I wish to thank my committee and fellow Presidents Anura Yapa, David Zammit and newly elected QLD Chapter President Ryan McGuicken for all their support.

Please ensure you join as a member and support your institute and I look forward to seeing you at our next meeting, Regards Tony Fioraso President AIHE Western Australia

In September we held our meeting at the Hilton Double Tree Northbridge Halolens

Thyssenkrupp presented new technology within the lift industry.

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QUEENSLAND

C

ongratulations to all involved in delivering a great Conference on the Gold Coast! There were Sponsor Booths, attending Sponsors, Delegates and Speakers all coming together to produce an excellent event.

At the conference there was a newly appointed committee to the QLD Chapter: Positions are as follows: President

Ryan McGuicken

Secretary

Bev Allen

Treasurer Lachlan Shipway with a six month transition from Geoff Baldwin.

Coordinators

Josh Katz, Terrance Brown, Neil Weenink

As a committee we had our fist catch up on Thursday 17 October to discuss our future and purpose: To provide a forum for hotel engineers to discuss common interests, issues and problems in day to day operation of the industry. The AIHE membership is built on relationships and networking as its main goal, ensuring technical innovation, knowledge and fellowship is achieved across all hospitality institutions.

Members gain opportunities to meet and network with all facets of building maintenance and construction which includes representatives of utility organisations.

We are looking at a fresh start for the QLD Chapter, keeping the situation in proper perspective, we intend to start by building increased interest in membership before targeting corporate partners.

All committee members are committed to establish performance targets, both long and short term objectives, working cooperatively towards identifying areas needing improvement whilst being mindful of new opportunities, techniques and approaches.

I hope to inspire the cooperation and confidence of all involved, with the continued support from Bev and Geoff.

We wish to display energy and vitality in performing our responsibilities to maximise our opportunities within every situation.

Potential members who would like to be involved with all the benefits of AIHE membership please contact me directly at ryan.mcguicken@star.com.au

Knowledge through application, delivering results, guaranteed!

Regards Ryan McGuicken President AIHE Queensland Chapter

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NEW SOUTH WALES

T

he shivering Winter has passed behind us, we welcome Spring which has prompted roots to spring up and make new trees and brought colourful flowers and green leaves, the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun. It’s astonishing, how quickly we have arrived at the final quarter of the year! However, we can honestly say that we have enjoyed the year so far and looking forward to having a well-earned Christmas & New Year celebration.

Third quarter for this year was remarkable as we had our tremendously successful ‘Update Conference’ on the 15th-16th of August 2019. I must say, the ‘Update Conference 2019’ was one of the best we have had so far and it’s amazing to see we are reaching for new heights each year. I am grateful to Bev the Qld chapter secretary along with our star State presidents Tony Fioraso and David Zammit, for making the event a true triumph. There can be no denying the fact that their dedication and support to the event made this year’s conference thrive.

From NSW Chapter, we sponsored ten Hotel Engineers to attend the conference on the Gold Coast. This golden opportunity was given to encourage our Engineers to attend and to get themselves involved with the Institute activities.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank all key-note speakers specially the two speakers from NSW chapter for their presentations and also all exhibitors who made the event a success.

We were pleased to have their valuable contribution in this outstanding conference. NSW key-note speakers are listed below: Brendon Granger – Technology & Trends and How They Are Transforming the Guest Experience Anwar Ahmed – Hotel energy management system (EMS) For the month of September, our monthly meeting was held at Amora Hotel, Jamison Sydney. We were honoured to have Mr Abhishek Sinha, The Director of Operations of Amora Hotel, at that meeting. Ms. Karinne Taylor from NSW Office of Environment & Heritage did the presentation on ‘NABERS Waste for Hotels’. Her presentation was very informative and the participation of our members illustrated the importance of this topic to the Engineers.

The positive responses to the meeting are a reflection of the acceptance and credibility of NABERS rating within the industry.

Furthermore, I would like to congratulate two of our NSW chapter members who had been acknowledged for their efforts in the Hotel Engineering Industry in two of our most recent award ceremonies.

TAA Awards for Excellence 2019: Highly Commended – Viran Yapa; Marriot Hotels HM Awards: Hotel Engineer – Ding Yi; Pullman Airport, Sydney In closing, I would like to thank the Hotel General Managers who have understood the value of Hotel Engineers within the Industry and sponsored their Engineers to attend the conference. Your immense support has contributed a lot to the success of our Chapter. Last but not least, I want to thank our NSW committee members, Corporate Members and all Hotel Engineers for your relentless support to the institute.

Best Regards, Anura Yapa JP President – AIHE NSW

September Monthly Meeting, Presentation on ‘NABERs Waste September Monthly Meeting, Presenta for Hotels’

September Monthly Meeting, Presentation on ‘NABERs Waste for Hotels’

10

Ph: +61 2 9472 2000 sales@vintech.com.au

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11

Review of August 2019 Gold Coast

AIHE CONFERENCE MARK THOMSON I ARCHITECT AND 2019 CONFERENCE PRESENTER

As some one who has attended their fare share of Industry Conferences over the past 20 years, I was glad I attended the Australian Institute of Hotel Engineering Update Conference held at the QT Hotel Surfers Paradise on the fabulous Gold Coast, Queensland.

W

ith the weather looking inviting outside, it can often be a challenge to bunker down for a two-day program of keynote speakers and social activities.

On the 15th and 16th of August 2019, however over 150 industry participants were not disappointed as they engaged with industry sponsors and key decision makers, for a well presented update on existing and emerging hotel engineering issues.

Conference MC Andrew Nason achieved the amazing result of herding delegates away from the interesting trade displays, endless quality coffee and food offerings to ensure activities were on time. His unique risqué humour clearly did not offend, based on the laughing outbursts which followed many of his introductions.

State Presidents and conference organisers Anura Yapa, David Zammit, Tony Fioraso and Bev Allen made delegates at home and undertook important duties during the two days to update and share progressive thought and best practice industry information.

Shadow Minister for Environment, Science & The Great Barrier Reef; as well as the Shadow Minister of Tourism; Mr David Crisafulli warmly welcomed the many interstate visitors to Queensland and spoke optimistically regarding the growth and importance of the Hotel sector. Trends and innovations became a common theme in many of the keynote presentations which were to follow. Brendon Granger, Director at Technology 4 Hotels introduced “Smart Check-in” as the next trend in Selfservice. He explained younger people are fearless of gadgets, using their own devices and desiring access to services on and off a hotel property. Understanding that electronic devices are collectors of guest information, they can enable data to assist in the tailoring of the guest experience. Internet services, voice technology and robots will strongly influence hotel design in future. Brendon believes that technology will continue to enhance guest experiences with robots utilised for tasks

12

such as window cleaning and other dirty or dangerous tasks.

Although technology will increase Brendon also highlighted the importance of offering guests’ choices as all guests are not technology savvy and personal choice options are necessary for maximum guest satisfaction.

David Chokolich, General manager of HFM Asset Management shared a complex slide of “What Hotel Engineers do” identifying the complexity of issues and foundation knowledge that Hotel Engineers regularly require to perform their duties.

Using some interesting case studies David demonstrated that data availability is important, but that the same data can be interpreted differently according to the skill and focus of the hotel engineer. Recognising change management issues and the need to update and reskill were critical ingredients to ensure effective maintenance regimes. He highlighted that a level playing field was necessary before critical facility decisions were made regarding the need for new services and skills. Industry organisations such as AIHE were important to consult to gain unbiased information and best practice benchmarks. David gave a good introduction to the NABERS Hotels assessment tool and the importance of preparing for potential mandatory reporting requirements for new hotels.

Otis Elevators sales and Marketing Director Andre Guichon informed delegates how Otis now describes itself as a digital organisation focussed on “seamless and personalised guest experience”. Significant developments in energy efficiency, reduced waiting times, destination control, breakdown reduction with predicted maintenance and even mobile phone integration have transformed the elevator industry. Andre stated that the last 5 years have delivered more innovation in his industry than the total of the last 50 years.

Honeywell has recently formed a Connected Enterprise Unit, where Rick Durnford is the connected buildings Software Sales Director. Rick explained how Connectivity, Portfolio Management, Building Connectivity, Occupant Experience

and Space Optimisation is the basis for Honeywells “Forge for buildings”, the next progression of “outcome-based service” and “building analytics”. In an informative presentation, we learnt about the transformation “Apps “are providing efficiency for Hotel Engineers’ activities to provide useful data for facility and workflow management.

Building Certification, Safety and Risk Management issues were capably described in Nathan Semos’s presentation. Nathan who is the General Manager Safety Measures at Hendry tackled contemporary issues. They included non-compliant cladding issues, Essential Safety Measures and declaring how compliance, permits, legislation and standards form such an important part of the Hotel building sector. Again, technology is transforming work practices.

Anwar Ahmed presented his presentation “remotely ” sharing the great technology advances in energy conversation in the Hotel sector, achieved via controls and optimisation. His extensive experience and detailed knowledge of equipment, mechanical plant and passion for best practice shone through.

In my own presentation on Key Industry trends I described the consequences of climate change and declared “climate emergencies” by various Councils, as a great opportunity for the Hotel sector. If Hotels are designed and engineered as “resilient refuges” they have the opportunity to be places for increased business opportunity, when communities are impacted by

events which displace people temporarily from their homes.

The 2019 National Construction Code Amendments have seen an approx. 30% increase in energy efficiency measures and this also provides for Hotel Engineers to adopt a strategy of Industry leadership to showcase the great work some hotels have championed in energy efficiency and resource management improvements. 3rd party accreditation rating tools such as EARTHCHECK and NABERS Hotels will become increasingly important for the Hotel sector to demonstrate the industries progress to a more energy efficient and resilient facility future.

There were many take home messages from this Conference which highlight the rapidly changing responsibilities and challenges that Hotel Engineers continue to face. The importance of such Conferences cannot be overstated. They are a great opportunity to catch up on the latest trends, communicate with colleagues and gain important and relevant product information. The network opportunities are also important, as AIHE founder Neil Weenink explained in his moving reflection on 30 years of Institute activities. The aim to keep Hotel Engineers up to date on the latest technologies and methods of running hotel maintenance has once again been successfully fulfilled Full credit to the committed team of AIHE personnel who have again delivered a highly successful event for Hotel Engineers in the outstanding Gold Coast QT hotel.

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AIHE UPDATE CONFERENCE Left: WA State President Tony Fioraso, Middle: David Crisafulli (Shadow Minister for Environment, Science, The Great Barrier Reef & Tourism; Liberal National Party Member, QLD), Right: NSW & QLD State President: Anura Yapa.

2019

Neil Weenink, founder of AIHE addressing the gathering.

Daryl Brett from Vintech Systems.

David Crisafulli (Shadow Minister for Environment, Science, The Great Barrier Reef & Tourism; Liberal National Party Member, QLD).

Gala Dinner.

Brendon Granger from Technology 4 Hotels with the State Presidents.

Andrew Nason.

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Left: Founder of AIHE, Neil Weenink, Middle: NSW & QLD State President: Anura Yapa, Right: MC Andrew Nason.

AIHE Members.

WA State President Tony Fioraso.

MC Andrew Nason.

Ian Knox.

David Zammit.

David Zammit, Vic State President.

Daud Bhuiyan, Chief Engineer, The Sydney Boulevard Hotel.

15

AIHE UPDATE CONFERENCE

2019 Exhibitors

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Major Sponsors

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CORROSION & ASSET PROTECTION IN THE HVAC AND R1 INDUSTRY –

THE FORGOTTEN ISSUE M. WEIR1, D. FRY2, D. RUNDLE3 1BLYGOLD OCEANIA, 2BLYGOLD VICTORIA, 3BLYGOLD SA-NT, AUSTRALIA 1. HVAC and R is Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration

INTRODUCTION

I

n general, one can state that energy consumption in Australia is the largest in commercial buildings, not residential. The biggest energy savings and efficiencies can be realised in these commercial buildings. Corrosion is a huge contributor to unnecessary energy and efficiency loss. It will cause a loss in cooling performance, reduced indoor air quality, reduced reliability, reduced energy efficiency and a reduction in service life. These issues will cause such things as discomfort and health risks to building occupiers, higher running costs, higher capital costs and more CO2. There are ways to limit or prevent this corrosion from occurring.

This paper aims to raise awareness of the extent and impact of HVAC and R corrosion and will be a useful guide to inform decision makers and advisers of preventive measures in HVAC and R corrosion. It will be a useful reference paper for: • Engineers & Consultants • Building Designers • Sustainability / Energy Efficiency Advisers • Facility Managers • Building Owners

building construction and the expansion of building footprints which we currently see in Australia.

HEAT EXCHANGER GEOMETRY2 Air-cooled heat exchangers consist of fins mounted on tubes to expand the heat-exchanging surface. Tubes and fins can be made of several metals like steel, copper, aluminium and stainless steel. The heat exchangers also called coils may have various dimensions depending on the application. Most heat exchangers are made of copper tubes and aluminium fins. This is because aluminium is easy to process, light and relatively corrosion resistant.

Coil manufacturers use different fin forms to adjust the coil to the demands. The simplest form is the straight fin, a flat fin with only minor waves. More complicated is the louvered fin. This fin is perforated to create turbulence of air in the coil. This will increase the capacity of the coil. A coil with this fin type will be much more vulnerable because of the thin aluminium louvers.

The louvered fins have an air filtering effect and will be exposed Coil manufacturers use different fin forms to adjust the coil to the demands. The simplest form is the straight fin, a flat fin with tominor more pollution.

Another option more heatof air in the coil. This will only waves.

More complicated is the louvered fin. Thisfor fin iscreating perforated to create turbulence increase the capacity of the coil. A coil with this fin type will be much more vulnerable because of the thin aluminium louvers. exchange capacity is aeffect wavy fin.

The waves will force to more heat The louvered fins have an air filtering and will be exposed to more pollution.

Another the optionair for creating exchange capacity is a wavy fin. The waves will force the air to bounce against the aluminium. See Figure 1. bounce against the aluminium. See Figure 1.

HVAC ENERGY USE IN AUSTRALIA1 According to the CSIRO, HVAC systems in buildings account for approximately 40-50% of building energy use and contributes to 34.7 megatonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year.

With electricity prices continuing to rise per year and with building energy contributing to Australia's greenhouse gas emissions, HVAC & R energy efficiency is a major economic and environmental issue even when not considering the increase in

Figure 1

Figure 1

4. CORROSION OF HVAC EQUIPMENT [3] With air-cooled systems, oxidation of the heat exchangers is a major problem. Aluminium is proven to be one of the most suitable materials for this kind of equipment. The advantages of aluminium are: - Lightweight metal, - Easy to shape, - Good heat transfer, - Cheap.

19

CORROSION OF HVAC EQUIPMENT3 With air-cooled systems, oxidation of the heat exchangers is a major problem. Aluminium is proven to be one of the most suitable materials for this kind of equipment. The advantages of aluminium are: • Lightweight metal,

• The relationship between the two metals; the larger the cathode surface (the noble metal) compared to the anode surface (the base metal), the more corroded the latter will be, • The conductivity of the solvent, and • The presence of oxygen.

A good solution would be aluminium - aluminium. Although this type of coil is becoming more and more popular, some reasons why manufacturers are not using aluminium – aluminium in general yet are:

• Easy to shape, • Good heat transfer, • Cheap.

The corrosion resistance of aluminium should be an advantage as well; unfortunately, this is not the case. Aluminium forms an oxide film as soon as it is exposed to air. This action is damaging in that it reflects the tendency of the metal to return to its natural oxidation state. If the oxidation layer were evenly spread, it would protect the metal from corrosion. However, the oxidation layer is patchy and because of the humidity and atmospheric pollution the process of oxidation or corrosion may accelerate here.

• Tubes made out of aluminium are difficult to weld, • The tubes would be damaged easier because aluminium is softer then copper, • It is easier to repair copper then it is to repair aluminium.

SOURCES AND EFFECTS OF HVAC CORROSION4

HVAC corrosion is a widespread problem. Australia’s population is concentrated in industrialised, urban, coastal strips and regions.

All these areas contain sources of corrosion Another problem concerning air-cooled systems is the Examples of sources are Aluminium production plants, fertiliseragricultural production, petroleum & chemical production, mining and on HVAC equipment.

Salt and humidity in coastal regions, construction of aluminium heat exchangers.

Most aluminium metallurgy, power generation, paper and pulp mills, sewage treatment plants, steel production, swimming pools and farms. sulphur oxides, nitrous oxides, hydrocarbons, chlorides, heat exchangers use copper pipes. When two different metals Environmental corrosion of the fin surfaces and galvanic corrosion at the tube-fin breaks this mechanism reduces ammonia, electrolytes anddown contaminated dust allwhich contribute in a conducting liquid are in direct contact with each other, maximum cooling capacity and energy efficiency as the refrigerant condensing temperature is raised to recover cooling to corrosion. Examples of sources are Aluminium production corrosion of the least noble metal may be the result. The parts performance. plants, fertiliser production, petroleum & chemical production, closest to the noble metal will be particularly affected. This and metallurgy, generation, paper and pulp mills, Case Study: Twoon: identical chillers after 4 years of operation – mining one untreated the otherpower treated with a sprayed-on protective corrosion depends sewage treatment plants, steel production, swimming pools and coating. [5] See Figure 2.

• The potential difference between the two metals, farms.

Untreated

Protected

Diff.

Condenser condition

Fins brittle

Uncorroded

-

Condensing temp.

104° C

93° C

11 %

Condensing press.

2240 kPa

1827 kPa

18 %

Cooling capacity

299 kW

326 kW

9%

Power Consumption

119 kW

113 kW

5%

Annual Energy Saving

-

30,390 kW.h

13%

Figure 2

20

Figure 2

Corrosion of the copper pipes and headers (manifolds) can create pinhole leaks. Formicary corrosion caused by organic acids is a common cause of this type of failure. See Figure 3.

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HVAC coil coating and casings protection  Prevents corrosion  Unique products and application

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 Triples the lifetime

 Seals off dissimilar metals  High chemical and mechanical resistance  Preventive on new equipment  Corrective rebuilding of affected surfaces

 Saves up to 30% on energy costs  All types of air cooled HX  11,000+ hours in salt spray test  Factory & field application

Global presence....... local service NSW P: 02 9481 0300 E: nsw@blygold.com.au

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w w w. b l y g o l d . c o m . a u 21

Figure 2 Corrosion of the copper pipes and headers (manifolds) can create pinhole leaks. Formicary corrosion caused by organic acids is a common cause of this type of failure. See Figure 3.

Figure 3

FigureA 3protective coating is the most readily available and most Environmental corrosion of the fin surfaces and galvanic frequently applied protection measure. Protective coatings for corrosion at the tube-fin breaks down this mechanism which HVAC can be classified in two separate areas. reduces maximum cooling capacity and energy efficiency as the Soldered joints are particularly vulnerable by sulphurous gases. refrigerant condensing temperature is raisedto tocorrosion recover cooling • Pre-coat: applied prior to coil assembly, and performance.

• Post-coat: applied after coil assembly Case Study: Two identical chillers after 4 years of operation – Most manufacturers offer an epoxy pre-coat applied to the one untreated the other treated with a sprayed-on protective aluminium fin as the lowest cost option for improving the coating.5 See Figure 2. corrosion resistance of bare metal.

Corrosion of the copper pipes and headers (manifolds) can create pinhole leaks. Formicary corrosion caused by organic acids is a common cause of this type of failure. See Figure 3.

Soldered joints are particularly vulnerable to corrosion by sulphurous gases.

6 years – City Centre

< 7 years – Coastal

Post coatings are the alternative to pre-coats. So, what do we need to consider when looking for corrosion prevention options for HVAC equipment? See Figure 5.

Requirement

Specification

1.High Corrosion Resistance

Broad spectrum – urban; coastal; industrial; rural / agricultural

2.Effective Cover

All vulnerable surfaces protected

3.High Thermal Performance

Minimise reduction in thermal performance

4.Durability

Broad environmental resistance; long-lasting

5.On-site application maintenance 6.Cost-Effective 6 years – City 6 years Centre – City Centre

< 7 years – <Coastal 7 years – Coastal

6 years – City Centre 6 years – City Centre

< 7 years – <Coastal 7 years – Coastal

Figure 5

and

- Can protect new and in-service systems - Maintainable, Repairable, Cleanable Acceptable Return on Investment Figure 5

Epoxy pre-coats generally have a low resistance (1000hours) to prolonged exposure to salt and acid spray. A polyure coat will protect for in excess of 11000 hours. [6]

Epoxy pre-coats generally have a low resistance (1000hours) to

Pre-coats only protect the aluminium fin, not the tubes or headers. After the fin is pre-coated, it is cut to size and hol in them for fitment to the copper the A aluminium which then comes prolonged exposure totubes. saltThis andcutting acidexposes spray. polyurethane postinto contact with tubes; the beginning of the galvanic corrosion process. Polyurethane post-coat will cover all surfaces and joints of t 6 coat will protect for in excess of 11000 hours. tubes.

Due to epoxy pre-coats low thermal conductivity, it creates an insulation layer at the critical fin-tube junction wh formed, and coilonly is assembled.

Thisthe can create a capacity fin, loss ofnot up tothe 15%.tubes A Polual Pre-coats protect aluminium orXT post-coat by Blygold, c aluminium pigment which boosts thermal conductivity. Combine this with a low 25-micron dry film thickness (DF headers. thepressure fin islosses. pre-coated, it with is cut to size andareholes will minimise After thermal and Capacity losses this type of coating 0-3%.

7 years – Suburban 7 years – Suburban

10+ years –10+ Rural years Township – Rural Township

7 years – Suburban Figure 4

Figure 4

Figure 4

Figure 4

7 years – Suburban 7 years – Suburban

Figure 4COIL CORROSION 6. PREVENTING 6.

PREVENTING COIL CORROSION

10+ years – Rural Township

10+ years –10+ Rural Township years – Rural Township

With age andin exposure thefitment elements, epoxy pre-coats lose tubes. adhesion This and have a lower mechanical resis punched themtofor to the copper cutting polyurethane post-coat has excellent adhesion to most metals; in particular aluminium and copper, plus have the ad exposes the which then comes into contact with the of excellent UV andaluminium chemical resistance.

copper tubes; the ofworkshop the galvanic corrosion process.

The post-coat treatment can beginning be applied in the or on site and is maintainable, repairable and cleanable. Pr generally applied with no further ability to maintain or service on site being available.

Polyurethane post-coat will cover all surfaces and joints of the fins and tubes.

There are two There ways areCOIL in two preventing ways in preventing HVAC corrosion.

HVAC One corrosion. is through One materials is throughselection materialstoselection suit particular to suitenvironments particular environments or or 6. PREVENTING CORROSION 6. PREVENTING COIL CORROSION With a lower life expectancy, pre-coats will generally cost the client more in the future. A comparison is sho protective coatings. protective coatings.

There are two ways preventing HVAC corrosion. is through suit particular or There are in two ways in preventing HVAC One corrosion.

One materials is throughselection materialstoselection to suitenvironments particular environments or following diagram which shows a unit with the assumption that pre-coat coils are replaced on a five-year basis. Th Mono-metal Mono-metal coils such as coils copper such tube as copper and fintube or aluminium and fin or aluminium tube and fintube willand avoid fin galvanic will avoidcorrosion galvanicbut corrosion do not but provide do not provide protective coatings. protective coatings. treatment is there for the life of the unit. complete protection. complete For protection. this method For this to be method effective, to beexpensive effective,air expensive testing and air testing environmental and environmental assessmentsassessments would be required would be to required to Mono-metal coils such as copper tube andconstruction fin or aluminium tube and fintube will avoid do not but provide Mono-metal coils such as what copper tube and fin or aluminium fin galvanic will environment. avoidcorrosion galvanicbut corrosion do not provide provide the provide best advice the best on what advice construction on would be best would suited be for best a suited particular forand aenvironment. particular This complete protection. this method to be effective, testing and environmental assessmentsassessments would be required to required complete For protection.

For this method to beexpensive effective,air expensive air testing and environmental would be to diagram shows a 14% cost saving over 15 years with a break even in 1 year for the post-coat treatment.[7] See F A protective coating protective the coating most isreadily thewhat most available readilybe and available most frequently and most applied frequently protection appliedenvironment. measure. protectionProtective measure. coatings Protectiveforcoatings for provide the A best advice on what construction would best suited for a suited particular provide theisbest advice on construction would be best for aenvironment. particular HVAC can HVAC be classified can beinclassified two separate in two areas. separate areas.

A protective is the mostisreadily available most frequently protection A coating protective coating the most readilyand available and most applied frequently applied measure. protectionProtective measure. coatings Protectiveforcoatings for - can Pre-coat: - applied Pre-coat: applied to coilinprior assembly, to coiland assembly, HVAC be classified two separate areas.

HVAC can beinprior classified two separate areas. and - Post-coat: applied Post-coat: after applied assembly aftertocoil assembly Pre-coat: prior tocoil coil assembly, and -- applied Pre-coat: applied prior coil assembly, and

PREVENTING COIL CORROSION

There are two ways in preventing HVAC corrosion. One is through materials selection to suit particular environments or protective coatings.

Due to epoxy pre-coats low thermal conductivity, it creates an insulation layer at the critical fin-tube junction when fins are formed, and coil is assembled. This can create a capacity loss of up to 15%. A Polual XT post-coat by Blygold, contains Most Most offer an epoxy offer pre-coat an epoxy applied pre-coat toas the applied aluminium to the fin aluminium as the lowest fin ascost the option for improving option for the improving corrosion the corrosion - manufacturers Post-coat: applied after coil assembly Mono-metal coils such copper tube and finlowest or cost aluminium - manufacturers Post-coat: applied after coil assembly resistance ofresistance bare metal. of bare metal. an aluminium pigment which boosts thermal conductivity.

Most manufacturers offer an epoxy pre-coat applied to the aluminium fin as the lowest cost option cost for improving corrosion Most manufacturers offer an epoxy pre-coat applied to the aluminium fin as the lowest option for the improving the corrosion tube and will avoid galvanic corrosion but do not provide Post coatings arecoatings the alternative are fin the to alternative pre-coats. toSo, pre-coats. what doSo, wewhat needdo to we consider need to when consider looking when for looking corrosion for prevention corrosion options prevention options resistance ofPost bare metal. resistance of bare metal.

Combine this with a low 25-micron dry film thickness (DFT) and for HVAC equipment? for HVAC equipment?

See Figure 5.

See Figure 5.

Post coatings arecoatings the alternative to pre-coats.toSo, what wewhat need to we consider when looking for looking corrosion complete protection.

FordoSo, this method toconsider be effective, expensive Post are the alternative pre-coats. do need to when forprevention corrosion options prevention options you will minimise thermal and pressure losses. Capacity losses for HVAC equipment?

See Figure 5. for HVAC equipment? See Figure 5. air testing and environmental assessments would be required with this type of coating are 0-3%. to provide the best advice on what construction would be best suited for a particular environment.

With age and exposure to the elements, epoxy pre-coats lose adhesion and have a lower mechanical resistance. The polyurethane post-coat has excellent adhesion to most metals;

22

Figure 6

With a lower life expectancy, pre-coats will generally cost the client more in the future. A comparison is shown in the following diagram which shows a unit with the assumption that pre-coat coils are replaced on a five-year basis. The post-coat treatment is there for the life of the unit.

This diagram shows a 14% cost saving over 15 years with a break even in 1 year for the post-coat treatment.[7] See Figure 6.

Figure 6

7. CONCLUSION

HVAC and R efficiency loss accounts for a significant proportion of Aus 7.

CONCLUSION emissions.

Asset owners and managers are now even more aware of this p are looking for alternatives to prolong the life of their equipment.

HVAC and R efficiency loss accounts for a significant proportion of Aus 7. CONCLUSION emissions.

Asset and coils managers are now even more aware ofthat thisap Corrosion of heatowners exchanger is a widespread problem and one efficiency of HVAC systems. are looking for alternatives to prolong the life of their equipment.

HVAC and R efficiency loss accounts for a significant proportion of Aus emissions. Asset owners and managers are now even more aware of this p Applying most effectivetopost-coating to equipment. theseand unitsone will lima Corrosion offor heat exchanger coils is a widespread problem that are lookingthe alternatives prolong thetreatment life of their efficiency of HVAC systems. adverse impact thus saving energy and money and making our environme Corrosion of heat exchanger coils is a widespread problem and one that a Applying the most effective efficiency of HVAC systems.post-coating treatment to these units will lim 7. REFERENCES adverse impact thus saving energy and money and making our environme 1. CSIRO,the Energy buildings, March 2010 Applying most for effective post-coating treatment to these units will lim adverse impact thus saving energy and money and making our environme 7.

REFERENCES 2. Jeroen de Wit, Blygold International, Blygold Operations Manual, Cha

1. for buildings, March 2010 3. CSIRO, Jeroen deEnergy Wit, Blygold International, Blygold Operations Manual, Cha Figure 7. 6REFERENCES in particular aluminium and copper, plus have the added benefit 5. Jeroen Jeroen de Blygold International, Cost saving Analysis 4.

A. Bhatia, CED Engineering, New York, HVAC DesignofConsideration 2. de Wit, Wit, Blygold International, Blygold Operations Manual, Cha 1.

CSIRO, Energy buildings, March 2010 Treatment, 1999 of excellent UV and chemical resistance.

Chiller Treated withfor Blygold and Chiller without 5. Jeroen de Wit, Blygold International, Cost saving AnalysisManual, of Chiller 3.

Blygold Operations ChaT 2. de Wit, Blygold International, Blygold Operations Manual, Cha 6. Jeroen J.P.M. Rademaker MSc, Element Materials Technology, 1999 The post-coat treatment can be applied in the workshop or on 4.

A. Bhatia,The CED Engineering, York, HVAC Design Amsterdam, SaltNew Spray Testing Acc. To ASTMConsideration site and is maintainable, repairable and cleanable. Pre-coats are 3.

Jeroen Rademaker de Wit,Netherlands, Blygold International, Blygold Operations Manual, ChaT 6.

J.P.M. MSc, Element Materials Technology, Amsterdam, B117-11 XT Treated Samples 5.

JeroenofdePolual Wit, Blygold International, Cost saving Analysis of Chiller T generally applied with no further ability to maintain or service B117-11 of Polual XT Treated Samples 4.

A. Bhatia, CED Engineering, New York, HVAC Design Consideration 1999 7. Jeroen de Wit, Blygold International, ROI Calculation on on site being available.

7.

JeroenTreatment, de Wit, Wit, Blygold Blygold International, Cost ROI Calculation on Blygold Trea 5.

Jeroen de Analysis of Chiller TT Blygold 2012 6.

J.P.M. Rademaker MSc,International, Element Materialssaving Technology, Amsterdam, With a lower life expectancy, pre-coats will generally cost 1999 B117-11 of Polual XT Treated Samples the client more in the future. A comparison is shown in the AUTHOR 8.

AUTHORDETAILS DETAILS 6.

MSc,International, Element Materials Technology, 7. J.P.M. Jeroen Rademaker de Wit, Blygold ROI Calculation onAmsterdam, Blygold TreaT following diagram which shows a unit with the assumption that B117-11 of Polual XT Treated Samples Mark Weir is the Managing Director of Mark Weir is the Managing Dire pre-coat coils are replaced on a five-year basis. The post-coat Blygold Oceania, a position he has been in since July 2013.

He has assist treatment is there for the life of the unit.

7. de Wit, Blygold International, ROI Calculation on Blygold Trea 8. Jeroen AUTHOR DETAILS since July 2013. He hasAustralia assisted inand establishing New Zealand thro This diagram shows a 14% cost saving over 15 years with a break the Blygold brand throughout Australia 2010. Weir Mark 20 years Mark ishas the over Managing Dire 8. AUTHOR DETAILS even in 1 year for the post-coat treatment.7 See Figure 6.

Management with work in the I. since 2013.

He has assist and New Zealand through hisJuly Directorship has a keen interest in sustainabili and New Zealand thro of Blygold Queensland Australia since 2010.

Mark Mark Weir is the Managing Dire 2010. in Mark has over CONCLUSION has over 20 years experience Business since July 2013.

He 20 hasyears assist Management with work in the I. Australia and New Zealand thro Management and Project Management with HVAC and R efficiency loss accounts for a significant proportion has a keen interest in sustainabili 2010.

Mark has over 20 years David Fry is a qualified eng work in the I.T., construction and motor trades industries. Mark of Australia’s energy consumption, business costs and CO2 Management work in David the I. engineering consulting. emissions. Asset owners and managers are now even more has a keen interest in sustainability and energy efficiency.with has a keen interest in sustainabili automotive and new product dev aware of this plus the high maintenance and replacement costs David Fry is a qualified engineer with 30 project management, process d David Fry is a qualified eng and are looking for alternatives to prolong the life of their groups’ leadership.

David was ap engineering consulting.

David years experience in design and engineering equipment. automotive product eng dev consulting. David has worked theand David inFry is anew qualified project management, Corrosion of heat exchanger coils is a widespread problem consulting.

Davidd aerospace, automation,engineering automotive and new process groups’ leadership. wasdev ap and one that adversely impacts the performance and energy automotive and newDavid product product development industries, and brings Darryl Rundle is a born and br efficiency of HVAC systems. project management, process d particular skills in project management, connections.

Darryl's work incl groups’ leadership.

David was ap process development and improvement,plant and Penrice S manufacturing Applying the most effective post-coating treatment to these engineering groups’ leadership.

David was appointed Director Production Coordination, Darryl Rundle is a ofborn andman br units will limit or prevent HVAC and R coil corrosion and its Blygold Victoria in 2012.

Engineers.

His exposure at Penri connections.

Darryl's work incl adverse impact thus saving energy and money and making our space, gas testing, emergency manufacturing Penrice Darryl Rundle isplant a born and brS environment more sustainable to live in.

Darryl Rundle is a bornProduction and bred South appointment as Director of Bly Coordination, connections. Darryl's work man incl Australian with long standing Territory chemical manufacturing industry Engineers.

His exposure at Penri manufacturing plant Penrice S REFERENCES connections. Darryl's work includes space, gas 12 testing, emergency Production Coordination, man 1. CSIRO, Energy for buildings, March 2010 years experience at synthetic Chemical appointment asexposure Director atofPenri Bly Engineers.

His chemical manufacturing industry manufacturing plant Penrice Soda Products, 2. Jeroen de Wit, Blygold International, Blygold Operations space, gas testing, emergency tackling various roles including Production appointment as Director of Bly Manual, Chapter 1, Coil Geometry, 2011 chemical manufacturing industry Coordination, managing a team of Chemical 3. Jeroen de Wit, Blygold International, Blygold Operations and Mechanical Engineers.

His exposure at Penrice to issues Manual, Chapter 2, Corrosion, 2011 including chemical exposure, confined space, gas testing, 4. A. Bhatia, CED Engineering, New York, HVAC Design emergency response and corrosion control all led to his Considerations for Corrosive Environments, Page 7, 2012 appointment as Director of Blygold SA-NT in 2010. Darryl still consults to the chemical manufacturing industry.

23

IN A NUTSHELL – 3 Technologies explained:

BLE Locks for the environment, Token hosting, GRMS DARYL BRETT I DIRECTOR OF SALES, VINTECH SYSTEM, SUPPLIER OF INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS TO THE HOSPITALITY MARKET

There is no doubt that the hotel industry wants to offer its guests the latest and greatest in what technology has to offer. However with a large and varied demographic of guests, is this technology really offering a better experience? Or is this just adding more frustration to both the guest and the hotel operator?

G

iving the guest who has booked into your hotel information on how to easily open their room door has always been a step overlooked by most Hotels. It was easy to assume that if you provided a guest with a metal key for a key access lock they would most definitely know how to use it. When most mechanical keyed locks were replaced with electronic keycard locks, for the guest at least, this change brought a new level of difficulty as each locking vendor required different taps or insertions. Many a guest has stood puzzled at their room door working out where to touch the card; which way round to insert the card. They look at the card for instructions- which if found - sometimes do not reflect what is expected for that particular lock. All these issues that face todays travellers also cause extra costs to Hotel operators costs and even result in social media censure.

Now that BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) is firmly established and actively being used in our hotel industry, the question arises whether this technology has solved these issues for guests and Hoteliers. The answer is neither a simple ‘Yes’ nor a simple ‘No’. Most of the major locking vendors have released a version of BLE for their own locks. When Hotel Operators are changing to BLE technology or installing new BLE locks, they need to carefully consider how the BLE credential for each vendor gets to a guest’s device and how the guest needs to actually use it. These are now the essential questions that must be asked to form part of the decision making process - before committing to one vendor or another. Using a dedicated app for the property itself is the simplest and neatest solution, however the conundrum for the guest is whether he/she wishes to download a different app for each hotel they stay in. For the industry, the conundrum here is who keeps the app updated and

24

paid for? Chain hotels have the luxury of budget allocation wherein they can invest in a single managed app for all of their properties, but for the smaller operator of group, it’s less simple. So should this technology be limited? The answer is ‘No’.

The growing concern over plastic in the world and the ever increasing concern of costs associated with buying new cards, or trying to recover used cards from guests is far outweighed by the annual licence fee associated with BLE hosting. A simple fixed one-off cost per lock, per year, is the only cost to the property as BLE tokens are virtual and so can be issued over and over again. For example, 365 guest stays per room per year. If one card isn’t recovered every week, from a staying guest, that’s 52 cards lost per year. At an average cost of $1 per card, that’s $52 worth of plastic that has made its way into the environment as a pure cost to the hotel. BLE token hosting is typically around $25 per lock per year, with no limit to the number of tokens issued and no plastic finding its way into the environment. Labour is also greatly reduced for staff and the frustration at the room door for the guest disappears.

if they have requested privacy etc. In other words, when a guest service is selected in the room by a guest, the hotel operator is notified electronically so becomes considerably more efficient in how the rooms are managed and serviced.

BUT… Assuming the guest has managed to get into their room using their phone, now that cards are no longer used, what is the guest expected to use to energise the room? No longer will a wall slot be required as no card is issued. Technology has now moved forward in parallel with the evolution of the lock to allow the room controller to communicate wirelessly directly with the lock. Knowing who has accessed the room door (staff or guest) even now knowing guest type or guest profile, allows even more operational benefits to the operator with this technology. With this level of communication, the room has the logic to react differently to whomever has accessed it. This is of great benefit to the hotel operator. They now have peace of mind that the room is only active when the guest is in it; that energy wasting is minimised and that the room is automatically set up in the way the operator profiles the room for a particular guest type or individual request. Even preferences such as lighting mood and background music can be selected and controlled.

So, does this make the guest’s stay at an Hotel any easier and more pleasant? Here the answer (qualified) is a resounding ‘Yes’. I say (qualified) yes, because what qualifies it is the technology that IS available. What is required is the investment in a GRMS (guest room management system) that is in communication with the lock. Without it, the room is managed by the guest (and staff where applicable) so if lights or the air-conditioning is left on upon departure, then this is how it will stay until they return. With the GRMS the room is managed by the hotel operator, not the guest. If the above scenario occurs, after a short period of lack of occupation, the GRMS turned the lights and air conditioner off. Moreover, any Guest services that previously were managed by alert staff, are all now managed by the GRMS, for example, actively notifying the housekeeping team if the guest is in the room, if they have requested a room refresh,

Most hotels have the core infrastructure to support these new technologies, both BLE locks (with token hosting as a solution if required) and intelligent GRMS. With limited refurbishment works required, this is easily achievable. Vendors can give decision makers a more holistic understanding of how the technologies I’ve described in a nutshell above - how they now interact and are interlaced.

It is, as I’ve said, a very simple step to bring your current or new Hotel into a considerably more cost effective technology based operation, whilst helping the environment and making your guests lives easier and more pleasurable. So they come back. And give your Hotel excellent social media reviews.

A dedicated Reece Onsite contact to assist you.

Our team specialise in servicing the unique needs of Engineers, Builders, Developers, Architects and Designers.

Call Hayden Wright to discuss your next project 0407 024 191

25

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26

PRO ACTIVE PROPERTY MAINTENANCE

Proactively protecting your asset AMALGAMATED PROPERTY MAINTENANCE

P

rotecting your assets is exactly the same as servicing your vehicle, It is a cost that you bare now to protect you from future impact and potentially saves you money.

cracked tiles, blocked balcony spitters, poorly maintained roof structures the list is extensive.

Common Causes

Like most things in life, until we are forced to deal with something, it generally gets shelved until the breaking point of no choice.

1. Failed Grout

Forecasting your sinking fund for preventative property maintenance is a must in today’s environment, this is due to the harsh elements due to the close proximity of the ocean and also the financial climate.

• Regular maintenance/inspection of balcony substrates is recommended. Unfortunately the damage does not become obvious until signs of water ingress appear on the soffit below

• Failed Grout to Floor Tiles – Grout is actually porous and does not prevent water penetration even if it is still in tact.

There are a number of low-cost measures that can be built into any building’s budget to ensure high impact costs are potentially avoided in the future.

Protecting your building with two coats of a high-quality membrane system, applied by an experienced contractor, is the same as adding an 87cm barrier of extra concrete to the façade of your building.

A simple wash down of your building can extend the life of your paint finish by several years, all paint manufactures insist on a periodical washdown to maintain warranty conditions.

Cleaning your gutters regularly or installing an efficient gutter guard system will prevent costly rust related replacement issues and also overflow issues into the buildings’ roof cavity, the knock-on effect of blocked gutters is fraught with danger.

WATER INGRESS Water Ingress related issues are currently having a huge impact on the insurance industry, up to 60% of our call outs are now related to water ingress issues caused by; leaking windows, leaking tiled balcony decks, blocked downpipes, incorrectly installed drainage, lack of waterproofing membrane,

Preventative Measures The photographic demonstration shows the effective sealing capabilities of a silane based sealant which we recommend applying to all unit balcony decks once the grout is repaired and the tiles are high pressure cleaned and free of mould, dirt and other residue.

27

2. Laying Tiles Over Tiles – Spitter Reduced • When undertaking renovations and or upgrades of apartments, this will more often than not, include the upgrade of balcony areas.

• Unfortunately there is little or no control for the BC to prevent incorrect installation of tiles over the existing deck.

3. Failed Mastic (Seals) Balconies • Failed Mastic (silicone Seal) to the perimeter of the balcony, or where there is no seal present also allows water to penetrate into the balcony substrate.

• Regular maintenance is paramount to ensure these seals remain effective. Complete removal of old mastic is required.

6. Rust Staining Explained • As a result of the missing mastic, along with other causes, rust staining can appear.

• The appearance of rust staining is always indicative of the underlying problem of water ingress.

• Rust staining is unsightly and will have a negative impact on the overall aesthetic of the property.

7. Rust Staining – Rusted Posts • As a result of the missing mastic, along with other causes, rust staining can appear.

4. Blocked Drainage / Spitters • Poorly Maintained balcony drainage or spitters is the main reason water ends up ponding on the balcony where it has more time to penetrate any cracks or breeches in the tiled area.

• The appearance of rust staining is always indicative of the underlying problem of water ingress.

• Rust staining is unsightly and will have a negative impact on the overall aesthetic of the property.

• Ensuring proper flow via these exit points is a cheap and easy preventative maintenance practice.

8. Rust Staining – Faulty Render • Rust staining or also know as Rust Spotting can occur on the external façade of buildings 5. Balcony Post Seals • Failed or No Mastic around or underneath the balustrade collars.

• When you lift the collar, it exposes the core hole around the base of the post where it is fixed into the balcony.

• This void also requires filling with mastic, the collar is then sealed down.

• Lastly the gap between the collar and the post on top is also sealed to ensure full protection.

28

• This is caused by the sand used to form the render not being treated properly by the manufacturer, metal fragments remain in the sand.

• There is a process to remove these spots that involves a TwoPack coating system being used.

9. Rust Staining – Rusted Brackets • Rust staining can also be caused by rusting metal clips that hold electrical services in place, we typically replace these with a UV stable PVC alternative.

• Rusted downpipe brackets also need to be replaced with a Powdercoated aluminium option

• Failure to install adequate flashing/waterproofing to the window cavity at the time of installation.

• The signs are obvious when a window has been installed incorrectly, the sooner the issues are addressed, less damage will occur.

• Internal make good becomes very expensive if the external problem is not resolved immediately.

10. Rust Staining – Tie Wires • Tie Wires that are used in the construction process to hold the Rio Mesh together will quite often rust and the result of this appear as Rust Spots on the underside of the balcony soffits.

• This is another good indicator that the balcony above is holding water.

13. Failed Roof Membrane • U.V Breakdown, ponding and lack of maintenance is the most likely cause for the membrane to fail.

• There are also instances where the substrate was not prepared properly prior to the system being applied originally.

• In these cases, a full strip of the old system is required. There are warranty implications if a new coat is applied over the old system.

14. Blocked Gutters/Downpipes • A pretty good indication of a blockage or water being present where it should not be is when you see plant life sprouting from the middle of a building.

• Blocked gutters are a common issue on my inspections, more often than not, there is no maintenance forecast relating to cleaning of gutters

11. Failed Mastic - Construction Joints • Failed Mastic (silicone Seal) to the Construction Joints over various junctions throughout the building’s façade are all water ingress opportunities.

• Regular maintenance is required to maintain the integrity of these cold joints.

12. Incorrectly Installed Windows • Unfortunately there have been some poorly regulated construction methods around window installations, Including: • Use of domestic rated windows in a commercial space.

Clear Indicators • A pretty good indication of a blockage or water being present where it should not be is when you see Mould or Mildew appearing on the underside of the roof structure.

29

• Blocked gutters are a common issue on my inspections, more often than not, there is no maintenance forecast relating to cleaning of gutters

Spalling – right Calcium Deposits – Below

Failed Render Façade

15. Roof/Gutter - Breeches/Design • Causes range from poor construction, but more often due to lack of maintenance or a simple proactive step of installing (properly) gutter mesh or similar.

• In this instance, poor construction was the main issue, the tiles are covering the valley/flashing system which, in conjunction with blocked gutters, was restricting water flow.

Window Related –Major Rebuilds Extended Spalling from Water Penetration Above

The Damage Caused Over Time – SPALLING -EXPLAINED

The corrosion cycle of steel begins with the rust expanding on the surface of the bar and causing cracking near the steel/concrete interface. As time marches on, the corrosion products build up and cause more extensive cracking until the concrete breaks away from the bar, eventually causing spalling.

30

Membrane – Full Strip - Before Take all existing system off and repair substrate breaches

Membrane – Full Strip - After The finished Product

Failed Planter Boxes - Before Root Systems will grow through concrete

WE CAN HELP YOU WITH OUR ON-SITE INSPECTIONS • Common Property Safety Reports - Compliance • Leak Detection Reports – Make good • Engineers’ Reports – Make Good Failed Planter Boxes - After – Right Complete Rebuild and Root Barrier Installation

• Priority Based Scope Of Works • Full Water Ingress Resolution Systems Available We would like to thank Amalgamated Property Maintenance for the information contained in this article. Should they be able to assist your business in the following areas: info@amalgamatedgroup.com.au

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Amalgamated Property Maintenance is a FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED business.

Amalgamated Property Maintenance was established to service the Body Corporate and Repaint Industry and are the only TRUE ONE STOP SHOP for undertaking total building refurbishments with our Open Builders QBCC Licence.

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Amalgamated Property Maintenance is well known and respected for quality work and comes highly recommended, by all major Paint Manufacturing Companies, for our success and skills in Commercial Painting, Property Maintenance and Refurbishment services.

Amalgamated Property Maintenance focus’ strongly on our clients’ needs. We pride ourselves on excellence in the quality finish of our products/services and the professionalism of those we employ.

Amalgamated Property Maintenance work with all the major paint manufacturers, allowing us to provide to the end user, expert technical advice, written specifications and warranties that are backed by the manufacturer.

Servicing the whole of the SEQ, Amalgamated Property Maintenance have an Open Builders Licence which allows us

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to undertake all building refurbishment works at any height, including waterproofing, abseiling, window and balustrade replacement to name but a few.

We are committed to the accommodation industry being members of: • Accommodation Industry Preferred Supplier Programme • Australian Resident Accommodation Managers Association (ARAMA) • Australian Institute of Hotel Engineers (AIHE) • Strata Community Australian (SCA) Servicing the Body Corporate and Commercial Repaint Industries, Amalgamated Property Maintenance is the only true “ONE STOP SHOP” for undertaking total building refurbishments.

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Why guest room

TELEPHONES

remain crucial for hotels BRENDON GRANGER I DIRECTOR, TECHNOLOGY4HOTELS

Digital technology has become integral to the 21st-century hotel experience. In particular, more and more hotels are investing in messaging platforms, voice assistants, and in-room tablets to enhance in-room guest communication.

T

he benefits of these technologies are undoubted, but some hotels are mistakenly thinking that they will replace the in-room phone. Why is that a mistake?

First and foremost, not all travellers will engage with new digital communication technologies — especially less techsavvy older generations.

In addition, the in-room phone is still the main way guests order room service, they also frequently use it to call the front desk, make housekeeping requests and get advice on local restaurants and attractions. So if your hotel is considering doing away with the guest room phone, here are some of the major reasons to reconsider.

EMERGENCY CALLS Above all, it’s vital to have a reliable form of communication in case of emergencies. If a guest can’t use their mobile for an unforeseen reason, they need a quick and easy alternative. This is where the guest room phone comes in. Plus, modern in-room phones have guest-service keys that can be programmed to a selected emergency number at the hotel. This means an emergency call can be made with a simple tap of a button. Also an in-room analogue phone doesn’t require power, so it will still work as a communication tool in the case of a power outage.

HASSLE-FREE COMMUNICATION Digital communication platforms offer a fast and frictionless way to communicate. But not in every situation. If a guest arrives hungry and wants to order room service, placing an order using the in-room phone is arguably the fastest way to do that. While tech-savvy guests might prefer to place orders through your hotel app or in-room iPad, it's important to provide a familiar alternative. Not all guests want to

download an app or have the time to work out how to use the in-room tablet just to order room service if they are hungry now.

THE IN-ROOM PHONE DRIVES REVENUE A lot of hoteliers believe that in-room phones no longer drive revenue. But that's not entirely true. Dig a little deeper and you find that this viewpoint only relates to revenue from external calls.

In reality, the majority of guests still use the in-room phone to order Room Service, so hoteliers need to look at the revenue that comes from Room Service as a result of the phone before they dispense with it.

Many hoteliers only look at the cost centre called Telephones on their P&L, which can give them a distorted view of how much revenue the in-room phone is actually generating.

ALL GENERATIONS CAN USE AN IN-ROOM PHONE As touched upon above, it's important to remember that not everyone is comfortable with mobile technology. While baby boomers are certainly more tech-savvy than common assumptions might have us believe, they’re still more likely to make a request by picking up the phone than trying to access your hotel app.

Older generations still commonly see the telephone as a key communication channel. Why make life harder for them by taking it away? While mobile-reliant younger travellers might not think twice, an in-room telephone is something that older demographics still expect to see and regard as familiar and reassuring.

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A DESIRE FOR TECH-FREE TRAVEL A growing number of travellers now take a break in search of a digital detox. They want to enjoy a tech-free experience that allows them to disconnect from their smartphones and unplug from the internet, if only for a few days.

Offering an in-room phone makes it easier for guests that genuinely want to escape their constantly connected lives. In an age when hotels are investing heavily in the latest digital communication tools, it’s worth remembering that some guests will value your efforts to help them disconnect from their tech.

ROCK-SOLID RELIABILITY If your hotel’s mobile phone reception isn't great, or your guests' forget or misplace their phone chargers, the lack of an in-room phone suddenly makes communication a hassle. If a guest has to head down to your lobby to talk to your team, that’s hardly a great experience. If they need to stumble out of bed to do this in the middle of the night, they're likely to feel more than a little disgruntled.

Of course, these kinds of scenarios can quickly lead a frustrated guest to vent their feelings on TripAdvisor. By making sure guests always have an easy way to get in touch with your team, you can manage your brand reputation by resolving potential issues sooner.

A QUALITY PHONE IS PART OF GREAT DESIGN (AND IT SAVES YOU MONEY) The guest looks at the quality of the items in the room as a reflection of the overall quality of the experience that they're paying for. A cheap looking phone instantly downgrades that experience.

When you consider that hotel owners and developers often spend millions of dollars on luxury room design and decor, it seems crazy to ruin an otherwise beautiful looking room by installing a cheap phone which saves a few dollars per room at best.

Too often, a phone is chosen simply based on price which can often be false economy as the cheaper phone doesn’t always last as long, making the long-term financial outlay greater.

Staff also have to spend time replacing these phones, but the worst part is that inevitably the guest is inconvenienced when the phone in their room doesn’t work.

As with all amenities, it’s important to ensure that the phone you chose reflects your brand and its promise to your guest.

Does the phone reflect the quality of your brand in your

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guest’s eyes? If it’s a cordless phone does it go back on the cradle easily and charge?

In addition, let's not forget the charm of a true hotel phone, complete with cute icons for each available guest service.

There is a certain charm about a hotel phone and we have often provided phones for film sets so that they can create the authentic hotel room. In the digital age, it's nice to have a few reminders of the classic hotel experience.

IT'S TIME TO RETHINK THE GUEST ROOM PHONE Before you consider doing away with the guest room phone, take a step back and consider the unique benefits it still offers.

Mobile messaging platforms and hotel apps are great for remote communication, but the in-room phone still drives revenue, and it remains the most simple and reliable way for guests to communicate with your team. It also provides the best way for your hotel to build rapport and demonstrate empathy with guests by offering a channel for personal, oneto-one conversations.

Ultimately, the guest room phone and the latest digital platforms should not be seen as mutually exclusive.

Hospitality is about offering everyone a choice, and having a range of communication tools available will ensure all your guests are catered for and able to connect with you and your team.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR With a great passion for all things hotels, but in particular technology and a desire to help others his role as director at Technology4Hotels allows him to do both.

Brendon has worked with hundreds of hotels to help them with their in-room technology. In the last few years he has helped them to increase guest satisfaction, strengthen guest loyalty and encourage repeat bookings as well as win awards such as the best business hotel, best city hotel, best upscale hotel and best luxury hotel in Australasia.

Always going the extra mile, Brendon began his hospitality career over twenty five years ago working in 5 star hotels whilst completing his Bachelor of Business in Hotel Management. He has held various management positions within 5 star hotels, worked as a consultant in both hotel feasibility and technology and has an extensive background in hotel technology.

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Take the work out of property maintenance with FCS Engineering Guest expectations have increased significantly over the years. Travel is no longer a luxury; it has instead become a necessity. When checking in to a hotel, guests not only expect impeccable service from the staff, they also expect a stay that goes smoothly with no unexpected facility failures.

On average, 70% of guest complaints reported include engineering related issues such as air-conditioning, electrical, lighting, plumbing, audio/visual equipment, and locks. Other equipment on the property, such as elevators, refrigerators, and vacuum cleaners, also require regular maintenance.

With so many different types of assets, maintaining a physical hotel space can be challenging. However, this crucial operational process can be managed more easily with property maintenance management software such as FCS Engineering.

Keep track of every asset in your hotel The easiest way to manage anything is to know where an item is at any given time. With FCS Engineering, you can register every single equipment in the hotel; adding specific details, classification categories, pictures, and location. Since all equipment details stored in the same database, looking up a specific asset becomes easy.

With FCS Engineeringâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s optional QR/Barcode capabilities, portable equipment such as vacuum cleaners can be looked up easily, and returned to the dedicated storage locations, minimizing the risk of loss or misplaced equipment. This also saves the hotel costs for replacing lost equipment.

Tagging equipment with individual barcodes/ QR codes is also extremely useful when there are multiple similar equipment in a hotel. Not only does the tag help in identifying the equipment, it also helps the engineering team identify the correct equipment for repair or maintenance.

Increased productivity of staff With scheduled maintenance, there is better organization in the daily tasks. With FCS Engineering, work orders can be assigned to the right person with the right skill set, allowing for the job to be done efficiently. The team will be able to view the tasks to be completed while on-the-go with the dedicated FCS Engineering mobile app, allowing them to make sure every task is completed on time.

Quality of work will also increase as checklists are also accessible via the mobile app, allowing staff to make sure that the job is done accurately and according to hotel standards.

Lesser unplanned maintenance also means that engineering teams can respond faster to new problems, and thereby enhancing customer service as issues are resolved at a quicker pace.

Investing in a property maintenance system is worth every cent spent, as maintenance and equipment costs will reduced significantly. According to eMaint, these costs can be reduced, on average, by 3.3%. Using state-of-the-art job dispatch automation, FCS Engineering brings simplicity and superior effectiveness back to increasingly overwhelmed hotel maintenance departments. Instantly assigning tasks to workers based on skill set and providing the use of scheduled reminders to ensure ongoing routine maintenance, FCS Engineering sets the standard on how hotels can preserve operational services and amenities while reducing costs. The mobile app comes with a dashboard that helps an engineer manage work orders, even when they are on the move.

Prevention is better than cure Without a doubt, happy guests are the most crucial outcome for any hotel. Revenue is hinged upon providing exceptional service to a guest so that they are encouraged to return for repeated stays and share great reviews. Equipment fails such as leaking air cons or blown out light bulbs can ruin the guestâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stay.

With FCS Engineering, preventive maintenance work orders can be scheduled and tracked; thus ensuring that all equipment are working as expected, and getting ahead of equipment wears and tears even before they become faulty.

Preventive maintenance makes sure that equipment are regularly checked and maintained, thereby extending the life span of assets. In the long run, operations costs are also reduced significantly, as there is no need to replace or repair equipment frequently.

More importantly, with proper maintenance of assets, equipment malfunction incidents can be reduced, ensuring the continued safety of both staff and guests.

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Solutions to counter the number one guest complaint in hotels –

NOISE

ATTILA SZABO I DIRECTOR OF POLYVOX SOUND MASKING – SENIOR PROJECT CONSULTANT AT SLR CONSULTING

This article is aimed to give an understanding of the noise environment in Hotels, and understand why this is an ongoing problem, and will continue to be in Hotels. Additionally, we explore what you can do to create a high quality acoustic environment in your facility, and get the most out of your investment.

N

oise is acknowledged to be the top reason for guest complaints in Hotels. The problem exists in every calibre of Hotel, from budget to luxury. Further to this, the problem is likely worse than evidence shows. The latest 2019 study by J.D. Power- ‘North American Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study’ -shows that only around 40% of dissatisfied guests report their concerns to Hotel Management. As noise concerns cannot usually be readily resolved, guests will often leave the premises feeling negatively about their stay, resulting in bad feedback and reviews online. This is very clearly a concern for your property. A recent study found that 55% of guests look at online reviews specifically for sleep quality problems before they make a reservation. Further to this, the latest press release by J.D. Power states the key finding as: ‘The anatomy of a good night’s sleep: The top contributors to quality of sleep and, therefore, higher satisfaction scores, are comfort of bed; quietness of room; comfort/quality of pillows; room temperature; and comfort/quality of linens.

Satisfaction scores for quality of sleep are also higher when hotels offer beyond-the-basics, such as white noise/sound machines, earplugs, robe/slippers and authentic local décor.’

It is positive to see that annual research and surveys are keeping up with technological advances and statistically showing the benefits of technology such as sound masking and sound conditioning. The one thing that does prevail however, is that noise is still the leading issue by a long margin.

The main noise sources in Hotels may include:

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• Phone Calls

• Corridor traffic

• Doors slamming

• Arguments

• Cars

• Elevators

• Televisions

• Aircraft

• Cleaners

• Alarms

• Trains

• Plumbing

With this many noise sources to focus on, it is evident that noise control within Hotels needs to be taken a lot more seriously in order to keep guests coming back.

These noise issues arise from both the use and orientation of Hotels. Hotels are by nature very high density, with high levels of activity. There is a common corridor that contains a door to each space, providing a weak element separating each room.

Additionally, when compared to residential apartments with similar layouts, Hotels usually have automatic door closers resulting in the doors shutting a lot more abruptly than in residential buildings. A smaller ‘Studio’ type guest room is most at risk, due to the guest being sandwiched between the two weakest links- the door to the corridor, and the glazing allowing traffic and urban noise intrusion.

Further to this, for obvious reasons Hotels tend to proliferate in two main locations- near airports, and in high density Central Business Districts. The noisiest two places I can think of.

The National Construction Code (previously the Building Code of Australia) has the same requirements outlined for Residential apartments and Commercial Hotel applications. A residential apartment building is classified as a Class 2 building, while a Hotel is classified as a Class 3 building.

The Australian Standard AS/NZS 2107:2016 ‘Recommended design sound levels and reverberation times for building interiors’ has the same internal noise level requirements for Hotels and Residential buildings.

Type of Occupancy

Internal Background Noise Design sound level (LAeq,t) range

Residential apartment Living Areas

35 to 45

Residential apartment Sleeping Areas

35 to 40

Hotel Sleeping Areas

35 to 40

The truth is, if a Hotel room is designed to meet this 35-40 dBA target, this will occur at the loudest point in the day so as to not exceed the maximum range. The lower range is often ignored, meaning during quieter evening periods background levels drop significantly (25-30dBA is typical).

Hotels typically have much more frequent noise incidents, meaning the fluctuation from low to high levels (dynamic range) is greater than a similar residential apartment. If higher peaks are to be designed for, then quiet times will tend to be quieter. This is fundamentally why Hotels tend to have many more concerns with noise than residential apartments. This knowledge cannot be conveyed in the Australian Standards, so it is imperative for Hotel facility stakeholders to understand so they can take action themselves.

Unfortunately, the nature of this issue means Hotel building stakeholders are often left with a sub-par performing building, resulting from the shortfall of Guidelines and Standards to adequately explain, rather than resulting from the project stakeholder’s direct neglect.

The combination of Hotels having very basic performance requirements, combined with a high noise environment and high density building, results in facilities with very poor acoustics that still comply with relevant Codes and Regulations.

This has been accepted as ‘normal’, and needs to change. Hotels are the property type most at risk of having a poor acoustic environment, and this will continue until a more detailed Guideline is prepared by a relevant Industry body.

The good news is that you don’t have to follow industry trends, meeting minimum performance requirements like other Hotel properties. There are easy ways to both rectify existing sound issues in your space, or to effectively sound proof your building design from the outset. Reports like the J.D. Power surveys provide all the information necessary to take control of your facility.

Sound travels from a Source to a Listener in three main ways.

Each path is treated through a different acoustic design element.

This leads us to the ABC rule of effective acoustic design.

Absorption reduces the reflected noise path. Blocking (walls) reduces the direct noise path. Finally Covering up the quiet parts of noise fluctuations reduces the variation in sound levels. These three elements need to be considered in every building design to ensure an effective acoustic environment is provided.

When it comes to Hotel rooms, large amounts of absorption are used to provide a ‘soft’ and comfortable space. The effect of this is reducing the sound level of noises you make within your Hotel room. This means that external noises from adjacent spaces become more pronounced as their levels remain the same. So the overall effect of having high absorption coverages is almost counteracting the investment in absorption, making the environment too quiet and noises more noticeable and emergent.

Blocking is typically substantial in newer Hotels which utilise appropriate wall and floor/ceiling constructions. However, the door performance still lets us down. Due to doors and walls of adjacent rooms being in such close proximity of each other, the result is often noise flanking between rooms through this path rather than through the separating wall directly.

The overall privacy between two enclosed spaces separated by a partition is a factor of both the partition performance between the spaces, and the background noise level within the receiving room. As a result, acoustic privacy is typically quantified using the following ‘Privacy Factor’ rating, where a higher subjective privacy is represented by a higher Privacy Factor number; Privacy Factor = Background Noise Level (LAeq) + Partition Performance (Dw rating) Privacy factor was originally described in Standard BS8233:1999, and recently adopted as the assessment to determine adequate Acoustic Separation for Green Star point 10.3B in both the Design and As-Built documents.

The above formula shows that within your Hotel Room, the privacy level fluctuates continuously with the background noise level. It also shows that privacy can be increased through one of two methods: • I ncreasing the background noise level • I ncreasing the separating partition performance Covering up noise is the solution to complement adequate absorption and blocking, eliminating the pitfalls of either approach. While people often flinch at the idea of increasing sound levels, the truth is that the ideal and most comfortable sound level is not zero. As specified in Australian Standard AS/ NZS 2107:2016, there is an internal background noise level range to target, rather than just a maximum level like previous revisions recommended. Increasing the background noise

39

level to the recommended level in the Australian Standard will provide the most comfortable and relaxing environment.

If the space is too quiet, any small sounds will cause a more pronounced peak, which is much more likely to cause sleep disturbance. As discussed previously, if the range between the quiet moments and the loud moments is too high, you can only effectively design for one of these noise events.

Door performances reach a practical limit with a Sound Reduction Index of Rw32 (40mm solid core door with full acoustic seals). Compare this to walls between Guest Rooms which are typically rated at Rw50. To increase performances of the doors further, extremely expensive proprietary doors with steel cladding and proprietary sealing systems are required which are not practical, and will blow out costs of a project.

Once we have looked at all these design elements, it becomes obvious that the most practical improvement is gained from providing a steady background sound level that will condition the space, and maintain the recommended levels 24 hours a day.

Background levels are designed by acoustic engineers to not exceed the recommended levels in the Australian Standards.

This means that at the loudest time of day (traffic or aeroplane peak hour), is what has been designed for. However, as traffic and the urban hum of a city fades away, so does the background noise level within a Hotel. Following closely behind, is the

TempReport™

privacy rating between guest rooms. At night, when traffic and urban noise are at a minimum, is when guests are in their rooms trying to sleep, and privacy is most critical! This is the time when privacy levels in Hotels are at their lowest!

The only two ways to avoid this are by switching on the air conditioning, or utilising sound masking. Air conditioning is often automatic, and will cycle on and off throughout the night, causing further sleep disturbance. There are budget ‘white noise’ systems available which are unfortunately very primitive, and tend to create a very ‘hissy’ tone that is noticeable by most. They will help you sleep and reduce noise events, but you will hear the noise being produced. Proper sound masking technology goes way beyond this. Specific levels in each frequency band are set, and the masking system tuned to fill in the blanks and product a gentle much less noticeable sound. For example, if there is a light buzzing, white noise systems will add broadband noise over the top, which will leave an emergence at this light buzzing frequency (somewhat less noticeable). Sound masking on the other hand, will reduce its noise output at this specific buzzing frequency so the final effect is a gentle curve with no emergence at the buzzing frequency (depending on volume of the noise). Essentially the technology accounts for any existing noises or frequency peaks within the space, and ‘fills in the blanks’ to provide a gentle and steady sound.

Sound masking is single-handedly the cheapest and most effective upgrade for existing Hotels that want to take guest satisfaction and thus business performance seriously.

- for food safety The T-TEC wireless data loggers stay in fridges, freezers, coolrooms, refrigerated trucks and send automatically to your PC screen. Actual temperatures and alarms come to your phone. Gateway connects to WiFi or USB

Sound masking should be considered in all new Hotel builds, as it is the most effective and practical solution to providing guests with a good night sleep.

Easy and reliable - all in house.

105 Anzac Highway, Ashford SA 5035 T 08-8297 7077 F 08-8371 0558 sales@t-tec.com.au www.t-tec.com.au

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The ‘MODIO Guestroom Acoustic Control™’ is the first commercial quality sound masking system designed specifically for hotel guest rooms, and is now available in Australia. The MODIO™ was designed by LogiSon®, who are the global leaders in sound masking with over 40 years’ experience in the industry.

The technology is distributed across Australia and New Zealand

by Polyvox Sound Masking, run by experienced Acoustic Engineers who know exactly how to help you get the most out of your hotel investment.

Contact Polyvox Sound Masking today to discuss how we can help you provide a Hotel experience that guests keep coming back to again and again.

P: 1300 479 566 E: info@polyvox.com.au W: www.polyvox.com.au

THE EXPERIENCE TO GET THE JOB DONE Our highly skilled team, with over 25 years’ industry experience, delivers reliable commercial door installation and accessories of the highest quality. We supply Fire-Rated doors, commercial doors, frames, doorknobs and accessories to the finest builders and construction firms in Western Australia. All products are sourced from trusted local and international manufacturers. We are able to deliver doors to site prefitted by using the Proliner.

A little about the Proliner

The Proliner is a machine that is able to create a digital drawing for every opening. By creating a digital templating of the door allows us to pre-fit the door to the frame measurements, complete with hinges, drop seal, lock and door handle. All this done in our workshop.

By using this technology, the doors can be fitted on site with minimal mess and installation time. Very little impact on guests or occupants.

The door can be ‘pre-finished’ prior to installation, making again no impact on guest or occupants.

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• Measure fast and accurate with the Proliner • On-site measuring and quality control • Eliminate mistakes, save costs • Physical templates become redundant • Application-based industry software

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As a result we offer the most competitive pricing structure.

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Craftwork Project Management offers painting and coating systems to existing premises and facilities and their occupiers and managers, and to the fit out, refurbishment and small building works area of new construction.

Craftwork offers a wealth of experience in the painting industry through its key operatives and experienced crew of painters and applicators.

To experience the difference Craftwork provides in undertaking painting and coating works please feel free to contact me for an obligation free consultation or quotation. I would be pleased to understand your particular requirements and assist you accordingly.

BENJAMIN GRAY – SALES DIRECTOR 0413 792 182 E-mail: bgray@craftwork.com.au

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42

WATERPROOFING hotel bathrooms

There are three essential components to a sound hotel bathroom. It must be structurally sound, aesthetically pleasing, and able to withstand its fair share of wear and tear. However, all three of these components can be compromised without adequate waterproofing.

A

leaking shower seal can be disastrous for a hotel. It can lead to further leaks, spalling and deterioration, and can be a hotbed for mould growth. If these problems spread to other parts of the building, the repair bill could be eye watering.

WHY DO SHOWERS LEAK? The main reasons behind a leaking shower seal are the building settling into its foundations, and the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s natural movement with hot and cold weather.

Over time, this movement causes the grout and waterproof membrane in the shower to crack, allowing water to enter the surface below. While this problem may not be visible at first, larger cracks can cause tiles to come loose, and cause damage to structural materials such as plasterboard and timber.

There are a number of warning signs for leakages. Keep an eye out for swelling skirting boards, dampness, mould, or peeling paint. Damp must smell on the carpet or wallpaper is another sign, along with stained timber under the floor, cracked tiles and missing grout.

Before

The problem is widespread in the industry.

The Australian Institute of Waterproofing says almost 80% of all complaints against builders relate to water penetration and the resulting damage. In the majority of cases, the Institute finds poor workmanship to be the cause. Rushed installation of flashings, joints and angles can jeopardise efforts to apply waterproofing membrane.

Another major problem is the poor priming of parts and surfaces before waterproofing membrane is applied. The Institute recommends using aluminium flashing angles and waterstop angles over PVC wherever possible, and to apply the correct primer depending on the material used.

One is its Hydro Barrier Sealant, which prevents water and moisture penetrating the surface below the tiles. It is a clear sealant painted over the tiles and grout in the shower recess.

The DiamoSmart system facilitates the micro-erosion of the sheen from the blade of the tile without damaging its Before

Considering the potential costliness of shower leakages, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s essential to respond to the problem as soon as possible.

WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT? There are a number of products on the market providing long-term solutions to shower seal leakages. We spoke with the Shower Repair Centre about what products are available.

After

After

43

aesthetic quality. The SealRight product can then bond with the biscuit of the tile to complete the seal. The products were developed in partnership with an industrial chemical company, and applied concepts used in the marine industry to shower waterproofing.

3. Preparing junctions of the shower with a high speed diamond tool;

The product is part of an eight-step process offered by the Shower Repair Centre:

6. Sealing the shower screen;

1. Removing grout from walls and floor as required; 2. Replacing with special anti-fungal grout to reduce mould; Before

4. Applying the specially designed SealRight product to all junctions of the shower; 5. Applying the Hydo Barrier Sealant to the tiles and grout; 7. Sealing floor waste, and; 8. Servicing and sealing taps, if required.

Another aspect of the service is the use of infrared thermal imaging to diagnose problems. The Shower Repair Centre began applying the technology to shower After

repairs after seeing how thermal imaging could detect hot spots in electrical circuitry. When applied to a bathroom, the technology can determine dry and wet areas without removing tiles or other components. For example, it can determine if a leak is coming from a shower, or the roof into a wall cavity. This leads to more efficient and cost-effective solutions.

WHO CAN WATERPROOF? Regardless of which company you go through, it is essential to chose a qualified installer with a current waterprooferâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s license. This is to ensure their work complies with the Australian Standard AS 3740 - Waterproofing of domestic wet areas. A written guarantee of workmanship should also be supplied.

The importance of fixing waterproofing issues cannot be underestimated, so be sure to research the best options available to you.

The information in this article was provided by The Sower Repair Centre.

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KNOW YOUR RISK KRISTY KEECH I AESC PTY LTD – QLD STATE MANAGER

The hospitality industry is a unique sector within the built environment. Unlike other property sectors where occupants are aware and trained in emergency procedures and fire safety equipment installations, the hospitality sector must consider the diversity of their occupants and building use. Guests may not be aware of the procedures and what to do in an emergency. Due to the diverse nature of the occupants, the risk of fire or emergency is greater, and can pose a greater threat to guest safety, property and brand reputation.

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wners, managers and others responsible for a facility within the built environment have a constant challenge to uphold system maintenance and compliance requirements. Now more than ever, managers have a common law duty of care to ensure buildings are safe, maintained and compliant to the relevant requirements. It is imperative to have a base-level comprehension of requirements as every Australian State has varied legislative requirements and regulations.

Recently, there have been significant changes to regulations, in particular in New South Wales. These changes have impacted how Annual Fire Safety Statements (AFSS) are issued for buildings, and has pushed more onus and obligations onto building owners throughout the annual certification process.

One of the biggest amendments introduced was for the requirement of a Competent Fire Safety Practitioner (CFSP), this replaced the term “properly qualified person”.

The following is a state by state summary of essential services maintenance requirements, the required annual compliance sign-off and the correct way to document and retain your maintenance records. This helps ensure that your maintenance contractor is completing the correct tasks and providing compliant documentation. This will assist the building to be verified for compliance certification annually.

STATE AND TERRITORY DEFINED REGULATIONS AND LEGISLATION The building blocks of the state based defined maintenance regulations are in order of the following hierarchy.

Act – An Act of Parliament, a law or primary legislation Regulation – This is authorised by an Act and prescribes the methodology and onus of responsibility to fulfil the Act, noting any applicable penalties to enforce compliance.

Building Code of Australia (BCA) – This is referenced by Commonwealth, State and Territory legislation, setting minimum technical requirements, references to other codes and standards.

Australian Standards – Required by law if referenced in regulations or through state authority e.g. AS1851.2012 Routine service of fire protection equipment.

There is also a common law obligation, which has been promoted by the Fire Protection Association in support of the national adoption of AS1851.2012. In addition to statutory law provisions (Acts/Regulations, codes and standards) it is likely that an individual or a responsible entity (such as the owner, occupier, employer or manager of a building) will have a common law duty of care to maintain fire protection systems and equipment, and to be able to demonstrate that they have met their responsibility.

STATE-BASED OVERVIEWS NSW Act: Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EPA) Regulation: Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulations 2000 Compliance Certificate: Annual Fire Safety Statement (AFSS) by “Competent Fire Safety Practitioner (CFSP)” Defined Term: Essential Fire Safety Measures Maintenance Documentation Retention: The requirement of records is not specifically referenced in the EPA Regulations; although from a risk management perspective to cover the onus of the manager, owner and occupier of a building, retaining maintenance documents and logging egress and passive structure inspections fulfils EPA Regulations.

ACT Act: Building Act 2004. Emergencies Act 2004 Regulation: Building Regulations 2008

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Compliance Certificate: Fire safety policies currently under review Defined Term: previously Essential Services Maintenance Documentation Retention: Recommend that an Annual Fire Safety Statement be kept onsite.

QLD Act: Fire & Rescue Services Act 1990 Regulation: Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008 & Queensland Development Code MP6.1 Compliance Certificate: Occupier Statement Defined Term: Fire Safety Installations Maintenance Documentation Retention: Section 55 of the Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008 specifies mandatory requirements for keeping records of maintenance.

NT Act: Northern Territory Building Act, Fire and Emergency Act Regulation: Northern Territory Building Regulations, Fire and Emergency Regulations Compliance Certificate: No specific document, reliance on yearly condition report as per AS1851-2012 Defined Term: Building Fire Safety Measures

Maintenance Documentation Retention: Applicable maintenance service records shall be available onsite. Yearly condition report be kept onsite.

VIC

Project Services and Propert

Act: Building Act 1993 Regulation: Building Regulations 2018 Compliance Certificate: Annual Essential Safety Measures Report (AESMR) Defined Term: Essential Safety Measures (ESM)

Project Services and Property Maintenance

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Maintenance Documentation Retention: Building Regulations 2018, Part 15 Annual ESM Report (AESMR) to be produced annually, and regulation 225 records relating to ESM’s must be made available onsite. Recommend that the Annual Essential Safety Measures Report be kept onsite.

Compliance Certificate: Annual Maintenance Statement – Previously a Form 56 Defined Term: Essential Building Services

SA

Maintenance Documentation Retention: Recommend that the annual maintenance statement with supporting maintenance records be available onsite.

Act: Development Act 1993

WA

Regulation: Development Regulations 2008, Ministers Specification SA76 (2015)

Act: Western Australian Building Act 2011.

Compliance Certificate: Building Age Specific – Form 3 Defined Term: Essential Safety Provisions Maintenance Documentation Retention: Minister's Specification SA 76 part 3 states that in order to ensure every prescribed fire safety element has been identified, inspected and where appropriate any defects have been remedied, it is recommended that a site maintenance record book is retained onsite (covering the essential safety provisions).

TAS Act: Building Act 2016

Regulation: Building Regulation 2012. Division2A— Maintenance of Buildings Compliance Certificate: Maintenance proof required and to support the general duty of care Defined Term: Safety Measures Maintenance Documentation Retention: To meet the WA Building Regulation 2012, Division 2A Maintenance; there is a requirement to ensure the safety measures in each part of the building can perform. To demonstrate this, it is recommended that annual maintenance statement with supporting maintenance records be available onsite.

Regulation: Building Regulations 2016

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KMAAS (KEY MANAGEMENT AS A SERVICE) Hosted and Managed Services available Like anything electronic, the KeyWatcher system requires access to software which controls the management of who can have access to which set of keys and also provides access to the audit trail information. The KMaaS software may be hosted on site or AST may provide all of the IT and Network infrastructure required through a completely hosted and managed service.

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SECURITY AWARENESS SIMON HENSWORTH I BSC (SECURITY SCIENCE), (ICCP-ADVANCED), SCG PTY LTD

Are you sure the people in your organisation understand your security arrangements? Are your security arrangements supported by all staff? Is crucial business information secure?

Are you and your staff at a low risk of workplace violence? Is your ICT secure from sabotage?

If the answer to any of these questions is “no” or “not sure” then the following topic may be of interest. Many of the above issues can stem from a lack of staff Security Awareness.

Security Awareness is a vital part of a successful and integrated security system. Security is the responsibility of everyone in the organisation, and all staff need to understand what security is, why it is important and the consequences of it failing (or failing to support it). If staff are kept aware of some basic security concepts, they can greatly contribute to their organisation’s security and their own.

ACCEPTANCE OF SECURITY

S

ecurity can often be perceived as a cost or an obstacle. Access Control can slow operations, CCTV can be negatively perceived, procedures can be time consuming and annoying, and searches can be embarrassing.

It can be challenging to ensure that staff accept security, especially if they do not have a good appreciation for why it is in place. If staff do not understand security, they are unlikely to support it. If staff do not support security, it can compromise its effectiveness. People may follow each other or ‘tailgate’ at Access Control points, or they might avoid, cover or redirect CCTV, they might avoid procedures, and they may openly oppose or complain about searches.

Security Awareness can be an effective way to educate staff about the reason behind security, why it is important, how it can be of benefit to them, and encourage a positive attitude toward security and better support for it.

INFORMATION SECURITY Information Security is an element of security that can often be overlooked or misconstrued. Many confuse Information Security for IT security. Whilst Information Security may include security measures for securing information technology (IT) systems, Information Security also includes other forms of information, such as written documentation, charts, drawings, models, recordings and human memory.

While the bulk of information that circulates an organisation is probably of little importance, a small portion may be crucially important because of its sensitivity or value to the organisation. Organisations should have procedures in

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place to identify (and classify) information so that proper protection can be allocated where it is needed.

Staff who require access to sensitive or valuable information need to be made aware of their responsibilities to protect it and the consequences if they compromise Information Security.

Information is not the easiest asset to protect. Once it is lost (or compromised), you cannot get it back. You cannot check staff as they leave the building to see if they are taking vital information with them. It may not be physically with them, but only in their head.

CYBER SECURITY Most people use a computer at some point as part of their work. Certainly, no office is without one. Computers are often taken for granted and we can forget how much they are depended on. Some organisations would grind to a halt if access to their IT was disrupted. Security Awareness is a vital element in avoiding problems with IT. Locking computers when they are left unattended can assist in avoiding unauthorised access or sabotage. Developing a strong password (and not writing it down next to the computer) can also improve security. Being aware of common hacking techniques that staff many be targeted with. Policies, procedures and Security Awareness can help to manage unauthorised access, the introduction of malware via removable media (i.e. flash drives) and compromise of information following theft of portable items such as laptops.

SABOTAGE, INFORMATION LEAKS AND WORKPLACE VIOLENCE Security Awareness can assist in deterring sabotage and leaking of sensitive information by staff. It can also assist in preventing other types of incidents such as workplace violence. If staff have a heightened Security Awareness, there is a higher likelihood that they will take notice suspicious behaviour or activity by those around them and report it. Heightened staff Security Awareness can also deter unwanted behaviour, by increasing risk perceived by wouldbe-offender’s that they will be seen or challenged.

Staff should be encouraged to remain alert for potential suspicious activity and report any activity that could present a security issue. It should be noted that staff may be concerned about reporting such behaviour or activity for fear of retribution. In order to support staff that intend on doing the right thing, organisations may consider setting up a Security Intelligence system.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Simon is a Security Consultant with the national consultancy, Security Consulting Group (SCG). Simon has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Security Science from Edith Cowan University, is an ICA (International CPTED Association) certified CPTED practitioner (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) and has over 16 years of experience in the Security Consulting industry. Simon has provided security solutions for many clients with major assets in Australia and is involved in all aspects of security, security technologies, promoting security and Security Awareness.

Simon Hensworth BSc (Security Science) (ICCP – Advanced), SCG Pty Ltd T 61 8 9468 2215, E shensworth@securityconsultinggroup.com.au

INTELLIGENCE GATHERING Organisations can develop an internal Security Intelligence program aimed at monitoring information that can assist in providing an ‘early warning’ of upcoming security issues/ incidents. It could be run by a Senior Manager, Facility Manager or Security Manager within the organisation.

Information could be sourced from outside the organisation including: Police, Internet, Government Intelligence organisations, and partnering or similar companies. These external organisations may provide information about crime trends, known offenders, copycat incidents, targeted individuals, large-scale computer viruses, hackers, terrorism and new methods of attack that may facilitate a heightened risk to the organisation.

More importantly, information can be sourced from inside the organisation. Staff can be an important source of information regarding issues such as internal theft, planned attacks or suspicious behaviour. A Security Intelligence program should encourage and support staff with strategies such as: direct lines of communication for reporting incidents, whistleblower anonymity, and protection from threats by other staff.

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THE INTERNET OF THINGS What it means and why it matters to hotels BRENDON GRANGER I DIRECTOR, TECHNOLOGY4HOTELS

From smart mirrors and refrigerators to wearables and thermostats, everyday appliances and devices are now connecting to the internet at a staggering pace.

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Often described as the Internet of Things (IoT), this digital ecosystem is truly vast — experts predict that 200 billion objects will be hooked up to the IoT by 2020.

In the case of Marriott, its IoT Guestroom Lab allows guests to use mobile and voice-enabled technology to set up the room to meet their needs. The idea is that instead of a standard experience, each guest room is tailored to each occupant and “remembers” their past behaviour.

But what exactly is the Internet of Things? And why does it matter to the hospitality industry? With the explosion of internet-enabled devices, these questions are becoming increasingly part of an important conversation.

While the big chains are leading the way, the IoT-enabled hotel will inevitably become mainstream as more and more devices come online. As that happens, what specific benefits can hotels expect?

hat

UNDERSTANDING THE INTERNET OF THINGS Put simply, the IoT describes all devices that are connected to the internet. As part of a digital network, all of these devices are able to collect and share data about their environment and how they’re being used.

How does this relate to hospitality? Increasingly, hotels are harnessing a range of digital technologies that connect to the internet — from TVs and smart mirrors to thermostats and inroom voice assistants.

All of these devices are able to collect and share data, which can then be used to provide hoteliers with a wealth of insights and far-reaching benefits.

HOW CAN HOTELS LEVERAGE THE INTERNET OF THINGS? From enhanced efficiency and cost savings, to smoother customer service and personalised guest experiences, the IoT has the potential to transform hospitality.

As reported by Skift, hotels such as Hilton and Marriott have been experimenting with the IoT to transform the hotel room experience. This is where some of the most obvious benefits lie.

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THE PERSONALISED HOTEL ROOM Perhaps the most exciting application of the IoT is the personalised hotel room. By tracking how a guest interacts with in-room devices, a room can adapt to the unique needs of each guest.

Consider the following scenarios. A business traveller notices the lights automatically dim in the evening to suit their preference while working. A family finds the in-room TV has saved the kids’ favourite channels. And a returning guest steps under the bathroom shower to notice the temperature is just as they like it.

In the world of IoT, the hotel room is no longer one-size-fits-all.

It intelligently adapts to each guest and continues to learn from their behaviour over time.

EMPOWERED GUESTS A digitally connected guest room also allows guests to define their stay. For instance, using their own smartphone or tablet, they could book a spa treatment, make a restaurant reservation or call the front desk to inquire about the gym opening hours.

Using the IoT, a hotel can also send an electronic key card to a guest’s mobile phone an hour before the check-in time. This allows for a much smoother experience, enabling guests to

bypass the front desk and unlock their room using just their mobile phone.

MORE EFFICIENT WAYS OF WORKING While many of the benefits are guest-facing, the IoT can radically improve a hotel’s internal operations and help them save money.

Connected technology such as lights, heating and HVAC systems can alert staff if they’ve been left on after a guest checks out.

Even a mini fridge could let staff know if it’s been left ajar.

Over the months and years, spotting inefficiencies could help a hotel make substantial energy savings and improve their environmental credentials too.

REAL-TIME RESPONSE TO MAINTENANCE ISSUES IoT technology also ensures maintenance issues get solved faster. Faulty appliances and devices can alert staff as soon as they start malfunctioning. A repair can then be carried out before it becomes a problem and potentially before a guest even notices it. This kind of predictive maintenance takes customer service to a whole new level.

Thanks to this real-time feedback, a guest complaint may never need to materialise. Furthermore, a device that might have otherwise deteriorated can be fixed before a costly replacement is needed.

THE FUTURE OF THE IOT A new generation of younger travellers (led by digital natives) are about to enter the travel marketplace. This new generation of tech-savvy guests will gravitate towards hotels that cater to their always-connected lifestyles. Being able to control the in-room tech through their smartphone will soon become a hardwired expectation.

While the Internet of Things is still in its nascency, billions of digital devices are coming online at a staggering rate. This presents a golden opportunity to get ahead. By investing in the right technology now. Forward-thinking hotels can begin to offer smoother service, improve their efficiency and provide guests with the flexibility to define their own experience.

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LACROSSE DECISION

What does this all mean?

BRONWYN WEIR I MANAGING DIRECTOR AT WEIR LEGAL AND CONSULTING PTY LTD

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here have already been many articles written about the outcome of the VCAT proceeding concerning the fire at the Lacrosse tower in Docklands back in 2014. Judge Woodward delivered his 227 page decision earlier this year which dissects the practices of key practitioners in the building approvals process with masterful precision providing the industry with much needed legal authority and putting an end to the finger pointing - at least for now.

Whilst the decision makes it clear right up front that the findings apply to the facts in this particular case, it will nonetheless give a great deal of clarity to all practitioners about what the courts expect of them and where they might stand in relation to disputes about combustible cladding rectification going forward.

If there is a win to be had from all this it is that this decision gives the industry an opportunity to learn from its mistakes and change the way that it does it job.

In this article I am not going to go over the facts of the case or the outcome of the decision in detail. Instead, I am going to share my thoughts on what this means for the key practitioners involved.

BUILDERS For builders, on first blush, this decision may look like a win.

The Tribunal found that although the builder was in breach of the statutory warranties that apply to all domestic building works in Victoria, it was not negligent. The builder was primary responsible but is entitled to have 97% of the damages payable to the owners reimbursed by the fire engineer, building surveyor and architect. The builder will pay the 3% of damages attributed to the occupier that smoked the cigarette that started the fire.

The Tribunal accepted the evidence of the builder that at the time that the non-compliant ACP was installed, it did not know that these panels were a fire risk and it was entitled to rely on the advice of the 3 consultant experts.

However, the following passage from para 308 should be noted:

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That is not to say, of course, that a substantial commercial builder like LU Simon is inoculated against a finding of negligence, so long as it can show that it complied with the specifications and instructions given by other building professionals. Clearly its expertise and experience is such that there will be many instances where it would be reasonable to expect it to identify errors by another building professional. The case law is replete with examples of this. But where (as here) the skill involved is beyond that which can be expected of a reasonably competent builder and there is no actual relevant knowledge, I consider that LU Simon’s relationship with each of the other building professionals is analogous to that between a developer and a building professional.

Builders should take from this that the law expects a reasonably competent builder to question errors or anomalies that they detect in building plans and other documents. Further, the expected knowledge of builders will change over time. For example, a court may be much less likely to make the same findings about builder where ACP was installed on a building after the Lacrosse fire, when all of the industry (in Victoria at least) became acutely aware of the fire risks associated with ACP.

ARCHITECTS The architect made several arguments in their defence of the matter. They gave evidence that at the relevant time, they were not aware that ACP products were a fire risk. They argued that despite the words in their consultancy agreement, the builder had assumed all responsibility for the design when it was appointed by the developer. They argued that although they had specified the use of ACP by referring to ‘indicative to Alucobond’ in the drawings, the builder could have chosen any product in that range including products which were more fire resistant that the 100% PE product that was chosen. In addition, the builder substituted Alucobond for Alucobest. The architect said even though an Alucobest sample was submitted to the architect and approved, the approval only related to the colour and look of the product. Finally, the architects argued that one or more of the fire engineer, building surveyor or builder were responsible for ensuring the cladding was complaint with the

BCA and it is not the responsibility of an architect to be aware of these things.

All of these arguments failed. Whilst the Tribunal accepted that of the 3 consultants, the architects were the least responsible for knowing that most ACP products used at the time would not comply with the BCA, it nevertheless found that the services the architect agreed to provide under its contract included the preparation of contract material in a manner consistent to satisfy the legislative requirements which included the BCA. The upshot of this for architects is that subject to the terms of their consultancy agreements, the courts do expect them to prepare drawings and documents that demonstrate compliance with the BCA. Whilst it would be good if other designers or the building surveyor picked up and corrected aspects of the architect’s design which did not comply with the BCA, if they don’t this won’t get the architect off the hook. Taking that one step further, everyone in the chain is expected to do their job properly. Architects need to understand the BCA and produce documents that will comply with it.

BUILDING SURVEYORS I begin by noting that the Tribunal found that the use of ACP on the balconies of the Lacrosse building was not compliant with the BCA. It rejected arguments from the building surveyor that the product was a ‘bonded laminated material’ within the meaning of C1.12 of the applicable BCA at the time. At paragraph 207 Judge Woodward states: In summary, a “bonded laminated material” can be expected to comprise a bonding material (adhesive) and two or more laminates. C12.1(f) is plainly seeking to deal in express and precise terms with the potential combustibility of each of these elements. Combustible adhesive is permitted up to a maximum thickness of 2mm. But each of the laminates (including the polyethylene laminate) must be noncombustible.

The building surveyor had initially also argued that the ACP was complaint because it was used as an ‘attachment’ as set out in clause 2.4 of Specification C1.1. Ultimately the building surveyor abandoned this argument conceding that it was not arguable that the ACP met clause 2.4 in this case. Despite this, there is a discussion of clause 2.4 at paras 271 to 278. In the end, Judge Woodward notes that the various assertions by the experts for the building surveyor about common interpretations of clause 2.4 that prevailed at the time lacked ‘any real analysis of how or why this approach was justified.’ (para 278) The building surveyor went on to argue that even if the use of ACP on the Lacrosse building was not compliant, it was common industry practice for building surveyors to approve its use in this way at the time and therefore the ‘peer professional opinion defense’ available under s 59 of the Wrongs Act 1958, applied. Judge Woodward found that building surveying was a ‘profession’ to which this defence could apply. He accepted that it was a uniform practice for building surveyors to treat this product as a ‘bonded laminated material’ thereby approving its use as a deemed to satisfy (DTS) solution. However, he said

there was no logic in that practice and therefore the Wrongs Act defence did not apply. At para 388 Judge Woodward says his general impression of the evidence from the building surveyor and his 3 experts was: That otherwise experienced and diligent practitioners were beguiled by a longstanding and widespread (but flawed) practice into giving insufficient scrutiny to the rationale for that practice.

There was a discussion about whether the changes to the BCA since the Lacrosse fire were evidence that the use of ACP was complaint at the relevant time. At para 378 the Judge states: In this context, each of the Gardner Group Experts put significant store in their evidence in the ABCB’s decision since the Lacrosse tower fire to amend BCA C1.12(f) (which is now found in BCA C1.9(e)(vi)). For example, Mr Leonard asserts in his report that an advisory note foreshadowing this change confirmed that the ABCB was “well aware that clause C1.12 BCA was being interpreted in a manner that permitted the use of ACP with a combustible core”.611 In my view, the Gardner Group Experts overstate what conclusions or inferences can be drawn from the change. At most is shows that at some point (probably after the fire), the ABCB became aware of the Relevant Practice. Moreover, the explanatory note expressly

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states that the “clarification was made to prevent the incorrect interpretation” of the concession in C1.12(f) (emphasis added).

The Judge’s discussion of the building surveyor’s evidence was lengthy. He noted at para 349 that the building surveyor ‘probably believed that ACPs were BCA complaint but had not undertaken a robust or critical analysis, investigation or inquiry to determine this.’ He said that the surveyor had adopted an unreasonable construction of A2.2 and C1.12 in the context of the BCA as a whole and that he wrongly relied on the test certificate alone in circumstances where the ACP was to be used in continuous vertical run and as part of unsprinklered balconies.

Ultimately the court found the building surveyor had been negligent in issuing the relevant building permit and had also engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct under the Australian Consumer Law. The message for building surveyors is clear. Applying DTS is not a tick box or paper collection exercise. The courts will expect building surveyors to undertake a reasoned analysis of the proposed design having regard to the context of the BCA as a whole even where DTS solutions are used. The clear intention of the BCA is to provide for public safety and amenity. This is what the community expects. That is the lens through which the BCA must be interpreted at all times. The court noted that the building surveyor had no contemporaneous notes or memory of what he actually did when considering the proposed use of ACP for this building and that even with hindsight, his justification for approving the use of ACP whilst genuine, lacked logic and common sense. Building surveyors are expected to apply logical reasoning to their decisions and should document that reasoning so that their decisions are transparent.

FIRE ENGINEERS The fire engineer and all of the experts for all parties that were fire engineers, said they were aware at the relevant time that ACP with a 100% PE core was a fire risk and did not comply whit the DTS provisions of the BCA. Despite this and despite the fact that the fire engineer admitted that he was aware that ACP was proposed for use on the building, he argued that it was not his role to question the use of ACP. Further, he argued that he had discharged his duties because his report provided that ‘Unless otherwise noted, external areas (e.g. balconies, eaves, overhangs etc.), which comprise non-combustible construction, need not be sprinklered.”

The Judge rejected these arguments. He noted that the fire engineer had not followed the requirements in the International Fire Engineering Guidelines (IFEG). He said the IFEG required the evaluation of the structure and construction materials early to establish potential fire hazards for the building which had not been done in this case. The Judge also noted that the various versions of the Fire Engineering Report (FER) gave an incomplete description of the materials to be used in construction making no reference to the use of ACP. This included the fifth version

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of the FER that formed part of the documents approved by the building surveyor and was submitted to the MFB for its report and consent. He said the FER referred to an outdated edition of the IFEG and contained ‘boilerplate’ language. He states at para 487 My impression generally of Thomas Nicolas’s approach to the FERs and other documents, was that there were a number of instances of the use of template or “boilerplate” language (as well as reference to out-of-date guidelines), without much attention being given to what the words actually meant or required. Thomas Nicolas is, of course, not alone in this. It is often the case that diligent and competent professionals blithely reuse standard documents that have served them well over the years, focusing only on those parts that need to be tailored to each job. It is only when something goes wrong and the lawyers become involved, that any real attention is given to how that boilerplate language informs potential liability.

The fire engineer argued that notwithstanding the terms of his consultancy agreement required him to undertake a ‘full engineering assessment’, this was not his actual role. At para 480 it says Thomas Nicolas opened its case on the basis that “it was never expected that the fire engineer would have the role of going through architectural drawings and identifying possible noncompliances”. 737 Rather, the role of the fire engineer was limited to responding to the alternative solutions or “deviations from the DTS provisions” identified by the “Authority Having Jurisdiction” (namely, in this case, Gardner Group).

The Judge said the fire engineer’s understanding of his role was at odds with the services he’d agreed to provided under his consultancy agreement. At para 481 the Judge says The obligation may not have extended to undertaking “never ending searches…for noncompliances”. But it at least required some proactive investigation and assessment of the principal building materials.

Ultimately the court found the fire engineer had been negligent in undertaking his services and had also engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct under the Australian Consumer Law. The decision confirms that subject to the terms of a consultancy agreement, the courts will expect fire engineers to undertake an assessment of the building as a whole when performing their role. Judge Woodward found that of the 3 consultants, the fire engineer was the consultant that was relied on the most to question the proposed use of ACP. He said that the notation in the FER that the external areas be of non-combustible construction was not sufficient to discharge his duty. To the contrary, in circumstances where the fire engineer knew that a combustible product was proposed to be used on the balconies, he should have done more to object to that use or to propose a design that would accommodate the use of the product in accordance with the BCA. (see para 483) As a consequence of these findings the fire engineer received the highest apportionment of damages at 39%.

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Inconveniences to guests

ELECTRICAL GREMLINS PHIL KREVELD

Electrical gremlins are given this name because maintenance electricians are called in to check why emergency lighting is coming on when there’s no emergency, fire services come on site to check why sprinklers were activated when there appears to be no cause, and the elevator crew is unable to find a logical cause why after recent service, the lifts are stopping 3 centimetres high— all of this is due to ‘gremlins’! The facilities manager will receive a bill for services rendered—may be with some sort of an explanation, but guess what? The problems appear again and when least expected. There’s often a pious hope that it’s a once in a blue moon event, or if it pops up once in a while it’s ascribed to ‘gremlins’. Efforts to track down problems with security systems, pumps, emergency lighting, etc. are stymied because problems don’t present themselves when ‘required’.

T

o cut to the chase, tracing causes of occasional malfunctions like those described above can require specialists. They can most certainly be electrical contractors but they need to be equipped with appropriate instrumentation as well as the forensic skills.

CONDUCTION AND RADIATION Gremlins can be radiated but more than likely are conducted from within an installation or via the power lines to switchboards, motor control centres like the ones that control elevators and HVAC, and distribution boards. Some are several thousands of Hertz in frequency and can include harmonics, switching transients, and even lightning.

Sources of interference include electronic ballasts, switchmode power supplies as used in IT towers, inverter drives and microwave ovens. However, thinking first of the most unlikely source will delay solving the problems.

RECORDING EQUIPMENT IS THE SECRET TO PROBLEM SOLVING The process of hunting down sources of interference can be very frustrating so an elimination approach is recommended.

Electronic gear such as building management systems that are experiencing suspected interference as evidenced by lighting

movement detectors not operating correctly, or climate controls, etc. should be monitored with a recorder capable of high frequency response. An oscilloscope, although usually sufficiently responsive is unable to provide a long- term record.

A recorder, on the other hand, can collect interference data for some hours or preferably longer. The critical specification for the instrument is its sampling frequency in order to capture an event lasting a few microseconds The assumed interference signal can be ‘riding on top’ of the 230 volts if it is conducted along the wiring. For sensitive testing an isolation capacitor should be used in series with the voltage probe, or it should be incorporated in the probe. Note that trapping interference requires a bit of thinking in that parasitic inductance also present in an isolating capacitor can attenuate interference signals.

MORE ON INTERFERENCE AND HARMONICS The manner in which interference is conducted is important.

It can be balanced, i.e. both active and neutral conductors have the same signal strength or it can be present in the active only—with respect therefore to ground potential. However, the thinking has to change in that interference by its very nature is either high frequency or consists of short rise time pulses.

Under those conditions wiring behaves differently in that lines that are normally considered as low resistance turn out to have

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much higher impedance. For example, any self-inductance, negligible at 50 Hz, won’t be at a frequency of 2 kHz. Harmonics are often thought to be an interference causing agent, but that should not be the immediate conclusion. First of all, typical harmonics emitting loads, such as inverter air conditioners, do not cause much by way of voltage distortion.

On the other hand, sensitive electronic equipment on the same circuit as series of LED drivers may very well be affected by high frequency ‘bursts’ that travel little distance by virtue of higher wiring impedance but still manage to upset other equipment connected on the same circuit.

LIGHTNING IMPULSES AND TRANSIENTS High voltage impulses are hopefully uncommon and likely to be lightning induced. They don’t constitute a typical ‘gremlin’ problem. Impulses caused by the operation of switchgear, on the other hand, can cause perplexing problems. The way to fix those often is identical to protection against lightning caused impulses. Therefore, the low voltage connection, whether single or three phase, to a main switchboard should have surge suppression on all lines including the neutral conductor, even though the installation is more than likely to be a multiple earth neutral (MEN). The generally used device is the metal oxide varistor (MOV).

Problems can also originate in inverter drives—namely. In snubber circuits which protect against switching transients.

The opening up of a snubber doesn’t necessarily affect the operation of the inverter or converter but can affect equipment connected to the same circuit.

ISOLATION OF SENSITIVE GEAR Rather than chasing one’s tail, it may be more productive to try and isolate the affected equipment by interposing an isolating transformer. This allows a separate earth to be used on the secondary side and provided the transformer has an electrostatic shield, basically a grounded shield interposed between the windings and obviously part of the separate earth, common mode interference can be eliminated.

Separate circuits for sensitive equipment are another way of attacking interference problems. The earthing should also be considered. Again, bear in mind that interference is often high frequency and that the safety earth line can build up appreciable signal voltages in the 100’s of millivolts—sufficient to cause problems. Electronic equipment often has a signal earth as a single point—i.e.: star-wired to prevent differential earth voltage being built up. The signal earth may or may not be coupled to the safety earth. For example, the use of pulse transformers to bring signals and out of the equipment allows isolation of the signal earth. Internal power for the electronics can be provided by a switch-mode power supply, which because of a coupling transformer, isolates the voltage rails of the electronics. There is no advice here to delve into electronics, but certainly to check the earthing by studying the equipment maintenance manual.

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The author using a Hioki PQ analyser to test the effect if interference on power quality

PUTTING SENSITIVE EQUIPMENT IN A BOX Sensitive equipment can also be housed in a Faraday cage, basically a copper box, providing current paths for induced voltages. This can be the solution for sensitive apparatus in proximity to strong electromagnetic fields, for example, welding gear and induction furnaces. Where inductive effects are suspected, the easy test is to physically move the equipment to see if problems persist. If a Faraday cage is going to be used it should ideally be earthed via a flat ribbon to reduce parasitic inductance.

Finally, we come back to harmonics, particularly high frequency inter-harmonics. Because of skin effect in conductors, increasing effective conductor resistance, any sensitive equipment wired in close proximity to the harmonics causing equipment can be affected by voltage build up. Another way of explaining this is that harmonic current will seek a low resistance path if available. Although it is a good assumption to look for harmonic interference within the installation, do not rule out the possibility of imported harmonics but generally these will be the low orders that are readily attenuated.

In conclusion, problem solving by guessing is very likely to be very frustrating experience. Starting the forensic process involves thinking of likely causes, locating the circuits powering possibly interfering gear and having wide bandwidth, sensitive (i.e.: capable of measuring millivolts) large storage data loggers to monitor those circuits allowing therefore correlation with observed malfunctions is the way to go.

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eoclima, an Italian chiller manufacturer, established its Australian presence in 2014, when they set up the Operations, Service & Training Centre and a comprehensive stock of spare parts and chillers in Melbourne.

“Since our beginnings four years ago we have now installed a couple of hundreds of chillers and customised systems, developed our service and support network and an impressive portfolio of loyal customers” says their Sales Manager Ashley Morgan. “The service response and its high standard comes from the fact that each Geo chiller has a remote access capability and regularly uploads its operational data into our www repository, which our customers find very useful, especially when it comes to diagnostics of the whole chiller plant. This stored information stretches far beyond of the chiller supply limits, enabling our customers to make assessments of their towers, AHUs, water loops, power quality and many other parameters prior to booking a service visit.

Very often such service calls can be avoided, thank Geoclima’s sophisticated control algorithms and remote access. This mobile communications link is invaluable at the fine tuning and the energy optimisation stages as well” says Ash.

A retrofit of a water cooled 600 kW chiller at Holiday Inn hotel in Sydney took place over one weekend in 2015 and it was a brilliant case of “before” and “after” for the comparison of energy consumption. “Geoclima TMH2A550 model replaced our original chillers with oil-lubricated compressors. An average daily savings of some 2000 kW-hr kicked in immediately from commissioning and has continued to-date” says Steve Mitchell, hotel’s Chief Engineer. “The chiller is well-tuned and performs some of the traditional functionality of BMS, managing our pump and providing the details of the plant performance” Geoclima product cover a very wide range of equipment, from pharmaceutical grade AH Units, through to chillers powered by scroll, VFD-equipped screw and oil-free compressors. We are very proud to be one of the Turbocor-authorised service and training providers in Australia and to serve in low temperature glycol specifications, ice rinks, mission-critical data centres, process cooling and comfort HVAC applications. Our 4-pipe, evaporatively-assisted or ultra-quiet ranges do not have direct equivalents outside of Geoclima and the skid-based chillers combined with pump units and tanks are popular where customers have limited plant room space.

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Minibars

BACK OF HOUSE

October 2019

NEIL WEENINK

M

ontego Bay in Jamaica is just down the road from the home of the Rastafarian people, the reggae folk with that hair style which Bo in the movie “Ten” made popular. It wasn’t an idealistic situation to be in Montego Bay just after independence from the British. The Jamaicans were the last people to be released from the evils of slavery, and the very old folk remember things.... At least that was the way it was back in the late 70's when I was heading up the Engineering Department in a brand new 500 room resort property. In those days when I took over a new property, I made a point of coming on deck at midnight and taking a look at the action in back of house. So this night, my first in Jamaica, there I was in the vast kitchens of the hotel-half scared out of my wits. Here was the music of old Jamaica coming from a gang of kitchen cleaners. They were in a line, there bodies swaying with the rhythm as they mopped the greasy floors, their unblinking eyes fixed on this “new white boss” and the words - although in their own Creole English - I could not miss the meaning. In a word: Go home white trash. And I tell you without a word of a lie, the hair on the back of the scalp does rise, believe me.

Spare a thought for Engineering staff working in hotel kitchens, some in a permanent role on one shift or another, others assigned to undertake Work Orders, others [hopefully] on a PM project. And when the fat really hits the fan, the Chef runs amok and it’s ‘I don’t care how it happened or who is going to fix it, but its got to be fixed as of now, which is N-O-W!’ - a dispute with the Chef might mean loss of the entire kitchen staff, and the Chef is almost certain to time his departure with the midpoint in service of an important meal. The social standing of the Chef has waxed and waned through time, as has that of kitchen staff. But I recall wooden steam-kettle paddles conveniently placed for the Chef’s easy reach when his blood came to the boil, some poor cook was pecked on the head, or we Shift Engineers were chased out of the kitchen.

The history of kitchens is of interest. For example in 1526 Henry V111 found it necessary to decree that scullions, the kitchen

helpers of the day, “..shall not goe naked or in garments of such vileness as they doee...nor lie in the nights and dayes in the kitchens by the fireside...” In the 1920’s French kitchens were described as a kind of purgatory, where the plongeur, the dishwasher, was placed in a room without ventilation to wash dishes - ’as any fresh air would have cooled the washwater’.

Life expectancy of the plongeur was about three years...The automatic dishwasher actually had its beginnings in 1880, but we had to wait until the 1930’s for equipment manufacturers to learn how to weld, bend and draw the new nickel-bearing chromium steel we now know as stainless steel.

The kitchen technician or fitter of today is a little better off in the modern hotel environment. But he [or she] still has to battle with the grease; the frustration of equipment abuse - especially from the night cleaners, and the idiot elements of design on some equipment, quite obviously the result of an accountants decree. The notion of a full overhaul of major kitchen plant is now outdated, the fabrication metals being paper thin, the components almost impossible to source, and the object of getting the thing down to the workshop usually doomed from the start.

The hotel kitchen is a place we would all rather do without.

Recently I was witness to the classic blazing confrontation between Engineering and Stewarding over gas ring cleaning and flame setting: who does what, when and who takes final responsibility? It was me this time looking around for the steam kettle paddle...

Back in Jamaica, with a falling price on sugar, the people are turning ever more to Tourism to bring in the dollars. I can just imagine the lads in the new kitchens, but it would be a different song they would be singing this time...

With best regards.

Neil Weenink

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Over the past 5 years the LaMotte WaterLink Spin has become the leading meter for pool water testing hardware in the pool industry and now its focusing on other areas that need to reply on quick, easy and reliable water testing. LaMotte are developing a selection of discs with parameters and ranges suited towards cooling towers, boiler feed water and industrial applications. This means that the one single piece of equipment now has many applications in a commercial facility.

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he WaterLink Spin Touch™ is the most advanced system for the precise use of wet chemistry ever.

Water analysis no longer has to rely on time consuming tests and clean-up procedures. It’s very easy and simple to use with no vials to fill, no prep time or guessing involved. The test results are available quickly and with the release of the testing of potable and industrial water is now made just as easy as pool and spa water.

All the user has to do is fill a sealed reagent disc which contains the precise amount of reagent needed to run a complete series of tests. The user places the disc in the meter, taps “start” and all results are shown via the touch screen. All that is needed is less than 3 ml of water and the vital tests are done automatically—in just 60 seconds!

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Reagent discs have up to 11 test parameters per disc.

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SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE TIME POOR FACILITIES MANAGER The WaterLink Spin Touch™ coupled to the free application WaterLink Solutions is going to save you money, you can quickly and easily make sure your assets are being maintained. It allows you to easily check that the water feeding into your boiler isn’t corrosive or scale forming, that the cooling towers are being sanitised from legionella correctly and that your swimming pool is clean and health for your guests.

Coupled to the WaterLink Solutions means that you can get your results and recommendations plant/pool side and the data is recorded and transferable via email or file to others in the group. Others have the ability to see the results and third parties can respond to help ensure reduced breakdowns and extend the life of the onsite plant and equipment.

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

MEMBERSHIP FORM PLEASE CHOOSE THE STATE: NSW 

QLD 

VIC 

WA 

I WISH TO APPLY FOR: Renewal of my Membership 

Membership Number (if known):

I WISH TO BECOME A NEW MEMBER VIA: (a) Fellow – a member of at least 10 years standing who has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of hotel engineering (as determined by the management committee) or this association may be advanced by the management committee to the grade of Fellow.

This membership class is a life membership of the institute. (b) Honorary Fellow – any person who has rendered conspicuous service to the hotel industry (as determined by the management committee), or any person prominently connected with but not necessarily in the hotel industry who may be approved by the management committee, shall be eligible as an Honorary Fellow. This membership class is a life membership of the institute. (c) Member – a person shall be eligible as a Member if the applicant holds a certificate, degree or diploma or such other qualification in engineering approved by the management committee, and has at least 5 years experience in a head of engineering position and shall be directly engaged in hotel engineering. (d) A ssociate Member – a person shall be eligible as an Associate Member if the applicant holds a qualification in engineering approved by the management committee and is directly engaged in hotel engineering and his/her qualifications and/or experience do not in the opinion of the management committee entitle him/her to admission as a Member. (e) Student Member – a person who is attending an appropriate course of instruction at an Institution approved by the management committee shall be eligible as a Student Member (f) Affiliate Member – shall be a person of 21 or more of age who is associated with the Hotel Industry and whose, qualification or experience do not in the opinion of Council entitle them to admission as a Member or Associate member. (f) Corporate Member – entitles applicants endorsed by the Council to be eligible for Corporate Membership, which will carry those rights and entitlements of an Affiliate Members, with a maximum of (5) members of the corporation being eligible to attend monthly meetings. In addition, this membership will entitle the Corporation to receive all specialised material sourced and published by the Institute for overall benefit of the Hotel Industry.

All applicants’ membership classification shall be determined by Council in accordance with the above guidelines.

Membership  Corporate Membership  Associate Membership  Student Membership  Affiliate Membership  Honorary Fellow Membership (no fee)  Fellow Membership (no fee)  SURNAME: GIVEN NAME(S): COMPANY NAME: POSITION: POSTAL WORK ADDRESS: WORK TELEPHONE: WORK FAX: WORK EMAIL: WORK MOBILE: HOME POSTAL ADDRESS: HOME TELEPHONE: HOME FAX: HOME EMAIL: PERSONAL MOBILE: Please send all my correspondence to my:

Work Email 

Please send me an Invoice (if required) for payment by:

Email  Mail (a receipt will be sent by mail) 

Please send me newsletter by:

Email  Mail 

Please send ‘Hotel Engineer’ to my:

Work address 



QUALIFICATIONS/EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:

Home Email 

Home address 

FEES: Membership/Associate Membership:

New Member AUD$130

Yearly Renewal AUD$100

Student Membership:

New Member AUD$90

Yearly Renewal AUD$60

Corporate Fees: New Member AUD$550

Yearly Renewal AUD$550

PAYMENT CAN BE MADE BY: NSW Chapter: Cheque payable to:

Australian Institute of Hotel Engineering (NSW) Chapter

EFT Transfer/Direct Deposit to:

BSB: 062 014 Account Number: 0090 2426 Commonwealth Bank of Australia

(Please use surname/company name as reference)

QLD Chapter: Cheque payable to:

Australian Institute of Hotel Engineering (QLD) Chapter

EFT Transfer/Direct Deposit to:

BSB: 084 462 Account Number: 205126424 National Australia Bank

(Please use surname/company name as reference)

VIC Chapter: Cheque payable to:

Australian Institute of Hotel Engineering (VIC) Chapter

EFT Transfer/Direct Deposit to:

BSB: 013 403 Account Number: 4988 69693 ANZ Ringwood Nth

(Please use surname/company name as reference)

WA Chapter: Cheque payable to:

Australian Institute of Hotel Engineering (WA) Chapter

EFT Transfer/Direct Deposit to:

BSB: 086 006 Account Number: 518 190 216 National Australia Bank

(Please use surname/company name as reference)

MAIL COMPLETED FORMS TO: NSW Chapter: The Secretary, AIHE NSW Chapter, PO Box H263, Australia Square NSW 1215 QLD Chapter: The Secretary, AIHE QLD Chapter, PO Box 5118, Gold Coast Mail Centre 9726 VIC Chapter: The Secretary, AIHE VIC Chapter, PO Box 2136, Caulfield Junction VIC 3161 WA Chapter: The Secretary, AIHE WA Chapter, PO Box 6191, East Perth WA 6892 Your membership application will be processed, which includes the following:: o Certificate of membership

o Membership number

o Member name badge

o Official AIHE receipt

* Note: Allow up to four weeks for processing.

I have read, understood and agreed to conform to the Institute’s Code of Ethics as set out, conditional upon acceptance of my application for membership.

Note: your membership includes receiving ‘Hotel Engineer’ quarterly. As the AIHE is a non-profit organisation, GST is not applicable.

Signed: Date:

FOR INSTITUTE USE ONLY Date received: Fee received: Grading: Cheque #: Entered:

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PRODUCT NEWS

Reliable Controls Sydney Reliable Controls are excited to officially announce their most recent addition to the Reliable Controls Australasian Dealer Network, Rycon Electrical Services.

Based in Sydney, Rycon Directors Sam Ryan and David Connolly have over 20 years’ experience in the industry. They offer a wholistic service with an entirely in-house team which includes Building Automation, System Optimisation and Mechanical Electrical Services including Switch Board Design and Manufacturing.

Jason Duncan, the Australasian Regional Sales Manager for Reliable Controls, commented “All potential Reliable Controls Dealers must meet the highquality standards of our Q-Factor qualifying process for their application to proceed. A stand out elements of the Rycon submission was the quality and detail contained in their business plan. The quality of their technical documentation, the modern streamlined and cost-effective processes they have in place is some of the finest I have seen.

I know this will be a great sustainable relationship.”

Prospace Innovations At Prospace Innovations our commitment to our clients is to provide quality products and service to suit your needs and budget. Delivering personal service and providing the best solutions to ensure you get the most out of your assets.

Our maintenance programs are the best way to keep your operable walls in optimal working condition and most importantly safe for your staff and your guests.

We service and repair all brands of walls so why not contact us today for a free onsite inspection and assessment on your maintenance, refurbishment or new wall projects.

Visit: prospaceinnovations.com.au

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Rycon already have some great projects they are in the midst of installing a Reliable Controls Building Automation Solution including; Surry Hills Vertical

School, Phoenix Art Gallery and Castlecrag Hospital.

For more information visit: https://ryconelec.com.au/ https://www.reliablecontrols.com/

Sometimes the best assets are the ones we sit on Who would have thought that a guests experience with a toilet seat could affect your hotel?

repeated daily. Send a tradie to fix a badly designed, low quality toilet seat in a hospital, and watch the dollars burn.

Doesn’t matter which it is, a wobbly seat that doesn’t know it’s place or a crack in the surface, both give a reason to feel genuinely disappointed when using the toilet.

Ineffective repair to problematic issues like broken hinges or seats coming away from the toilet, are common place.

Maybe the motto is, use a well know brand that’s got a good track record and make sure you can quickly get your hands on spare parts from a local source.

Then there is the hygiene topic, stained toilet seats, or hinge fittings that have obvious signs of dark black gunk growing on it, don’t make you rush to rest yourself on such an object for any period of time.

Now there’s always a direct line to the headperson who governs hotel maintenance, with many conversations about toilet seats needing attention

Use your head, look for a brand with commercial history who give no less than a 10 year warranty, multiple seat and hinge options, as well as direct representation on the ground Australia wide.

Visit: pressalit.com

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With Chromecast built-in Vibrant picture quality is only the begining.

Chromecast built-in and easy access to the Google Play Store gives you the edge when it comes to engaging guests

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