Reliable HVAC solutions for a troubled sector
ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN
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PRACTICAL
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JUL-SEP 2021
WORDS MATT MCDONALD
Two significant events over the past year have shone an unflattering light on the state of Australia’s residential aged care sector. Improving things will take time and involve many changes, including the use of appropriate, highquality HVAC solutions.
Right now, the focus on standards within the Australian residential aged care sector is as high as it has ever been. Released on March 1 this year, the Final Report of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality called for fundamental reform of the sector. Describing Australia’s aged care system as “substandard” and pointing to “fundamental systemic flaws with the way the Australian aged care system is designed and governed”, it said that those receiving care “deserve better”. On top of that, despite the nation’s comparatively strong and successful overall response to the COVID-19 crisis, one sector – residential aged care – stands out as a failure. While things like governance, staffing levels, and training are the most urgent priorities in terms of rectifying this situation, other factors including building design, amenities, and the use of appropriate technologies to improve care and comfort are also important. HVAC is a perfect example. The ongoing pandemic has exposed flaws in how ventilation is used in the aged care context. The regular, seemingly never-ending, run of quarantine hotel transmissions, as well as the already mentioned crises that hit several aged care facilities last year illustrate the problem. VENTILATION
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OPPOSITE Strada Grey Interior.
As the University of Adelaide Professor Geoff Hanmer, a ventilation expert, told the ABC recently, better ventilation could reduce this
problem. The good news is that there are several products and suppliers that can help here. EBSA EBSA offers a range of automated façade systems including operable glass louvres, fixed and operable glass roofs and general window automation systems. A key feature of this technology is the presence of controls and window actuators that communicate digitally. EBSA’s Advanced Communication BUS (ACB) protocol allows precise control of windows in conjunction with an air quality sensor to automatically regulate temperature, CO2, and humidity; and disables the mechanical heating/cooling system when the windows are opened. What sets this technology apart from most traditional systems is that windows can be set to automatically modulate in response to changes in the indoor air quality. They open only as far as necessary to maintain optimal temperature. While this technology is typically associated with educational buildings (where monitoring of CO2 levels is mandated), it is applicable to aged care facilities. It has the potential to lead the way in creating healthier and more comfortable indoor environments. And it is suitable not only for use with typical awning windows, but also with EBSA’s range of single- and double-glazed architectural glass louvres, and passive house certified glass roofs.
