comment By Rosemary Smithson, Chief Executive Officer Property Industry Foundation
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY DIGS DEEP FOR CHARITY Despite the ongoing economic uncertainty within global markets workplace donations from within the property and construction industry remain steady and unaffected. The Property Industry Foundation (PIF) has seen a steady increase on the last four years with industry members continuing to dig deep to donate time and resources towards a number of fundraising events and development projects for homeless and disadvantaged youth. The trend reflects an underlying move across the sector to support and assist in charitable projects that was once limited to a select few organisations and groups. Employers increasingly understand the importance of committing to and investing in community initiatives which in turn helps to balance social obligations and generates a greater sense of ethos. It is now commonplace for companies to actively encourage staff involvement in a wide range of initiatives which in turn lift morale and spread awareness of community issues like youth homelessness. PIF’s latest project, PIF House, is an inner-city housing facility for young adolescents offering them a place to stay and a chance to maintain a healthy lifestyle and has been specifically designed for those undergoing Oasis’ Rebuild-a-Young-Life Program, an employment initiative readying them for work within the construction and property industry. Companies including Suters Architects, Muller Partnership, Mainbrace and Jones Nicholson have generously donated time and resources to the project which will see the refurbishment of a Council-owned building. Other PIF initiatives include PropertyBlitz, a volunteer program consisting of young professionals who donate time in kind and assist continues page 11 12
ANCR ARCHITECTURE NEWS
ARCHITECTURE
INNOVATION DELIVERS AN ESSENTIAL TOOL FOR ARCHITECTS Energy efficiency is no longer simply a nice bonus feature in a project, but has now become a mandated requirement since the introduction of Section J in the Building Code of Australia (BCA). There are two as a measure for stipulating minimum energy efficiency requirements for buildings. With annual revisions of the BCA, the various requirements of Section J have progressively become more stringent particularly in regards to glazing. In 2010 these revisions included the reduction of maximum allowable glazing area reduced by as much as 40% compared to the 2009 version. Section J, in conjunction with other components of the BCA, provides two pathways for compliance with its requirements. First is the ‘deemed-to-satisfy’ (DTS) method, where the section outlines specific targets to be met by each element of the building, and the second being provision of an alternate solution complying with the performance requirements of the section. The alternative requires energy modelling to prove compliance, generating enormous amounts of complex data crunching for architects. Assessment of the minimum performance requirements for glazing has to be completed from a series of formulas and tabulated indexes provided within the BCA. The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) provides a Glazing Calculator that can be utilised to determine compliance of the proposed glazing system, and it is very useful once the building fabric is finalised. However, problems arise when the tool is applied during the design and planning phase, because when it comes to exploring options and enormous amount of trial and error is involved. Norman Disney & Young (NDY) Engineers have developed a solution for their colleagues in the architecture realm, by developing Reverse Glazing Calculators. These spreadsheet based tools are based on the formulas and tabulated indexes provided within the BCA but have been arranged in a way which allow the users maximum flexibility.
The tools allow the required glazing parameters to be assessed with minimal or no input, depending on the concept design requirements. The results are presented in a graphical format that improves the comprehensibility of the outcomes and ensures the optimum solution is found. The NDY Reverse Glazing Calculator was developed by Dhimendra Singh, Matt Fitzgerald, Rachel Hogan and Matthew Webster from the NDY Canberra and Melbourne offices, and was recognised with an NDY Innovation Award this year. Their new tool allows architects to determine the minimum performance requirements quickly, and with minimal information; introduces a level of intuition into the assessment; allows for assessment of options for glazing types and shading; and delivers the results in a format which is easily manipulated and utilised during the concept phase. Importantly, these suite of tools allow NDY Engineers to quickly determine the minimum glazing performance requirements for a virtually infinite range of options that can assist the Architectural team develop scenarios that are sympathetic to the form and aesthetic requirements, as wells as compliant with the ‘deemed-to-satisfy’ requirements of the BCA. Where the ‘deemed-to-satisfy’ requirements limit the façade design required by the Architectural team, NDY can assist by providing cost effective energy modelling that can help further manipulate the façade design and develop a BCA compliant solution.