Engineering Buildings Volume 2 Issue 1

Buildings

VOLUME 2 / ISSUE 1

ENG

ineering

The official journal supplement for CIBSE Australia and New Zealand region

CARBON NEUTRAL BUILDINGS AND A DECARBONISED GRID The next steps for HVAC

Gender Inequality and closing the gap

The 'Popup' school An indicator of the future

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Contents 5

ANZ

Committee

7

Editorial

8

News

Splash

People 10 Case study graduate Melanie Finch 14 Compliance 101 – Basics of building compliance in plain English 19

Gender inequality and closing the gap

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Technical 25 Carbon neutral buildings and a decarbonised grid: The next steps for HVAC 30 Dilapidation Reporting: Using machine learning 34 Maintenance contracts for 21st century buildings

Opinion 42 So what do you do for a living?

44 The ‘Pop-Up’ School: An indicator of the future 48

Plumbing tales of the unexpected

Thought Leadership 52 5 statistics showing the “True Cost” of ignoring wellness in the workplace

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EDITORIAL Editor & ANZ Chair: Paul Angus Tel: 0488 210 447 Email: pangus@cibse.org.au Business Development Manager: Sharon Pestonji Tel: 0435 979 400 Email: spestonji@cibse.org.au CIBSE ANZ ONLINE Website: www.cibse.org.au https://twitter.com/cibseanz https://www.facebook.com/CIBSEANZ https://www.linkedin.com/in/cibse-anz https://www.instagram.com/cibse_anz

CIBSE ANZ Committee

Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers Australia and New Zealand Region Tusculum PO Box 671, Gladesville, NSW 2111, Australia Engineering Buildings is the official magazine for the CIBSE ANZ region for engineers, written by engineers.

ADBOURNE PUBLISHING 18/69 Acacia Road Ferntree Gully, VIC 3156 PO Box 735, Belgrave, VIC 3160 www.adbourne.com

Mathew Klintfält Honorary Treasurer mklintfält@cibse.org.au

Stephen Hennessy Technical Advisor shennessy@cibse.org.au

Position Vacant Honorary Secretary

Paul Angus CIBSE ANZ Chair pangus@cibse.org.au

Sharon Pestonji

Peter Kinsella

BDM spestonji@cibse.org.au

Technical Advisor pkinsella@cibse.org.au

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 PRODUCTION Emily Wallis T: (03) 9758 1436 E: production@adbourne.com

Keith Merry QLD Chair kmerry@cibse.org.au

Phil Senn NSW Chair psenn@cibse.org.au

Andrew Crabtree WA Chair acrabtree@cibse.org.au

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 Engineering Builders 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 CIBSE 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.

The opinions expressed in editorial material do not necessarily represent the views of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE). Unless specifically stated, goods or services mentioned in editorial or advertisements are not formally endorsed by CIBSE, which does not guarantee or endorse or accept any liability for any goods and/or services featured in this publication.

Sean McKeag

Sian Willmott

David Brown

VIC Chair Smckeag@cibse.org.au

YEN Chair swillmott@cibse.org.au

SA Chair dbrown@cibse.org.au

Stefano Ciciani CHCH Chair sciciani@cibse.org.au

Colin Wyatt Wellington Chair cwyatt@cibse.org.au

Mark Crawford Auckland Chair mcrawford@cibse.org.au

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Editorial F

ollowing the 32nd CIBSE ANZ Annual General Meeting, held earlier this month I’m pleased that two new Chapter Chairs were welcomed to the regional committee. Sean McKeag as Victoria Chapter Chair and David Brown for South Australia. It is also a pleasure to acknowledge the fantastic volunteer time, dedication and enthusiasm of Sean and David’s predecessors, Lindy Stephens (Victoria) and David Robinson (South Australia). Read more here.

Earlier this month we celebrated International Women's Day #BalanceforBetter The best engineering solutions arise when problems are considered from diverse perspectives and experiences. With this in mind, CIBSE targets diversified participation on its committees with 40% women, 40% men and 20% discretionary. We are also very conscious to ensure our quarterly magazine also features a number of prominent women in the industry.

Siobhan Savage examines how Australia can close the gap and create gender equality across all sectors of workforce in her fabulous article. Follow Melanie Finch’s journey to date as a Graduate member of CIBSE, her career path and goals in her case study.

The changes to the National Construction Code can often lead to confusion, especially when trying to achieve a compliant solution. In his article, Will Marshall identifies some of the most commonly misinterpreted definitions regarding building compliance and spells it out for us in plain English.

Perhaps you have your elevator pitch rehearsed, however when describing what you do as a career choice can be painful to those not involved in the built environment.

In her fantastic article, Nicola Viselli delves into her experience of answering the question…..so what do you do for a living?

Modern technology assists in saving time, resources and being far more efficient – in his technical article, Aonghus

Stevens discusses how dilapidation reporting can be further enhanced by using machine learning.

In her captivating article, Mary Casey takes us on a journey of how pop up schools are assisting with the rapid population growth and how they are set to play a leading role in our learning environment.

Giles Keay reminds us of the true cost of ignoring wellness in the workplace by providing us with 5 thought provoking statistics that will radiate with each and every one.

There has been a lot occurring behind the scenes within the CIBSE Australia and New Zealand Region. We’ll be rolling out news updates at the beginning of each Chapter seminars, so keep a look out for updates and how you can get involved with various initiatives. Our monthly enews, podcasts and this quarterly publication have also been going from strength to strength, bringing CIBSE direct to you with big plans to grow further this year. Look out or further announcements in due course.

We value your feedback and encourage each of and every one of you to get involved by contributing towards future editions.

It has never been a better time to be a building services engineer.

PAUL ANGUS, EDITOR & CIBSE ANZ CHAIR pangus@cibse.org.au

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NEWS SPLASH

Click here >

Augmented Reality - Spatial Sticky Notes

Being able to place notes in 3D space using the power of Augmented Reality that is now in everyone's phone. https://placenote.com/ is really starting to find great use cases like the one in the video below.

Imagine being able to leave a note for your colleagues when undertaking a site inspection or survey.

Placenote CEO Neil Mathew has been very passionate about this new way to communicate in the 3D world.

Watch the video here for inspiration:

Finally it is here

The NSW Government's "Electricity metering and monitoring guide" Follow this link to access the fact sheet and the whole guide - https://lnkd.in/fF7e8Sw The guide is free and a must read for building owners and managers looking to better understand where their electricity is being used (“you can’t manage what you can’t measure”).

It will no doubt compliment the new CIBSE TM39 (which hopefully will be released soon).

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Watch now >

CIBSE ANZ Talking Buildings Podcast #12 – Green is the Colour

Over the last 20 years sustainability has been a massive driver for developments in building services engineering, in Australia.

This has been, at least in part, driven by the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) and their Green Star tools.

Read More >

Sydney’s First Luxury Hotel in 20 Years

Woods Bagot’s winning scheme for the new 55-storey tower will be built in the city’s central business district at 4-6 Bligh Street. Creating two addresses—one for the hotel operated by Andaz Hotels by Hyatt and the other for commercial uses—the project will be integrated among other commercial and hotel buildings, shops, restaurants and cafes. The competition was organised

by Singapore-based investment group SC Capital Partners Group.

Australia’s best library designs celebrated

Talking Buildings sits down with Romilly Madew of the GBCA to discuss what drives her focus on sustainability, what the future holds as she moves into her new role at Infrastructure Australia and what advice she would give to the next generation of sustainability professionals.

Tune in here>

Read More >

The Australian Library and Information Association has revealed the winners of its Library Design Awards at the Asia Pacific Architecture Forum in Brisbane.

The awards, organised by the Australian Library and Information Association in partnership with the Australian Public Library Alliance and the Council of Australian University Librarians, were created in 2017 to showcase contemporary library buildings.

Principals react to student climate change protests Nearly 40,000 Australian students played truant recently to participate in more than 50 pro-climate change rallies throughout the country.

The ‘School Strike 4 Climate’ movement, launched in Sweden in 2018, has since spread to more than 100 countries.

SA budget sets aside $3.1b for infrastructure projects

Have your say: Should school students be allowed to protest in public during school hours?

Read More >

Australia’s space industry lifts off with funding for construction projects Australia’s space industry is set to blast off with $12 million invested into construction projects to establish a Mission Control Centre and Space Discovery Centre.

Located in Adelaide, each project will receive $6 million from the Federal Government as part of the Adelaide City Deal.

To infinity and beyond

Click here >

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Case Study

Graduate

Melanie Finch

2. What qualification path did you choose and why?

I undertook a double bachelor’s degree at the University of NSW (Mechanical Engineering/Commerce - Finance), though my focus was always on Engineering. Choosing a dual degree was quite a time investment, though I have come away with a well-rounded background and have found value in a working understanding of commercial drivers for clients, and an appreciation of how the business runs.

3. What do you consider to be the main benefits of graduate membership? And why?

The wide range of social opportunities and chances to build friendships and connections in the industry has to be the most valued part of my time in CIBSE so far. I have found that meeting peers from around the industry at various site tours, networking events or the odd trivia night has not only been a lot of fun, but helps to foster a spirit of collaboration (in what can be a competitive landscape!)

Coming in at a close second is the depth of knowledge resources available. The technical guides offered in CIBSE’s knowledge portal are widely respected within the industry as best-practice references, so having these on hand is especially brilliant in this time where I am continually taking on new information.

1. What inspired you to want to become a building services engineer and pursue a career in engineering?

While my interest in engineering was due to a very conscious aspiration to apply my technical interests in tangible way, I actually ended up in the building services industry by luck – I gained my first internship at Norman Disney & Young almost three years ago and enjoyed it so much that I decided to stay.

What inspires me about being in the industry is being a part of the complex combination of problem solving, collaboration, engagement with switched-on stakeholders, and staying aspirational that’s involved in making great spaces in our city. I’m also very motivated by the fact that our work directly affects such large numbers of people, and therefore when we do our job well, we can impact many.

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4. Why are you looking to become IEng/ CEng? Becoming registered is soon going to be a must – clients are increasingly interested in being reassured that their project teams are qualified, skilled professionals, and the wheels are in motion for the Government to introduce mandatory registration of engineers. Beyond this, I value that the process provides me with a clear path and accountability for continual learning and improvement.

5. What is your greatest professional accomplishment to date and what do you hope to achieve in the future?

I am very thankful and proud to have been recognised as CIBSE ANZ Graduate of the Year in 2018, and more recently to have been able to step in as the CIBSE Young Engineers Network NSW Acting Chair. It has been brilliant to work with new friends to build our presence in the

Graduate membership

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It’s always hard to lock down a specific aim for the future – at the moment I’m focusing on working on as many different projects as possible, gaining as much experience as I can, and saying yes to each challenge as it comes!

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industry and provide events and opportunities which have value to our growing network of peers.

WE ARE HERE TO SUPPORT YOU.

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Are youMORE interested INFORMATION in featuring in our membership profile? membership@cibse.org Then contact Paul Angus e: pangus@cibse.org.au Apply at

We'd love to hear from you andREF: share your 02/19 route on your journey with building services engineering.

www.cibse.org/graduate

Visit www.cibse.org/applicanthelp to find out more.

www.cibse.org

# IAmCIBSE

© CIBSE 2019

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Steam for sterilization T

What do the standards require?

he standard that governs steam quality and purity for large healthcare sterilizers is AS/NZS 4187:2104 Reprocessing of reusable medical devices in health service organizations.

This standard in turn references the following international standards as Normative References: • EN 285 Sterilization – Steam Sterilizers – Large Sterilizers

• ISO 17665 Sterilization of health care products – Moist heat – Part 1: Requirements for the development, validation and routine control of a sterilization process for medical devices Part 2: Guidance on the application of ISO 17665-1 It also refers to CFPP 01-01 Part C, which is produced

by UK National Health and has since been replaced by Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) 01-01: management and decontamination of surgical instruments (medical devices) used in acute care, Part C Steam sterilization.

HTM 01-01 is a useful guide and is available as a free download, making it a useful reference for those who do not have access to all the international standards that are referenced.

Steam Quality

AS/NZS 4187:2014 refers to EN 285 for the test methodology to determine the quality of the steam supply to the sterilizer chamber. This includes tests for steam dryness, non-condensable gases (NCG’s) and superheat.

The test methodology in EN 285 has long been established and outlines the apparatus and method required for each test. The steam quality tests should be done in accordance with EN 285, which includes having specific test points in the steam supply pipe (for example a minimum of 400mm straight horizontal pipe upstream of the elbow where the dryness pitot tube is inserted). Not following the testing methodology as outlined in EN 285 (including test point requirements) may lead to inaccurate results. EN 285 does allow for alternative test methods to be used, but these alternative methods and/or test points must be shown to give equivalent results to the methodology specified in EN 285.

AS/NZS 4187:2014 requires that steam quality testing shall be conducted as part of IQ (Installation Qualification), or OQ (Operational Qualification). This means that there must be at least one recorded steam quality test. The requirement for on-going steam quality testing is left as

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optional in AS/NZS 4187:2014, however EN 285 and ISO 17665-1 both indicate that periodic steam quality testing should (EN 285), or shall (ISO 17665), be done. Best practise then would be to include steam quality testing in the periodic testing programme.

Steam Purity

AS/NZS 4187:2014 indicates that steam purity testing shall be conducted as part of IQ or OQ with on-going annual testing. An accredited laboratory is to be used for the actual analysis of all purity samples. Reference is made to table E.2 of EN 285 for the steam purity, however EN 285 was revised in 2015 (after AS/NZS 4187:2014 was released) and no longer includes a table E.2, or indeed any table equivalent to E.2. This may cause some confusion, however by referencing ISO 17665 and HTM 01-01 it is possible to bring some clarity to the steam purity testing requirements.

Steam purity can be divided into two parts, contaminants with regard to contamination of the load and contaminants with regard to corrosion of materials. The requirements with regard to contamination of the load is the minimum requirement and table A.2 of IS0 17665-2 covers this (and table A.2 is the same as table E.2 that was in EN 285 prior to 2015, so using table A.2 follows the intent of AS/NZS 4187:2014).

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Further the feedwater to the dedicated generator is also to be tested and be in accordance with Table B.1 of EN 285.

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Compliance 101 – Basics of building compliance in plain English Will Marshall I Director of Performance Based Consulting and BECODE

Building compliance can be confusing and ever-changing. With the National Construction Code (NCC) being updated regularly, formal and jargon-filled documentation practices, and state-based registration requirements, it’s no wonder we’re often confused about what makes a building ‘compliant’.

W

ith the new 2019 version of the BCA being released last month, I thought I’d clarify some of the most basic, yet commonly misinterpreted definitions about building compliance in simple, plain English.

Performance Requirements

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Within the NCC, there are two main types of information: Performance Requirements and Deemed-to-Satisfy (DtS) provisions.

The Performance Requirement outlines exactly what a component of a building must do in order to be considered safe and compliant. For a building to be compliant, it MUST be proven to comply with all relevant Performance Requirements.

Deemed-to-Satisfy (DtS)

The actual clauses in the NCC are then what we call the DtS provisions. Acting as a guide to using the NCC document and achieving the Performance Requirements - the DtS provisions outline one way to achieve the Performance Requirements.

However, no single guide could ever be expected to cover all combinations of variations, eventualities and possibilities when it comes to a construction project.

Particularly when we factor in new construction techniques and technologies, site constraints and user, client or architectural requirements. Besides, if we want to create innovative, resourceful and efficient buildings, there needs to be flexibility and options that cater for a wide range of safety solutions. That’s where Performance Solutions come in.

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Performance Solutions

Performance Solutions are the other way that developers, architects and project managers can achieve compliance with the Performance Requirements. Performance Solutions need to be carried out by a suitably qualified engineer, and they must prove that a design still complies with the relevant Performance Requirement(s), without following the ‘guide’ set out with the DtS provisions.

Whilst Performance Solutions do require developers to engage a specialist engineer, they allow for more

Alternative Solutions

When you talk about Performance Solutions, you’ll undoubtedly hear someone mention Alternative Solutions or even “Alt Sol”. This is simply another term for Performance Solution. The Australian Building Codes Board (the Government body that makes the NCC) changed the terminology in the 2015 edition to remove the negative connotation associated with the word ‘Alternative’. Performance Solutions and DtS approaches have equal merit, and both meet the same, important Performance Requirements to ensure building users are safe. So, they wanted the language they used to reflect that. Alternative Solution, Performance Solution…it’s all the same.

The take-away

Whether it’s documented in the DtS provisions or through a Performance Solution (formerly known as an Alternative Solution), as long as it is proven that the building complies with the overarching Performance Requirements outlined in the BCA, it’s compliant.

PEOPLE

innovative and creative design, cost and time efficiency in the design, construction and maintenance stages of the building’s lifecycle. To ensure Performance Solutions are assessed and documented correctly, there are methodologies that have been developed, such as those set-out in the International Fire Engineering Guidelines (IFEG). Part of this methodology includes ensuring that the documentation that demonstrates the solutions’ compliance with the Performance Requirement is included in the performance solution report.

About the Author Will Marshall

Will Marshall is an ABCB Subject Matter Expert and director of Performance Based Consulting and BECODE. He specialises in providing the construction industry with flexibility and options in building compliance, whether that’s through devising Performance Solutions for some of Australia’s most influential buildings, or creating online tools that make compliance documentation accessible and understandable for all.

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Gender inequality and closing the gap Siobhan Savage I Founder and Director of Talent Gap

Can Australia close the gap and create gender equality across all sectors of the workforce?

T

he gender pay gap decreased by 1.1 per cent in 2017-18, to 21.3 percent according to The Workplace Gender Equality Agency’s (WGEA) annual report late last year, and whilst this suggests a step in the direction, men still take home on average $25,717 annually more than women. We catch up with Founder and CEO of Talent Gap, Siobhan Savage, for her view on how businesses can respond and pioneer this movement.

1. What’s your experience as it relates to the Australian pay gap and gender inequality?

I have over 15 years experience across Australia, New Zealand, Asia, China, the Middle East and Ireland,

in buildings, infrastructure, mining and environment; as the head of talent/workforce strategy. I have worked with global engineering firms on some of Australia’s most prolific projects on both client side, consulting engineering and for the contractor. I have been instrumental in facilitating companies to find highly skilled talent, in skill-short markets and more recently on focusing on hiring females at all levels.

Having being privy to countless interviews and salary negotiations I have witnessed first hand, womens versus mens approach to salary negotiations. Although there is a perception that women are weak negotiators, I have witnessed a number of exceptional female negotiators first hand. The issue In my experience, isn’t their negotiation skills, but that women are so far behind their male peers, that it’s impossible to catch up. This is where radical action needs to transpire in order to close the gap in our industry.

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The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) conducted a study in 2018 and disappointingly of 41.7% of companies that conducted a pay gap analysis, 41.5% took no action to address the issue in their organisation.

2. What is Talent Gap and how did this business idea transpire?

There have been light bulb moments in my career over the last few years: one was discovering Harvard research revealing that men will apply for a role where they meet a mere 60% of the criteria, whereas typically women only apply where they meet 100% of the criteria. This made me acutely aware of developing strategies to engage females for new roles, outside of the traditional realms of advertising.

Given my experience interviewing, negotiating salaries and my insights into how much a role is worth in the market, I also thought about how to leverage this to help women achieve better outcomes.

There are many companies in Australia who genuinely want to create a culture where gender balance is

the norm and ensure that women are paid equally to their male colleagues, however diversity fatigue is real as progress is painstakingly slow and in some cases going backwards. I was frustrated with the constant lip service being paid to gender bias, each week another media publication would release an article – when my granddaughter starts work gender bias will still ensue – and yet no action was taking place. Surely as an industry we can do better?

My vision is to work with progressive companies to achieve a clear competitive edge through gender balance. We see gender balance as an opportunity and a business problem, and we treat it as such, addressing the issue head-on with a business strategy, diagnostics, game-changing initiatives and rigorous testing to drive and track significant and measurable change.

With industry leading talent attraction strategies and innovative solutions, we accelerate progress by giving our clients access to a targeted, richer, and more diverse talent pool. We ensure that qualified women know about key roles, affording them opportunities they ordinarily wouldn’t have access to.

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Current statistics show that the female workforce participation across construction sectors is alarmingly low compared to males. In addition female wages are also not commensurate. Analysing the last five years of workforce data, the Federal Government body – Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) – shows how far there is still to go to achieve equality.

Construction Gender pay gap: 29.4% remuneration gender pay gap Workforce composition: 17% female Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction Gender pay gap: 25.1% remuneration gender pay gap Workforce composition: 13.2% female

exemption in play it allows Talent Gap to identify and increase the number of women into the hiring process and balance these current statistics.

PEOPLE

3. How does gender inequality affect your speciality sectors specifically – Mining, Engineering, Government?

What does this mean for the industry?

In January 20I9 under the provisions of section 126 of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977, an exemption was awarded from sections 33 and 51 of the AntiDiscrimination Act 1977 to Talent Gap Pty Ltd to provide recruitment and career development services to represent female candidates only.

5. What new technologies are you employing to support gender equality?

In September 2018, I was fortunate to win the Techstars Female Startup weekend for my Talent and Diversity platform REEJIG. Fast forward 5 months and we have an industry leading team in play and we are in private beta testing with a global company! We are not ready to talk about REEJIG as yet but we have developed unique technology whereby we can further gender balance and drive female recruitment/promotions …. watch this space…..

Engineering Design and Engineering Consulting Services Gender pay gap: 27.6% remuneration gender pay gap Workforce composition: 23.9% of all employees in the Engineering Design and Engineering Consulting Services The Global Gender Gap Report published by the World Economic Forum states that gender equality is not only a fundamental human rights issue but It is linked to a country’s overall economic performance.

We are responding to this need by providing a femaleonly recruitment service to bring high quality female candidates to the forefront and to close the gender equality gap.

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4. What current measures are you employing to in order to pioneer and innovate this movement?

In order to close the gap we must innovate and transform how we recruit and promote. Everyone wins if we have gender balance in our teams, including men, but we are currently not scratching the surface. In order to accelerate progress and proactively increase the number of women in recruitment shortlists; Talent Gap sought an exemption from the NSW Government Anti-discrimination Act, to only represent women. Men makeup over 75% of the workforce and a hold majority of the executive roles across our industry, with the

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6. What can businesses do to support and become involved with gender equality and closing the gap in the workforce?

Some strategies companies can employ (regardless of size), include: – Include more than 1 female in a shortlist, Harvard research proved that having only one female in a shortlist would give her almost no chance of securing the job.

Unconscious bias has been shown to result females being discounted as a minority – add one more female to the list and she has a 50% more likely chance!

• Pay the role – keep in mind that women are typically paid less than men for the same role, so don’t ask for their current salary. If they can do the job, pay them the rate that their peers are being afforded.

• This is not a HR problem – treat gender balance like any other business strategy with clear goals, actions, budget and timeframes.

• We need more female business leaders – so invest time and training with your senior women including attributing particular focus to the skills required to run a business e.g. negotiating, risk management, strategy development and P&L responsibility

7. What does a united front, cultural change and innovation in relation to gender equality mean for the Australian economy and how we’re viewed globally?

Goldman Sachs & JBWere calculated that the rise in female employment since 1974 has boosted Australian economic activity by 22% (Goldman and Sachs & JBWere, 2009). Projections by KPMG indicate that if the labour force participation gap between men and women was halved, Australia’s annual GDP would increase by $60 billion in just 20 years. Therefore increasing female workforce participation is crucial in driving Australia’s productivity and innovation on a global scale. In addition, our cumulative living standards would rise by $140 billion in this time (KPMG, 2018).

In part, increased levels of education, changing social attitudes towards gender, declining fertility rates, improved childcare services and an increased uptake of flexible working arrangements have contributed to the rise of female recruitment in Australia since the 70s. Based on these points

22

alone the female labour force participation rates are projected to grow to approximately 70 percent by 2055 (Commonwealth of Australia, 2015). However, Australia still has relatively low female participation rates in comparison to many of our OECD peers (OECD Data Centre, 2018).

Research into over 500 US companies discovered a correlation between gender diversity and organisational performance using measures such as sales revenue and number of customers (Herring, C, 2009). A diverse workforce also creates increased efficiency, productivity, innovation, creativity and improved employee engagement (Centre for ethical Leadership, 2013).

In addition, another study from the US examined the performance of 1,500 companies over 15 years and showed that women’s representation in senior management is associated with improvement in organisational performance where a company focuses specifically on innovation (Dezso, C L and Ross, D G, 2012). The study showed that at an average level of innovation intensity, the presence of a woman in top management amounts to creating extra market value for each firm of approximately US $44 million.

In closing, w ​ here we diversify, we win​and I am proud to support and innovate for this movement.

About the Author Siobhan Savage Siobhan Savage is the Founder and Director of Talent Gap. With over 15 years’ experience cross the global markets, Savage has led workforce strategies for some of Australia’s most prolific projects in mining, infrastructure and buildings.

Having earned a reputation in the industry in recent years as an innovator, Savage has been rewarded for her ideation with awards including #2stepsahead #engineeredHERway She passionately believes that for significant change to eventuate, organisations must employ a different way of thinking and change the way they approach recruitment, investing programs and behaviours that can affect change.

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The next steps for HVAC

TECHNICAL

Carbon neutral buildings and a decarbonised grid

Sian Willmott I Jack Wardale

The decarbonisation of the electricity grid is critical if Australia is to meet its 2016 pledge to the Paris Agreement. As the grid decarbonises, total emissions associated with the use of grid electricity are expected to decrease to a point lower than that of natural gas.

This shift in energy source will impact traditional HVAC systems; provoking discussions to reduce heating loads and consider alternate electrically powered options for heating, including electric only boilers, reverse cycle chillers/heat pumps for hot water and biomass hot water generators

A

ustralia’s building stock currently accounts for 23% of the country’s emissions, with non residential buildings contributing more than 40%. Electricity makes up the largest share of emisisons (55%); whilst waste, materials, transport, refrigerants and other fossil fuels such as gas and diesel (10%) make up the remainder (ASBEC, 2017).

The decarbonisation of the electricity grid is critical if Australia is to meet its 2016 pledge to the Paris Agreement and encouraging signs are emerging at both state and national levels; with Energy Ministers recently agreeing on the Trajectory for Low Energy Buildings, a national plan that sets a trajectory towards zero energy (and carbon) ready buildings for Australia.

As the grid decarbonises to meet these targets, total emissions associated with the use of grid electricity are expected to decrease to zero (or close to); with the remaining 45% of building’s emissions left to be considered by those who work within the built environment.

With gas shortfalls in Australia predicted within the next 15 years (2018 Gas Statement of Opportunities, June 2018), there is added benefit in reducing the need for/ replacing high gas use systems within commerical buildings.

Figure 1. Strategy – reducing reliance on natural-gas HVAC systems

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REDUCING RELIANCE ON NATURAL GAS HVAC SYSTEMS

Historically, commercial buildings in Australia have been powered by a mix of electricity, gas and occasionally diesel. In the early 2000’s gas was seen as a transition fuel given it’s comparatively low Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and cost; leading to the install of numerous cogeneration and trigeneration installations.

The CO2 intensity of natural gas fuelled cogeneration and trigeneration systems is still significantly lower per kWh than grid electricity in mainland Australia.

However, if States and Territories are to meet their targets, future buildings will need to consider reducing the emissions associated with natural gas by either: • Reducing the need for gas; or • Considering an alternate zero carbon source of energy

STEP 1 – REDUCE HEATING LOADS

There are multiple ways in which to reduce a building’s heating loads; from isolating internal and external conditions and designing for effective passive design; as well as maximising heat recovery, building tuning; and

maybe controversially, changing the expectation of the building users regarding comfort conditions.

A) Air Tightness Australian construction methodologies, until recently, have not been focussed on delivering air tightness. As such, the industry is relatively unsophisticated with respect to the design, construction, quality assurance and testing techniques to deliver air tightness.

This usually results in an appreciably higher load on heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment, and hence an increase in the energy required to condition the building. Achieving a good air barrier relies on an integrated, structured and quality assured approach to design and construction, with ongoing advice and input from airtightness professionals to both designers and builders, coupled with performance verification through airtightness testing.

B) Passive Design Passive solar design has been around for thousands of years. Before the invention of heating and cooling, the consideration of thermal mass, solar orientation and natural ventilation were critical for human comfort.

Since the invention of commercial heating and cooling systems, the focus on good passive building

Figure 2 Australian Commercial Building Pressurisation Test Results (Air Barrier Technologies, 2012)

26

measures has been, in some cases, overlooked; with developers driven to maximise building envelopes and minimise capital costs.

With the cost of energy rising; and the desire to further reduce GHG emisions, building owners are beginning to consider passive design more seriously. This can be demonstrated by the recent increased uptake of the German Passivhaus standard in Australia (Passive House is on the rise in Australia, Andy Marlow, Envirotecture, May 2018). Passive Houses allow for space heating and cooling related energy savings of up to 90% compared with typical building stock and over 75% compared to average new builds.

C) Heat-Recovery Systems Heat Recovery is a key factor in efficient HVAC system design.

There is no current regulation for the minimum efficiency for dry heat recovery systems, resulting in potential reductions in efficiency.

Boosting efficiency of heat recovery systems in HVAC applications can help reduce heating loads and utilise energy being wasted via exhaust or return air.

D) Expanded Internal Design Conditions Adaptable thermal comfort is an important consideration for the future operation of our buildings, particularly in adapting to changes in climate. Although the close control of ambient conditions is critical in some applications such as galleries, traditional indoor design temperature bands for commercial buildings range between 21-24°C. The adaptive thermal comfort model (ASHRAE 55) is based on the idea that the outdoor climate has a significant influence on the internal comfort of occupants, especially in naturally ventilated spaces. Where internal occupants can change clothing levels throughout the seasons, serious consideration should be given to expanded design conditions to save

E) System Tuning

Electric Heater – 495kW Simons: VHW610495

Gas Fired Heater – 500kW Simons: S550

To reduce peak thermal loads and maximise efficiency, system tuning can help improve HVAC system

Input (kW)

495

550

Efficiency (%)

97

90

performance. A buildings requirement can change over time, meaning the buildings application prior to initial commissioning phase can be outdated. System tuning can be a relatively low-cost method of redefining performance criteria, to tailor existing building assets.

Operation (hr/day)

6

6

Energy Use (kwh/dy)

2880 (480kW/h)

3750 (2250MJ/h)

Energy Cost ($/kwh)

$0.25

$0.072 (2 c/MJ)

Est Daily Total ($/day)

$720.00

$270.00

Figure 3 shows a breakdown of the percentage split of savings for building services systems as a result of system tuning. It shows that the largest savings can be made by reducing fan power and improving central plant efficiency.

CO2 Emission (t CO2) 2018 (Victoria)

2.65

0.75

CO2 Emission (t CO2) Future

0

>0.75

TECHNICAL

on HVAC and subsequent GHG emissions associated with gas heating.

Table 2 Comparison of electric and natural gas water heaters (continuously running for 6 hours a day at full load)

Table 2 shows that gas fired heaters use more energy but have lower running cost and carbon emissions than electric heaters. This is due to the lower cost per kWh and carbon emissions associated with natural gas. This may change over time, as the costs of natural gas rises.

B) Reverse Cycle Chillers (Air to Water Heat Pumps) Reverse cycle chillers are being considered across the industry as a viable option to natural gas fired plant.

Figure 3 – Recommissioing/Tuning existing building services systems (HVAC HESS Efficiency Systems Strategy, September 20013)

STEP 2 – CONSIDER ALTERNATE HVAC THERMAL SYSTEMS

Once all options have been exhuasted for the minimisation of space heating loads. The incorporation of alternative technologies to conventional gas-fired central plant can be considered. Below is a breakdown of the three alternate fuels this study focuses on: • Electric hot water heaters

• Reverse cycle chillers: air to water heat pumps • Biomass hot water generators A) Electric Hot Water Heaters Electric hot water boilers have grown in popularity in recent years, as the market begins to consider natural gas alternatives. Often they are specified for applications with low individual thermal loads, such as space heating for residential buildings and domestic hot water applications.

They are considered lower in capital cost and higher in operational cost compared to gas-fired hot water generators.

Conventional chillers produce chilled water via an evaporator as heat is rejected through the condenser and expelled to atmosphere. Reverse cycle chillers, with air to water heat pumps, can reverse the vapour compression cycle, operating in either heating or cooling mode.

Reverse cycle chllers deliver heat at 50°C. A reverse cycle air to water heat pump, can run in two modes: • Cooling Mode o Rejects heat via ambient coil (condenser) and delivers coolth via evaporator. COP 3.4 • Heating Mode o Vapour Compression Cycle is reversed, now operates as reverse cycle chiller. Rejecting coolth via ambient coil (now evaporator) and delivers heat via condenser. COP ~ 3.1 Table 3 (over the page) suggests operating costs for natural gas is proportional to reverse cycle chillers.

C) Biomass Hot Water Generators The concept of using biomass and bioenergy fuel for heating is not new, biomass as fuel has been used since the stoneage. The term biomass refers to a recently grown solid organic matter suitable for burning. Typical biomass materials include:

27

Gas fired heater (Condensing) (Simons Boilers: S550)

Air to water heat pump (Carrier: 30RQP-0520-A) in Heating Mode

Heating load kWh

100

100

Efficiency* or COP (%)

90

310

Energy Input (kWh)

111

33

Cost of energy ($/kWh)

0.072

0.25

Cost of input energy $

$8.00

$8.25 (+3%)

CO2 Emission (t CO2) 2018

0.02

0.04

CO2 Emission (t CO2) Future

>0.02

0

Leaving Flow temperature °C

90

50

Table 3 Natural gas heater V Reverse cycle chiller

• Wood fuels (wood chips, wood pellets, logs, grass, straw etc.)

• Animal Waste (Industrial grade fish oil, animal manure)

Wood burning biomass boilers require large fuel handling systems, which provide a continuous supply of biomass fuel to the burner’s. As fuel is required to be stored and transferred to the boiler, they can be unsuitable for buildings located in cities and dense urban areas.

Biomass Hot Water Heater – 800 kW Justsen 800kW: ARGUS Flex 15 Thermal Output (kW)

800

Fuel Consumption at 100% Load (kg/h)

320

Energy output per kg wood pellet (kWh/kg)

3

Max flow temp (ºC)

105

Thermal Efficiency (%)

85.2

Table 4 Biomass hot water heater peformance

Gas fired heater (Condensing) (Simons Boilers: S550)

Biomass heater (Justsen Model type ARGUS Flex)

Efficiency or COP (%)

90

85.2

Cost of energy ($/kWh)

0.07 (+59%)

0.044

Table 5 Gas fired heater v biomass heater

SUMMARY

Summary

Electric hot water generators

ATWHP (Reverse Cycle Chiller)

Biomass hot water generators

o High Opex

o Low grade heat, in region of 50°C

o Low Opex

o Low CAPEX

The key questions in industry regarding biomass heating boilers, include:

o Lower energy (than gas)

1. Emissions from wood chips/pellets

o Similar operating costs to gas heaters

2. Availability of biomass fuel in Australian market Next Steps

o May become more viable as gas cost increase

o Further investigation impacts reducing flow temp 80 to 50ºC

o High Capex o Low carbon o Very large fuel store requirement o Can provide leaving water temp >100°C o Further investigation, how to increase biomass fuel availability across Australia

This study, provides a background to the key drivers affecting the future of HVAC plant design. A strategy is outlined to open a discussion on how to achieve the following: 1) Minimise heating loads 2) Consider alternate technologies Figure 4- Proximity of fuel source: Victoria ( Justsen Heat - Fulfilling Burning Desires) Straw only

Figure 4 shows sites where straw biomass fuel is produced throughout Victoria, most of which is exported.

Only 15,000 ton per year is used locally. Currently wood pellets are preferred to straw given the higher calorific value.

General rate of energy return per kg of wood pellet (based on 800kW Justsen Model type ARGUS Flex 15 Ceramic) is 4,100 kWh/ton of wood pellet.

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At present, natural gas is widely used across the HVAC industry; and moving away from conventional natural gas-fired thermal plant will pose a challenge. Changing attitudes and habit is difficult and it is clear further work and investigatin is required to increase the viability of alternate fuel systems.

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Dilapidatio Reporting

Using Machine Learn

Aonghus Stevens I CEO Measure Australia

T

he asset management industry is undergoing a rapid change due to advancements in technology.

Some of these changes include moving from 2D static management to comprehensive building information management (BIM), reactive management to proactive management and a recognition that more data points are always better with asset management.

High levels of intelligence can be achieved with the use of correct and relevant deep learning models.

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Best practice shows drones, machine learning and other progressive technologies being utilised in the inspection and condition reporting space. Reporting and inspection methodologies that were traditionally extremely labour intensive and slow are now leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to provide high-value insights across an extensive network of assets, in rapid timeframes.

It is a widely held view that preventative maintenance has benefits to companies. Proactive and predictive asset management:

• Reduces unexpected downtimes

• Optimises maintenance costs for increased ROI • Increases useful life of assets

A decreased time-frame for undertaking inspection and providing reports means that preventative maintenance is now more accessible.

Preventative maintenance gives the best return by removing the manual elements. Using technology reduces human risk, allows access locations that would otherwise require scaffolding, working at height permits and decreases labour costs. The

ning

The data will not provide the most amount of information in its raw form. Data enrichment should be a key consideration for asset managers when procuring bulk data streams on assets. The journey of raw data through to a dilapidation report needs to be comprehensive with significant processing and enrichment occurring. To best meet

asset management needs, the data outputs need to be outcomes focussed and matched against the exact client requirement. The quality of the data will be compromised if the correct gathering systems are not established, for example using a cell-tower data gathering model on a building faรงade.

TECHNICAL

on g

technology or hiring specialist resources.

The final reporting should form a preventative maintenance framework

a

best practice is using first in class technology at every turn to provide usable data.

While collecting more data is always the most desirable outcome for asset managers, the data can become unmanageable if the right tools and intelligence is not available. A key consideration for asset managers in moving to a near-real-time and large-scale collection, is the ability to derive insights and intelligence from a more extensive scale data source. By outsourcing this function, a company does not incur the cost of updating

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using Ultra-high-resolution visual and thermal inspection with outputs in:

detected as well as to support the quality control of the data being captured.

• Risk hierarchy;

• Defects mapped on a site basis; and

Through the evolution and growth of asset management services, best practice standards provide qualitative condition reports on an asset, combined with accurate dilapidation and condition ratings for detected defects; this asset intelligence is delivered to clients through an online Portal.

Analysis of collected images leveraging artificial intelligence should search for the presence of defects. For best results, this process is executed, entirely by machine, on every image collected, as well as a parallel staffbased inspection to ensure high detection levels. This process guarantees that the highest number of assets are

The process to create a final report starts with the data collection. The safest and most efficient way to capture the data using technology is determined, risk evaluations are undertaken, and then the data is collected using unmanned aircraft. Following collection, analysis of

• Service framework;

• Working in partnership to be an accumulator of enriched asset data.

32

TECHNICAL Defect libraries allow asset managers to benefit from shared analysis across a variety of client asset types and is a powerful resource that enables near-real-time grading of asset dilapidation and condition. The augmentation of visual data streams allows defect identification and classification at scale. The storage of collected data in data lakes enables asset managers to access deep levels of intelligence as often as possible, from any existing dataset.

The journey of data for a customer begins long before a final derived output is delivered to the client and lasts for many years after. The data provided is not just valuable in the day, month or year it is produced. For asset managers and owners, condition and other data is a valuable commodity. For every dataset that is created, intelligence can be derived from that dataset, to look at changes over time and undertake predictive trending.

Take for instance a network of hundreds of buildings spread across a large regional or national area; these assets can be optimised and managed comprehensively across the network, rather than managing assets on a site basis. Layered intelligence enables multi-faceted and smarter decision making to occur.

Clients are paying for an enterprise data stream, typically on a subscription or recurring basis. The larger the pool of data the more accurate the outcomes will be. imagery occurs using people and AI to identify defects and condition. Following a review, repair priorities can be determined for individual defects, ratings typically used are Urgent, High, Medium, Low, To Be Advised and Not Yet Classified. Each of these defect ratings would typically have a predefined response schedule or framework for asset managers.

The use of AI to derive outputs enables asset intelligence and reporting at scale in close-to-real-time. Using a meshed solution of AI leveraged with humans, allows a complete and safe result, with qualitative and quantitative outputs. Prudent use of technology enables a better objective outcome while still ensuring subjective analysis is occurring with human oversight.

About the Author

Aonghus Stevens Aonghus is the Founder & CEO of Measure Australia, a pioneer in the nascent commercial drone industry, and previously founded UAVs Australia, the regions first commercial drone reseller in 2009.

Aonghus runs the day to day strategy of Measure Australia as well as general business activity.

Aonghus is widely considered the leading expert of drones and their use in aerial data collection in Australia, as well as the integration of aerial data into traditional business workflows.

Aonghus is a Forbes 30Under30 awardee as well as the recipient of a number of other entrepreneurship and other awards.

33

Maintenance Contracts for

21st Century Buildings Vince Simpson

Big data and analytics is becoming widespread thanks to the ready availability of cloud computing technologies. Buildings and the services within these buildings are complex systems that are a ready source of data where analytics can provide useful insights. This paper explores the rise of analytics in the built environment and more specifically the impact on traditional building service maintenance.

34

M

odern buildings built in the last ten years are heavily dependent on advanced control systems to monitor and control many aspects of the environment and operation. Lighting, air-conditioning, security, lifts and utility metering systems are just some of the systems that rely on computerised control systems for their regular operation.

The complexity of these systems and the volume of data they can generate creates additional challenges and opportunities to maintain and manage these systems. Organisations that have traditionally operated and serviced this sector are struggling to adapt to the new world. The speed of change and advancements have caught the building services industry unprepared.

TECHNICAL Figure 1 - Information overload

4. Numerous product offerings from multiple vendors all promising sometimes “magical� improvements in energy consumption and plant optimisation.

Building Analytics Defined

Chris Peters (It Peer Networks) presents a common model that I have adopted to describe the evolution of analytics that is readily applicable to building services.

Chris proposes that there are three levels of analytic maturity that describe this progression. Once one understands the primary stages and types of analytics, it is easier to conceptualise some of the opportunities for how this might change and impact maintenance in the building services sector in the 21st Century.

Ref: Turning raw data into smart insights (Chris Peters 2015 – IT Peer Network)

Some of the new challenges confronting traditional building facility management teams include: 1. I ncreasing deployment of ICT technology and the associated risks of cyber-attacks.

2. D emands from tenants and owners for more information and improved services and features that can be sourced from the building data.

3. O verloading operation and maintenance teams with excessive uncontrolled data from multiple building system silos. The capacity of these new systems to deliver data far exceeds that of systems of 10-20 years ago.

35

Descriptive analytics: This style of analytics uses historical data to show what has occurred in the past.

This is typically provided by reports and/or dashboards.

This style of visualisation can be provided suitably well by all current generation BMS systems. Typical examples of this include energy dashboards or plant summary graphics. The use of this style of analytics is common and offered by many organisations including dedicated analytical platforms.

Figure 3 - Predictive Analytics Data Flow diagram

Prescriptive analytics: This form of analytics is all about providing advice. Typically, this involves calculating multiple possibilities and futures. The process involves the use of computational modelling, machine learning and fixed rules. Whilst typical applications in this area tend to be focused in manufacturing and production industries, Google has implemented this style of analysis to assist in managing data centre air-conditioning use and energy utilisation (https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy/ news/google-taking-ai-to-the-next-level-to-cut-datacentre-energy-use/).

Analytics Platforms in the Building Services Industry

Figure 2 - Typical Dashboard

Predictive analytics: Utilises pattern analysis to predict what could happen. This type of analytics attempts to predict outcomes from the considerable volume of data that is being fed into the model. The key to even be able to consider this type of analytics is to ensure systems designed and delivered into the building allow high volume data transfer. Typically, commercial buildings of today are incapable of highvolume data unless the IT infrastructure and hardware are designed from day one to support this requirement.

A HVAC example might be to track the performance of a compressor performance as a means to determine potential failure or reduced efficiency. This prediction might use multiple sensors and variables over extended periods (years) (tracked against a model) as a means of tracking performance decay. The use of this style of analytics is currently not common within the building services industry.

Building control systems have been slow to evolve, especially in comparison to other areas of technology.

Consolidation of the industry in the 1990s and 2000s into the hands of a few multinational manufacturers led to stagnation in innovation and product development. The industry is only now benefitting from low-cost hardware (sensors, controllers), increased capability to capture data and more advanced software. These newer control systems support or contain self-diagnostic and fault detection capabilities at the field hardware level, but typically these are not programmed or configured.

The failure to use the newer advanced functions of control systems has been driven by a number of factors: 1. The systems are seen as more of a commodity offering with little differentiation. Cost pressures tend to lead to these functions being sacrificed on many jobs.

2. A lack of expertise and training both on the customer side and the supplier side.

3. Operations staff rarely have the time to dedicate to analysing the alarms generated by these advanced strategies.

Whilst the technology for control systems has progressed and become more reliable, the service contracts for building control systems haven’t evolved from the era of pneumatic control systems. Building owners pay large

36

The failure of traditional building controls providers to address the issue of innovation of their products and services has left the building services market lagging other industries in relation to using advanced data management through smart analytics and algorithms as a means to optimise efficiency and reduce maintenance outgoings.

This allowed a different category of company to be created to address the gap with new product - Building Systems Analytics.

This new service offering relies on the competitive advantage provided by the Cloud to provide the functionality that has been lacking in traditional building systems. These higher-level functions require an advanced set of skills that many traditional building service companies typically cannot deploy at the site level. These skills include data base management, web design and data manipulation and visualisation skills.

If one carries out a simple search on the internet for Building Analytics platforms, there are a plethora of platforms available. Systems like these can provide the capability to achieve excellent energy savings and improved plant performance. A sample of platforms/ companies that utilise or offer an Analytics platform targeted into the building services sector (predominantly HVAC and energy focused) within the Australian Market are shown below.

model. The majority of these services are offered as a cloud-based subscription service with little consideration for the “law of diminishing returns� i.e. the gains initially justify the cost but once you have addressed all the low hanging fruit the return on investment becomes questionable without significant lowering of cost model.

In most cases, the BMS and mechanical service providers have not adjusted their service contracts or pricing models. The analytics component becomes an additional cost impost to the building’s running costs.

So, whilst we have control systems that are smarter, and we have third party providers offering analytic overlays, we have not really seen an equivalent evolution in the service offerings and cost structures from the traditional providers.

TECHNICAL

sums for unnecessary maintenance tasks that provide no value to the owner.

I would assert that there are a number of key reasons for this: 1. T he technology and the operating models are still in an early stage of deployment. This new industry has attracted too many products and players. It will take some time for the industry to mature and for the real value propositions to be realised.

2. O wners and facility staff are not yet seeing the benefits or are simply overwhelmed with the changes in technology and cannot envisage how it could improve their business operations 3. C onsidering analytics platforms predominantly address HVAC plant (BMS control systems), building owners and operators are not getting any reduced maintenance costs or scope from their BMS/DDC or their mechanical contractors when analytics are installed. Having a control system maintenance contract and an analytic overlay are not sustainable.

4. T he industry is struggling with the skills required to both analyse data and service control systems. Whilst you can outsource fault detection and opportunity to improve operations, it still needs skilled technicians and engineers to change and fix systems.

5. T he combination of the new cloud based analytics solutions with earlier generation building control systems still presents technical challenges. There have been a number of cases where poor design has led to the analytics package interfering with the basic operation of the control system.

Figure 4 - sample of Analytics platforms in Australia

Whilst there are many products available in the Australian market offering analytics overlays, the significant portion of these offerings appear to offer an unsustainable pricing

Impact on Building Services Maintenance Contracts

Building maintenance contracts for many of the typical building services are simplistic and stuck in a time warp requiring high cost labour intensive tasks that could be carried out much quicker and in real time by either the

37

control system and/or by an analytics platform. Typical maintenance contracts or labour agreements in the building services sector charge labour at a premium rate (often in excess of $150 p/hr). Many service providers charge callouts in minimum 4-hour blocks.

Some simple examples of this can be found in Mechanical, electrical, security, and BMS controls maintenance contracts. In the table below I have provided simple examples of existing maintenance tasks versus

what could be considered using analytics overlays with appropriate data capabilities.

When considering opportunities for improving maintenance practices into a more automated environment one must also consider the monetary impact on existing providers during the transition. Simply expecting to overlay analytics with a third-party provider and funding this through savings with existing contracts can create an unacceptable risk where the contractors required to fix systems walk away from site due to unacceptable reductions in traditional

Mechanical Maintenance Contracts Traditional Approach

Descriptive Analytics

Predictive analytics

Filter changes

High cost local inspection of filter by technician

Local sensor into BMS to flag alarm when change required

track changes in readings over time and based on trend lines schedule changes to coincide with batch work changes

Damper inspections

High cost physical inspections and tests

local sensor/switches to monitor position and generate alarm

chamber pressure and temperature sensors measure conditions as a means of determining damper positions.

Changes over time can advise degrading performance

BMS/DDC maintenance contracts Historical Context

Descriptive Analytics

Predictive analytics

Field sensor calibrations

High cost calibration carried out by technicians on a periodic basis

Profiling of multiple sensors to identify those outside the normal boundaries – alarms generated to identify sensors required to be changed or calibrated

track changes in readings over time and based on trend lines schedule changes to coincide with batch work changes

Checking field valves and dampers

High cost physical inspection

Check devices and loops against setpoints. Generate alarms and flags when outcome outside expected

track performance overtime to predict degrading performance

Electrical maintenance contracts Historical Context

Descriptive Analytics

Predictive analytics

Temperature scans

High cost physical inspections with IR thermometer

- local sensor to monitor temperature and generate alarm.

- log and alarm current and voltage alarms

track changes in readings over time and based on trend lines and schedule inspections and maintenance only when required

Pump/fan bearings vibration inspections

physical inspections with specialised instruments

- monitor motor performance and VSD data direct from device. Inspect based on alarms

track changes in readings over time and based on trend lines and schedule inspections and maintenance only when required

Lamp replacement

Lamp blows and light is no longer produced

Current senor on lighting circuit measuring increased/decreased current consumed

Smart lighting producing useful operational data to allow prediction of when lamp is likely to fail.

Security Systems maintenance contracts Battery changes

Historical Context

Descriptive Analytics

Predictive analytics

local load test inspections to demonstrate battery load capability

system monitors battery voltage and flags alarms

track changes in readings over time and based on trend lines and schedule inspections and maintenance only when required

Utility Metering Systems maintenance contracts Water, gas and electricity meters

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Historical Context

Descriptive Analytics

Predictive analytics

manual readings

Simple daily/weekly profiles and when exceeded generate alarm

track profiles in real time to predict excessive consumptions or plant running

A number of organisations understand this model and are repurposing the function of the analytics platform as a means to optimise and focus maintenance tasks and priorities. The analytics platform is simply viewed as another tool in the toolbox, and the customer is not charged for it other than through the normal charge process associated with any skilled contractor.

With considered thought and a good understanding of the components that are used, the building, maintenance contracts can be restructured. The focus can then be shifted away from ineffective labour-intensive tasks to analysing key elements of the building operation. The overall goal - to reduce costs, optimise efficiency and improve outcomes, can then be achieved

Moving to Outcomes Based Maintenance

Migrating or moving towards a maintenance regime requires a number of steps and there are a number of organisations that can offer advice in achieving this transition including that of the author of this article.

Whilst most of these step are sequential, some can be undertaken without dependence on other steps: 1. Understand what is in place currently in terms of the systems, processes, costs and outcomes from existing maintenance contracts. What maintenance is being carried out and are the outcomes measurable. Can they be compared to a suitable metric? These could include equivalent full-time students/beds or dollars per sqm.

2. A ssess and or determine the existing technology baseline. Is it capable of being upgraded or extended

to both allow embedded analytics or data sharing?

The older the system, the bigger the impact in terms of ability to open/share data with other systems.

Overlaying an analytical platform on a system not designed to deliver data to external sources can be a frustrating exercise.

TECHNICAL

maintenance contract values. One must not forget you still need the field people to rectify and implement and changes identified.

3. W hat are the opportunities to overlay or embed analytics? What are the existing key tasks and costs and will analytics provide better outcomes in terms of performance or cost.

4. H ow are the existing systems being used? Do you have a BMS system where the alarms and dashboards are not used? Overlaying additional dashboards and alarm sources might simply overwhelm operators Carrying out an analysis underpinned by the above questions allows you to build a technology strategic roadmap to maximise the value from implementing an analytics platform. Sometimes the initial answers might only require a number of simple alarm algorithms using the existing data and systems installed currently. Other applications might require more extensive changes to infrastructure to achieve the desired results.

About the Author

Vince Simpson Vince Simpson has been involved in the design, construction, service and sales of technology and controls to the building and construction industry since 1986. This included senior management roles in tier one BMS contractors and 15 years as one of the founding directors of IBMS who are considered trusted specialists who apply technology in the built environment to improve efficiency and usability with the aim to continually deliver innovative high value results. The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author and IBMS as a specialist consultancy focussed in this sector.

Airepure celebrates 20 years of operation Leading national air filtration company, Airepure Australia has recently celebrated 20 years of operation.

Founded in December 1998 by three friends and colleagues – Peter Wingfield, James (Jim) McIntosh and Roger Van Oosten – Airepure has steadily grown, based on their objectives to provide air filtration products and solutions that are purpose built for quality, reliability and value.

Today, Airepure offer a comprehensive range of core particulate and gaseous filtration products that are stocked and supported nationally through several dedicated office/warehouse locations within Australia and New Zealand.

Custom air filtration, air purification and airborne containment solutions are designed and engineered

in-house to meet specific client requirements. Relevant, value-add support services are also provided by the company, including product installation, routine maintenance and NATA accredited on-site testing and certification.

“We value our staff and their professional development” says Airepure CEO Roger Van Oosten, “We consistently invest in resources to provide our clients with a reliable support team; which includes in-house engineering, dedicated product/project specialists, knowledgeable technical sales and experienced NATA certified field service technicians.”

To commemorate 20 years, Airepure have created a web timeline highlighting significant company milestones.

This is available to view on www.airepure.com.au

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Student of the Year | 2019 Graduate of the Year | 2019 Young Engineer of the Year | 2019

CALLING ALL FUTURE LEADERS 2019 CIBSE ANZ Young Engineers Awards asks: HOW CAN BUILDING SERVICES CONTRIBUTE TO PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT TARGETS FOR GLOBAL WARMING? Competition open to all students, young engineers & building services professionals in Australia & NZ

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So what do you do for a living?

Nicola Viselli I Sustainability Consultant at Northrop Consulting Engineers

This is a question I seem to get asked on a weekly basis, sometimes out of curiosity or inquiry and other times playing to social norms as the first question in any new introduction. It is a question I am very familiar with and a question with which a lot of people struggle to answer. As an Environmental Engineer turned Sustainability Consultant, it is even more confusing for my family and friends to understand what I actually do on a day to day basis.

I

usually begin with... “I work on new developments in the built environment, where I ensure new building meets their minimum compliance requirements prior to construction” or “I get involved with buildings that go above and beyond working to align their project to a holistic sustainability framework that extends to energy efficiency, water efficiency, waste, transport, thermal comfort and so on..” of course the story changes for each individual and their agenda but, as you can probably gather, my explanation doesn’t necessarily make things clearer. More simply, I am a story teller who needs to use both my engaging persona and passionate hand gestures to enthuse an audience to get my message across., I am usually then able to create some like terms for the individual to finally find something tangible they can relate to.

I have noticed that many Sustainability Consultants, like me, and others within the building services industry struggle to articulate ourselves when faced with this very simple question. If we cannot simply describe what we do, then what chance do we have to answer complex decision making and design questions?

How did this happen in the first place?

To generalise, I can guarantee most of us Engineers were never taught how to communicate effectively at University let alone engagingly. In fact, I have met some who could go days without communicating at all. Couple this with the extremely broad definition of what sustainability is and you can quite quickly understand how describing Sustainability Consulting can be a constant juggle.

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Why it is important

Every day we are trying to balance stakeholder expectations and priorities, needing to come up with solutions that appeases Services Engineers concerns around practicality and maintainability, the aesthetic concerns of the Architect or the Return of Investment for the Developer which usually goes to the top of the hierarchy in the discussion. On top of that, we are looking to find world class solutions aligned to various environmental performance metrics and benchmarks across the myriad of green rating tools available in the market. This can quickly become exhausting and sometimes discouraging if the project team is not supportive of your ideas and strategy. If we want to ensure sustainability is effectively integrated into each project, it starts with us being able to communicate and engage effectively.

How to get everyone on board

I am a strong believer of the overused phrase, you need to“… bring them along for the journey.” And in my experience it all starts with the vision. Engaging with key stakeholders early will ensure that your vision and sustainability aspirations are understood, shared and supported, which is particularly important if the project has a loosely defined scope or has a high level of design risk. The vision can be the project aspiration or a specific outcome but it needs to be simple enough so that the whole team is able to tell the story and draw the links with each stakeholder and clearly explain how sustainability fits into the bigger picture. This can be substituted for

Effectively we are the glue to the project (but that doesn’t sound as good as change makers or disrupters)

And to make sure concepts stick, we need to reframe to suit the audience. In my experience, the ability to adapt and reframe language tailored to each stakeholder has been key to successfully influence and to decision making. There is no point talking to a builder about how to meet energy targets for NABERS with conversations regarding building simulation modelling, as they likely do not care about how it gets achieved, as long as it does get achieved. Rather, if you explain the process at high level then explain the importance of the rating tool to the end client (and usually their client) there is a win/win solution presented. You have enforced requirements onto those responsible and the reputation of the builder is improved because the objectives of the client have been met.

Be Authentic, Be Authentic, Be Authentic – Did I mention be authentic?

Now I am not sure who you are or what your core values are, but I have seen authenticity and integrity go along way with building good quality relationships.

Contrastingly, those who do not demonstrate these attributes are often more transparent with their motivations than they realise. If the end goal is valuable collaboration and participation in a workshop, people will generally feel uncomfortable to share their ideas if the vibe in the room is robotic or full of hot air. I have made many mistakes in my career, I am only human, however I

have noticed that when you let your guard down and act with authenticity and transparency, people realise and relate to the circumstance more easily, making them much more forgiving. This can be a useful skill when dealing with difficult conversations or conflict, and it is essential to be able to strengthen trust with people on our projects, at home or in the workplace.

OPINION

any discipline but is most needed in the art of good sustainability consulting. The building services industry needs to head towards an integrated design approach in order to design world class high performing green buildings, bringing the whole project team along for the journey. Effective engagement has the ability to drive maximum participation, collaboration and coordination required to deliver on these holistic and sophisticated sustainability outcomes.

To sum up

This article does not pretend to answer all your questions around how to communicate and effectively engage your project team. Nor does this piece detail all the relevant tools out there – that is what Google is for. Instead, I have shared my experiences and knowledge I have collected over the past few years in the building services industry.

My vision

Many people can relate to building development, whether it is their office building, their newly purchased highrise apartment, or their grandparents retirement village they visited on the weekend. If we are able to spread the discussion past the meeting room and to the dinner table, innovative ideas can be created, offering alternative perspectives and eventually making sustainability 'business as usual'. But this all starts with knowing how to answer the question, “So what do you do for a living.”

Perhaps I can say communicator, storyteller and/or project glue?

About the Author

Nicola Viselli Nicola Viselli works as a Sustainability Consultant at Northrop Consulting Engineers where she does everything from minimum code compliance to developing sustainability strategy for multibillion-dollar developments.

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THE ‘POP-UP’ SCHOOL:

An indicator of the future Mary Casey I Director of Social Infrastructure, HKA

Rapid population growth is creating expanding education needs across New South Wales, and Sydney’s schools of the future are ‘popping up’ more and more. As both a method to deliver the next generation of school buildings, and innovative in their own right, the modular classroom looks set to play a leading role in our learning environment.

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P

opulation growth is driving government investment in essential social infrastructure services such as education. This year the Australian Government announced a record level of funding with a total investment of $243.5 billion from 2018 to 2027 for schools under the Quality Schools package.

OPINION

“Modular classroom blocks and facilities being shared by students and the community are all part of the Department of Education’s $5 billion plan to meet an expected enrolment spike of 21%, or 164,000 students, in NSW schools by 2031. The Sydney local government area has one of the highest projected enrolment increases of 66% with an extra 9600 students expected by 2031.”

Not only will new schools be constructed to achieve this target, but also existing schools will need to be expanded.

Redeveloping a school is a complex process. You need to make sure that the students’ education is not unduly disrupted, and their safety is not compromised; meaning construction on site can only take place in limited windows. After hours uses must also be maintained

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for the benefit of the wider community, placing further constraints on working hours. As a result, school operations often temporarily relocate to another location on the grounds so that the schools’ operations and construction activities can coexist more comfortably.

Typically, these temporary facilities are constructed with a combination of demountable units and standard construction methods. ‘Demountables’ are prefabricated rooms which are built in sections to fit onto a flatbed truck, transported, placed on their foundations by crane and assembled on site. They can be used for all the enclosed spaces including classrooms, library, hall, and administration.

The benefits of demountables include: • A standard suite of floor plans can be custom-arranged to suit the particular requirements of the school and its site; with thermal, acoustic, and aesthetic features comparable to those of permanent classrooms • Faster and more efficient construction process with reduced disruption to school operations, as the majority of construction takes place off site

• Allows for greater consistency and quality control as they are built in factory conditions

• Can be reused multiple times, disassembled, refurbished and then redeployed for another school, reducing both waste and raw material usage.

This technology is used in other building types where rapid deployment of buildings is needed, such as field hospitals, or where the need for the buildings is

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understood to be of a limited time period, such as mining housing.

While the term ‘Pop-Up’ is used mainly in reference to demountables, it may also describe the adaptive use of leasable space for other purposes (such as commercial office) in buildings nearby. This is more achievable for schools in inner city areas where ‘spare’ open space is difficult to come by. Taking our cues from retail, from which the term ‘Pop-Up’ was borrowed, schools can be more creative in their thinking about suitable temporary homes and focus on minimising disruption. ‘Location, location, location’ – the closer you can be to the existing school, the less impact to its users.

Given the historic investment in school upgrades and new construction, we anticipate that Pop Up schools will continue to be a key element in NSW’s delivery of stateof-the-art education facilities. Pop-Up schools in NSW are already open or set to open at Rainbow Street (eastern suburbs), Russel Lea (inner west) and Lake Cathie (north coast). Currently under construction, Ultimo Public School (inner city Sydney) is one of the latest education facilities to have created a temporary school installed next to the Wentworth Park Greyhounds track.

HKA was engaged by the NSW Department of Education (DoE) to manage the design and construction of both the Ultimo Pop-Up School and the new permanent school.

The Pop-Up school was designed for just over 300 students, to accommodate the existing student numbers at the time, with room for growth during the two years of demolition of the existing school and construction of their new facility.

• Building community relationships: choosing Wentworth Park as the site required significant community engagement which strengthened the school’s already positive relationship with the Wentworth Park Sporting Complex Trust, and the general community.

The Ultimo Pop Up school is a complete school facility, with: • 14 classrooms, home bases • Student Hall and canteen • Library

The true test of the success of a project is to ask the users what they think. The Ultimo Public School students created a video in which they describe their thoughts about their temporary home: https://vimeo. com/255377588

OPINION

This project received a High Commendation Award from the Australian Institute of Project Management; the result of the strong and cohesive partnership that was developed between HKA, DoE, the community, the architect’s design team, and the builders.

• Admin Area • Internal play areas • Vegetable garden Praised for its cutting-edge design, Ultimo Pop-Up School fits comfortably into an extremely constrained site, demonstrating high quality, innovative design with best practice ESD principles, prefabricated construction methods, and using recycled and reusable materials.

Some of the benefits include: • Connection to nature: the school is situated in a park and constructed around two mature trees. Roof structures provide opportunity for outdoor play in shade and on rainy days

• Natural light and ventilation: roof structures encourage prevailing breezes, so the inner courtyard is comfortable even on hot days. The classrooms also have openable windows on opposite sides of the room, promoting cross-ventilation, and allowing greater natural light. This reduces the energy load for the buildings’ air conditioning systems on very hot days

• Testing ideas for the new school: Ultimo Pop Up utilises a new prototype combined classroom which gives the teachers the opportunity to trial different furniture for when they move into the new school, which will have a flexible, open plan classroom design

• Proximity to the existing school: across the street from the existing school, the Pop Up keeps everyone’s routine largely unaffected

I am proud to have delivered numerous projects in the social infrastructure sector. My current projects in education include construction of the new Ultimo Public School, and the innovative Share our Space Program which makes school play spaces available to the general public over school holiday periods.

About the Author

Mary Casey Mary Casey has 23 years’ experience, and a Director of Social Infrastructure at HKA, which specialises in education, affordable housing, aged care, and healthcare. With a background as an architect and sustainability consultant, Mary is a design thinker, capable of distilling clarity out of these multiple parameters. She combines innovative thought leadership with practical implementation experience to assist her clients in confidently setting ambitious objectives, defining requirements, and managing diverse teams to deliver results that exceed client expectations. Mary is a recognised leader in ecologically restorative development and social responsibility objectives definition and strategic planning.

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Plumbing tales unexpected

Paul Angus I Associate Director – Hydraulic Services and Education Sector Le

In any building or facility, a plumbing issue can be disastrous for your tenants. Very minor problem story within the blink of an eye. How does this risk translate to your building or facility? Neglectin to the continuity of any tenant’s business. If a building’s plumbing system becomes impaired for or unproductive, a loss of earnings will be incurred by the tenants. A plumbing issue could affect a café or restaurant!

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of the d

ead (NSW & ACT) at AECOM

ms can easily escalate from a headache to a horror ng to maintain your plumbing system is paramount r any reason and the building becomes inhabitable any type of tenant but imagine what it could do to

L

et's evaluate various tales of the unexpected, delving into plumbing nightmare scenarios and look at what you can learn as a facility manager to avoid future dilemmas and a potential loss of revenue.

Picture the scene, a prestigious hotel facility had recently opened and was operating without any hiccups. Guests were providing rave reviews; the facility received an accolade of awards and customer bookings had been made well into the summer season. Everything was going swimmingly, until the manager started reviewing the energy bill. After further analysis, the Building Management System (BMS) attributed the high energy bill to excessive hot water usage.

The facility manager was very experienced and was aware that usage profiles for bathroom fixtures within a hotel are essentially based on three parameters; the number of guests per room, the frequency of use of these fixtures and the hotel occupancy rate. Why was so much hot water being consumed within the hotel facility? Despite further in-depth analysis from the plumbing contractor and a hydraulic consultant, the excessive hot water consumption and significantly high energy bills could still not be explained.

OPINION

Some like it hot

Engaging an independent consultant soon established the root of the issue, which transpired to be a very simple, yet very costly error. During construction, every WC in every hotel room ensuite had been connected to the hot water supply. Every time any of the toilets were flushed, an excessive volume of hot water was literally flushed down the drain. Feeling the heat, the contractor returned during the defect liability period and rectified the issue.

This situation may have been what inspired the invention of the bidet!

The air that we breathe

For months, the facility management team for an old rail maintenance yard were bogged down with complaints of a prevalent foul odour. The odour wasn’t present all the time and seemed to appear almost magically at certain times of the day. The foul smell was reported to be associated with a sewer odour, which would occasionally drift to the front of the facility and prompted further complaints from staff. The in-house rail maintenance plumber undertook numerous visits to the maintenance yard administration building to try and uncover the cause of the mysterious odour with very little success.

As no building plans or hydraulic layouts were available, the exercise became a very costly and time-consuming guessing game. Further diagnostics included running a CCTV survey through the sewer drainage pipework, smoke testing, checking trap seals, reviewing the vent

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pipework locations in relation to mechanical ventilation intakes and even tearing down walls to access concealed pipework. Every time the rail maintenance plumber was convinced the issue had been resolved, the rancid smell would reappear.

An independent consultant was engaged to provide a second opinion. After extensive analysis and investigations were all exhausted, the independent consultant decided an alternative approach was required.

The occupants within the facility were requested to provide a diary, logging and recording when the odour was most evident, which area or room of the building they smelt the odour in along with the time and date of the occurrence. To the astonishment of the team, the odour appeared to change location within the facility at various times of the day.

The source of the odour was eventually traced to a remote landfill site, located a considerable distance away.

Depending on operations at certain parts of the site, along with which way the wind was blowing, the odour from the site blew in the facility’s direction and circulated via the

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mechanical ventilation system around the building. Never judge a book by its cover!

Plumbing the depths

An established and highly successful restaurant was located in the retail level of a high rise building for a significant number of years. One weekend, the restaurant was completely and unexpectedly flooded. The restaurant was forced to close temporarily but thankfully the owners managed to recoup the lost revenue through the building owner.

Further investigations revealed that a few months earlier, a new tenant fit out for a takeaway shop was completed directly above the established restaurant. Each evening, as part of their cleaning regime, the staff at the takeaway shop hosed down the kitchen area. It was later discovered that when the staff were washing the area, they regularly removed the grates and baskets located within the floor wastes. As a result, all kinds of rubbish and debris was being hosed down into the drainage system. Over a relatively short period of time, this caused a significant

The problem was rectified by the building owner through working with the management team to update the tenant fit out guidelines and procedures. The building owner also engaged a nominated and approved plumbing contractor for future tenancy fit out works. Although a simple solution, this expensive lesson could have been easily avoided.

Water, water, everywhere!

A sealed ground floor plantroom located in a relatively new educational facility began to suddenly flood. The plantroom, containing highly sophisticated and expensive plant for a prominent external water feature on the campus, became significantly water damaged. To the facility management team’s surprise, there were no obvious signs of rainfall entry and even more bizarrely, the plantroom was located above the surrounding ground level.

The facility plans were reviewed extensively by the facility management team, eventually an external hydraulic consultant was engaged to review and ascertain how the phenomenon had occurred. The external hydraulic consultant found that an external cable conduit lid was accidently broken during construction works on an adjacent building on campus. This broken cable conduit lid allowed rainwater to enter the pit and effectively flood the plant room. Always think out of the box!

Diagnosing the problems

The goal is to prevent any plumbing issues as early as possible before they become time consuming and costly. Deal with the issue at the first sign of trouble and don't wait for it to magically fix itself, because it won't. Preventive maintenance pays for itself. When the plumbing system is operating and flowing freely as it should be, the facility management team can focus their attention elsewhere.

As demonstrated, common plumbing issues can occur because of improper installation, equipment failure or bad maintenance management practices. Damaged drainage pipework and/or blockages can further develop from inadequate pipework gradient, resulting in wastewater appearing elsewhere within the facility. Installation mistakes can be tricky to identify and contribute to issues further down the track and are not always obvious.

In older facilities where plans are not available to trace the pipework routes, it is recommended to establish where any clear outs are located as this will be extremely valuable when an issue occurs. Issues associated with aging infrastructure, such as hydraulic plant, pipework and sanitary fixtures often escalate and require immediate action. When undertaking these upgrades, it is recommended that reactive or quick fix practises are avoided, as they will inevitably cause more financial burden than relief.

OPINION

blockage, resulting in the wastewater to eventually flood the tenancy below.

Taking a proactive approach to upgrades is beneficial.

For example, replacing out of date, inefficient plumbing fixtures with low-flow outlets, or providing fixtures with aerators to reduce water consumption are effective methods of addressing water efficiency issues that can produce significant savings within a complex building.

In order to build confidence with tenants and investors alike, it is paramount to ensure a plumbing strategy is in place. This strategy can be applied to any commercial, retail, industrial and/or public sector facility in the event of a plumbing failure.

The plumbing system can often be a labyrinth of pipework concealed in far away and often unreachable parts of the building, so don’t get caught out and always expect the unexpected.

About the Author

Paul Angus Paul Angus is an Associate Director – Hydraulic Services and Education Sector Lead (NSW & ACT) at AECOM, based in Sydney. Paul has strong commercial and technical capability in developing and delivering hydraulic design strategies and solutions. He specialises in providing a sustainable approach to system design, including water conservation, recycling and generating innovative engineering solutions.

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5 Statistics showing the

“True Cost” of ignoring wellness in the workplace

Giles Keay I Managing Director & Founder of Constructive

F

or those of you who have read my previous articles you would know that I have a very personal passion for wellbeing and mental health and ensuring that the conversation around it continues to happen in the work place, schools and at home. I recently published an article on LinkedIn on behalf of my 15-year-old daughter, focused on Mental Health and the feedback was incredible once again with over 6500 views. It also highlighted the fact to me that most younger generations are so far ahead in their understanding of the impact and devastation that it can have on individuals and families. It is impressive how advanced and transparent conversations are within this age group and how schools have such massive support for this key issue.

So back to the workplace…… and how we are dealing with it.

Have you ever considered the actual cost of ignoring wellbeing as a key issue?

What is great about the fact that it is now at the forefront of people’s mind is that the research available and hard statistics are now visible to back up what has often in the past been considered the “nice to have” or the “fluffy” part of getting business done. We can now prove in hard dollars what impact it can have.

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I have outlined five statistics which I believe are most alarming from the research undertaken. In many cases it appears that the emphasis is on the business itself and of course that is often the case and the culture should always be driven from the top. However, I also believe that every employee has a responsibility in ensuring a commitment to wellbeing and in fact at Constructive we have made it a tangible part of every employee’s professional development program.

Stat No. 1

Organisations Implementing Health and Wellbeing Strategies report increases of 12-30%, (1,2) in productivity. Let’s take this key fact and think about what that means for dollars! In a sales business you could simply multiply your sales by this and see a dramatic rise in results. In an engineering firm multiply the hours worked by this number to see the increase in billable hours or efficiency of completing projects and being able to take on more. The result to the bottom line would be incredible!

Employees stress and health factors increase by up to 56% if ignored.(3) Imagine your workforce having half the days off sick that they currently have and multiply that across the whole business in relation to the productive hours that can be achieved. In a company of 100 staff taking an average of 10 days a year each this would create an extra 440 days which is equivalent to having 1.5 additional staff members on board without having to pay any extra wages!

Stat No 5

One of the greatest costs to a business is having a high staff turnover. This is one of the most direct costs of poor investment by a business in staff wellbeing. The current estimates are that you are 4 times more likely to lose talent (5,6) and if you consider the cost of rehiring (estimated somewhere between $5-10,000), training and onboarding (estimated at 3 months’ pay of the new employee before they are up to speed and 1 month of other personnel to help train).

This statistic on its own forms an extremely scary proposition and it is almost madness not to have it at the forefront of any organisation to immediately attempt to quarter the cost of rehiring which comes straight off the bottom line.

So, there are my top 5 reasons for why we all need to consider well being and what the true impact and cost of ignoring it can be. Imagine these 5 simple points being addressed and improved in your workplace and what difference it could make between being average or GREAT!

Stat No 3

In poorly run businesses where wellbeing is not addressed the number of disengaged employees is twice as high (2,5) which is seriously hitting the bottom line in relation to productivity but also with simple absenteeism. In Australia alone the cost of both these key issues to organisations has been estimated at a staggering $34 billion a year! (4) How present are employees in your company if you look around the office or site? How often do you see the same people calling in sick? It is often the same people and the key issue is that unfortunately, both the employer and colleagues who all share a responsibility to each other for wellbeing, often don’t address what is causing that disengagement and merely just resent it or reprimand them.

Stat No 4

Creativity and Innovation is increased by over 50% (5) with employees who are engaged and looked after at work. For engineering and construction firms where slight design changes and decisions can make the difference between millions of dollars on a project, focusing on increasing the innovation of staff and the team could have groundbreaking impacts throughout.

The human brain is still the most powerful computer in the world and when combined with the ability for creating new ideas and concepts and solving issues and problems through innovation the impact is substantial. So next time you are sat around the table trying to come up with a solution to an issue the project team is facing, look around and consider if everyone is in the right mind frame, free of stress … full of capacity… to be able to think….

REFERENCE

1 The future@work health report: Employees and their workplace.

Leighton Properties and Grosvenor Australia. Wesley Corporate Health (2008).

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Stat No 2

2 Business Case for Well-Being: The ‘Why’ Behind Well-being.

Building a strong and strategic business case for employee well-being programs. Benz Communications and Virgin Pulse (2015) 3 McCarthy, G., Almeida, S., & Ahrens, J. (2011). Understanding employee well-being practices in Australian organizations.

International Journal of Health, Wellness & Society, 1 (1), 181-198 4 Sick at Work The cost of presenteeism to your business and the economy. Medibank (2011) 5 Wellness and Productivity Management. Sims, J. (2010). Health and Productivity Congress.

6 The Wellness Imperative: Creating More Effective Organizations. The World Economic Forum in partnership with Right Management (2010)

About the Author

Giles Keay Giles Keay is Managing Director and Founder of Constructive (www.constructive.net.au) a specialist recruitment consultancy servicing the Built Environment, Infrastructure and Resources sectors.

His career spans both industry and recruitment for over 25 years in both the UK and Australia and his passion is leading highly productive teams with an emphasis on positivity and happiness in the workplace.

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Contact us Address: Tusculum, 3 Manning Street, Potts Point NSW 2011 Email: info@cibse.org.au Website: www.cibse.org.au

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