Contents OPENING FEATURE
14 Ten things you need to know about BIM Dr Dominik Holzer of AEC Connect offers a straightforward summary of what's useful to know about these digital building models.
BUILDING AUTOMATION
FIRE SAFETY
REFRIGERATION
22
30
42
What is KNX?
The role of IT facilities in business continuity
Cool savings through CEFC finance
The term ‘fire safety’ takes on a whole new meaning when you consider how easily your operations would grind to a halt if your data or systems were destroyed, writes DEAN WILSON, managing director of Emerging IT.
Ageing commercial buildings in Australia’s CBDs are benefiting from ‘cool savings’ following retrofits financed through the Clean Energy Finance Corporation.
ROSS BOUSIE of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology details the global standard for building and home automation control.
26 Automated systems – top 10 tips for success
36
JOHN POWER speaks to the team at iAutomation on what every facility manager should know about automated functions.
Maintain to contain: the importance of servicing fire protection equipment Ensuring your fire equipment meets compliance standards is critical writes GARRY KWOK, national manager Technical Services, Wormald Australia.
www.fmmagazine.com.au
40659_05-06_Contents.indd 5
46 Tasmanian Dairy Products’ $80 million Smithton product facility pitt&sherry designed two state-of-the-art pasteurised milk processing plants for Murray Goulburn at Laverton in Victoria and Erskine Park in New South Wales.
AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2014 FM
17/06/2014 9:11 am
Contents FM REGULARS
08 10 12 72 74
Editor’s comment News New FM products Events Opinion
CLEANING
FITOUT
FUTURE FM
48
58
64
Why we should think green when we clean
In the hot seat: new workspace strategies
Building manager or service provider?
Rupert Posner, CEO of Good Environmental Choice Australia, says it may be time to reconsider what products you’re using to keep your building clean.
Nigel Clarke, Asure Software vice president and general manager, EMEA & APAC, outlines how to get the most out of your space.
When it comes to sustainably maintaining and operating the buildings of today – it’s a brave new world, explains Ben Churchill, CEO of Urbanise.com.
GREEN ZONE
ENERGY WATCH
COMMUNICATIONS
54
60
67
Solar fundamentals and decision-making tips
Unlocking HVAC savings with cloud-based analytics
Is voice the future for industrial facility managers?
JANE BOND, project development manager at SunPower, a global solar technology and energy services provider, shares top considerations for facility managers looking to make a solar investment.
Reducing a building’s energy expenditure through performance monitoring requires software that fully empowers facility managers, writes DAVID WALSH, CEO of CIM Environmental Group.
Integrated voice solutions are streamlining industrial warehouses for increased profitability, writes PAUL PHILLIPS, regional manager, Aus/NZ, Vocollect by Honeywell.
FM AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2014
40659_05-06_Contents.indd 6
www.fmmagazine.com.au
17/06/2014 9:12 am
14 | BUILDING MANAGEMENT
TEN THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BIM Dr DOMINIK HOLZER of AEC Connect offers a straightforward summary of what’s useful to know about these digital building models.
FM AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2014
40659_14-20_Opening Feature.indd 14
www.fmmagazine.com.au
18/06/14 9:45 AM
A
s a client on any medium to large scale
The bigger picture related to BIM is that it offers you more
construction project, you would have
certainty about an asset even before it gets built. The
come across the acronym BIM (Building
information-rich environment provided by BIM will assist
Information Modelling) one way or another
you in reducing risk and gaining more certainty about your
over the past one to two years. BIM is an
assets during operation. If implemented correctly, BIM results
industry buzzword that can relate to many things. It is often
in higher quality buildings, a reduction in planning and
misunderstood or at times even deliberately misused in order
construction time, and ultimately significant cost-savings
to promote the goals of individual parties.
throughout the life cycle of an asset.
BIM will change the way you procure and operate your assets
BIM doesn’t come off the shelf
‘Why should I care?’ is often the fi rst question that clients
shelf. It is a process that allows you to strengthen your core
ask about BIM. For clients, BIM is often associated with
business through the use of cutting edge technology. It gives
3D software applied by consultants or contractors to
you the opportunity to manage building information that
facilitate their documentation. So what’s the benefit for
counts for you on any given project. BIM, therefore, affects
clients who don’t engage much with this sort of technology
each client (and even each project) differently and there is no
anyway?
common formula that fits all enterprises. Whether you just
The answer is simple: BIM is about much more than just
BIM is not a preconfigured product that you can buy off the
develop a project to sell it off straightaway, or plan to operate
‘intelligent 3D models’. A key value for clients lies within the
the facility over a prolonged period of time, this has a major
data that can be embedded in BIM; this data ties into the
impact on the BIM output relevant for you. The advantages
design and construction process as much as it can tie into
you derive from BIM will always depend on your specific
your procurement and operational procedures. Through
business goals, the project requirements and a customised
BIM, you can test the value proposition associated with
strategic BIM approach associated with them.
a newly proposed project and you can fine-tune it during
A common mistake made by clients is that they ask their
feasibility studies. In doing so, you can derive relevant clues
consultants and/or the contractor for BIM without specifying
about the most appropriated procurement and delivery
what information content they are ultimately after. More
methods for the following project phases. As a client, you
often than not this mistake results in consultants/contractors
can also benefit from well-structured and up-to-date BIM
overpromising and under-delivering. The more reasonable
data in the commissioning phase. This data responds to your
approach is for you as a client to be able to specify (or at least
requirements as a developer and possibly also the needs of
explore with your team) what information you want to get out
your facility managers.
of BIM on any given project.
www.fmmagazine.com.au
40659_14-20_Opening Feature.indd 15
AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2014 FM
18/06/14 9:45 AM
Maintain to contain: THE IMPORTANCE OF SERVICING FIRE PROTECTION EQUIPMENT Ensuring your fire equipment meets compliance standards is critical writes GARRY KWOK, national manager Technical Services, Wormald Australia.
FM AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2014
40659_36-40_Fire Safety Feature B.indd 36
www.fmmagazine.com.au
18/06/2014 2:54 pm
F
or facility managers, ensuring the life safety of building occupants is a top priority. This includes protecting occupants and the building from fi re. A fi re incident can have catastrophic
consequences for a business. At worst, it can result in loss of life and destroy the building and equipment. It can also result in costly downtime until the building is declared safe. Unfortunately, with the competing pressures of building management, fi re protection can slip down the priority list, exposing building occupants and the property to a high risk of fi re and fi re damage. The Fire Protection Association of Australia recently estimated that up to 40 percent of buildings in New South Wales do not meet basic safety standards. This alarming statistic is a timely reminder of the importance of having the correct fi re protection equipment on-site and ensuring it is kept in proper working order.
The importance of selecting the correct fire protection solution A recent report from the New South Wales Building Professionals Board, developed in consultation with the fire protection industry, identified that the fi re protection systems in many buildings are not installed in compliance with relevant standards. It also found that in some buildings, a deliberate decision was made to install a substandard system to reduce costs, creating potential fi retraps. Installing the correct fi re protection solution can mean the difference between a small fire and a devastating blaze. Selecting a fi re protection solution is a significant decision for a facility manager and cutting corners to save on costs is not recommended. The fi rst step in selecting a fi re protection solution is to consult a fi re protection specialist to conduct a fi re safety audit of the property. This will highlight potential fire risks around the premises and help to determine the best
www.fmmagazine.com.au
40659_36-40_Fire Safety Feature B.indd 37
AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2014 FM
18/06/2014 2:54 pm