Facility Perspectives December 2014 – February 2015

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P E O P L E / / S PAC E S / / P R O D U CT I V I T Y

Facility Perspectives

>> Vol 8 no 4

December 2014–February 2015

t h e l e a d i n g r e s o u r c e f o r fac i l i t i e s m a n a g e m e n t i n Au st r a l a s i a

Sustainable construction training at SIEC

FM Awards for excellence winners

Official magazine of the Facility Management Association of Australia Print Post Approved 100019189 $9.95 inc GST



CEO message |

Message from the CEO

W

elcome to the December edition of Facility Perspectives. The year continues to be busy across the industry and within the association, which is why opportunities to step back from day-to-day tasks and recognise the important work being undertaken is key to an industry that strives for excellence. The recently held FM Industry Awards for Excellence provided such an opportunity. I would like to formally recognise all who entered for the high quality of their applications, and to congratulate the finalists and winners for their high-calibre projects. Given the quality of this year’s nominations, demonstrating outstanding achievement was no simple task, and, as such, the winners are certainly deserving of the accolades that they have received. With a record number of attendees representing all parts of the industry, this event continues to grow from strength to strength, and speaks to the importance that members place on achieving excellence. I look forward to seeing you again next year. As many of you will be aware, the development of an International Standard in facilities management continues to progress. ISO 18480, which contains two parts – terms and definitions, and the guide for service agreement development – is coming to the conclusion of the drafting process. In September, I was fortunate enough to have been supported by Standards Australia to represent Australia at the final meeting of the working group completing the draft development guide for service agreements. This ensured that

Nicholas Burt

Australia had a strong representative voice as the final discussion and drafting was completed. Both documents will be released for public consultation in the coming months, and the FMA will be hosting industry consultations to ensure that the views of all stakeholders are captured in the final phase of the Standard development. Pleasingly, in late October, as the Chair of the Australian Committee representing the ISO development, I received confirmation that a third section to the ISO has been approved, allowing the development of a management standard in facilities management. This great news, if successful, will ensure that facilities management is elevated to a businesscritical management discipline. In late September, I had the opportunity to attend the International Facilities Management conference in the United States. This provided an opportunity to liaise with counterparts from a number of associations internationally, including in Germany, Britain, Brazil, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United States. The discussions provided insight into the support that the industry receives across the globe, and an opportunity to hear from a range of international speakers on topics highlighting contemporary issues in facilities management in different countries. This has also provided some ideas about how to reshape some of the member benefits offered by FMA, and how these could be enhanced. Locally, there have been a number of important opportunities for feeding into government policy. Of particular interest

will be the submissions regarding NABERS – both the Indoor Environment Quality and Energy algorithms. These are important issues given their impact on facilities management, and having a representative voice will ensure that the perspective of facilities managers is considered in changes to the tools moving forward. NABERS also held a strategic review aimed at looking at the future of NABERS. Representing the association (and industry) in this forum, I was again able to ensure that members were considered in the discussions. In what has been a future-looking quarter, the call for papers for ideaction.2015 has recently closed. The committee is shaping the conference with some distinct differences to previous years, and the level of content will again be raised to ensure that the information is considered ‘must know’ across the industry. Again, I would like to congratulate all of our winners in the Awards for Excellence program, and to acknowledge the support of the companies that make the program possible through their partnerships. This year, there were a number of new partners, and I trust that you will consider a conversation with them in relation to your future needs. As this is the final edition for the 2014 calendar year, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your loved ones a very merry Christmas and festive season, and trust that you will embrace the challenges and the opportunities that will present themselves in 2015. If you have a break, I hope you have an enjoyable and safe time. Nicholas Burt Chief Executive Officer, FMA

Facility PerspectiveS | VOLUME 8 NUMBER 4

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| contents

Level 6, 313 La Trobe Street Melbourne VIC 3000 Tel: (03) 8641 6666 | Fax: (03) 8641 6600 Email: info@fma.com.au Web: www.fma.com.au

Contents CEO Message

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1

Message from the CEO

Industry update

6 Industry news 10 Keeping up to date on Standards 14 Emissions Reduction Fund to

target commercial buildings

24 Tasmanian branch site visit 26 Rise of the planet of FM

Published by

Advertising enquiries: Tel: (03) 9274 4200 Email: media@executivemedia.com.au Design: Alma McHugh Editorial contributors: Nicholas Burt, John Casey, Jennifer Harwood, Ammar AlShemery, Don Williams, Keran Carsburg, Rafael Palma, Bob Burton, Adam O’Brien, Samantha Hall, Eli Court, Dominik Holzer, Brett Fraser, Bryon Price, Mick Ward, Richard Gapper. Cover image: Sustainable Industries Education Centre, Tonsley Park, South Australia. Image © David Sievers. Stock images sourced from: iStock, ThinkStock and Getty Images.

The editor, publisher, printer and their staff and agents are not responsible for the accuracy or correctness of the text of contributions contained in this publication, or for the consequences of any use made of the products and information referred to in this publication. The editor, publisher, printer and their staff and agents expressly disclaim all liability of whatsoever nature for any consequences arising from any errors or omissions contained within this publication, whether caused to a purchaser of this publication or otherwise. The views expressed in the articles and other material published herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the editor and publisher or their staff or agents. The responsibility for the accuracy of information is that of the individual contributors, and neither the publisher nor editors can accept responsibility for the accuracy of information that is supplied by others. It is impossible for the publisher and editors to ensure that the advertisements and other material herein comply with the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth). Readers should make their own inquiries in making any decisions, and, where necessary, seek professional advice. © 2014 Executive Media Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is strictly prohibited.

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Building information modelling

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How building information modelling can benefit facilities managers

HVAC

ABN 30 007 224 204

430 William Street Melbourne VIC 3000 Tel: (03) 9274 4200 Fax: (03) 9329 5295 Email: media@executivemedia.com.au Web: www.executivemedia.com.au Offices also in Adelaide, Brisbane & Sydney Editor: Gemma Peckham Editorial enquiries: Tel: (03) 9274 4200 Email: gemma.peckham@executivemedia.com.au

New finance for energy and sustainability upgrades can help property managers gain a competitive edge

FM Industry Awards for Excellence 2014

17 Celebrating facilities management at the FM Industry Awards for Excellence

Emergency preparedness

66 Commercial air-conditioning systems – refrigerant considerations for today and the future R22 refrigerant phase-out options

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Maintenance & essential services

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70 Transforming a Gold Coast icon 74 Is the quality in ‘as-built’

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Facilities management and threats to public safety Are you prepared for the worst?

Green buildings

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From vehicle assembly to sustainable vocational asset Design and facilities harmony leads to sustainability benchmark Collaboration for an energy- resilient city

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operations and maintenance manuals causing non-compliance?

Health facilities

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World-class Bendigo Hospital well on track

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Sponsored articles 12 Staples Safety Solutions 15 Energy Services Australia 22 Programmed Property Services 25 Evo Energy Technologies 27 Metro Industrial Roof Restoration 28 EvacServices 36 Total Facilities 2015 41 SEED 46 ActronAir 52 SATEC (Australia) Pty Ltd

Facility PerspectiveS | VOLUME 8 NUMBER 4

56 Operational Intelligence 58 Schneider Electric Australia 60 Manhattan Software 63 Advanced Spatial Technologies 64 Specialized Engineering 73 Tennant 77 Roof & Building Service 79 Richard Jay 80 SKG Cleaning Services


2013–14 Facilities Management Industry Census: Trends & Insights Australia & New Zealand

The second annual Facilities Management Industry Census explores areas critical to the current and future state of facilities management in Australia, and for the first time New Zealand is also under the microscope. Following extensive industry consultation across both countries, the 2014 census identifies and analyses: • • • • •

Current and emerging trends Strengths and opportunities Issues and challenges Strategic development potential Direction of the industry toward 2017

To fully understand where the FM industry is and where it is heading Order your copy today! Principal partners:

Supporting partner:

Pricing:

To order your electronic or hardcopy: Visit www.fma.com.au to download an order form Alternatively, contact the Facilities Management Association of Australia on +61 3 8641 6666 or email info@fma.com.au

Electronic copies FMA & FMANZ Members: Free Non Members: $110 Hardcopies FMA Members: Free (limited availability) Non FMA Members: $60 Note: Once hardcopies are sold out, a cost to members will be determined at the time of re-printing.


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| industry update

Industry news Department releases method determination for commercial buildings energy efficiency On 25 September 2014, the Department of the Environment released the draft method for determination of carbon credits from commercial building energy efficiency. Its purpose is to support Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) projects that reduce emissions by undertaking energy efficiency upgrades in existing commercial buildings, using the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) to inform additionality assessments and quantify abatement. As part of our commitment to support and represent the facilities management industry, FMA has been actively cooperating with government and other industry groups in the development of the method.

For more information, contact FMA National Policy Coordinator on +61 3 8641 6601 or policy@fma.com.au.

Uncertainty remains around the RET In August, the Australian Government released its expert panel’s report reviewing the Renewable Energy Target (RET). Recommendations included closing the Large-scale Renewable Energy Target (LRET) to new entrants, or limiting the LRET to a share of projected growth in electricity demand; and abolishing the Small-scale Renewable Energy Target (SRES), or bringing forward the phase-out of the SRES. The government and the Opposition have recently indicated working towards a bilateral agreement that will determine the future of the RET. Since its introduction in 2011, the RET has generated considerable support, with a recent survey indicating that FM practitioners perceive the RET as an opportunity. Additionally, since 2011, there has been a surge in the take-up of commercial PV solar due to the SRES. As such, the FMA supports the RET, and urges government to continue its support of the take-up of small-scale renewable energy for commercial buildings.

Healthcare FMs hear about the future of standards Healthcare facilities management professionals attending the IHEA National Conference heard from the FMA’s National Policy Coordinator about the development of International Standards for FM, and the potential implications that this may have on the industry as a whole. As the development and potential adoption of Australian Standards relies upon participation and support from industry members, the FMA took hold of an opportunity to reach out to FM

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Facility PerspectiveS | VOLUME 8 NUMBER 4

professionals within the healthcare sector to inform them about the history and ongoing progress of the International Standard’s development, and Australia’s involvement and position.

If you are interested in learning more about the development of the International Standards, please do not hesitate to email policy@fma.com.au.

Review of the Commercial Building Disclosure program The Australian Government’s Department of Industry has appointed ACIL Allen Consulting to undertake an independent review of the Commercial Building Disclosure (CBD) program. The purpose of the review is to assess the CBD program’s objectives, the effectiveness of the program in promoting energy efficiency, and its interaction with the Emissions Reduction Fund. The review will provide recommendations on the merits of continuing the program, exploring any options for its future funding. Preliminary findings are expected to be delivered in December 2014, with a final report and recommendations conveyed to the Minister for Industry by March 2015.

For more information, visit www.industry.gov.au.

APCC releases guide to building and construction procurement Austroads and the Australasian Procurement and Construction Council (APCC) have released new procurement and contracting guidelines for the Australian Government’s road, bridge and non-residential building projects. The guide seeks to provide a collaborative framework for procurement and contracting, to address issues such as procurement of products and ensuring ‘built for purpose’. For example, those following the procurement guidelines would be expected to identify and avoid the insulated flexible duct products that have been found by Insulation Australasia to fail mandatory energy efficiency performance standards during operation.

For more information on the guidelines, visit www.apcc.gov.au. For more information on insulation product failings, visit www. insulationaustralasia.org.


industry update |

Australian Technologies Competition winners announced As a participant and supporter of the Australian Technologies Competition, the FMA would like to congratulate CINTEP for taking out the Built Environment sector award for their recycling shower system. Being able to reduce water and energy consumption by 70 per cent without reducing flow rate, temperature or time in the shower, this innovation was seen as a remarkable product due to its potential cost savings and its military capability to reduce operational fatalities by reducing the number of supply convoys that transport water to the front line.

For more information on the top winners and other sector award winners, visit www.austechcomp.com.

New energy audit standards for the property, industrial and transport sectors Standards Australia has published three new Standards for energy audits – replacing AS/NZS 3598:2000 Energy audits – to assist organisations to decide on the appropriate type of audit for their activities. The suite of three new Australian Standards provides separate instruction for the energy audit of commercial buildings, industrial and related activities, and transport-related activities. The three documents include: 33 AS/NZS 3598.1 Energy audits – Part 1: Commercial buildings 33 AS/NZS 3598.2 Energy audits – Part 2: Industrial and related activities 33 AS/NZS 3598.3 Energy audits – Part 3: Transport-related activities. These standards should provide consistency and professionalism in the management of energy, with energy audits being an integral part of the energy management process.

For more information, visit the Standards Australia website: www.standards.org.au.

Largest government procurement of services finalised The signing of the final five contracts for support services at Defence bases in August signalled the end of the largest single procurement of its type undertaken by the Commonwealth. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence the Hon. Darren Chester MP said that the contract signing brought to a conclusion the multi-billion-dollar Base Services Re-tender, which Defence commenced in 2012. Ten contracts with a total value of about $10 billion have been signed, each with an initial term of six years and up to four years of extensions. The companies that successfully won the 10 contracts include: Brookfield Johnson Controls Pty Ltd, Compass Group (Australia) Pty Ltd, DynCorp (Aust) Pty Ltd (trading as Augility), MSS Security Pty Ltd, Spotless Facility Services Pty Ltd, UGL Services Pty Ltd, Aurecon Australia Pty Ltd, Transfield Services, Veolia Environmental Services Pty Ltd and Wilson Security.

Westadium consortium signs deal with Western Australian Government Westadium, a consortium led by Brookfield and John Laing, has reached financial close with the Western Australian Government on the new Perth Stadium and Sports Precinct. The finalisation of the contract allows Westadium to design, build, partially finance and maintain the Perth Stadium and Sports Precinct. Work is expected to commence at the end of this year, with completion expected to be in time for the 2018 AFL season. The Westadium consortium provides specialist expertise for each stage of the Stadium’s life: 33 John Laing is the investor and manager for the project. 33 Brookfield Multiplex is the design and construction contractor. 33 Brookfield Financial is the financial adviser. 33 Brookfield Johnson Controls is the facilities manager for 25 years.

For more details, visit www.perthstadium.com.au.

Built environment sector calls for distributed energy generation commissioner Australia’s peak body of organisations committed to a sustainable built environment has called on federal, state and local governments to work together to maintain the Renewable Energy Target and appoint a commissioner to support the rollout of distributed generation in Australia. ASBEC released its policy platform for ‘Distributed Energy’ on 20 September 2014. The policy platform outlines the reforms to energy market regulations and other policies needed to unlock the potential of distributed generation, and ensure that benefits are delivered to consumers. FMA Australia is a participating member of ASBEC.

For more information, visit www.asbec.asn.au.

Draft revision of AS/NZS 3500.4, Plumbing and Drainage – Part 4: Heated water services released for public comment Standards Australia released a draft revision of AS/NZS 3500.4 Plumbing and Drainage – Part 4: Heated water services, for public comment, on 13 October 2014. The revision of the standards setting out the requirements for the design, installation and commissioning of heated water services includes the following main changes: 33 reduction of the maximum water velocity for circulatory pipework 33 revision to the installation requirements for solar water heaters, including clarification of the requirements for the installation, orientation and inclination of collectors 33 alignment with the requirements of the Plumbing Code of Australia.

The closing date for public comment is 15 December 2014. All draft standards for public comment, and instructions on how to comment, are listed at the following link: https://sapc.standards.org.au/sapc/public/ listOpenCommentingPublication.action.

Programmed takes out top prize at Master Painters

Facility PerspectiveS | VOLUME 8 NUMBER 4

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| industry news update

Australia (Vic/Tas) event

JLL releases third-quarter statistics on CBD offices

Programmed received ‘Best New Commercial Project of the Year’ for the McBride Charles Ryan architects and National Gallery of Victoria Community Hall project at the Master Painters Australia (Vic/Tas) Awards for Excellence 2014. The multicoloured Community Hall was the main exhibition space for the Melbourne Now festival, which hosted at least 600 events during the course of the exhibition. Programmed was employed to project manage the construction of the hall, as well as to use its inhouse corporate imaging, painting and grounds teams. Programmed was also presented with the Enviropainter Award for the work carried out for Brown Brothers.

JLL research has released its third-quarter (Q3) statistics on the national office markets, reporting a positive net absorption of 19,800 square metres, and a stabilisation of the national CBD office market vacancy rate. While Sydney recorded a third successive quarter of positive net absorption in Q3 (15,100 square metres) and a net absorption of 42,400 square metres over the first nine months of 2014, Melbourne CBD recorded 27,400 square metres of positive net absorption, and a reduction in the vacancy rate to 10.6 per cent in Q3. Both Brisbane and Perth recorded negative net absorption (-2700 square metres and -13,300 square metres respectively), resulting in vacancy rate increases to 16.7 per cent for Brisbane CBD, and 14.7 per cent for Perth CBD. These results also see Perth CBD having the highest A-grade office vacancy in the country, standing at 15.8 per cent.

Prefabrication initiative recognised by 2014 Victorian WorkCover Awards A.G. Coombs has been presented with the ‘Best Solution to a Specific Workplace Health and Safety Issue’ Award at this year’s Victorian WorkCover Authority Health and Safety Awards, announced on 9 October 2014. The winning entry referenced the significant prefabrication works undertaken at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity – a complex new university building in Melbourne. A.G. Coombs was responsible for the installation of mechanical services and airconditioning and ventilation systems, and installed what was at the time the largest prefabricated services riser in Australia. Construction of the Doherty risers entailed the off-site manufacturing of 18 three-storey-high sections, containing airconditioning and ventilation ductwork, and pipework. These were transported to site and crane-lifted into place to make up the 21-metre-wide, three-metre-deep and 10-storey-high services riser. This innovation resulted in the elimination of a significant number of hours of complicated on-site work.

For more on the Victorian WorkCover Authority Health and Safety Awards, visit www.worksafeawards.com.au.

DTZ launches the Future Financial Workplace report A report published by DTZ points to the need for banks of the future to fundamentally change the size, shape and location of their property portfolios in order to adapt to the challenges of talent retention, technology, geography, cost pressures and increased regulation. The report, carried out in conjunction with consultancy Unwork, interviewed senior figures in the banking, property and HR industries to predict potential changes to the sector. Some of the predictions include more investment in workplaces and workplace technology. These investements are expected to be largely driven by a push towards offering better workplace environments and flexibility.

For more information, visit www.dtz-ugl.com.

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Facility PerspectiveS | VOLUME 8 NUMBER 4

For more information, visit www.jll.com.au.

Encouraging signs for both global and local construction Rider Levett Bucknall’s third-quarter 2014 International Report confirms that the industry is seeing encouraging signs of construction recovery more than five years on from the global financial crisis. Prepared by RLB Global Research and Development, the biannual International Report uses global construction cost data to chart tender price index movements within and between 41 key global markets, including the majority of capital cities in Australia and New Zealand. According to the RLB report, global activity has broadly strengthened and is expected to improve further in 2014 and 2015, with much of the impetus coming from the advanced economies (United States and Canada in North America; most nations in Europe; Japan and the Asian tigers; as well as Australia and New Zealand). RLB offices in Australia are predicting construction cost increases of between 1.5 per cent and 4.0 per cent for 2014.

For more information, visit www.rlb.com.

Low Carbon Living (LCL) Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) launches Education Policy project The provision of post-qualification education and training to support the Australian built environment is currently inadequate as a result of ineffective policy frameworks undermining the transition to an LCL future, incentive constraints and leadership shortcomings. To resolve the policy impediments, the LCL CRC has launched a research project to analyse current policies, impediments and incentives for LCL education in Australia. The outcomes of the study are expected to include a suite of policy recommendations drawn from international best practice, and a proposed timeline aiming to increase workforce participation.


industry updatE nEws |

in our capacity as an australian sustainable Built environment council (asBec) representative, the FMa will be involved in this process, and is committed to ensuring that the operational and maintenance phase of the built environment’s life cycle is not ignored.

GPT Group named global real estate leader in 2014 Dow Jones Sustainability Index the GPt group has been rated number one in the real estate category by the Dow Jones sustainability index (DJsi) for four out of the past six years. the DJsi measures the performance of the world’s sustainability leaders. companies are assessed on long-term economic, environmental and social criteria that account for general, as well as industry-specific, sustainability trends. Other industry leaders from australia include Westpac Banking corp (Banks) and Woolworths ltd (Food & staples retailing).

Opening of Sustainable Buildings Research Centre the sustainable Buildings research centre at New south Wales’s University of Wollongong, which is targeting australia’s first living Building challenge certification, has been officially opened. the facility is a sustainable building with a sustainability agenda, created as a research hub for the task of retrofitting australia’s building stock using lab-based academic inquiry, and also by using the building fabric itself for research. the building incorporates a ‘plug and play’ system that allows experimental technologies to be plugged into the building’s power, and water and waste distribution and treatment systems so that researchers can modify the building’s services and then analyse occupants’ responses.

For more information, visit sbrc.ouw.edu.au.

For more information on the DJSI, please visit www.sustainability-indices.com.

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Facility PersPectives | vOlUMe 8 NUMBer 4

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| industry update

Keeping up to date on standards Jennifer Harwood, Senior National Sector Manager for Building and Construction, Standards Australia, provides an update on Standards development in the building and construction sector. New energy audit Standards for the property, industrial and transport sectors

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nergy audits can greatly help the energy management process. They determine how efficiently energy is being consumed, identify cost-saving opportunities, and highlight potential improvements in building services and occupant comfort. Standards Australia has published three new joint Australian/New Zealand Standards for energy audits. Of the three, AS/NZS 3598.1 Energy audits – Part 1 provides instruction for the energy audit of commercial buildings; while Part 2 provides instruction for industrial and related activities. Part 3 is related to transport activities. These energy audit documents are designed to allow organisations to better assess the energy performance of their activities, and to enable better energy performance. The documents were prepared by Standards Australia’s Technical Committee EN-001 Energy Auditing. The work was funded and supported by the Commonwealth Department of Industry, state governments, and the Government of New Zealand.

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Windows and external glazed doors in buildings As summer arrives, many home and office building owners may turn their minds to a refresh of their building exteriors, and this may sometimes involve changing windows and doors. Standards Australia’s Technical Committee BD-021 is responsible for doors and windows. The BD-021 committee members have recently completed work on revising AS 2047:1999 Windows in Buildings. The 2014 edition of AS 2047 – Windows and External Glazed Doors in Buildings was released in September. It sets out requirements for construction, installation and glazing for external windows, doors, adjustable louvres, shopfronts and window walls. Main changes to this edition include: 33 adding requirements for hinged, pivot and bi-fold doors to the scope 33 updating wind pressures for housing to align with AS 4055 Wind loads for housing 33 providing additional guidance on test results for larger windows 33 revising Appendix A: Guide to wind pressures, ensuring alignment with AS 1170.2 Structural design actions – Wind actions.

Manufacturing requirements for single-point anchor devices used for harness-based work at height The joint Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 5532:2013 Manufacturing requirements for single-point anchor device used for harness-based work at height was prepared by the joint Technical Committee SF-015, Industrial Height Safety Equipment. It was published on 30 October 2013. This voluntary Standard was prepared to supplement the AS/NZS 1891 series of standards. It covers manufacturing

Facility PerspectiveS | VOLUME 8 NUMBER 4

performance requirements, test methods for manufacture, and labelling of both fixed and portable single-point anchor devices. It is exclusively for the protection of personnel against falls from a height for fall arrest, work positioning and travel restriction (restraint technique) in an industrial environment. The Standard does not cover other related application issues, such as site assessment to complete the design, layout and safety of the anchor system, which are the responsibilities of the system designer; or the correct on-site installation and testing of the anchor points in their particular locations, which are the responsibilities of the system installer. In September 2014, Standards Australia received four proposals to revise AS/NZS 5532:2013. Standards Australia will carefully review those proposals as a matter of priority, and stakeholder support will be sought through public engagement forums as appropriate.

Get LinkedIn Keep up to date with Standards developments in the building and construction sector, and join the Standards Australia Building and Construction LinkedIn group. We are now more than 900 strong and our membership is growing steadily. To join, look for Standards Australia – Building and Construction via the LinkedIn search function. Visit the Standards Australia website (www.standards.org.au) or contact Standards Australia to find out more.


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| industry update

Emissions Reduction Fund to target commercial buildings By John casey, national policy coordinator, facility management association of australia In 2010–11, approximately 20 per cent of Australia’s emissions were a result of Scope 1 and Scope 2 building emissions. Overall, grid-supplied electricity consumption from buildings amounts to 18 per cent of all emissions, with a further two per cent created by direct fuel combustion, such as gas or wood for heating, hot water systems and cooking. According to ClimateWorks Australia’s ‘Tracking progress towards a low carbon economy’, within the buildings sector there is currently potential for 29 megatonnes of CO2-e to be abated through commercial building energy efficiency.

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iven this, it is no surprise that the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF), the current government centrepiece for the Direct Action Plan includes the commercial building sector to assist in reducing carbon emissions. In June, the government introduced into parliament a bill to implement the ERF through amendments to the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act 2011. The purpose of the proposed amendments is to allow businesses, local governments, community organisations and individuals to undertake approved emissions reduction projects, and to seek funding from the government for those projects through a reverse auction or other purchasing process.

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According to the Emissions Reduction Fund White Paper, the Minister will approve activity-based and facility methods that meet the requirements of the ERF, and have business support. To gain business support, the government set up a number of technical working groups, one of which was targeted towards building energy efficiency. The FMA has been an active participant in the technical working group, to ensure that the method for determination can efficiently and effectively be applied within the built environment sector, particularly for existing buildings. One of the key positions the FMA has publicly supported and requested is for the ERF to reduce complexities by taking into consideration the use of existing methodologies, such as the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS), when determining baselines and assessing abatement paybacks. FMA only supports the use of new methodologies where no reliable alternatives exist (for instance, NABERS only applies to commercial office spaces of 2000 square metres or more). As active participants on the task force, it came as no surprise that on 25 September 2014, the Department of the Environment released the ‘Commercial building energy efficiency method determinations’, using NABERS to inform additionality assessments and quantify abatements. Despite some success in advocating for the ERF to avoid complexities, there still appear to be some significant barriers to ensuring that the ERF is designed to maximise participation from the built environment sector, while achieving lowest abatement costs. For example, according to the current white paper, the government has settled on a minimum bid size of 2000 tonnes of

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CO2-e per year on average over the life of the contract. This high minimum bid size is expected to rule out most single-building upgrade retrofits, requiring projects to be aggregated. Due to the difficulty and potential risks associated with aggregating projects owned by multiple parties, the ERF is likely to only be accessible to building owners with large building portfolios. To further support and represent the industry, the FMA has reviewed and assessed the proposed changes to the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act 2011 and the proposed ‘Commercial building energy efficiency method determination’, and has provided a response and suggestions, aligned with the position of the association and its members. These include: 33 efficient and effective use of the built environment as a source for potential low-cost abatement 33 method determination that also includes buildings not currently using NABERS 33 mitigating any risks from the change of government 33 appropriate resourcing and administration of the ERF.

The public consultation period for the ‘Commercial buildings energy efficiency method determination’ closed in October. For more detail on the FMA’s position on the Emissions Reduction Fund and/or details regarding its response to the consultation, contact our National Policy Coordinator at policy@fma.com.au.


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he vast majority of FRICO air curtains are supplied with the in-built SIRe intelligent control system, which operates the air curtain automatically by adapting to the changes in the entrance conditions. How does it work? Intelligent Depending on how often the door is opened/closed, or if it is left open continuously, the integrated SIRe system controls the air curtain operation so that optimal comfort and energy efficiency is achieved. Proactive By measuring the outdoor temperature, SIRe (AA only) calculates the difference between that temperature and the indoor temperature, and adjusts the fan speed and/or heat output accordingly. Adaptive SIRe has the capacity to learn precisely what happens at the entrance as it maintains acoustic comfort by ensuring that air speeds are correctly regulated. Building Management System Options are endless – either by 0–10-volt signals (controlling on/off, fan

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speed, heating and alarm), or complete control of all functions via gateway (two threaded) or BUS communication. Calendar function This is available for all days of the week to allow start/stop with the business opening and closing times. Simple installation All components are supplied as a kit. The system self-checks that all is correct in operation and functions. Preset default settings ensure that the system starts immediately, but these can be altered to suit each application. Eco mode To increase energy efficiency even further, SIRe (AA only) can be set to ‘Eco mode’. This alters settings to reduce energy usage, but maintains acceptable operating conditions. Energy savings are up to 35 per cent.

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FM Industry Awards for Excellence 2014 |

Celebrating facilities management at the FM Industry Awards for Excellence

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he FM Awards for Excellence recognise the hard work and dedication of the individuals, teams and companies whose leading and innovative practices are meeting today’s facilities management challenges, while inspiring the industry leaders of tomorrow. The Grand Hyatt Melbourne came alive on 20 November as the facilities management industry celebrated another great year of leadership and innovation. Congratulations go to all those who nominated for the Awards, which are presented by the Facility Management Association of Australia. The quality of the entries was of an exceptional standard, providing a real challenge for the judges. The FMA is exceptionally proud of this year’s finalists, those who were highly commended, and in particular the winners of the 2014 FM Industry Awards for Excellence. They are:

Facilities Manager of Year

Young Achiever of the Year

Awarded for outstanding personal performance by an individual facilities management practitioner.

Proudly supported by Awarded for strong commitment to facilities management by a professional under the age of 35.

Winner – Rebecca Yearsley, Contract Manager for Transport Shared Services, DTZ Rebecca is a talented FM professional with a wealth of information – not only about her contract, but about the business and the industry. Having worked her way up the facilities career ladder, Rebecca has become a well-respected member of the New South Wales team, and a great mentor within the business. Rebecca’s desire to do better in all that she does is reflected in her work and her relationships, both internal and external, and on top of that, she is a delight to work with.

Finalists: Gaurav Thakkar, Engineering and Operations Director, JLL (in partnership with ANZ) Over the past 12 months, Gaurav has delivered exceptional results, including savings for his client of almost $2 million. He is regarded as a subject matter expert and a trusted adviser by both JLL and ANZ. Gaurav is highly committed to the FM industry, and is constantly striving to improve operational effectiveness through innovation and change management, and learning and implementing best practice from peer and non-peer industries, both nationally and internationally. Brad Costello, Head of Occupier Services, Client Account DTZ Brad Costello personifies the required skill sets for a facilities manager in a contemporary organisation. Under Brad’s leadership, his team of more than 150 people across 1600 leased premises has successfully synthesised the requirements of managing an agile and distributed environment – where work is a thing you do; not a place you go – by ensuring that the right level of physical support exists to complement and enhance the virtual and cultural business requirements of the organisation.

Winner – Basel El-Ahmadieh, Facilities Manager, Commonwealth Bank of Australia Basel is a dedicated facilities manager who always puts the client first. His can-do attitude has allowed him to grow from a property support position into a facilities manager in a very short period of time. Basel’s adaptability to the constantly changing property environment means that he has positioned himself well to become a leader of tomorrow. Basel consistently delivers accurate budgets, drives sustainability initiatives, and implements best practice maintenance procedures and industry-leading practices.

Finalists: Bryce Green, Projects Program/Facilities Manager, Brookfield Johnson Controls Bryce continually demonstrates a strong commitment to his career in facilities management and the industry. He’s dedicated to his role, has achieved client savings and team time efficiencies, and has implemented successful sustainability initiatives. Bryce always makes an effort to share his knowledge for the promotion of the profession, to apply his learning experiences, and to participate in continuous development. He’s a team player who exhibits exceptional personal qualities and regularly receives glowing reviews from everyone he works with.

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| Fm industry awards FOr ExCEllEnCE 2014

Mark Evans, Senior Facilities Manager, Westfield Mark played an instrumental role as facilities manager across key developments in the Westfield victorian portfolio, where he managed competing priorities and multiple stakeholders to assist in the delivery of the project vision. Mark has continued his professional development with his appointment as senior Facilities Manager in south australia, where he has displayed key leadership behaviours and harnessed the south australian Facilities team to deliver a number of initiatives, achieving both sustainability savings and business outcomes.

Provider of FM Services In-house Proudly supported by awarded for market-leading and innovative provision of facilities management services within an organisation.

Winner – Mirvac Facility Management, in-house provider for Mirvac’s Office and Retail Portfolio

Collaborative Partnerships

Mirvac Facility Management provides exceptional client focus, innovation and valueadded services to ensure that the company’s clients’ challenging sustainability initiatives are achieved. MFM has implemented prudent capital expenditure and focused operational management to deliver on its clients’ NaBers targets ahead of schedule for three consecutive years, taking Mirvac’s Office portfolio to an average 5.1 stars (without green power).

awarded to a service provider and supplier that have collaboratively partnered to deliver innovative and integrated solutions for their client.

Winner – Programmed Facility Management and GenerationOne, Indigenous Employment Partnerships Four years ago, Programmed implemented a 10-year strategy to attract and retain talented aboriginal and torres strait islander people. central to the success of this strategy is the Programmed partnership with GenerationOne, which was formed to create real and sustainable employment to end indigenous disadvantage. the collaboration has enabled Programmed to develop a successful framework for indigenous engagement. this framework can be used by others in the facilities management industry who share a similar desire to end disparity between indigenous and non-indigenous australians by creating sustainable employment opportunities.

Finalists: JLL and Intact Group, JLL & Intact Partnership Telstra Account Partnering with the intact Group for telstra, Jll has created a collaborative strategic relationship that delivers an innovative and integrated solution. By consolidating more than 150 vendors into just one national partner, Jll and intact have developed a model that addresses productivity and cost-effectiveness, while enhancing the customer experience of FM services. the partnership has delivered ongoing savings of $1.5 million per annum, and the approach is now being trialled or explored across the wider Jll business. Facility Management Victoria Pty Ltd and Nogueira Alliance, FMV Technology, development of building specific mobile apps FMv technology Pty ltd is the outcome of a collaborative partnership between a facilities management company and a software development company. the knowledge and experience from both parties have found a solution to a longstanding issue: how to effectively communicate and have information readily available for the occupants of any building. they are using the latest mobile app technology to achieve a successful and wellreceived outcome. apps are the future of communication.

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Finalist: Woolworths, Retail FM – a subsidiary of Woolworths Limited retail FM is a subsidiary of Woolworths limited. this business has been established and aligned to the wider Woolworths limited group to enable it to become australia’s leading in-house facilities management business, and it provides industry-leading engineering, service and support to its stores and internal customers. Having access to an in-house service provider means that the Woolworths group is able to benefit from the innovative and industry-leading technology and practices put in place by retail FM.

Provider of FM Services Outsourced awarded for market-leading and innovative provision of contracted facilities management services.

Winner – Five D Holdings Pty Ltd, Five D and Goodstart Early Learning Partnership Five D provides outsourced facilities management services for Goodstart early learning (Goodstart) across its 650-site, national


FM Industry Awards for Excellence 2014 |

childcare centre portfolio. Goodstart operates as a not-for-profit organisation, and all surplus funds generated are invested back into initiatives for the benefit of Australian children. Five D supports Goodstart in achieving its three strategic goals of quality, inclusion and stability. In the first 12 months of the partnership, Five D delivered approximately $1 million in savings, and increased compliance to more than 99 per cent.

Finalists: DTZ, Australia Post Account DTZ is Australia Post’s outsourced FM service provider. The relationship commenced in April 2009. In meeting Australia Post strategic deliverables for the 2013/2014 financial year, working collaboratively with Australia Post, DTZ formulated new and innovative facilities management strategies that delivered tangible benefits to Australia Post. These strategies, coupled with a strong relationship history, have resulted in significant expansion from a specific FM service base to a portfolio-wide delivery model encompassing Program and Project Management and Workplace Occupancy Management. Brookfield Johnson Controls, Integrated technical outsourced FM Brookfield Johnson Controls provides best practice integrated facilities management solutions for Energex, an electricity network provider. This service includes hard and soft facilities management, full financial management and project management. The outsourced model plays a key role in improving services to customers by increasing facilities performance. Brookfield has proven that they deliver tangible savings and improved sustainability while ensuring full compliance through their ISO-accredited and integrated safety, quality and environmental management system.

Highly Commended – A.G. Coombs, Charter Hall Victorian Buildings, Building Energy Optimisation Program Improving the energy efficiency of existing buildings is recognised as a prime opportunity to reduce Australia’s carbon footprint. Many buildings do not operate at optimal levels, and getting them to perform to a level at which they are capable is a challenge that requires a strong and coordinated facilities team effort involving the building owner, facilities manager Knight Frank and technical experts. The Charter Hall Building Energy Optimisation Program provides an exemplar for enhancing the environmental sustainability of facilities management operations.

Finalist: Brookfield Johnson Controls, Client savings and waste reduction – Energex Brookfield Johnson Controls provides best practice facilities management solutions that improve sustainability for its clients, ensuring full compliance through its ISO-accredited and integrated safety, quality and environmental management system. Brookfield Johnson Controls reduced one site’s level of landfill by 490 cubic metres, and increased recyclable materials. Training has enabled this initiative to be sustainable for our environment long-term. Brookfield Johnson Controls is now in the process of reviewing all sites to see how this initiative can be implemented elsewhere.

Government Facilities Management Services Awarded to the government department or entity (local, state or federal) that, through procurement or internal activities, has delivered market-leading provision of facilities management services.

Sustainability & Environmental Impact

Winner – Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust, Centennial Parklands Technology Initiative

Proudly supported by

The Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust (the Trust) made the assessment that the traditional approach to parklands, and open space maintenance and operations, had become inefficient and cost-prohibitive. The Trust resolved to re-establish its parklands facilities management functions through the implementation of technology. Subsequently, the Trust undertook the Centennial Parklands Technology Initiative, which involved the planning, procurement and implementation of three major technology-based management and automation projects, designed to streamline service delivery and minimise labour and utility costs.

Awarded for leading practical implementation of innovative projects and/or processes to enhance the social, environmental and economic sustainability of facilities management operations.

Winner – Brookfield Johnson Controls, The Great DeClutter, Moving to Activity Based Working The Great De-Clutter program developed by Brookfield Johnson Controls provided invaluable support for the company’s valued client MSD’s property consolidation into their new Macquarie Park headquarters. The project’s primary aim was to capture and divert all non-required fixtures, fittings, furniture and stationery items from landfill. The program aimed to re-use, recycle and repurpose as much as possible, while supporting MSD’s charity and community partners, and sustainability goals. This successful program has since been repeated across other facilities.

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| FM Industry Awards for Excellence 2014

Finalist:

People and Productivity

Hobsons Bay City Council, ESM Compliance Initiative Essential safety measures (ESM) in buildings are maintained to varying standards, depending on when the building was constructed. These requirements are subject to the Building ACT 1993 and Building regulations 2006. At Hobsons Bay, there are 180 council buildings; the project’s aim was to ensure that essential safety measures in all 180 buildings were maintained to the latest standard, and were compliant with the regulatory requirements.

Awarded for leading practical implementation of projects and/ or processes to enhance the experiences of occupants and improve productivity outcomes of the facility.

Occupant Safety & Wellbeing Proudly supported by

Awarded for leading practical implementation of practices and strategies aimed to enhance the safety and wellbeing of occupants.

Winner – Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Group Property Over the past year, Group Property has transformed an array of services and processes that support the Commonwealth Bank Group; engaging their team and empowering them to improve service, reduce costs, or to simply cut red tape that impacts on the efficient operation of their commercial and retail properties. This powerful combination of staff engagement and productivity has resulted in Group Property obtaining CBA internal accreditation for ‘process excellence’, as well as a number of productivity awards; delivering annualised savings in excess of $2 million, derived through process improvement initiatives; and exceeding global best practice in employee engagement.

Finalists: Winner – DTZ, Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development DTZ is responsible for ensuring 24-hour help desk, emergency response, reinstatement, asbestos remediation and asbestos training to more than 1700 schools across Victoria for the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD). The service, provided since May 2013, has ensured ‘business as usual’ for the schools, causing minimal (if any) disruption to school programs and students’ learning, and has become an integral and professional service providing peace of mind to school principals.

DTZ, Access Anywhere/DTZ Technology Suite DTZ’s Access Anywhere Productivity applications enables better and faster business and property decisions. Access Anywhere incorporates an interactive reporting suite, intuitive mobile apps, and future vision projects. Efficiencies are achieved by having instant access to relevant information and on-the-spot reporting, which optimises property portfolio performance and asset life cycle as an extension of implementing rapidly evolving technologies. Exploring and applying new technology like this also results in promoting the FM industry, generating more general interest, thereby widening the pool of prospective (smarter, technology-savvy and like-minded) employees.

Finalist: Hobsons Bay City Council, ESM Compliance Initiative Essential safety measures in buildings are maintained to varying standards, depending on when the building was constructed. These requirements are subject to the Building ACT 1993 and Building regulations 2006. At Hobsons Bay, there are 180 council buildings; the project’s aim was to ensure that essential safety measures in all 180 buildings were maintained to the latest standard, and were compliant with the regulatory requirements.

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Grosvenor Engineering Group, Data – Knowledge – Action Grosvenor is changing the reactive approach of the HVAC/fire service industry by empowering facilities managers to make much more informed total asset life cycle decisions via: 1. dashboards that provide unparalleled transparency on the critical issues impacting the performance of the hard technical assets (HVAC and fire) that affect building occupants 2. a ‘smart’ quoting format that delivers critical asset knowledge to facilities managers, enabling more informed decision-making on quoted works under consideration.


Fm industry awards FOr ExCEllEnCE 2014 |

Energy Efficiency

Based on 2005 baselines, GPt has: reduced energy intensity by 34 per cent reduced emissions intensity by 42 per cent reduced electricity and gas related costs by $17.8 million in 2013 3 Offset 112,247 tonnes of cO2-e greenhouse gases for the year 2013.

awarded for leading and innovative projects and/or processes to enhance energy-efficiency outcomes through facilities management operations.

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Winner – The GPT Group, Energy Efficiency Program the GPt Group manages or owns more than $16 billion in property assets around australia. GPt is committed to reducing its environmental impact, aspiring to be an overall positive contributor to environmental sustainability. Due to their ongoing commitment, 2014 marked 10 years of the Group’s energy efficiency program, reducing costs to customers and driving down greenhouse gas emissions.

Highly Commended – Crown Melbourne Limited, Crown Melbourne Complex Energy Efficiency Upgrade the crown Melbourne complex consists of more than 500,000 square metres of gross floor area, three hotels, 6500 members of staff and 3300 contractors, and is visited by more than 16 million people every year. Over the last four years, crown has embarked on a complex-wide energy efficiency upgrade project that has resulted in reduced total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of 26,500 tonnes of cO2-e, equating to 16.8 per cent, and GHG intensity of 28.9 per cent per eBitDa and 17.8 per cent per square metre. this is equivalent to powering 2200 homes, or taking 6600 cars off the streets.

Finalist: A.G. Coombs, Charter Hall Victorian Buildings, Building Energy Optimisation Program improving the energy efficiency of existing buildings is recognised as a prime opportunity to reduce australia’s carbon footprint. Many buildings do not operate at optimal levels, and getting them to perform to a level at which they are capable is a challenge that requires a strong and coordinated facilities team effort, involving the building owner, facilities manager Knight Frank and technical experts. the charter Hall Building energy Optimisation Program provides an exemplar for enhancing the environmental sustainability of facilities management operations.

Welcome Partner:

industry support Partner:

Galaxy Partners:

Images of the 2014 FM Industry Awards for Excellence can be viewed on the FMA Flickr site: www.flickr.com/photos/fmaaustralia/sets

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Digital signage in today’s facilities BY BEN BRITTEN (PROGRAMMED DIGITAL SIGNAGE CONSULTANT)

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here’s no denying that the current demand for digital signage is of paramount importance, with an evergrowing need to increase customer engagement via marketing content and to differentiate ourselves from our competitors. But before you jump headfirst into digital signage, you need to first address three important questions of what, where and how. Over the past four years, digital signage has transformed the way we look at the content we use and its location. Digital signage is now a $15 billion industry, and it’s only a matter of time before this becomes a standard inclusion in any facility. Long past are the days of printed media with a monthly to quarterly shelf life, containing one dimensional graphics that merge into each other as we all go about our day-to-day lives. Nowadays, to gain that competitive edge it’s imperative to display the right content at the right time – to be able to react to major changes, be they news, weather, traffic, or even competitor campaigns. Creating a new engagement and being a brand that is on top of what you and I are conscious about at that time gives that edge. Digital signage can achieve this. It has the ability to display live content and this results in it becoming an uninterrupted, live branded channel in the face of our customers. With the vast amount of digital signage hardware and software being pushed onto the market, the first thing you need to do when considering digital signage is to ask these two questions: 3 What content do you want to display? 3 Where do you want this content displayed? Hardware becomes a ‘means to an end’ and knowing the answers to these two questions will narrow down your hardware selection drastically and inevitably reduce costs, whereas selecting a product first and then asking these questions later can become an extremely timely and costly experience.

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Internal displays come in many ranges depending on hours of use, size and brightness requirements. External screens have now moved away from single-colour ‘ticker’ screens to high, bright LCD displays and large, full high-definition LED displays. Brightness levels and viewing distances are the major factors to consider here. LED digital displays have become more affordable in recent years, making them more common in a variety of industries. Combining the right content and hardware can give a ‘pleasing to the eye’ solution, unlike past LED technologies. Controlling the content on individual displays or across a large global network is a readily available option, with cloudbased content management systems (CMS). When selecting a CMS, the third vital question you need to ask is how: how will we show content? Will it be managed internally or externally? I have supplied various clients with software licenses and training courses to have the ability to own and manage their own content and scheduling, only to revisit them three months later and see the same below-average content playing on a continuous loop, the reason being that staff members have forgotten to change it or the trained employee has since left the company and no one else knows how to control it. Resources need to be considered. Consider having the software provider manage it for you. If not, make sure your software provider includes a rapid response ticketing service or similar. 24-hour support is critical when managing this in-house, to aid in these times of need. Combining the right corporate imaging with the latest technologies is becoming a more noticeable trend across Australia and New Zealand in many industries. Bridging the knowledge and experience of marketing with IT within a business is imperative to reach the ultimate goal of being noticed. For more information on digital signage and the full turnkey solution, contact Programmed Property Services.

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Tasmanian Branch site visit Officially launched at ideaction.2013, the relatively new Tasmanian branch of the FMA is ramping up its activities, including site visits to facilities unique to Tassie. Chairman Phil Heard reports on a recent visit to the supply ship Aurora Australis.

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raggedy crew from the Tasmanian facilities management industry joined in on an FMA-organised Antarctic adventure with a recent visit to the Australian Antarctic Divisions supply ship, the Aurora Australis, which was chartered from P&O for the summer to resupply the

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bases in the deep south. A mix of 20 facilities managers, including FMA members and nonmembers, was led by Samantha Pascoe from TasNetworks on this unique site visit. The FMA crew first headed to the rear lower deck, where essential maintenance on a range of equipment was being undertaken for the new season prior to departure. From here, the intrepid crew ventured to what was originally known as the hub of the ship. As this is no longer a wet ship, the area is now used for quiet contemplation, and, when in port, for sorting and cataloguing equipment before heading southward. The FM gang then headed through the dining and kitchen areas to the storage hull, where they were briefed on the logistical nightmare of ensuring that everything is in

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order for offloading goods at their assigned bases. Getting it right is essential, with everything running to a very tight time frame. From here, the group ventured to the Bridge, where the entire crew had some fun staging a mutiny as they tried to take over the helm; Captain Pascoe, however, maintained control of her motley crew. The tour also included the radar and iceberg/whale-watching deck, where we were treated to a stunning view of Hobart’s beautiful port from above – something that we are inclined to take for granted at times. From here, the FMA crew disembarked, full of knowledge about many aspects of an Antarctic voyage, and headed to the Customs House for some relaxed networking.


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| industry update

Rise of the planet of FM BY Ammar Al-Shemery, insead business school Despite the evolution of the facilities management (FM) industry over the past two decades, and its many significant developments, it is difficult to understand why FM still struggles to become a well-recognised industry in Australia and elsewhere – that is, an industry with clear-cut boundaries. It should be an industry that people outside of the profession understand, an industry that is a first career choice for young people, and an industry that is not wrongly perceived.

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hat are the reasons behind this lack of understanding? Is it a fundamental problem within the industry itself? Or are there other underlying issues?

The problem A movie titled Rise of the Planet of the Apes has served as the inspiration for this article. Released in 2011, the film narrates the story of a chimpanzee called Caesar, whose high intelligence is the result of viral-based drug testing. After a few years, an incident takes place and Caesar starts questioning his identity. Caesar then ignites an ape revolution against humans, which ends with him and his fellow chimps crossing the bridge to safety. Sacrifices were present throughout the process. The story triggers another vital question: has the time come for FM to question its identity and search for its personality? Is a revolution required to rock the boat and upset the status quo? The FM industry has come a long way in Australia, led by the Facility Management Association of Australia (FMA), with the Facilities Management Action Agenda

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published in 2006. The agenda highlighted five key areas on which the FM industry needed to focus: innovation, education and training, regulatory impediments, sustainability, and implementation. Now it’s almost a decade from 2006, and despite the significant progress that the FM industry in Australia has made on all fronts, there’s still an issue of perception and understanding. While technology and contemporary sciences are great tools – without them humanity would not have advanced to where it is today – they can also lead us away from the basics by complicating things around us. So, let us simply take a step back to the essentials. Where do we live, work, study, receive health services, entertain ourselves, manufacture products, shop, et cetera? The majority of the time it’s in buildings (facilities) of various shapes and features. To make things interesting, let us consider what might happen if we were to remove facilities managers, and all the services and staff that they manage, from these places. Complete chaos! And worse, the facilities would become unsafe for day-to-day functions. It is beneficial to go back to the very basics and remind ourselves, and others, of the simple, but significant, value and importance that FM brings to any business. It is essential, therefore, for facilities managers to communicate that FM is the backbone of the organisation. If you remove it, the body (the organisation) and, on a larger scale, the country, is completely paralysed. So, where is the problem? We need to dig deep to find the FM identity, and question why we are where we are, and what it will take to improve our position. The core of the problem is perception and recognition, which can be traced to value creation. The 2012 Facilities Management Salary Survey conducted by the FMA showed that 69 per cent of FM professionals hold at least a diploma-level qualification that is partially or directly related to facilities management. That’s great! This means that awareness

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among facilities practitioners towards pursuing an education in FM is increasing; however, this might not be sufficient for the industry to progress toward becoming more recognised and better perceived. A technical education is no longer enough to excel or to become more involved in senior levels of the organisation, and it is definitely not sufficient to penetrate the boardroom, where decisions are made.

Some research Cotts, Ropper & Payant (2010) in their book, The Facility Management Handbook, have clearly specified the lack of research in the facilities management field; however, the authors emphasise that the research conducted to date found facilities managers to be judgmental and focused on data and objects, and to have a short-term orientation. The problem is deeper than this, and might in fact be fundamental. The identity of FM is still vague. An absence of any generalised agreement as to an actual definition of FM has begun to emerge in recent years (Drion, Melissen & Wood, 2010). Facilities managers are often responsible for the lowest-paid, least-skilled staff in an organisation. Their early professional training in more quantitative subjects, such as surveying and engineering, as well as their early professional experience, may predispose them to a more ‘mechanistic’ approach to management (Price & Akhlaghi, 1999). Facilities management professionals include people with professional, technical and trade backgrounds, such as plumbers, electricians, quantity surveyors, architects and engineers (Facilities Management Action Agenda, 2006). In 2014, The Centre for Workplace Leadership (established by the Australian Government, aiming to attain excellence in leadership research, and improving the quality of leadership in Australian workplaces and developing individual leaders) conducted a survey of workplace management. The


industry updatE |

results of the survey indicated that 75 per cent of australian workers believe that their workplace needs both better management and better leadership. Do we see an issue here?

What is the cure? What FMs require is business training. How many engineers and technical people working in the field of FM hold a business degree and/or have undergone proper business training? By business training, i mean strategic management, negotiation training, leadership abilities, organisational behaviour, relationship building, public speaking and presentation skills, communication skills, understanding macro-economics, financial analysis, and many others. Furthermore, how many facilities managers read the Financial Times on a regular basis? to overcome the issue, we need to reposition FM as a management field, rather than a science field. this definitely does not mean that we should ignore the

scientific elements of the profession, or stop innovating, as this represents the core ingredients of the industry; rather, we should change the angle of perception from science to a business management field blended with engineering, architecture and property elements.

The vision ahead Facilities management is still finding its way at the management level. it is time to be visionary by speeding up the tempo and elevating FM to the next level: the leadership level. this cannot be achieved individually – it is, indeed, a collective effort. it requires putting our heads and hands together to advance the FM industry in australia towards greater heights. it requires investing in facilities practitioners (on all levels) by pulling them out of the boiler room and building up their business skills. We have to be confident and we must deeply believe that facilities managers have the potential to become the next generation of leaders given the various skill sets that they possess; it’s a matter of

repositioning the angle of perception. if the FM community does not change the perception, nobody else will. it has to start with us. FM is the centre of action, so we need to make sure that others are aware of this fact. today: We continuously come across the statement, ‘FMs should speak the business language’, which is completely true! However, the vision is: tomorrow: ‘Do others speak the FM language?’ the time for the FM planet to rise has come. the inspiration and international driver of the next FM era this time will be australia!

Ammar Al-Shemery is the Associate Director of the Abu Dhabi Campus, and Head of Operations, at INSEAD Business School. He is currently pursuing a PhD degree at Deakin University. His research revolves around leadership in the FM industry, and the exploration of the elements that shape the leadership skills of facilities managers in Australia.

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sbestos roof sheets were constructed using Portland cement and water, and were reinforced with asbestos fibres. The accompanying photograph shows the extent of the degradation of aged asbestos roof sheets. This is caused by weathering of the roof sheet, which is then colonised by lichen. The lichen secretes an acid called oxalic acid, which can break down cement and even concrete. Over time, the cement content is reduced, revealing the asbestos fibres, which are released into the environment. Losing the cement content, the roof sheets become thinner from the upper surface. They change to a darker colour and so attract more heat, and, being of limited flexibility, they expand and contract, and eventually crack. You can liken this process to a metal roof undergoing the process of rusting. You can treat the rusted areas, or wait until the roof sheet disintegrates through rusting, and then replace it. Metro Industrial Roof Restoration assesses many aged asbestos roofs per year, and is the number one certified supplier for the Fibroseal asbestos roof encapsulation system in Australia.

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Facility PersPectives | vOlUMe 8 NUMBer 4

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Putting the choice back into the hands of the consumer BY DAVID GILMORE, NATIONAL SALES MANAGER, EVACSERVICES

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or nearly 30 years, fire and evacuation training companies have heralded their claim to provide 100 per cent compliance to an Australian Standard, and more recently a legislative requirement. Their way was the only way. We know, given that it is constantly drilled into us, that mitigating the risk from emergencies is critical to business success. In today’s changed world, however, this is still achieved by setting one broad standard for all. This raises an important point: surely the industry can achieve more for individual clients by matching the solution to the risk. The result would mean that a ‘one size fits all’ delivery model wouldn’t be the only choice, and buildings and tenants could receive a solution that is tailored to them, while still achieving 100 per cent compliance – potentially at reduced costs. The fire and evacuation training industry has, until now, failed to innovate while the world moves past it. Why can’t innovation and change occur in an industry that has remained largely unchanged for 30 years? With tenants continuing to demand more from a building and its associated contractors, combined with today’s increased threats from civil disturbance, terrorism and the like, now is the time to review your emergency management program, and ensure that the services provided match the risk of the asset and the needs of the tenants.

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Innovation does not automatically lead to increased costs. Let’s take warden training as an example. Traditional warden training is, by nature, compliance training – grey, beige and uninteresting. It’s best left to a time when you as an individual are ready for it, not when you are busy or at lunch, or at 4 pm on a Friday – the only time that the training company can fit you in. Now consider a more innovative approach – in this example, a blended face-to-face and online training program. Emergency management training is initially delivered online at a time that suits the warden. Instead of being grey, beige and uninteresting, you now have the freedom to provide scenariobased training face-to-face, allowing real learnings from actual events to be put in place, with a different scenario each time. Now the already compliant wardens receive interesting, engaging and relevant training delivered to the emergency control organisation (ECO) in a team situation. Outcomes are far superior – more developed, and with better reporting. The ECO is now able to demonstrate capability and alignment to the building’s risk mitigation objectives. David Gilmore and the team at EvacServices are leading the innovation charge, and have previously developed new products to meet the emerging needs of their clients.

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| Emergency preparedness

Facilities management and threats to public safety By Don Williams The relationship between the facilities manager and the terror activist is symbiotic. The activist needs the facilities that the FM manages as targets; the FM can use the threat posed by these individuals, or groups of individuals, to consider the measures in place, their effectiveness and relevance, and the documented and assumed roles and responsibilities of the various managers on the site.

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ith the government recently raising the alert level to high and ASIO warning of threats posed by both faction-led and ‘lone wolf’ activists, the FM has two overarching responsibilities. Firstly, it is to provide a safe and secure environment, and secondly, to minimise disruption to the tenants. On top of this, the FM must aim to do this in an economical and profitable manner. This is not a new problem. Since the mid-19th century, there have been groups committing acts of violence in our sites. During the terrorist decade of the mid1960s–70s, there were bombings, shootings, hostage takings and other acts of violence. Since then, we have had many incidents in Australia, some of which were political, some criminal, and some the result of mental illness. With the exception of the odd shooting in the bush and violence against private houses, these incidents have all occurred in managed facilities. The intent and capability have always existed. What has changed and led to an increase in the government’s alert level is the loose

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association of aligned terrorist groups and individuals with the stated aim of committing public acts of violence. There are three elements that managers can influence: prevention, detection and response. The roles and responsibilities for these functions vary from site to site between the FM, the security manager, the safety/work health and safety (WHS) manager and the chief warden. All of them have some responsibility for aspects of the preventative and response capabilities, but the FM has overall responsibility for ensuring that all activities on site are coordinated. The FM should be aware of how many security, safety, WHS managers and chief wardens are on site, and whether each tenant has their own or any of these positions. Prevention is primarily a security function – one of the many functions for which the FM is often responsible. Security is about protection from deliberate human action.

Facility PerspectiveS | VOLUME 8 NUMBER 4

Other disciplines worry about things such as mechanical failure, weather events and human stupidity. If security staff is on site, which is not always the case, they will be the front line – expected to identify the hazard and step between it and the tenants. It is worth determining whether on-site security has the contracted responsibility to assess incidents, and to initiate a response that can result in thousands of people being moved and closing down the facility for hours. The chain of authority for initiating an evacuation needs to be identified, defined and documented. The level of preventative security obviously depends on the function of the site. To be bluntly honest, for most facilities, it will be difficult to prevent someone from entering public areas and committing acts of violence. For sites that have access control, preventing unauthorised entry through a combination of good security policies, procedures and


Emergency preparedness |

practices supported by technology should prevent incidents in the secure areas. Of course, this does not stop the ‘trusted insider’, who has been granted access, from causing harm. Detection is the primary factor in minimising the effects of an act of violence. Detection relies heavily on staff members – particularly those who deal with the public. The staff may work for the FM, for one of the sub-contractors, or for the tenants. The FM is in a position to coordinate awareness and response training with or through the security manager(s), the emergency manager(s) and the chief warden(s) for the site. The FM and other managers need to foster a work environment that encourages and does not belittle staff for reporting people, items or incidents that they think are out of place or do not fit. The key is in being aware of the normal environment and knowing what they should do if they see anything that they think is out of the ordinary. To whom do they report it, how, and what should they say? Things that may be out of the ordinary inclde: groups or individuals acting in a furtive manner, appearing to conceal items, and wearing inappropriate clothing for the season or event; or those who seem inordinately interested in back-of-house areas or how the site works, and of the security and emergency response plans. Actions that raise suspicions may not be the prelude to a terrorist act, but they may be the planning or conduct of a range of criminal activities; in any case, odd behaviour is worth noting and reporting. An appropriate response is fundamental to protecting both lives and business operations. Response should not always equate to an immediate evacuation; the concept of ‘better safe than sorry’ is a fallacy. There is nothing safe in moving thousands of people in a way that they are not used to – unless they are being moved away from a hazard. If an evacuation is initiated when there is no hazard, the tenants’ businesses will be severely disrupted and the FM’s judgement called into question.

If the site is not evacuated when there is a hazard, people will die. The difficult part is determining whether the incident does pose a hazard. This requires accurate information from those who observed the incident, and an objective assessment, possibly starting from the premise of ‘Why would I think this poses a hazard?’ Questions that need to be addressed include: Who is responsible for assessing the incident? Who has authority to respond, particularly if the response includes closing down the site? What are the tenants’ expectations? What are the contracted responsibilities? What are the ethical responsibilities, particularly of the FM? In preparation, the FM should review the site’s emergency plans – actually read them and walk through them in their mind (or even on the ground). Are the plans really applicable to the site, if they are of the ‘insert client’s name here’ type, with only the diagrams having changed from any other site, and do they reflect what will happen? Do the plans address the actual tenant base? Do they include the childcare centre? What will happen if surrounding buildings also evacuate to the same location? If the hazard – say, a mass shooting event – is external, do they address how to ‘shelter in place’ until a safe response can be identified? In relation to shelter in place, the FM has a critical role, as the FM is the one who knows how long people can stay in the building, particularly if water/sewerage is cut off. Do the plans provide sensible and relevant guidance on what to do if there is an armed assault, knifing, hostage taking, unattended item, or (perish the thought) a post-blast incident? Do the plans actually offer guidance to the chief warden, or are there ‘warden makes wise decision here’ type statements throughout the plan? A factor that will affect the assessment of an incident is where the FM is geographically located – are they on site, or in a different building, or even a different city to the particular facility? If the FM is not on site, who has the local responsibility for providing the safe and disruption-free environment?

There are specialists with a wealth of knowledge to assist the FM in developing appropriate, site-specific policies, procedures and practices. There are also those of less skill. We are already starting to see a new bunch of ‘talking heads’ appearing, offering advice on terrorism. When seeking guidance in relation to security and emergency response, FMs should demand of the provider the same standards that they would of any other managerial adviser: relevant qualifications, relevant corporate experience, membership of professional bodies, professional indemnity (PI) insurance that covers what they are offering, and in relation to security advice, the relevant state licences – this applies even if the client is a federal government site. The FM should be willing to challenge security, emergency and safety reports that fail the ‘common sense’ test, and to send them back to the provider, requiring them to be rewritten to reflect the needs and operating environment of the specific facility. Knowing that they have a relationship with activists, FMs cannot be complacent. They need to review how they fulfil the dual responsibilities of protecting lives and protecting businesses. Hopefully, the existing plans, procedures and relationships are appropriate, but it is worth checking.

Don Williams CPP RSecP holds qualifications in Security Management and Security Risk Management. He is a Certified Protection Professional and Registered Security Professional. In 2013, he was awarded the Australian Security Medal for services to the security profession. Don has provided managerial advice on security and strategic security analysis for 30 years. He has a particular specialty in bomb safety and security. He is a member of ASIS International, the Institute of Explosives Engineers, the International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators, and the Venue Management Association. Don can be contacted at donwilliams@dswconsulting.com.au.

Facility PerspectiveS | VOLUME 8 NUMBER 4

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| Emergency preparedness

Are you prepared for the worst? By Keran Carsburg and Rafael Palma, First 5 Minutes

With an ever-increasing compliance burden for properties today, we asked an industry expert to demystify the compliance requirements for fire and emergency preparedness.

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hat is Australian Standard 3745? Is it just fire? What else does it cover? The relevant Australian Standard is (AS) 3745-2010 – Planning for emergencies in facilities. A facility must have a comprehensive emergency plan in place, as required by various occupational health and safety (OH&S) Acts and the requirements of AS 3745, which provides for procedures and practices that protect the health and safety of workers, clients and visitors in any emergency situation. The emergency plan must provide effective emergency management so that the facility occupants

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can prepare to respond to any emergency that may occur. The smooth execution of an emergency evacuation plan can only be achieved if all facility occupants have the necessary knowledge of the actions that they have to take if an emergency occurs within the facility. This knowledge is typically gained through the facility occupants being provided with appropriate training on how to react and respond to emergencies.

What is Australian Standard 1851? AS 1851–2012 – Routine service of fire protections systems and equipment provides a systematic basis for minimum routine service to fire protection systems and equipment. It is often used to develop specific routine service requirements for systems or equipment. The implementation and maintenance of an emergency plan is also referenced in AS 1851 as a requirement.

Facility PerspectiveS | VOLUME 8 NUMBER 4

What are the key items that buildings need to follow to ensure they are compliant to AS 3745? Every facility occupied by people must have a Fire and Emergency Evacuation Management Plan (EEMP) in place, except for Class 1a (a single dwelling, or one or more attached dwellings) and Class 10 (non-habitable building or structure) buildings. In a multi-occupancy building, the managing entity, centre manager or the body corporate is responsible for evacuating building occupants from the common areas to the designated assembly area (a common area is a passageway, foyer, stairway or corridor). The secondary occupiers or the building tenants are responsible for evacuating their people from their tenancy to the common area. The managing entity’s and the secondary occupier’s emergency evacuation plans must complement each other, which is why they are so often sourced in unison from a specialist provider.


Emergency preparedness |

The key elements of an EEMP include:

33 activities for preparing and prevention/

33 name, address, telephone number and

mitigation of emergencies, such as education and training for all building occupants, and maintenance of fire safety measures in accordance with the requirement of relevant Australian Standards, such as AS 1851-2012 33 incorporation of any ‘alternative solutions’ for the building 33 validity period of the EEMP.

electronic contact details of the building, its owner and/or occupiers 33 building times of operation – normal hours and after hours 33 evacuation diagrams/signs for the building 33 designation of emergency assembly area(s) 33 provisions of refuge areas or safe havens if required, such as in Class 9a, 9c or childcare buildings 33 installation details and operations of fire safety systems and equipment 33 type of emergencies that could affect the building 33 establishment and appointment of members to the Emergency Planning Committee (EPC), Emergency Control Organisation (ECO), and the Emergency Response Team (ERT) if necessary for the building 33 defining the agreed roles and responsibilities for members of the EPC, ECO, wardens and the actions to be taken by other occupants of the building in preparation for, during and after an emergency 33 provisions for the evacuation of persons with special needs (disabilities)

How is compliance visible? Do facilities need a compliance certificate? AS1851 Compliance: Requires evidence in the form of records, tags and reports of completion of the periodic inspection (including survey), testing and preventative maintenance. Every year, the owner of a building or premises must provide the council or the fire services with a statement certifying that all fire safety measures have been assessed, tested and maintained, and will work properly when used by qualified personnel. AS3745 Compliance: The EEMP must be developed in a format that would be easy to understand, and must be kept on the premises and made available for inspection by the fire service, Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ), or Fire Safety

AS 3745 is not just for fire – other types of emergency that may affect a facility include: Bomb threat

Hazardous substances incident

Building invasion/armed intrusion

Industrial accident

Bushfire

Letter bomb

Chemical, biological and radiological incident

Medical emergency

Civil disorder

Severe weather/storm damage

Cyclone, including storm surge

Structural instability

Earthquake

Terrorism

Fire

Transport accident

Flood

Toxic emission

Auditor upon request. It must be written or structured so that it can be easily revised after an organisational change, change of building use (classification), identification of new hazard, alteration of the fire services systems, or the scheduled periodic reviews. When the developed EEMP has been reviewed and approved by relevant authorities, and supported by the required type and frequency of training, it will be considered compliant to the requirements of AS 37452010. Some specialist providers (including our organisation) issue compliance certificates to confirm that all of these elements are in place.

A lot of buildings now feature something called alternative solutions – what does that mean? ‘Alternative solutions’ refers to a building solution that complies with the performance requirement other than that of the deemedto-satisfy provisions of the Building Code of Australia (BCA). Alternative solutions allow non-standard building designs, which may be for aesthetic/functional reasons or to provide improved constructability and cost savings, to still meet the BCA performance requirements.

How does this impact on compliance requirements? Are there other elements required when a building has an alternative solution? If an alternative solution is chosen as a building solution, it must be assessed through a fire safety engineering analysis/fire engineering report. This report must include adequate documentation to ensure that the alternative solution will meet the relevant performance requirements of the BCA. Under most states’ and territories’ fire regulations, any application for building works that incorporates alternative solutions must be referred to the individual state or territory fire services (referral authority) for advice as part of the building approval process. Applications for building and/or occupancy permits must also clearly demonstrate that the proposed alternative solutions meet the applicable BCA performance requirements.

Facility PerspectiveS | VOLUME 8 NUMBER 4

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| Emergency preparedness

Alternative solutions may impose restrictions or limitations on how a building can be used, or may require additional fire safety measures to compensate for the alternative solutions. In many cases, the instance of alternative solutions will result in a Management in Use (MIU) Plan being required.

Management in Use Plan MIU Plans are often required for buildings where alternative solutions are formulated. The MIU Plan summarises the rationale behind the alternative solution, and details the specific procedures needed to meet the performance requirements of the BCA. The MIU document is for guidance to an owner or occupier of a building to maintain the safety features as required by statutory requirements and regulatory authorities. The MIU Plan is a compliance document, and must remain as part of the management records of buildings. The plan forms part of the alternative solution, which must include the building management’s policies relating to fire safety, including: 33 how fire protection systems and equipment are properly commissioned, tested and maintained in accordance with the relevant Australian Standards and legislations 33 fire prevention practices, such as reduction of the fire loads in the building 33 how fire hazards are identified and controlled 33 regular housekeeping, including removal of unnecessary accumulation of debris 33 maintaining clear and unobstructed paths of travel to exits at all times 33 ensuring that smoke and fire doors are closed as appropriate at all times 33 ensuring that building occupants are

provided with the required induction/ fire safety instructions and fire safety trainings 33 places of safety during an evacuation.

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Whose responsibility is it to ensure that a building is compliant? Property owners, in relation to the life safety of all the occupants and the fire safety of the building, are responsible for making sure that the building is code compliant. Building occupiers must ensure that their tenancy is also code compliant. It must be ensured that compliance of buildings and the tenancy complement one another.

Do compliance requirements differ across different building types and sizes; for example, four staff members versus 400 staff members, or shopping centre versus office building versus healthcare facility? Yes. Compliance requirements do differ somewhat across different types of building. Different types of building may or may not require specific detection and suppression equipment, for example. The requirements depend on: 33 building classification – Class 1 to 10 33 effective height of building 33 rise of storeys 33 number of storeys 33 type of construction 33 floor area or volume of the building. Compliance requirements differ between Shopping Centre (Class 6), Office Building (Class 5), Health Care Building – Class 9a, and Aged Care building – Class 9c; however, all of these buildings should aim to be compliant to the relevant standards. As the industry matures with respect to compliance management, the market is increasingly demanding that service providers deliver service outcomes that are contextualised for specific properties.

Does emergency preparedness play a role with respect to the heightened security threat that has been raised by the federal government in recent times? The Australian Government has recently raised the terrorism alert to ‘high’ based on advice from security and intelligence agencies. It is anticipated that Australia will continue to face

Facility PerspectiveS | VOLUME 8 NUMBER 4

the persistent threat of terrorism, either in public areas, or at the workplace. While there has been no specific danger, the increased threat has somewhat affected our normal routines. While it may be impossible to prevent a terrorism act or an emergency from taking place, steps can be taken to ensure that building occupants are as prepared as possible to cope when they do occur. One of the best ways to be prepared is to ensure that an emergency (preparedness) plan is in place to reduce the effect of an emergency, and to help mitigate personal injuries and loss of lives that might happen in an emergency. A comprehensive plan for dealing with terrorism-related events should include specific instructions and training for the building occupants, including the roles of emergency wardens and management, and how and when to notify the emergency services.

What should I do to ensure that my building/workplace is adequately prepared? In conjunction with the standard compliance to AS 3745/1851, facilities should give consideration to obtaining additional training and guidance on: 33 reviewing assembly areas with multiple back-up plans in the event that first choice areas are compromised 33 additional training for building management and occupants in crisis management to identify and deal with potential threats.

First 5 Minutes is a fire and emergency preparedness provider, with offices and trainers in every mainland state. Since 1986, they have been helping clients reduce risk for thousands of commercial, industrial, retail and government premises. Their product offering has evolved in recent years to include a broader crisis management capability that services an increasing need within the marketplace to include other incidents ranging from civil disturbance through to personal threat response incidents.


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The future on display at Total Facilities 2015

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educe power usage. Be more efficient. Cut costs. Keep your staff happy. React faster. These are the pressures that facilities managers and building owners are under in this fast-paced world of technology, development and high expectations. Luckily, developments in technology and innovation in the facilities management industry are keeping up with demand. The facilities management industry, which once primarily focused on service and maintenance, has grown to accommodate modern needs, and new methodologies and products are being introduced to drive down power usage and lower carbon emissions. Many of these innovations are exceeding expectations and paving the way for new ways of living and working in our buildings. Trade shows are one of the greatest sources for discovering the latest technologies and developments in any industry, and the facilities industry is no different. Coming to Sydney in March 2015, Total Facilities will see the industry come together in an annual collaboration for the facilities management community. Featuring more than 70 product categories, with a strong focus on education and professional development, this two-day event will showcase hundreds of the latest cutting-edge innovations on the market in line with international trends. According to Workplace Now (an ezine by Johnson Controls), the six facilities technology trends to watch are data security, the cloud, building intelligence systems, 3D printing, robotics/automation and biometrics. These technology trends can be seen popping up in trade shows around the globe and, excitingly, at Total Facilities in 2015. Leading the pack in facilities management software is Beims, presenting alongside Simtrack (cloud-based security solutions), Automated Logic (building automation) and the award-winning KONE (integrated facilities management solutions). KONE, a featured exhibitor at Total Facilities 2015, is a prime example of technology innovation in facilities management, providing industry-leading elevators, escalators, access control systems and automatic building doors. Its latest release, KONE UltraRope™, was awarded the Hindmarsh Award for Innovation at the 2014 Property Council of Australia/Rider Levett Bucknall Innovation and Excellence Awards just this year.

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KONE UltraRope™ was released to the market in June 2013, and pushes high-rise elevator possibilities to new levels, enabling elevator travel heights of up to 1000 metres. This is twice as high as previous technologies have allowed, and is currently being used in Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – the world’s tallest building. Alongside UltraRope™, KONE will also be presenting two new groundbreaking product ranges at Total Facilities 2015. First up is a new range of innovative door products for hospitals, including hermetic doors for operating theatres and X-ray rooms, and gliding doors for patient wards with cuttingedge linear technology. Of particular interest to facilities managers (and on display at Total Facilities 2015) are KONE’s People Flow Intelligence solutions, which offer complete, customised solutions to manage the flow of people around buildings. With innovations for destinations (with optimised elevator controls and mobile applications), information (rapid information channels facilitate communication between staff and visitors), access (smooth people flow and improved security) and monitoring (with realtime views and remote-control features), KONE’s People Flow Intelligence solutions are designed to last over the lifetime of the building, and include the flexibility to grow with technology as KONE develops additional solutions. In keeping with its vision for progressive innovation in technology, KONE is proudly sponsoring Total Facilities’ New Product Showcase – new to the floor in 2015. The New Product Showcase will feature an interactive display of the latest and most innovative products to launch in the Australian market from the last 12 months. These products (to be revealed closer to the event) are the creations of some of the most progressive suppliers and contractors from around the globe. It’s certainly a display not to be missed!

To discover the latest industry products, explore the New Product Showcase and catch a glimpse of KONE UltraRope™, head to Total Facilities at the Sydney Exhibition Centre, Glebe Island, from 25–26 March 2015. To register and find out more about Total Facilities 2015, visit www.totalfacilities.com.au.

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| green buildings

From vehicle assembly to sustainable vocational asset by bob burton, tafe SA The Sustainable Industries Education Centre (SIEC) project began with a relatively simple objective: to identify the workforce development needs of the building and construction industry as it moves to implement sustainable technologies, and to address the ageing infrastructure in which the majority of training for the industry was being conducted by TAFE SA.

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he result – reached after extensive research and consultation with stakeholders in industry, government, higher education, VET and TAFE – identified the need for an innovative educational model: a model that not only takes building and construction training into the 21st century, but that also provides a template for large-scale workforce development initiatives. Sustainable technologies are being developed, tested and marketed at an ever-increasing rate. New products, processes and systems are implemented as the demand for more efficient, ecofriendly services spreads throughout the community. To sustain and support industry

Facility PerspectiveS | VOLUME 8 NUMBER 4

development, the higher education and vocational training sectors require a more responsive and proactive approach – an approach that looks beyond the traditional vocational silos and modes of delivery, and focuses on: 33 interdisciplinary collaboration 33 VET/university cooperation 33 active industry participation and engagement 33 extensive use of e-learning 33 creation of educational/employment programs, and pathways within a sustainable building and construction sector. Facilities built in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s do not meet this requirement, nor


green buildings |

do they provide the right environment for contemporary teaching and learning generally. The SIEC project identified that the physical environment of existing TAFE SA facilities reflected an industrial age model; it was highly disjointed, had limited opportunities for improved efficiencies, and lacked a clear focus for each campus. The facilities were not supporting the flexibility, efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability required to meet current and especially future training needs. Specific issues within the existing infrastructure at the time included: 33 inflexible teaching and learning spaces that were not scalable to respond to learner-centred pedagogical approaches and project-based learning 33 classroom spaces were separated by distance from workshops, impacting negatively on asset utilisation rates and flexibility of delivery arrangements 33 access to ICT and related learning technology was limited 33 specialist industrial equipment was fixed and gave no flexibility on how space was used when equipment was not in use, resulting in unproductive spaces. In late 2008, work began at TAFE SA on infrastructure planning to identify what changes would need to be made to the

Facility PerspectiveS | VOLUME 8 NUMBER 4

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| green buildings

The Mitsubishi Vehicle Assembly Plant prior to refurbishment

current TAFE SA built assets, and the mix of courses at each campus, to: 33 better utilise current assets and identify the current assets required into the future 33 ensure that all customers can easily identify which campus they need to contact to undertake their study 33 create industry-specific training centres. The need for restructure and redevelopment of the TAFE SA campus infrastructure was even more critical following adoption of the Skills for All policy reform and Jobs Strategy by the South Australian Government over the past few years. These policies increased the imperative for TAFE SA to significantly improve both its competitiveness and its capability in the delivery of industry-relevant skills. The relevant reform principles included: 33 an expectation that TAFE SA would be a major provider in delivering the training implications of the Jobs Strategy 33 significantly increasing the use of market mechanisms of competition and contestability to provide training efficiently and effectively by enabling students and employers to choose what training they do and who provides it 33 introducing entitlement arrangements where the funding would follow the student on the basis of redesigned subsidy arrangements 33 implementing a range of supporting reforms that focus on a more integrated tertiary system, and significantly improved career and consumer information on the total VET options available.

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In November 2010, master planners for the Tonsley Park Redevelopment proposed that the SIEC be included in the adaptive reuse of the Mitsubishi Vehicle Assembly Plant, rather than a new build in the northwest corner of the 63-hectare site. The SIEC has been operational since January 2014, training students in sustainable building and construction occupations. Aside from improvements to service delivery and improved opportunities for students to move to higher qualification levels, the costs of ownership and running the new facility have decreased significantly, compared to the old infrastructure. An innovative partnership with industry and higher education integrates the building and construction sector, supports more than 6000 students per year, and will create new pathways from trade training through to higher education. Building and construction contributes significantly to the South Australian economy, injecting $5.3 billion per annum and employing six per cent of the state’s workforce. The construction, operation, maintenance and demolition of buildings accounts for 40 per cent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; therefore, integration of sustainable technologies and practices across the building and construction industry will make a major contribution to the state’s climate change strategy. The project has set an environmentally sustainable standard for the site. The adaptive re-use decision has: 33 preserved a significant South Australian manufacturing icon 33 conserved the building’s considerable embodied energy 33 bypassed additional wasteful construction processes of demolition and reconstruction

Facility PerspectiveS | VOLUME 8 NUMBER 4

SIEC’s adaptive re-use of the plant

33 provided an opportunity for creative

design that will retain local cultural significance 33 allowed the SIEC to achieve 15,000 more square metres within the project budget. The Sustainable Industries Education Centre is: 33 pursuing industry in South Australia through a new delivery model emphasising interaction between building and construction disciplines, sustainability practices and industry linkages 33 an integral part of the proposed Tonsley Park Redevelopment contributing to the adaptation of the region’s economy, the development of new industries and the diversification of the workforce 33 providing a cornerstone investment on the 63-hectare redevelopment site, and a focus for sustainable industries and infrastructure development 33 linking industry with education providers to maximise student participation and pathways 33 showcasing sustainable technology to enhance the education experience and stimulate new opportunities for the uptake of new clean technologies 33 consolidating five existing TAFE SA building and construction training sites into a single hub, and reducing the metropolitan TAFE footprint by approximately 40,000 square metres.

Images: Sustainable Industries Education Centre. All images © David Sievers. Principal Consultant: MPH Architects.


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Timing is everything

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dvice is always more valuable if it is well timed. That is the basis of the continuous tuning service ‘SEED Nourish’. Working in concert with the site’s building management system, it’s designed to constantly assess how efficiently the plant is performing, and provide recommendations directly to the facilities manager when they wish to receive it. ‘We found that facility managers had so much going on day-to-day, they often didn’t have the mental space left to think through complex energy issues,’ says Rob Lord, SEED Director. ‘We would often be asked to conduct audits, NABERS ratings or workshops, or provide consultancy, but it was usually in response to some perceived emergency. Nourish was designed to provide instant feedback, so that the

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330476AE_Seed | 2092.indd 24

facilities manager didn’t miss energy-saving opportunities. The sooner a tuning measure can be implemented, the better for plant longevity and for the power bill. ‘The Nourish app is like a heart rate monitor for your building – if a chiller or a fan is heavily loaded despite mild weather, Nourish tells you where to investigate what is happening before summer hits. For example, you could find and fix a gas leak before it becomes a bigger, more urgent problem.’ SEED Nourish also includes a structured tuning program with regular annual activities – commissioning audits, energy workshops, NABERS and BEEC ratings and retrofit planning. The key algorithm in SEED Nourish is to benchmark the performance of each plant’s energy use against weather, occupancy levels and related plant parameters. This data is always available on the client’s dashboard on the SEED Nourish website, or as an app that the facilities manager can refer to when on site.

For more details about SEED Nourish or building tuning, Contact Rob Lord M: 0422 274 367 or E: rob@seedengrs.com

Facility PersPectives | vOlUMe 8 NUMBer 4

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| green buildings

Design and facilities harmony leads to sUStainability benchmark By Adam O’Brien 171 Collins Street is one of the most highly awarded sustainable buildings in Australia, and incorporates a number of sustainability features, in terms of both equipment and design. In October, it was announced that the building had achieved a 6 Star Green Star ‘As Built’ rating from the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA).

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acility Perspectives spoke with CJ Harshana Wijewardane, Senior Facilities and Engineering Manager at 171 Collins, and Eben Simmons, Services Engineer from Umow Lai, about the building, from concept to operations. 171 Collins Street is built on the site of the heritage-listed Mayfair building at the ‘Paris end’ of Collins Street, Melbourne. The constraints that such a prominently placed heritage building would impose on planning and construction were always going to be demanding. Nonetheless, the bar was set extraordinarily high in terms of sustainability aspirations. ‘The building was to achieve PCA Premium Grade status, 6 Star Green Star and 5 Star NABERS Energy ratings (the highest rating at the time),’ says Simmons. ‘No-one had designed a premium-grade building in Melbourne for more than 20 years with worldleading sustainability requirements; therefore,

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this project required careful coordination between all team members to ensure that the architectural response, cost viability, and sustainability, structural and façade requirements were successfully achieved.’ A number of considerations had to be made before planning could even begin – starting with how to manage the site and its heritage, as well as the impact of the new building on the neighbouring area. ‘The proximity of the building to Swanston Street, Federation Square and St Paul’s Cathedral meant that the building height was restricted,’ says Simmons. ‘The appearance of the building behind the Cathedral needed to be carefully addressed by the architects, while delivering a building with design merit that complemented its Collins Street location. ‘We retained the Mayfair Building façade that faces onto Collins Street, which had some constraints that were worked carefully into the sustainability management plan for the building. In particular, there were prescriptive floor-to-floor heights and a need to meet strict planning requirements with respect to the appearance of the façade and glazing.’ Wijewardane adds: ‘In response, architects Bates Smart pursued a crystalline woven façade. This is one of the highest-performing glazed façades of its type, with the frit reducing solar load by approximately 50 per cent. This performance, along with thermally broken framing and air tightness, allows perimeter reheat to be deleted.

Facility PerspectiveS | VOLUME 8 NUMBER 4

‘The façade frit was extensively modelled and reviewed, including provision of a fullscale mock-up of a portion of the façade, to ensure that the frit was acceptable. Air tightness of the façade, and particularly the weave detail, was also carefully monitored and tested. ‘There was a conscious intent to focus on the façade to reduce HVAC energy consumption, as it is a building element that is seldom upgraded,’ says Wijewardane. ‘The building is ready for solar panels, and for more efficient technologies, such as fuel cells. It is also possible to further improve façade efficiency through the introduction of insulated spandrels in years to come.’ ‘It is worth noting that this building was originally developed on the drawing board in 2006,’ says Simmons. ‘The façade’s thermal performance, achieved using a frit, is considerably more cost-effective than many alternative approaches. The performance levels present on this building are considerably better than many buildings being designed today. The underfloor air distribution (UFAD) HVAC system and internal blinds allow for transmitted solar heat to be exhausted without further conditioning for much of the year. External shading, doubleskin façades or electrochromatic systems would improve performance, but at much increased capital cost, and complexity in maintenance and use. ‘The success of the façade performance efficiency allowed for downsizing and


green buildings |

simplification of mechanical systems, which, in turn, facilitated the delivery of the side core and floor plates, and the servicing requirements necessary in a premium-grade building. ‘The large floor plates placed considerable pressure on the core planning, particularly the coordination of services from [this] single-sided core,’ says Simmons. ‘We achieved this and delivered [the] UFAD HVAC system – an important consideration to ensure that the indoor environment quality (IEQ) for occupants matches the building’s premium-grade status. ‘Correctly designed and installed UFAD buildings consistently score highly on occupant satisfaction surveys when compared to other HVAC systems,’ says Simmons. ‘In Melbourne’s climate, this system provides considerable energy savings compared to other conditioning approaches. A lot of coordination work was required between the building services and structural engineers to ensure that the single-sided core worked for the floor-plate size and floor-to-floor height constraints.’ ‘The UFAD system reduces air volumes by over 30 per cent on conventional systems and provides better IEQ and floor flexibility, with services reticulation through the subfloor zone,’ says Wijewardane. ‘Sequencing of the UFAD system installation and the provision of hold points and test points during its construction were key to ensuring that installation costs were minimised. ‘In this system, air is distributed throughout the building from air-handling units (AHUs) – these are located within level one and rooftop plant rooms. In total, there are 14 AHUs providing outside air to the net lettable area (NLA) of this building. Seven AHUs provide outside air to the low-rise (Business Centre level 2 to level 10) and a further seven AHUs provide outside air to the high-rise (north-east zone levels 9 and 10, and level 11 to level 18). These units are zoned to provide air to each of the key perimeter orientations, and two internal zones per floor. Therefore, each AHU serves multiple floors.

‘The mechanical ventilation system has been designed to deliver a 100 per cent improvement on the minimum outside air requirement as per AS 1668.2-1991. Occupancy of the tower is defined as one person per 10 square metres for office NLA – this corresponds to the provision of outside air at 1.5 litres per second per square metre, which exceeds best practice. As per AS 1668.2-1991, the minimum outside air requirement for this development is 7.5 litres per second per person, and 171 Collins Street exceeds this requirement.’ Simplicity was a major focus of 171 Collins Street’s construction. The practical approach to sustainability is evidence that a wellconsidered, efficiently planned building and systems design can deliver a cost-effective, world-leading sustainable building that sets a high standard in energy and water efficiency. ‘In order to reduce potable water consumption by building occupants, [we] incorporated water-efficient fixtures and fittings, rainwater collection and re-use, as well as greywater recycling,’ says Wijewardane. ‘The 171 Collins Street development has a total roof area of 2975 square metres, which has been designed to collect

and drain rainwater into a 155,000-litre rainwater storage tank. Prior to use, the harvested rainwater undergoes adequate treatment, consisting of an initial firstflush diversion system, followed by micron filtration and ultraviolet disinfection. Following treatment, the rainwater is then reticulated to the 20,000-litre header (break) tank located on the roof, where it is stored with treated greywater prior to being used in the cooling towers. ‘Greywater is recovered from all the showers (no sinks) within the office building, and directed to the greywater treatment plant,’ says Wijewardane. ‘Following extensive treatment to Class-A water-quality requirements, the greywater is fed for toilet flushing and cooling tower requirements. In the event of the mixed water source becoming exhausted, automatic mains backup from the 60,000-litre potable cold water tank situated on the roof activates, and continues to supply the non-potable water demands. ‘The building includes the provision of six cooling towers for heat rejection purposes. The water supply to the cooling tower and toilet flushing has been supplied from three different sources: treated rainwater,

Facility PerspectiveS | VOLUME 8 NUMBER 4

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treated greywater and the town’s mains water, arranged to provide a reliable and uninterrupted supply.’ The 171 Collins Street facilities management team, Knight Frank, was informally involved one year before the building’s pre-practical completion, and formally appointed six months prior to practical completion. The facilities management team was regularly consulted to analyse systems and processes from a practical, operational perspective. This allowed input into the building’s construction, and the fine-tuning of its systems by the facilities management team, and also allowed the team to gain intimate knowledge from the building and engineering teams, meaning that they’d know what to expect from day one. And this relationship has been ongoing. ‘The role of the facilities manager is integral to the successful tuning of a building,’ says Simmons. ‘The facilities managers are the day-to-day eyes and ears of the building, allowing us to compare perceived improvements in BAS trend data with tenant feedback, [which, in turn, allows us] to balance our efficiency tuning

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while maintaining tenant satisfaction. It is very important to have a strong dialogue with the facilities manager, particularly when you are adjusting programming. At 171 Collins Street, we have been able to try things knowing that a proficient manager will know when to intervene and when to let things run. ‘If you can work well with your facilities manager and keep the tenants happy, you can quickly build tenant confidence in the building. We have had very few complaints from tenants in this building, which is a credit to the facilities management team’s relationship – not just with the building designers, but with the tenants that they look after. You have much more scope later on in the tuning process to experiment with control algorithms and squeeze that last bit of energy out of the building, when your tenants are happy and on board.’ Wijewardane adds: ‘All systems at 171 Collins Street are heavily integrated and interconnected [a Direct Digital Control system at 171 Collins Street covers all of the mechanical services plant, forming the basis for an Intelligent Building Management System, including monitoring of all electrical

Facility PerspectiveS | VOLUME 8 NUMBER 4

services, hydraulic services, fire services and security services]. They’re also very complex, and depend on programmed preventative maintenance and accurate fault findings. Understanding intimately how they work – from all angles – has been instrumental in managing this challenge. ‘Achieving a 5 star NABERS Waste rating requires significant participation from tenants; therefore, there is a lot of tenant liaison to meet this rating. Our facilities managers constantly review sustainability data for the building, and conduct regular waste audits, while the electricity consumption is monitored hourly.’ Aligning the building’s sustainability requirements with that of the tenants, which vary from high-end retail and dining to corporate, is an ongoing task for the facilities management team, which not only includes the technical aspects of the building’s systems, but also includes educating tenants through informal tours for those interested, highlighting the building’s design, operation and sustainability features. ‘171 Collins Street has a sustainability committee that meets quarterly, and is chaired and driven by the general manager of the Knight Frank facilities management team,’ says Wijewardane. ‘These aim to educate tenant representatives on how they can improve staff participation and educate their staff. ‘Feedback from tenants has been extremely positive … The tenants are highly engaged and devour the regular waste management reports, and hold their own internal meetings to pursue their own sustainability and recycling goals.’ ‘We credit many of the successes achieved in this building to the capability of, and good relationship with, the facilities managers,’ Simmons adds. ‘[171 Collins Street] is proof that when you have a good client, architect, engineering and consultant team, contractor and facilities management team that take the time to understand and respect each other, you can achieve great things with our built environment,’ Simmons concludes.


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What is an Embedded Electricity Network? An embedded electricity network enables the purchase of electricity for a precinct to be done at a supply point of entry to the site and then on charged to each particular resident tenant within the precinct. A formalised arrangement is set up to enable the owners/site management to on bill the cost of supply to each of the commercial or resident tenants.

Benefits for Site Management • Ongoing income from on selling energy • Add value in signing tenants with cheaper electricity rates • Cheaper Electricity rate for Common Areas

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Embedded Network Electricity Solutions has 'in house' expertise to assist our clients consider and establish professional designed Embedded Networks, using proven technologies. Site feasibility and viability analysis Target forecasts for on-selling revenues and costs Strategies to optimize on-selling benefits Documentation and procedures for electricity on selling Regulatory compliance for the project Optimised Retailer energy pricing Regulatory compliant metering requirements for the entire project • Provision of Internal billing • Ongoing project monitoring and audit reviews

• • • • • • •

Benefits for Resident Tenants • Cheaper electricity rates for commercial and resident tenants of a complex • Consistent customer services team • Do not have to liase with retailers as responsibility for all supply functions is with owner/site management or Trans Tasman Energy Group who can act as the billing and customer services agent • Tenants aren’t locked into any contracts

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Next Step? To learn more about the financial opportunities that can be derived from the installation of an Embedded Network for your site(s) contact Alan Waller, Business Development Manager (Embedded Networks). Phone: 03 9418 3989 | Fax: 03 9418 3940 | Email: awaller@tteg.com.au | Website: www.tteg.com.au


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side-by-side comparison of two Brisbane big box stores, each with different technologies, has shown that ActronAir’s Tri-Capacity™ units deliver significant energy savings. An annual energy consumption saving of 37 per cent was projected, with operational cost savings of more than $400,000 per store over a 15-year life cycle. Big box retail spaces are known as being notoriously difficult to cool efficiently, due to their size, layout and typically exposed ceilings. The performance of ActronAir’s Tri-Capacity™ packaged air conditioning units at a major retailer’s site in Brisbane has shown the significant energy efficiency gains achieved over the comparable two-stage equipment offered by our competitors. The Tri-Capacity™ series uses three similar-sized compressors, with two units electronically interlocked to run together, coupled with onboard controllers to provide three-stage operation (33 per cent, 66 per cent and 100 per cent capacity). Independent field testing and energy analysis was conducted by Ecosave for two big box retail company-owned stores. ActronAir Tri-Capacity™ technology was installed at Rocklea, and two-stage, fixed-speed technology was installed at Browns Plains. Both stores were commissioned within an eight-month period and located within close proximity of one another.

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Over the 43-day trial, it was found that Tri-Capacity™ technology delivered total energy consumption savings of 31 per cent. On a daily basis, energy savings of between 10 per cent and 50 per cent were achieved. Based on this data, Ecosave projected an annual energy consumption saving of 37 per cent. This energy saving equates to a 15-year life cycle saving of more than $400,000, and a payback period of just 2.02 years (calculated at 15 cents per kilowatt-hour and on initial equipment capital cost difference). This real-world data energy analysis of ActronAir’s Tri-Capacity™ series of packaged air conditioners shows that in new builds, retrofits, refurbishment of preloved buildings and end-of-life replacement projects, the operational savings offered by these units are significant. It is with innovations like these that ActronAir seeks to produce the most energy-efficient solutions possible, delivering the best value to Australian businesses and building owners.

To find out more, visit www.actronair.com.au or phone 1300 522 722.

Facility PERSPECTIVES PersPectives | VOLUME vOlUMe 8 NUMBER NUMBer 4 FACILITY

327943E_Actron AIr | 2092.indd 24

11/11/14 12:23 PM


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| grEEn buildings

CollaboratIon for an energy-resIlIent CIty By samantha hall, city of perth

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he city of Perth is taking an innovative approach to energy planning, bringing stakeholders together to find joint solutions for building energy resilience into the city at every level. the city of Perth’s towards an energy resilient city initiative was endorsed and introduced in august 2014. the initiative was based upon an assessment of energy use and future demand across both the city’s own business operations portfolio and the city as a whole. this process has identified four strategic directions that could reduce city-wide emissions by up to 32 per cent by 2031. the city of Perth as an organisation realises that energy resilience cannot be achieved by any one sector or level of government alone. a key objective for this new direction is to drive collaboration across the city to achieve a shared vision and road map towards an energy-resilient and sustainable future. this collaboration is intended as a circuit-breaker to business-as-usual thinking, and will better inform long-term planning. the strategic directions focus on four potential collaborative actions across the areas of: 3 energy efficiency 3 renewable energy 3 precinct-scale energy 3 sustainable transport.

Climate change and the role of cities More than two-thirds of australians live in cities, and growing populations make urban environments significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. While they are major emissions contributors, cities also present opportunities. cities are platforms for trialling new technologies and innovative approaches to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

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TOWARDS AN ENERGY RESILIENT CITY !"#$"%&'() *'#%("'+,-) .$/%#

!"#$"%&'()*'#%("'+,-).$/%#))0))TOWARDS AN ENERGY RESILIENT CITY )0!!1

energy resilience is defined as the ability to withstand, or recover quickly from, uctuations in the availability and affordability of energy

Facility PersPectives | vOlUMe 8 NUMBer 4


green buildings |

Figure 1: Emissions sources across the city

The community’s 2029 Vision+ for Perth is for the city to be recognised globally as vibrant, accessible, affordable and sustainable. The City of Perth recognises that in order to grow sustainably and futureproof the city and its citizens against climate change and rising energy demands, better planning for energy security and affordability is needed. The approach requires a combination of policies and actions to understand and implement energy resilience across the city.

How energy is used in our city The City of Perth commissioned consultants Kinesis to undertake research into how energy is currently used across the city. Electricity and gas data from utilities was used to provide a clear picture of how and where energy is used, as well as projections for energy use into the future based on expected planning and development within the city. Resident and worker commuter travel data was also sourced to understand emissions from transit into and around the city.

Emissions sources In total, at a 2006 baseline, there were approximately 965,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions produced per year across the city. The research found

Figure 2: Precinct-­‐level building greenhouse gas emissions

Figure 2: Precinct-level building greenhouse gas emissions

With effective collaborative plans, policies that 51 per cent of the city’s emissions to the future and actions, it is possible for the city to achieve are associated Looking with commercial buildings, a 30 per14,452 cent reduction GHG and 1.2 while only fourPerth per cent are associated with to hmore is expanding, and is forecast ave athan n additional residential indwellings emissions byspace. 2031,This as shown in Figure 4. to result residential buildings Although million (Figure square k1). ilometres of non-­‐residential floor expansion is expected Perth’s residential growing, in a gpopulation rowth of 24 isper cent in gthe reenhouse gas emissions by 2031 (Figure 3). This growth is 8.1-square-kilometre government area in commercial Strategicand directions achieve up to a largely alocal ttributed to the increase residential bto uilding energy consumption, employee commuter is dominated by commercialand buildings. 32figures. per cent reduction in emissions As expected, heating, ventilation and air The four strategic directions that have been conditioning (HVAC) and lighting dominate proposed to achieve more than a 30 per cent the energy demands of those commercial emissions reduction are briefly explained buildings. Perth also has a large number here. Within each of these directions, of workers commuting into the city every a number of enabling mechanisms are day, representing the city’s second-largest currently being investigated and developed. emissions source. In 2006, 53,000 people commuted via car; although, since this time, Energy efficiency this figure has dropped to approximately Leveraging rapid lighting and equipment 50,000, based on 2011 ABS census data. technology evolution, as well as supporting The city was divided into precincts for energy programs and policies, can bring a 13 analysis. Figure 2 shows the concentration of per cent reduction in GHG emissions for Figure 3: Projected GHG growth by 2031 greenhouse gases in the commercial core. residential and commercial buildings.

Looking to the future

Renewable energy

Perth is expanding, and is forecast to have an additional 14,452 residential dwellings and 1.2 million square kilometres of non-residential floor space. This expansion is expected to result in a growth of 24 per cent in GHG emissions by 2031 (Figure 3). This growth is largely attributed to the increase in commercial and residential building energy consumption, and employee commuter figures.

Community and local renewable energy (such as solar photovoltaics) offers the opportunity for a 5.4 per cent reduction in GHG emissions.

Precinct-scale energy Using energy-intense locations for precinctscale energy provides a mechanism to generate, use and store energy at local levels, reducing reliance on the grid – particularly

Facility PerspectiveS | VOLUME 8 NUMBER 4

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Figure 3: Projected GHG growth by 2031

Figure 4: Potential GHG emission reductions

during peak demand. This offers a potential five to 10 per cent reduction in GHG emissions.

Sustainable transport Sustainable transport strategies offer a potential five per cent reduction in emissions through mode shift from private vehicles to public transport, electric vehicles and the growth of schemes such as car share.

The role of the City of Perth, stakeholders and citizens in achieving an energy resilient and sustainable future The city acknowledges that these targets are ambitious, but also believes that they are achievable through a combined effort from the City of Perth and its stakeholders.

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A comprehensive consultation process has commenced with stakeholders to develop a series of practical and achievable energyresilience actions to address the above strategic directions. This is an innovative process to ensure that the objectives of all organisations are achieved. The process is challenging business-as-usual decisionmaking practices, producing a joint effort enabling our city to be well prepared for an energy-resilient future. We believe that together we can achieve a bold, bright and sustainable future for Perth.

Facility PerspectiveS | VOLUME 8 NUMBER 4


Facilities managers are connectors - joining the dots between buildings, people, places and opportunities. Connect with us at Green Cities 2015 to explore: IEQ under the microscope: Creating good IEQ beyond the office Retrofitting for resilience: Transforming our buildings in the face of a changing climate Humanising the workplace: The biggest opportunity to boost productivity and performance Technology and trends: Sustainability secrets revealed Lessons from nature: Applying biomimicry principles to create places for people.

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For more information or to book your tickets visit: www.greencities.org.au

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SPONSORED SponSored ARTICLE article

Metering Accuracy Class ‘S’: ‘there is a difference’

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lectricity energy metering accuracy is an important step in ensuring the integrity of a billing system. Anomalies in measurements can, over a period of time, cost hundreds or thousands of dollars in errors. The accuracy of an energy meter is dependent on multiple factors, such as the load of the network (full load conditions will be more accurate than partial load), as well as the power factor of the system, accuracy of the energy meter and other factors. Accuracy The accuracy depends on the design and build quality of the meter’s input channels; a higher-quality measuring meter will provide better accuracy, but will increase the price of the product. The following are some major parameters impacting the accuracy measurement of an energy meter: 1. fluctuation of the reading value, represented in percentage from the actual value (reading) 2. a fixed error (‘noises’) normally represented in percentage from full scale (FS) as its constant value 3. for power and energy measurements, the phase shift between the voltage and the current also impacts the accuracy, since the power equals voltage multiplied by current multiplied by the cosine of the phase angle 4. the phase angle accuracy is represented in degrees in current transformers, creating additional errors to energy/ power meters. Accuracy metering standards Since accuracy depends on the load of the system, IEC/AS has developed different standards to define accuracy under different load conditions, known as ‘Accuracy Class’. IEC/AS Standard 62053-11 covers Accuracy Classes 0.5, 1.0 and 2 for electromechanical meters for active energy (watt hours), which means the accuracy as a percentage from the reading based on full load conditions and unity power factor; however, the accuracy deteriorates under lower load conditions, with power factor less than unity, along with the presence of harmonics. IEC/AS Standard 62053-21 covers Accuracy Classes 1.0 and 2 for static/electronic meters for active energy (watt hours), which means the accuracy as a percentage from the reading based on full load conditions and unity power factor; however, the accuracy deteriorates under lower load conditions, with power factor less than unity along with the presence of harmonics. IEC/AS Standard 62053-22 covers higher Accuracy Classes of 0.2S and 0.5S for static/electronic meters for active energy (watt hours), providing a higher ‘Accuracy Standard’ under full load conditions and unity power factor, in addition to better accuracy readings at much lower load currents, power factor conditions less than unity along with the presence of harmonics.

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System accuracy versus meter accuracy The accuracy of any energy measurement system is the summary of its components, for example energy meter plus current transformer (CT) – with the exception being when a direct connected meter is utilised. IEC/AS Standard 60044-1 defines the Accuracy Classes for CTs. Subject to the loading of the CT, accuracy variances will occur from the quoted accuracy class, such as errors due to phase errors based on specified load impedance. Current transformers’ accuracy is defined as per IEC 60044-1, Classes 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1 and 3. In addition, Accuracy Class 0.2S and 0.5S standards for CTs apply for higher performance accuracy. The class designation is the measure of the CT’s accuracy. The ratio (primary to secondary current) error of a Class 1 CT is one per cent at rated current; the ratio error of a Class 0.5 CT is 0.5 per cent at rated current. Installing an energy meter with Accuracy Class 0.5S as a minimum requirement can assist in ensuring the Energy monitoring application has a high degree of accuracy when taking into account the accuracy performance of the CTs involved.

RETURN ON INVESTMENT SATEC (Australia) Pty Ltd | www.satec-global.com.au Phone 02 4774 2959 | Fax 02 4774 0249

FACILITY Facility PERSPECTIVES PersPectives | VOLUME vOlUMe 8 NUMBER NUMBer 4

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26/08/14 2:27 PM



| green buildings

New finance for energy and sustainability upgrades can help property managers gain A competitive edge By Eli Court, Climate Works Australia

The traditional role of property and facilities managers is changing. Increasingly, leading property and facilities management companies are offering planning and advisory services to gain a competitive edge, keep existing clients, and attract new business.

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number of firms have begun to carve out their own market niches by helping their clients to investigate and invest in energy and sustainability upgrades. This is not only good for the clients. A more efficient building with more efficient equipment can mean fewer occupant complaints about poor heating or cooling, and can help avoid costly and time-intensive equipment failures that waste property managers’ precious time. The benefits for building owners and tenants are becoming increasingly clear. Recent research from the Australian Property Institute shows that energy-efficient and sustainable buildings can attract a sale price premium of up to 12 per cent. Green buildings can also be cheaper to run, and

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Facility PerspectiveS | VOLUME 8 NUMBER 4

PowerPax chiller on 460 Collins Street, Melbourne


green buildings |

can be healthier, more productive and more comfortable for tenants, meaning reduced vacancy rates and the possibility of increased yields. Research by the World Green Building Council indicates that productivity improvements of up to 23 per cent could be achieved through lighting improvements, and between eight and 11 per cent through improved air quality. Finance, however, can be a major obstacle to getting building upgrades across the line, particularly for older, ‘mid-tier’ building stock. In many cases, upgrade projects are obstructed by the sometimes high up-front costs that building owners often face, while much of the benefit in terms of energy cost savings and improved working environment goes to the tenants (the ‘split incentive’). A new financing mechanism is helping building owners in the City of Melbourne and five New South Wales municipalities to undertake energy and environmental upgrades without any up-front costs, while sharing the ongoing financial costs with their tenants in a win-win way. Property and facilities managers can add value to their clients by being able to provide advice on this financing option (and others) for upgrades that can improve the value of their assets. Environmental upgrade finance (EUF) provides finance for building upgrades that reduce operating costs and improve the value of commercial buildings by helping to improve waste, water or energy efficiency, and can include renewable energy. It is supported by local government, which collects the loan repayments on behalf of the financier, thereby reducing the risk and allowing financiers to offer better terms. The first project to use this form of finance was the retrofit of a family-owned Art Deco office building at 460 Collins Street in Melbourne. The project involved a $400,000 end-of-life replacement of an old chiller with a new, highly efficient PowerPax chiller, along with improved building controls – these measures delivered around $11,000 annually in energy cost savings. The most recent project was a $700,000 upgrade

of St James Hall, at 169 Phillip Street in Sydney, which is expected to reduce energy consumption by 30 per cent. The property is owned by the Anglican Church and managed by Jones Lang LaSalle. Despite the potential of this type of finance to improve the attractiveness of sustainable upgrades, it is still not well understood in the property sector. In consultation with industry partners including the Facility Management Association of Australia, ClimateWorks Australia and the Sustainable Melbourne Fund recently launched a new interactive website (BetterBuildingFinance.com.au) providing building owners, tenants, property and facilities managers, and other service providers with a clear overview of EUF and resources to help understand and access this attractive form of finance. In many cases, EUF can be a more attractive option than a traditional loan as a means of achieving a sustainable building upgrade. It is a proven market mechanism that makes it easier for businesses to access finance for improvements to existing buildings. It is very well suited to smaller owners of middle-tier stock, who may have limited other options for accessing finance for building upgrades. It also presents a new option for large institutional and corporate property owners of the premiumgrade office stock, and is available for other building types, including retail sites and industrial warehouses. The key benefits of EUF are: 33 No up-front capital or security – Traditional finance generally requires additional security, and requires the building owner to contribute some of their own capital up front. 33 Reduced refinancing risk – EUF provides competitive interest rates fixed for 10 years or longer, meaning reduced refinancing risk. Traditional finance generally requires refinancing every two to five years, and rates may increase. 33 Improved cash flow – The long-term nature of EUF means that the energy savings from the building upgrade

can meet most or all of the loan repayments, delivering immediate cash flow benefits to the owner. Traditional finance is generally only available for two to five years. 33 Win-win for owner and tenants – EUF provides a secure and transparent mechanism for building owners to share the costs and benefits of building upgrades with their existing tenants. This enables a win-win for both parties, with the owner getting a better asset, and existing tenants getting a lowercost, healthier and more comfortable working environment without having to wait until the end of their lease, and without increased rents. A number of banks, including NAB, ANZ and Bankmecu, currently offer EUF, with additional financiers expected to enter the market in the near future. Currently, the cities of Melbourne, Sydney, North Sydney, Parramatta, Newcastle and Lake Macquarie offer this finance. Any other council in New South Wales is able to offer EUF, legislation to expand availability across Victoria is currently in the Parliament, and legislation has been drafted for South Australia. In the coming months, ClimateWorks and Sustainable Melbourne Fund will work to improve the property sector’s understanding of EUF through the Better Building Finance website and a series of workshops. The website provides illustrative business cases for real buildings across South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales, as well as a simple ‘mortgage calculator’-style comparison that enables users to compare EUF to traditional finance options.

For more information, go to BetterBuildingFinance.com.au, or contact Eli Court at eli.court@climateworksaustralia.org.

Facility PerspectiveS | VOLUME 8 NUMBER 4

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Smart workplaces, intelligent buildings and smart cities

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ith the advent of the Internet of Everything, connected buildings and workplaces generate and receive massive amounts of data. Collecting, collating, analysing and presenting an integrated view of all of the building data offers organisations an improved understanding of their operational effectiveness, and return on investment (ROI) from effective real estate management, as well as an accelerated ability to react to change. Improved insight and control will positively impact upon all aspects of real estate performance: from lease accounting and capital projects to facility maintenance, space utilisation and energy

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consumption. With ever-changing workforce behaviour that is growing increasingly flexible and home-based, it’s challenging to manage facilities efficiently. The commercial real estate market is getting increasingly competitive in the majority of cities around the world. Globalisation is impacting businesses with competition from every corner, and tenants are becoming more demanding. To attract and retain the best employees, businesses require innovative responses to workplace demands, such as seating and work practice flexibility, improved air quality, enhanced corporate image, and energy efficiency. Building owners are under pressure to meet the needs of their tenants. Growing mobile workforce demands have changed the concept of a workplace. The new concept of a workplace can be applied to many different types of facilities, such as corporate offices, campuses, cities and municipalities, hospitals and airports. Compared to the traditional workplace that has a physical location, which is no longer a 100 per cent viable option, the new workplace is defined as anywhere one may work, which increasingly includes mobile and virtual work environments. Increased challenges posed by this new phenomenon include trying to maximise employee productivity and collaboration across geographically dispersed locations while managing costs and mitigating risks. As the workplace becomes immensely more diverse and global, these challenges are becoming even more complex. The most significant barrier to a more productive workplace is the

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fact that information and processes are usually locked within traditional management silos within the workplace. Workplace operations rely on a number of management systems and applications including human resources, enterprise resource planning, building management, contact centres, work order systems, customer information systems, asset and maintenance management, security, access control and surveillance systems, and mobile workforce management systems. Market observation reveals that these systems are typically bought from different vendors speaking incompatible vocabularies, are not interfaced with one another, and may be running on different computer platforms. Automated and seamless flow of data from one system to another; coordinated executions of the applications in all systems; and streamlining the workflow between these applications, employees, and external entities results in efficient management of workplace and business processes. Organisations across industries with a portfolio of buildings constantly endeavour to improve their key performance indicators related to costs, reliability, customer service, security and safety, and regulatory compliance. In order to achieve the above, these organisations are continually in search of effective ways to streamline and automate their underlying workplace business processes. Now, the question remains of how strong the building owner’s sentiment is to attract new tenants, or to renew existing leases. Would the ROI justify the associated cost to change? Such questions can only be addressed through integration. Building operational intelligence is achieved through interconnected data coupled with analytics and process automation. By integrating the building systems along with workplace management processes and other enterprise systems and processes, organisations can build smarter workplaces, buildings and cities. Integrating process management and collaboration makes the workplace smart! Operational Intelligence creates smarter workplaces Operational Intelligence offers solutions that include space planning, agile workplaces, way finding, interactive 3D and 4D visualisation through Ineni Realtime, intelligent buildings, sustainability, predictive and planned preventative maintenance, access control, visitor management, security and surveillance, incident management, operational intelligence and predictive analytics, commissioning and acceptance testing, facility booking and management, property and contracts management, and assets register. To integrate functional models across key areas of the organisation, one will need an effective solution for data integration. Operational Intelligence addresses this market need utilising iViva, a unique development environment and management system that enables the workplace to be smarter

and more responsive by eliminating the barriers listed in earlier paragraphs. Its unique strength is in its ability to effortlessly interconnect people, processes and systems across the workplace. In doing so, it provides a foundation for collaboration, communication and business process management. Another key aspect is its operational capability that enables the monitoring of workplace systems and processes in real time, enabling better and more proactive decisions. Operational Intelligence offers a solution that delivers an integrated view of buildings’ portfolio data, as well as increased visibility, control and automation within each of the functional areas of workplace management. The right smart workplace management system can help you transform the way you manage your assets to achieve increased efficiencies, more effective utilisation and greater financial return. The savings achieved when implementing this solution may offset the cost to implement in less than one year, instead of being capitalised. This defines the business case. In addition to the business justification in terms of increased workplace efficiencies (better space usage) or reduced vacancy rates, the write-off from the investment could also have a favourable impact on the profit and loss statement.

Operational Intelligence is a division of Oberix Group Pty. Ltd – a systems integrator leveraging 22 years of building industry operation, now offering software solutions to create intelligent buildings, smart workplaces and smart cities. For further information, contact Operational Intelligence on (02) 9648 6347 or sales@op-int.com.

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5/11/14 1:48 PM


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How to drive optimal HVAC performance through big data

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eating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) contribute up to 50 per cent of a building’s total power usage, so it is logical to optimise this element when considering building efficiency and sustainability outcomes. Big data Recent advancements in the ways that companies can collect and analyse large amounts of data have allowed building managers to improve plant and equipment efficiency, helping them to reduce energy costs, equipment outages and occupant discomfort. One of the first things that analysts can do to improve efficiency through big data is to use Managed Software as a Service (MSaaS) solutions, as these can help to aggregate and analyse diagnostic results, and to track progress. Managed services help buildings to operate at peak performance and optimise return on investment – they are like having an industry-leading expert monitoring a building 24/7. For example, an analytics report can guide the onsite maintenance team to choose the best course of action on a daily basis to optimise building operations. HVAC monitoring systems To ensure that you have the right information for big data analytics reports, it is important to understand the types of monitoring systems available. Most of these fall into three general categories of data analytics technology, with different advantages, as outlined below: 3 Embedded analytics: this is the simplest system, and is embedded in the hardware and software within the building management system (BMS). It works best for new construction, but provides limited capability and insight. 3 On-premise system: this option is hardware-based and is ‘bolted on’ to building management systems. This gives building managers maximum control over servers and tools, but is limited by a lack of remote access, increased hardware maintenance requirements and the need to regularly update software. 3 Cloud-based system: this option is built using cloudbased and virtual systems, and is, by far, the most powerful solution. The data is analysed outside of the building system in a virtual cloud environment, which allows for greater flexibility, remote access and control, easy upgrades and no maintenance.

Virtualisation Building managers also need to consider the degree of virtualisation that they are willing to deploy in their data analytics solutions, as there is a lack of awareness in the industry as to what is the most effective. An embedded expert tool that identifies the root cause of issues is recommended if

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a business wants the best functionality; many systems in the market offer little more than remote data graphing solutions. Businesses need to start by assessing the monitoring systems that they have in place, and how analysts can provide insights on the information at hand if they want to optimise their HVAC solutions with big data analytics. Managers will see a significant increase in their buildings’ overall operational efficiency by addressing HVAC optimisation through today’s big data technology. Peter Morris, National Service Manager, Buildings Business, Schneider Electric Australia

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Because business relies on the availability of electricity, buildings need their medium voltage distribution systems not only to be reliable, but also to be energy efficient, durable and able to adapt to changing business needs.

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But the operators of these systems require more. Peace of mind is paramount, and can only be achieved with low-maintenance switchgear that helps ensure the safety of both people and assets. Switchgear that provides monitoring and lowers the total cost of ownership is critical.

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© 2014 Schneider Electric. All Rights Reserved. www.schneider-electric.com.au SEAU120801


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Delivering an unrivalled client experience

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e’ve all heard the saying, ‘First impressions count’. Well, this is certainly true when it comes to your organisation’s first opportunity to engage and interact with a client (or a potential new client). Right now, many businesses are investing heavily in PR and reputation management to influence the way in which they’re seen by other people, and to deliver a consistently great customer experience. But some still fail to recognise that relationship building actually begins on your own doorstep – in your organisation’s reception area. If a visitor to your offices has a bad experience at your front desk, it can have a disastrous impact on your business as a whole. That’s why this new white paper from Manhattan Software provides essential advice on delivering an unrivalled customer experience that can help you to build and maintain client loyalty. The white paper is based on insight from a global financial organisation and a leading law firm, as well as data from a survey sent out to more than 70 leading companies. The white paper explains the concept of unrivalled client experience and what you need to do to deliver it. It also

reveals that the whole front-of-house experience itself is on the verge of a revolution – thanks to new technology and the coming of ‘complete visitor engagement’. To receive a copy of the white paper, please visit www.manhattansoftware.com

First Impressions Count! Are you a facilities or real estate professional with responsibility for your company’s front of house operation? Is your organisation looking to enhance its overall business by building stronger relationships with clients? If you are, you’ll know that first impressions count more than ever in today’s highly competitive marketplace. Manhattan Software’s new white paper provides essential advice on delivering an unrivalled client experience. Download from the Manhattan website today. > www.manhattansoftware.com

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FACILITY Facility PERSPECTIVES PersPectives || VOLUME vOlUMe 88 NUMBER NUMBer 44

328275AE_Manhattan | 2092.indd 24

9/10/14 10:27 AM


building information modelling |

How building information modelling can benefit facilities managers by dominik Holzer, aec connect Why are facilities managers increasingly drawn into discussions surrounding building information modelling (BIM)? It is a curious fact, given that BIM ultimately helps those who design, engineer and construct buildings – not the facilities management (FM) guys! What is the facility manager’s stake in BIM, given that 90 per cent of FM work deals with the management of existing building stock that doesn’t depend on BIM at all?

The value proposition

here is a simple answer to the above questions: BIM is changing. Its purpose has continually shifted over the past decade, and its adoption is maturing to the point where it indeed becomes relevant when considering operations and mainenance (O&M)-related aspects of a building’s operations.

Within all of these highly informed representations lies value. For facilities managers, that value can only be tapped into if the underlying data associated with BIM components can be exported from the construction team’s models, and linked (or imported) to their CAFM systems. Even further, clients and their FM experts can use

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(AMCA) has devised a standard as part of its BIM-MEPAUS initiative to streamline data use for the equipment most relevant to its members. In addition, it has set up a vast library of components adhering to this standard. In doing so, AMCA has allowed trades to take BIM all the way – from design to fabrication, installation and beyond. MEP contractors not only install but also service and maintain equipment post-handover, and data integrity is becoming a crucial element of streamlining the contractors’ workflow with facilities managers. They can work from common datasets and digital O&M information for preventative maintenance scheduling and costing.

this standardised data as reference to assist in procurement for future projects. It is important that clients understand that there is no single path for requesting BIM. The quality of information that clients receive depends on their ability to clearly articulate what information they require. In that sense, BIM never comes off the shelf, but its output needs to be tailored towards specific client (or even project) needs. As a logical consequence, any organisation needs to understand the specific value that BIM can give it; there is no single ‘full BIM’ solution, and requesting such should be avoided in the contract at all cost. One could easily mistake BIM for a technology solution, referring to it as the outcome of using 3D software in the delivery of projects. Such an approach would be foolish. If facilities managers want to tap into the potential of BIM, they first need to grasp how fundamentally BIM changes established workflows and information handover processes in the construction industry. Facilities managers should encourage clients to add requirements to their briefs that

BIM is changing Whereas BIM focused mainly on the generation of documentation drawings in its early days of adoption, it is now increasingly used to program the construction process and for digital set-out on site. Bringing BIM into construction has a side effect. Contractors and the trades have started to attach actual product data to their geometric models, and they start pricing exact quantities off their models. Suddenly, consultants and contractors begin to procure their digital models in exactly the same way that they procure their physical counterparts. As an example, the Association of Mechanical Subcontractors of Australia

Facility PerspectiveS | VOLUME 8 NUMBER 4

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| building inFOrmatiOn mOdElling

ensure that consultants and contractors involve them early in the process. the key for such involvement is to change the project team’s mindset regarding the information that it produces alongside the design and construction process. in parallel, it prompts owners and their facilities managers to become acquainted with ways to express employer information requirements (eirs) that relate to BiM on their projects.

Adding FM into the mix it makes sense for project teams to work backwards from actual operational information requirements and include those into their planning processes. this workflow can be achieved by involving facilities managers in early charrettes, instead of waiting until key design considerations are already determined. in BiM terms, this approach means FM inclusion in the generation of BiM management (also called ‘execution’) plans. those documents represent essential guidelines for project teams on how to deliver projects using BiM. the British Government has gone a step further by setting targets for what

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they refer to as level 2 BiM use. By 2016, public projects will have to be delivered by United Kingdom construction teams while considering information management in the operational phase in accordance with a public standard (Pas 1192:3). in order to facilitate better interoperability between capital and operational expenditure, the United Kingdom’s BiM task force promotes a standard for data exchange: the construction Operation Building information exchange (cOBie). their Pas 1192:4 document explains in greater detail how this spreadsheet-based exchange from BiM data to computer-aided facilities management (caFM) works in practice.

What about existing assets? the majority of assets managed in FM were built long before BiM was on the radar. considering this fact, it is understandable that facilities managers’ enthusiasm about BiM is curbed at this point in time. still, the number of BiM projects is growing rapidly, and some clients start to request ‘post delivery’ BiMs on their existing assets. the advantages of having up-to-date digital

Facility PersPectives | vOlUMe 8 NUMBer 4

representations of their assets available for maintenance and future refurbishment are such that owner/operators see the benefits of structuring information related to their assets in a BiM way. the convergence between BiM and 3D point cloud scanning that captures existing assets geometrically is continuing. it adds possibilities for merging information from existing building stock to newly planned or to-be-refurbished assets. One leading example in this realm is the FM work undertaken by the sydney Opera House trust.

Beyond BIM lastly, facilities and asset managers should consider the potential of using information stemming from individual BiMs across a number of projects. cross-referencing standardised data from a number of projects will allow them to validate performance trends and cost across entire portfolio information models. the opportunities offered by this approach are vast. clients will receive better decision support from FM experts who use BiM across a number of projects.


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Evolution of BIM4FM Building owners are widely embracing building information modelling (BIM) as a core part of their design and construction process, and now are beginning to extend the value of BIM to the entire life cycle of a facility or portfolio of facilities.

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ifecycle BIM is the collaborative model-based process for creating, maintaining and utilising building information to effectively manage operations and maintenance of buildings throughout their operational life cycle.

Many building owners ask if Revit models developed through the design and construction process will work with facilities management software like FM:Interact

Many building owners ask if Revit models developed through the design and construction process will work with facilities management software like FM:Interact. The answer is yes, provided the model is appropriate for use within a CAFM or IWMS environment. Questions can range from what level of development (LOD) is represented in the model, to whether the spaces are defined. Today, facilities management systems can automatically synchronise with space and asset information in the building model, and are used to reduce operating costs through ongoing preventative maintenance, space management, reducing energy consumption, tracking life cycle costs, and maintaining user requirements as future designs evolve. Value can come from any previously developed BIM, and any relevant information contained in the model(s).There are two primary methods for gathering and creating data for a building owner’s facility portfolio in order to enable an owner to move to life cycle BIM. The first method uses pre-occupation BIM data to produce a live, interactive operations and maintenance manual between the BIM and the (IWMS) product suite, such as the FM:Systems FM:Interact product. The second method models existing facilities, using a comprehensive approach to life cycle BIM for the entire portfolio. For owners who own and operate a number of facilities within their building portfolios, using only a BIMbased life cycle approach for newly constructed buildings inherently limits the value that BIM can provide. Building information models can develop for facilities management over time as we move towards and through a building’s operations, and are set to develop further to address the growing complexities surrounding sustainability, technology and energy efficiency.

Don Hitchcock – Director Advanced Spatial Technologies Pty Ltd

Fig 1 Descriptions describing the basic types of models that can inform BIM4FM

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A small team with big results

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ince 2008, our small team has engineered and delivered more than 1600 air conditioning units to some of the harshest conditions imaginable. From our very first delivery to the north-west salt mines, to offshore platforms, our units have been selected for the most challenging working environments. We are renowned for our high-quality, reliable and versatile climate control systems. The love of a challenge is at the core of Specialized Engineering, and with the release of our high-efficiency commercial systems, which can be configured to replace existing APAC products, we are now set to take on some of the big companies because of our desire to break boundaries and set new standards. With our own internal research, development and testing facilities, we can engineer and manufacture to almost any standard or requirements. We are creators, our units are engineered from scratch to the specific design requirements of every customer to ensure maximum unit life, efficiency and value for money. We are a small team that takes pride in its research, design and production skills, and our reputation for keeping promises and fulfilling our customers’ needs. We’d welcome the opportunity to discuss your air conditioning needs, and to work with you to create the right solution for your clients.

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For further information, visit specializedengineering.com.au. Chris Miller – Managing Director

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| HVAC

Commercial airconditioning systems – refrigerant considerations for today and the future BY Brett Fraser, Business Development Director, A-Gas International DuPont pioneered synthetic refrigerants, developed during the 1930s, as replacements for toxic substances that were in common use at the time1, such as sulphur dioxide (SO2) and methyl chloride (ClCH3). The adoption of the non-toxic chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) was driven by society’s desire for safe alternatives.

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or around 50 years, the new synthetic substances were accepted by industry as safe practical refrigerants. By the 1970s and ’80s, however, evidence about the damage they caused to the ozone layer was growing, and action was taken to mitigate the environmental risk posed by these substances. As such, industry moved away from CFCs through the transitional hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) – which still depleted the ozone layer, though to a much lesser degree – to hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which pose no ozone-depleting environmental risk. Over the course of this journey – which is almost complete in the developed world, though the phase-out of HCFCs is just commencing in the developing world – society became aware of another environmental risk: anthropogenic global warming caused by an atmospheric build-up of greenhouse gases, to which the HFCs being adopted by our industry contributed significantly. To combat the growing global warming impact of HFC refrigerants, lower global warming potential (GWP) synthetic refrigerants are being developed and introduced; however, these products, like with previous generations, offer different performance properties from the materials that they replace, leading to the possibility of further fragmentation of refrigerant

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supply options. This progression of change in refrigerants, when overlaid with the equipment constraints of commercial airconditioning systems – which are extremely capital-intensive with long equipment life spans – presents a dilemma for purchasers and managers of such capital equipment. Even more so than domestic air conditioning, commercial and multidwelling air-conditioning solutions represent a significant capital investment that, with appropriate management and maintenance, will continue to perform optimally for several decades. This equipment is designed to operate on a particular refrigerant, and, in order to maintain optimal performance, running the system on the refrigerant for which it was designed is by far the best option; however, it’s also an option that may be increasingly difficult moving forward, as HCFC options are phased out, and HFC refrigerants are being targeted for phase down.

Current situation The current installed base of commercial chillers is centred on the HCFCs R22 and R123, with R123 being for low-pressure systems, and the HFC R134a. R22 and R123 are being phased out as part of the Montreal Protocol.

Facility PerspectiveS | VOLUME 8 NUMBER 4

The phase-out of CFC R11 led to the introduction of medium-pressure HFC-based chillers, designed around R134a. Although HFCs do not contribute to ozone layer destruction, they have come under increasing global focus due to their significant GWP. Australia implemented and then repealed the carbon tax to tackle CO2 emissions, and Europe will commence its phasedown of HFCs under its F-Gas legislation, commencing in January 2015. All of this is drawing regulatory attention to stationary airconditioning systems operating on R134a, and is leading to HCFCs being phased out. Already in place is the European Union Directive on Mobile Air Conditioning (MAC), requiring automotive manufacturers to use refrigerant fluids in mobile air conditioning with a GWP of below 150, resulting in the development of the HFO 1234yf refrigerant to replace R134a for this application. As such, over the life of existing equipment, refrigerant supply and availability will, at some point, become an issue that will need to be considered by those maintaining the installed base of commercial air-conditioning equipment. It should be noted again that refrigerant choice and equipment selection are two sides of the same coin, and cannot be viewed in isolation. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) spend considerable time and resources designing a system


HVAC |

around both the refrigerant gas and the entire system. As such, the best refrigerant solution is always the refrigerant for which the system was designed. With the phase-out of HCFC refrigerants, however, Australia’s ability to import HCFCs is decreasing in order to meet our obligations under the Montreal Protocol. With an installed base of some 10,000 megatonnes of HCFC2, this supply constraint is at odds with maintaining such equipment through to end of life on the refrigerant for which it is designed. As equipment is retired at the end of its natural life, the refrigerant can, and must, be recovered. This recovered refrigerant can be recycled and returned to original AHRI-700 specification for re-use, to meet the continuing needs of the market – thus satisfying the maintenance needs of the ongoing installed base of equipment, while still decreasing the import of ozonedepleting substances in line with our Montreal Protocol commitments. Extensive experience has been gained in Europe, where virgin R22 was banned in 2003, and installed equipment continues to be serviced today through the provision of recycled R22. It should be noted, however, that Europe has placed a ban on the use of recycled R22 after 31 December 2014, to facilitate the retirement and reduction of the installed bank of R22 equipment. Australia currently has no such sunset regulation on the ongoing use of R22 already within Australia. As such, existing R22 equipment

can be maintained until the end of its life on R22, using available virgin and recycled refrigerant. Once such equipment is replaced and there is no ongoing demand, such refrigerant shall be destroyed through the industry’s product stewardship program, Refrigerant Reclaim Australia (RRA). It is worth drawing the distinction here between simple re-use and recycling. Reuse is the removal of gas from a system and re-using it in the same or another system. This is fraught with danger, as the refrigerant taken from a system will invariably be contaminated to some degree, most certainly with oil and non-condensable gases at a minimum, and, as such, simple re-use will transfer performance issues, leading to impaired system performance, and even possible system failure. Recycling is the process of returning the recovered refrigerant to original specification, and verifying through complete refrigerant analysis. This ensures that once the refrigerant is returned to a system, it will perform in the system as originally intended.

Refrigerant options – moving forward OEMs, in recognition of the possible reduction in availability of a refrigerant and the social desire to move towards lowerGWP refrigerant options, test and approve retrofit options for their equipment. Such work is currently being conducted by OEMs and the American Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) within

their Alternative Refrigeration Evaluation Program (AREP), and is designed to test and evaluate refrigerant options across a range of applications. These include commercial air conditioning to identify suitable lower-GWP solutions that could be used as a foundation for new equipment, or alternative retrofit refrigerants to ensure that existing equipment can be utilised for its full design lifetime if the original refrigerant for which the equipment was designed becomes unavailable. Such retrofit options generally have only a mild reduction in GWP, as they must match the physical properties of the existing refrigerant, especially in relation to safety and flammable class (for instance, A1 (no flame propagation) as per ASHRAE Standard 34 safety classifications). With any retrofit option, careful consideration should be given to ensure that the use of a lower-GWP refrigerant does not have the perverse outcome of a higher environmental footprint due to an unintended increase in life cycle climate performance (LCCP). To this end, a retrofit option is normally only considered once the design refrigerant is no longer available. For new equipment, lower-GWP molecules are being investigated, where their specific characteristics can be accounted for within the equipment design. As with any change, there are trade-offs – this lower GWP is a virtue of the fact that the molecule breaks down more readily

Table 1: GWP versus flammability and toxicity of select fluorocarbon refrigerants for chiller applications GWP – AR53

ASHRAE4 Standard 34 safety designation

OEL

LFL/UEL – volume/volume per cent in air

MIE mJ5

R11

4660

A1

1000

-/-

-

R22

1760

A1

1000

-/-

-

R134a

1300

A1

1000

-/-

-

R123

79

B1

50

-/-

-

R1234yf

<1

A2L

500

6.2/12.3

5000 ~61,000*

R1234ze (E)

<1

A2L

800

7/12 * (100oC)

R1233zd (E)

1

A1

800

-/-

HFO1336mzz (Z)

6

-/- **

OEL: Occupational exposure limit – eight-hour time-weighted average as defined in ASHRAE Standard 34 LFL/UEL: Lower flammability limit/Upper flammability limit | MIE: Minimum ignition energy mJ *SolsticeTM1234ze (HFO 1234ze) Refrigerant, Honeywell Europe, TDS 2012 ** ASTM E681 currently not assessed by ASHRAE

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in the atmosphere. This reduced chemical stability translates into physical properties, such as a higher degree of flammability and/or toxicity than the HFCs, HCFCs and CFCs that they are replacing. This changes the risk profile when using such refrigerants compared to the products that they are intended to replace. Listed in Table 1 are some of the current and historical chiller refrigerants, and some of the leading candidates for chiller applications in new equipment. The primary driver for new refrigerant development is lower GWP with improved efficiency versus the current R134a benchmark. R1234ze has a flammable classification under ASHRAE of A2L (lower flammability); yet, for dangerous goods regulations, it is generally classified as a non-flammable. This is due to the fact that the test temperature for flammability for dangerous goods, such as the Australian Dangerous Goods (ADG) Code or the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS), is conducted at 20 degrees Celsius, while the ASHRAE test is conducted at 60 degrees Celsius. R1234ze does not exhibit flammable properties under the standard ADG classification testing, but does under the elevated test conditions of ASHRAE. The A2L classification is a recognition that, while it does burn under the test conditions, its burn velocity (speed of propagation) is below 10 centimetres per second, and its heat of combustion is below 19,000 kilojoules per kilogram – these are the standard criteria to meet this A2L classification. It can also be noted from the table above that the minimum ignition energy required to ignite R1234ze is extremely high. For comparison, R290 (propane) has minimum ignition energy of 0.25mJ6 – some 240,000 times lower than that required to ignite R1234ze. As such, the A2L refrigerants, although flammable, are difficult to ignite and sustain flame propagation and, if ignited, flames spread slowly and not with explosive speed. Such properties present much lower engineering risks that the OEMs must design for and that equipment owners and managers must accommodate, compared to traditional A3 flammable products such as R290. Society must evaluate and balance the risks and benefits when using refrigerants. The acceptable level of risk changes over time, in part due to improved work practices

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and engineering controls, and also through determining that the environmental risk of not adopting newer technologies is greater than the risk of adopting mildly flammable refrigerants, and/or cannot be mitigated – whereas the risk can be better understood and/or mitigated through engineering and use controls. As an example, the use of R32 as a standalone refrigerant was proposed in the 1990s as a replacement for R22; however, at that time, when GWP and global warming was not a major societal focus, the risk was determined by industry to be too great to adopt a flammable refrigerant to replace R22. As such, R410A was adopted at that time. Today, R32 is a leading candidate for residential air-conditioning equipment where OEMs, through extensive testing, have mitigated the mild flammability risk for such applications. Any risk mitigation for chiller applications would need to be cognisant of the vastly different environment and charge sizes present with commercial equipment.

Supply chain effects The Australian commercial and residential air-conditioning market is dominated by class A1 HCFC and HFC refrigerants. The future of low-GWP refrigerants introduces mildly flammable refrigerants into the market. It should be noted that dangerous goods regulations do not differentiate degrees of flammability and, as such, all flammable products are treated equally7. Ensuring that the supply chain can accommodate the demands of storing and distributing such refrigerants in the future will be crucial to ensuring the ongoing reliability of supply. This can only be accomplished through communication and planning across the supply chain. This is especially true in the commercial sector, where the charge sizes of individual installations are significant.

with reclaimed and recycled product, and approved retrofit options, existing R22 equipment can continue to provide the service for which it was designed. Should phase-down regulations around HFCs also become enacted in Australia, the regime around R22 recovery and recycling while there is a market demand can simply be extended for R134a supply also, providing security of supply. Decisions relating to new equipment choice can then be made based on a complete understanding of the requirements for any new system, and evaluating all appropriate parameters and trade-offs, rather than as a result of a kneejerk reaction through perceived risk of not being able to maintain existing equipment due to reduced refrigerant supply.

About Brett Fraser Brett holds a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Monash University, and an MBA from the University of Melbourne. Prior to Joining A-Gas in October 2013, Brett held numerous global, regional and local Australian business management roles with Arkema Fluorochemical business unit. Most recently, Brett was Global Business Manager for Arkema’s refrigerant blends and components business, based in Philadelphia, United States, and was responsible for overall business profitability and guiding relevant research and development efforts. His prior role was sales and marketing manager with the Arkema joint venture with Daikin in Hong Kong, and he was responsible for the commercial operation of the business. References 1 Elkins J.W, ‘Chlorofluorocarbons’, The Chapman & Hall Encyclopedia of Environmental Science, Kluwer Academic, Boston, MA, 1999.

Summary Our industry is once again facing generational change, having gone through CFCs to HCFCs to HFCs, and now moving to the fourth generation of synthetic refrigerants. Each generational change presents a different set of challenges that must be managed. Although the need for change is real, through the proper management and maintenance of equipment and refrigerant within the existing bank, there is no reason equipment cannot be maintained until the end of its natural life. Using the allowable imports of R22, coupled

Facility PerspectiveS | VOLUME 8 NUMBER 4

2 Cold Hard Facts, second edition, prepared by Expert Group for Department of Sustainability and Environment, Ozone and Synthetic Gas Team, March 2013 3 IPCC, Changes in Atmospheric Constituents and in Radiative Forcing Assessment, Report 4 and 5 4 ASHRAE Standard 34-2103, Designation and Safety Classification of Refrigerants, 2013 5 Clodic D, Low GWP Refrigerants and Flammability Classification. , CEP- Paris Mines Paris Tech, 2010 6 ibid 7 Fraser B, ‘Selecting Future Refrigerants – Consideration of Dangerous Goods Regulations on the Entire Supply Chain’, AIRAH, April 2014


HVAC |

R22 Refrigerant phaseout options By Bryon Price, A.G. Coombs Group The importation of ozone-depleting hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) will effectively cease in 2016. This includes the most common refrigerant, R22, which is widely used in residential and commercial air-conditioning and refrigeration systems. The cost of R22 has increased significantly; it is now more expensive than the refrigerants used in new equipment, and cost and availability issues for gas and parts will continue to escalate.

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his poses problems for owners and operators of R22 equipment; maintenance costs are increasing, repair times for critical plant will extend as the gas and parts become harder to source, and, ultimately, it will not be possible to support the operation of R22 plant because of the unavailability of refrigerant and replacement parts. Management options include the retention of R22 plant with improved maintenance, retrofitting the plant with a suitable alternative refrigerant gas, or equipment replacement with modern technology. An important consideration when looking at options is the application of the system – is it performing a critical function? What are the implications of its failure and a subsequent delay to reinstatement? It is recommended that a simple audit of R22 equipment be conducted to identify the location, type, age and condition of the plant, the size of refrigerant change and replacement cost, and what functional area the plant serves, and its importance. This will assist in the determination of the best management plan for the equipment. Ultimately, all plant will need to be replaced, or become redundant.

Retain and manage: For equipment in good condition that is still suitable for its purpose, a retention plan including improved maintenance to reduce the risk of refrigerant leakage may be a viable short- to mid-term option. This option is, however, subject to the envisaged R22 gas and parts cost and supply issues, and the criticality of the system’s purpose is an important consideration.

Retrofit with an alternative refrigerant:

Replacement:

Alternative refrigerants can, in suitable circumstances, be considered for R22 retrofits. Options include R438A, R427A, R407C and R407F. There are a number of technical and performance issues with retrofits, and care is required in assessing the suitability of plant for retrofit. Suitable technical expertise must be applied. Retrofitting may result in a plant capacity reduction of up to 25 per cent. This could compromise the ability of the system to fulfil its purpose. It may also have energy usage implications, with plant required to run longer and/or harder than previously. Replacements are blends of various components and behave differently to R22, which is a single-component refrigerant. Any leakage will occur at different rates for the components, and this may impact upon the ability to top up refrigerant. Retrofit refrigerants may not expand seal materials the way R22 does, and replacement of the various seals could be required to prevent leakage. Changes to lubricating oil, filters, driers, valves and other components may also be required. Typically, no warranty will be offered on retrofitted plant, and the availability of parts for what was R22 plant will become an issue. Hydrocarbon-based refrigerants are not recommended for retrofit purposes. The Flammable Refrigerants Safety Guide is available at www.airah.org.au. Any activities associated with refrigerant gas must, by law, be carried out by qualified and licensed organisations and personnel (www.arctick.org).

When assessed on a life cycle basis, the cost of new equipment can be comparable to the total cost of retaining and retrofitting plant with an alternative refrigerant, and less than the potential cost and consequences of plant failure and delayed reinstatement problems. New refrigeration technology offers a number of benefits, including: 33 energy efficiency uplift, and reductions in operating energy costs of between 15 and 45 per cent – more, in some circumstances 33 improved equipment design and controllability, which can result in better system performance 33 the possibility of new plant being smaller than its predecessor; existing plant is sometimes oversized for current requirements 33 improved reliability and extended warranties of up to five years 33 reduced maintenance and ownership costs, and renewed asset value for depreciation. There are a number of options for managing the implications of R22 refrigerant phase-out. Increasing cost and availability issues are already here. Management plans should be developed for all R22 equipment, and should address capital costs, maintenance and operational costs, along with an assessment of risk to operations to determine the priority and timing of actions.

Bryon Price is Strategic Development Director of the A.G. Coombs Group, and is an experienced building services engineer.

Facility PerspectiveS | VOLUME 8 NUMBER 4

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TRANSFORMING A GOLD COAST ICON

By Mick Ward, Usher & Son Access Jupiters Hotel & Casino in Broadbeach on the Gold Coast is undergoing a $345 million transformation. Part of this transformation includes painting the exterior of the uniquely shaped building; this is the first time that the building has been painted since its construction.

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lthough every major painting job is different, there are several unique challenges when it comes to painting Jupiters. The redevelopment is being handled carefully to ensure that a world-class project is delivered, while causing as little disruption to guests as possible. Therefore, our main focus is to help keep the hotel running and maintain compliance while delivering a project of this magnitude. With Jupiters remaining fully operational during the redevelopment and painting, our job is not only to make sure that the painting work is completed on time and on budget, but also to work closely with the hotel to ensure minimal impact to the business and guests. There are other areas undergoing renovations at the same time, such as the pool and two other restaurants,

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so it is a big job for the project managers to work together to keep everything running smoothly. To paint the exterior, we are working with abseilers and swing stages, which require exclusion zones underneath the painters whenever they are working. With regular jobs, we would shut the building down and not need to factor this in, but as the hotel is open during the painting process, we must maintain good lines of communication with the hotel staff and do a lot of planning to ensure that our exclusion zones don’t interfere with the working areas of the hotel. The shape of the building and the entry and access points are also quite unique. A square building normally has two main access points; however, with the unique design of the building, it can be a challenge


maintEnanCE & EssEntial sErViCEs |

to identify which area of the building we are looking at from the outside, and how to access that room from back of house. internal access is also not straightforward due to the many different areas of the hotel – there are not only hotel rooms, but also a theatre, event spaces, bars and restaurants, all of which have different levels of access and security. We operate in a tiered structure for managing the site of this iconic project, with a dedicated full-time project manager and three specialist teams – a swing stage team, an abseiling team and a ground crew team. as project manager, i have control over all aspects, including financial, while team manager amanda Pennycook is in charge of all working at heights procedures. amanda oversees the safety of 20 painters and three labourers on this project – nine are abseilers,

while six work on traditional swing stages. swing stages are long, enclosed platforms that hang from cables attached to a system on the rooftop. abseiling is undertaken by a painter attached to a rope and harness system, which is also attached to anchor points in the roof floor. at Jupiters, the abseilers work on the tiered, ocean side of the building, as the tiers require more flexibility when it comes to access. the hinterland side, which is straight, will be painted using swing stages. as specialists in high-rise commercial painting, we have our own swing stages at Usher & son access (Uas) – this gives us better control over the equipment. safety is absolutely paramount for both our workers and the hotel environment. although the same risk factor applies to abseiling as it does to swing stages, they

need different safe work statements to suit the individual paths. We have a five-folder safety system, which covers everything on the site. the Gold coast Work Health and safety Department has conducted several audits on site, and is working closely with us to ensure that the site safety meets and exceeds all safety requirements. a three-coat system is being applied, since the surface has never before been painted. the painting needs to withstand the strong heat of Queensland’s summers, so a Baxta Maxicap Membrane has been selected, which is a high-solid formula that can bridge cracks up to 10 times its dry film thickness. Baxta is manufactured in Queensland, and is specifically formulated for commercial towers in the harsh australian environment.

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It’s also being used at the Pacific Fair Shopping Centre next to Jupiters, which is currently undergoing its own redevelopment. We’ve also taken the opportunity, while we are completing the job, to upgrade the hotel for future maintenance – including new rope access systems – which was not factored into the original construction.

Our use of technology has streamlined our operations; we use a cloud-based server, which gives us access to our comprehensive work intranet system, and we can make adjustments to documents like work statements from the job site. When complete, the $345 million planned investment will include a new six-star luxury

About Mick Ward Mick Ward looks after Usher & Son’s repaint division, and is the project manager for the company’s repainting work at Jupiters Hotel & Casino. Mick has spent over 30 years in the painting industry, from running his own business, to site supervising, working in remote areas and large city construction projects.

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hotel tower featuring private balcony infinity pools, contemporary restaurants and bars, and the complete transformation of all existing facilities. We are extremely proud to be a part of Jupiters’ transformation, and excited about its future and what it will do for the Gold Coast. Key project figures: 33 12,000 litres of paint 33 8000 man-hours to complete (weather permitting) 33 20 painters 33 nine abseilers 33 three labourers 33 three coats of Baxta Maxicap Membrane paint.


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n today’s environment, facilities are switching to sustainable, efficient and cost-effective methods to enhance their cleanliness and image. Traditionally, propane burnishers have been seen as the only method available for maintaining floor shine and longevity; however, Tennant’s new family of battery burnishers provides an alternative that is much quieter and produces no emissions. Tennant’s new B5 and B7 battery-powered walk-behind burnishers produce the same high-gloss result as their propane counterparts, minus the emissions and noise pollution. Recognising the demand for safer, quieter and consistent burnishing practices, Tennant’s investment in these new products helps cleaning professionals reduce the cost to clean and improve a facility’s image, and provides significant environmental health and safety benefits for customers and service personnel. The B5 and B7 battery-powered burnishers are equipped with numerous features that maximise efficiency and produce superior results. The B5 and B7 are the industry’s only walk-behind burnishers with standard active HEPA dustcontrol filtration to improve indoor air quality. This filtration also significantly reduces the amount of burnishing dust left behind in your facility. For noise-sensitive environments, Tennant’s machines are ultra-quiet (as low as 63 dBA) which allows for burnishing anytime and anywhere, with minimal disruption. ‘The B5 and B7 allow Tennant to offer batterypowered burnishers designed to increase productivity, and reduce costs to clean, while being easy and safe to operate,’ says Quintus Strydom, National Sales Manager. ‘We believe that the key features and benefits of our burnisher family differentiate it from other burnishers in the industry, and accentuates our commitment to providing high-performance results and versatility for our customers.’ The B5 was also awarded the 2014 Bronze IDEA (International Design Excellence Awards) winner for design excellence. New to Tennant’s user-friendly design are easy-to-identify yellow maintenance touch points and onboard reference manuals to help eliminate equipment breakdowns and maximise machine uptime. The

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burnishing head also tilts up and locks at 90 degrees to ensure a safe ergonomic position when changing the machine’s pad. This process allows the operator to safely, easily and consistently centre the pad to deliver uniform burnishing results. Safer for the environment, with no emissions and with active HEPA dust filtration to protect indoor air quality, the B5 and B7 battery-powered burnishers deliver high performance, maximum efficiency and superior results. The B5 and B7 enables your facility to reflect high cleaning standards to help drive repeat customer traffic and higher customer satisfaction.

For more information on the B5 and B7 walk-behind battery burnishers, visit www.tennantco.com.au or call us on 1300 TENNANT.

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29/10/14 3:29 PM


| maintenance & essential services

Is the quality in ‘asbuilt’ operations and maintenance manuals causing noncompliance? By Richard Gapper, OandMs

The introduction of the Commonwealth ‘Work Health and Safety Regulations’ Act in 2012 has seen a major review of facilities management practices. It relates to new and existing buildings, and how the application of new legislation, technologies, risk management and organisational reporting requirements will affect properties.

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iscussions over the course of several years regarding the two allied industries (construction and facilities management) exposed deficiencies in one, and a lack of direct connection to one another. The need to improve and connect the industries is now even more compelling, together with the likely mandating of BIM management. Currently, the construction industry market is serviced by individual trades and builders that are contractually required to deliver ‘as-built’ construction documents called operations and maintenance manuals (O&Ms) whenever a new facility is constructed, completed and handed to a property owner.

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At practical completion (PC) and the conclusion of the defects liability period (DLP), the final handover of the O&Ms occurs, the parties walk away, and the owner of the new facility is left to manage the operation for the duration of its commercial life. For the past 35 years, the construction industry has been delivering O&Ms in this method, but this current industry practice no longer meets today’s commercial needs or mandatory obligations, leaving property owners at risk. Despite every builder’s best efforts, according to several Australian state government public works departments, 80 per cent of project O&Ms are still not complete, even two years after practical completion.


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The short answer to all of these questions, in most cases, is no.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

FACILITY MANAGEMENT

3 YEARS

30 YEARS OR MORE

the construction industry’s current practice of suppling paper O&Ms in four-ring binders is archaic. the traditional O&Ms information assembled is irrelevant for today’s regulations, and, due to the sheer volume of data collected, rifling through piles and piles of paper is not an efficient nor effective way to access vital information.

YEAR 11+

YEAR 10

YEAR 9

YEAR 8

YEAR 7

YEAR 6

YEAR 5

YEAR 4

YEAR 3

YEAR 2

YEAR 1

YEAR 0

Why is the building industry still specifying O&Ms?

PRACTICAL COMPLETION

the build history (as-built documentation) delivered in the form of O&Ms contains the data that is required to create facilities management service delivery plans. the way that the builder is directed contractually to collect, collate, format and deliver the data has a direct influence on the integrity of the ‘as-built’ documentation to the property owner. typically, architects, consulting engineers, builders and trades spend three years (on average) designing, coordinating, and constructing a building. they reach practical completion, start the DlP, and begin to move on to the next project. the construction industry, however, does not fully understand what the next guy needs – the facilities manager, who has to run this building for the next 20 years. Facilities managers are becoming more responsible, and, therefore, they are demanding better information with which to run a facility effectively. Facilities managers need builders, architects and engineers to provide better information about the facilities that they are building. Why? Because of financial implications – money!

if the FM is not managing the risks of the insurer, then higher insurance premiums will be the result.

Questions that we should be asking of our architects, engineers and construction (AEC) companies: 3

3

3

3 3

3

can the property be managed efficiently? Will there be an effective systems maintenance/service schedule delivered for the building at practical completion? can the as-built documentation be used as a financial management schedule or a legal compliance brief for the owner? Will the as-built documentation be suitable as a taxation dossier for the owner’s chief financial officer? Will the as-built documentation reduce the operating costs of the building? Will the as-built documentation or dossier support work health and safety (WH&s) facility risk management plans for all stakeholders? Will the as-built documentation contribute to good capital expenditure management in the format that they will be provided to the facility owner and operator?

the current construction industry practices for O&Ms are no longer acceptable, as they are fragmented, conflicting and poorly connected from one phase of a project to the next. to find a solution and to begin to change the current practices regarding the delivery and content of project O&Ms, we need to ask ourselves the right questions: 3 What are the O&Ms really used for, and who will ultimately use them? 3 Who specified the O&Ms that are currently required today? 3 Who delivers the O&Ms, and what problems are arising from delivering them? 3 When should the O&Ms be delivered? 3 What is wrong with the current O&Ms? sadly, current practice for delivering O&Ms is nothing more than a recorded history of the project build, with a large proportion of that data being of little use and irrelevant to facilities managers after practical completion and the DlP. Over the past 35 years, the O&Ms delivered have been the service manuals of the day; however, with new legislation changes and new industry standards introduced during that period, current specified O&Ms no longer meet today’s mandatory requirements for the welfare, health and safety of the end users and general public with economic sustainability in mind.

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Bridging the gap At OandMs, we have developed a proven principle to initiate the first steps in transitioning traditional project O&Ms, and we apply this principle to improve the current industry practices and align with the likely coming of BIM practices. We call this the MEG Principle (mandatory, essential, general service requirements):

Mandatory requirements

The next aspect of finding the right solution is to again ask the right questions regarding the O&Ms: 33 Who is responsible for the facility’s WH&S of the end users and the general public? 33 When does the responsibility commence? 33 Who delivers the compliance for the WH&S associated with the building? 33 What is required to ensure compliance? 33 How do you provide and ensure economic sustainability? 33 What is required to be able to provide a proper facilities management service plan for your building? In answering these questions, we have now established who is responsible for the welfare, health and safety of the end users and the general public, what the O&Ms are for, and what is required to deliver them. Some say that BIM will be the answer to every facilities manager’s problems in the future. But the mainstream uptake of BIM and its usability is several years away for most of us; it will be similar to the time taken to progress from 2D drawings in the 1980s to 3D CAD drawings in the 1990s. Ultimately, the responsibility still lies with the property owner and his representative – the facilities manager. It is the job of these parties to ensure that all compliance requirements have been met, and the general public is safe from the first

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day of occupancy. To do this effectively, facilities managers require up-to-date and accurate information. Facilities managers need something that they can use today that is simple, that won’t cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars to run on IT platforms, and that is intuitive.

Conclusion From the property owner and facilities manager’s point of view, the O&Ms currently supplied lack the quality to provide the compliance needed to manage their facilities. In many cases, today’s O&Ms documentation is responsible for facility non-compliance, with poorly delivered information, insufficient contractor details and little assurance that the ‘as-built’ records provided will help facilities managers to manage operating costs or ensure the welfare, health and safety of the end users and the general public. Good-quality O&Ms is the first step to changing the way that we hand over a building at practical completion. What facilities managers are really looking for is a comprehensive plan to maintain the building for the next 20-plus years.

For more information, contact Richard Gapper at richard@oandms.com.au or go to www.oandms.com.au.

Facility PerspectiveS | VOLUME 8 NUMBER 4

These are obligations in law that shall be carried out to ensure the safety and welfare of all facility users, and the general public.

Essential requirements These are generally facility-specific obligations that are necessary to ensure compliance, and that the facility is safe and in good working order to meet all insurance requirements.

General requirements These are common-sense undertakings that are necessary in maintaining facility or property value by ensuring that the facility is clean and tidy, and in good safe working order at all times. The MEG-factored FMSP provides facilities managers with a service manual for the life of the facility, and doubles as a service tender document, thus always ensuring competitive costs from service providers. The FMSP manual acts as a risk management tool while assisting with, and ensuring, WH&S compliance. In addition to these points, the data can be used for financial planning, forecasting and management monitoring.


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Your stitch in time

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s a busy facilities manager, the last thing on your mind is probably the state of your roofs and concrete walls… yet, the last thing you should do is leave it until the last minute to get them checked. Here, Roof & Building Service (R&BS) explains the importance of regular maintenance. It is so easy to overlook maintenance and adhere instead to the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ principle. Who’s to say, however, that it isn’t broken? Or about to break? After all, there is a lot that can be going on below the surface of your roofs and walls that might not become apparent until much later… by which time repairs will cost much more. Fortuitously, all these costly repairs can be avoided – or at least minimised – by arranging regular inspections and expert building maintenance by professionals like R&BS. R&BS can supply you with everything from a simple overview to a comprehensive, boardroom-standard report. They will identify small issues that have the potential to become larger issues, advise on appropriate steps for remediation (to avoid the continual cycle of ‘patch-up jobs’), and explain what needs to be done now, and what can wait. They can even prepare an expenditure forecast and

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maintenance schedule for the next five years, so you remain in control of your spending and ensure that there are never any nasty surprises. To discuss your specific requirements, call R&BS now on 1800 550 037, or visit their website – www.roofandbuildingservice.com.au – for more details.

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24/10/14 7:00 PM


| Health facilities

World-class Bendigo Hospital well on track By Adam O’Brien The new Bendigo Hospital project is well underway, after first ground was broken back in August 2013. The $630 million project will deliver a new hospital with 372 beds, 10 operating theatres, an integrated cancer centre and mental health unit, a helipad and a new multi-storey car park, with the existing hospital remaining operational throughout construction.

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n the one-year anniversary of the commencement of construction, Minister for Health David Davis said, ‘This new world-class hospital is one of the largest regional healthcare projects in Australia and will deliver the highest-quality healthcare to the people of Bendigo and beyond for many years to come. I am proud to say the project is rapidly rising from the ground, and is on budget and on track for completion in 2016’. Mr Davis said the Victorian Coalition Government is building a healthier Victoria, with the Bendigo Hospital being just a portion of more than $4.5 billion of capital investment in health services across the state. Once the first stage of building is completed, which will essentially replace all services offered within the current hospital, stage two of construction will see a multistorey car park, helipad and conference centre built on the hospital’s existing Lucan Street site. Childcare facilities and longterm patient accommodation will also be constructed on the Lucan Street site. The hospital will include: 33 372 inpatient unit beds 33 72 same-day acute beds 33 an 80-bed integrated psychiatric inpatient unit, including a five-bed mother-and-baby unit 33 11 operating theatres 33 a helipad (Stage 2) 33 a regional integrated cancer centre – fully incorporated within the new facility with four radiotherapy bunkers and capacity to expand to six 33 1350 car parks, including a multi-storey car park (Stage 2) 33 a childcare centre

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The rooms are threadbare and don’t exactly have a colour scheme, nor the equipment and buzz of activity of a typical hospital environment, but the rooms have played a significant part in the new hospital’s development

a wellness centre a 128-room hotel 15 short-stay units a 180-seat conference facility (Stage 2) retail shops and cafes. As the larger structure has been erected and concrete trucks have zipped in and out of the site, a kind of brainstorming of the hospital’s interior has been taking place behind the scenes. The former engineering building on the nearby university campus is now home to eight Bendigo Hospital Project prototype rooms. The rooms are threadbare and don’t exactly have a colour scheme, nor the equipment and buzz of activity of a typical hospital environment, but the rooms have played a significant part in the new hospital’s development. Members of medical staff from across Bendigo Health, and consumers from the community, have contributed their ideas, criticisms and practical knowledge to the makeup of these prototypes. 33 33 33 33 33

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‘The rooms in the new hospital will be much more functional and user-friendly than those in our current hospital,’ says Bendigo Hospital Project Executive Director David Walker. ‘A lot of items in the prototype rooms are on cardboard, paper or Velcro, and can be easily moved; things like medical panels, hand sanitiser dispensers – even light switches. People can come in and physically move things around to see which position and location will result in the best possible outcome. ‘Ultimately, what we have asked ourselves and everyone else is: Is it functional? Is it safe for patients? Is it safe for our staff?’ The new hospital will be completed in December 2016, while Stage 2 elements are expected to be underway by January 2017, due for completion in June 2018.


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stablished in 1969, Richard Jay is Australia’s largest and most respected supplier of commercial and industrial laundry solutions. Still family-owned and -operated after 35 years, we can service your laundry needs nationally. With the largest available product range in the country, Richard Jay can usually dispatch stock the following day. Our machinery has been hand-picked from the world’s leading brands, and made available to the Australian market through Richard Jay. With world-leading brands including Maytag Commercial, LG Commercial, Primus Industrial, ADC dryers and Brightwell dispensing solutions, Richard Jay is the answer to all of your laundering needs within budget, and also offers a range of services, including the following: 3 Planning, consultation and on-site laundry process audits are our specialty. 3 National spare parts, machinery service and preventative maintenance contracts are available.

Rental for new machinery is available via Richard Jay’s Capital Plus facility, and includes breakdown service. Our commercial and industrial machinery is built to last, extremely cost-effective and highly efficient. Soft and rigid mount, single or stacked units – Richard Jay laundry solutions can save on your water, gas and electricity costs while being kind to the environment. Our laundry consultants will guide you through your specific requirements, budgeting, machine consultation, 2D and 3D plans, installation, and ongoing service. Our complete machinery range of washers from six to 200 kilograms, with dryers to match, plus ironers and finishing equipment, are the solutions for a wide range of industries. 3

www.richardjay.com.au | 1300 RICHARD (742 427)

est. 1969

Why Choose Richard Jay? Australia’s largest range

On-site audits and laundry design

Australia’s largest range of commercial and industrial laundry machinery. Our After Sales department offers a complete range of spare parts and service, Australia wide.

Upgrade equipment and calculate utility savings with the new RJ Calculator. Visualise your laundry with our leading 2D & 3D design service.

Save on utilities

RJ Capital Plus

Environmentally friendly laundry answers. Save on water and energy usage, increase laundry productivity and improve wash quality.

Rental for new machinery available via Richard Jay in-house Capital Plus facility. Includes break-down service over the term of the contract. www.richardjay.com.au

1300 RICHARD (742 427)

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