HVAC

In order to raise the standard of operational hospital buildings, a holistic approach must be taken, writes Cundall’s Amin Azarmi.

Ventilation units within vehicle tunnels play a pivotal role in ensuring safety and optimal air quality for occupants. These units are used to assist with propelling air from one end to the opposite end of the tunnel. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has emerged as an invaluable design tool for engineers and stakeholders, offering simulated insights and data to optimise safety and efficiency in tunnel projects. This paper emphasises the advantages of CFD for road tunnel ventilation design, showcases a case study involving impulse fans, and highlights the positive effects on project costs and overall tunnel ventilation performance.

The adoption of a prefabrication strategy in the design and construction of mechanical services systems at the new Victorian Heart Hospital in Clayton solved numerous challenges associated with the build and project timelines. As Sean McGowan reports, the approach is a precursor to future healthcare projects.

Designed by Elenberg Fraser 6 Charles Street, or C6, has been and is being developed by Grange Development. It primarily consists of residential apartments, although the plans also include a 500m2 edible rooftop garden and dining and entertainment spaces. Residents will also have access to a car-share scheme that includes 80 Tesla electric vehicles.

Almost everyone who works on HVAC in Australia would be familiar with the AS 1668 series. Right now, AS 1668.2 and AS 1668.4 – which between them cover mechanical and natural ventilation in buildings – are open for public comment.

M3 Melbourne is one of two data centres in the Victorian capital that are set to house Australia’s largest and most comprehensive cloud ecosystem.

In July, industry stakeholders visited the Daikin factory in Sydney to better understand the challenges and opportunities around producing low‑embodied‑carbon products.

This paper examines the challenges associated with removing natural gas from hospitals and transitioning to all-electric systems. It emphasises the unique energy requirements of hospitals and the need to prioritise patient care and safety over energy efficiency.

The Victorian Pride Centre is one of the first facilities of its type in the world. Located in the Melbourne bayside suburb of St Kilda, the building is a symbol of the freedom of expression and diversity of LGBTIQ communities.

An impending lease expiry, predicted growth in headcount and a desire to improve the workplace experience of its staff led SEEK to look beyond its existing office space and set out on a path towards its own, custom-designed environment. Sean McGowan reports on that seven-year quest, which led to a high-performing, comfortable and naturally lit space.

How do we unlock geothermal energy potential in high-performance buildings? Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre CEO Shayne La Combre has some thoughts.

It is now widely accepted that ventilation plays a major role in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and other airborne pathogens, but what are we doing about it? Professor Lidia Morawska fills us in on what is happening – and what we need to tackle next.

By embracing the Passivhaus standard, a new apartment building in Palma, Spain, classifies as an nZEB (nearly zero energy building).

The development of a sophisticated control system for an iconic home in Melbourne’s leafy suburbs has not only provided greater comfort to its occupants but broken new ground in predictive climate control systems. Sean McGowan reports on a house that has been home to four generations of the Featherston extended family, having evolved every step of the way.

In 2019, Australian energy ministers agreed on the need for the Trajectory for Low Energy Buildings (the Trajectory). One of the key aspects in the Trajectory for residential buildings is to expand the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) to offer nationally accredited whole-of-home (WoH) tools to enable compliance requirements in the National Construction Code (NCC).

Canberra Grammar School’s new Snow Concert Hall features a subterranean design boasting an innovative ground‑source heat pump system. 

Over the past decade the HVAC industry has experienced a maturity in fault- detection diagnostics. From a technical standpoint this has resulted in historical analytics, streaming analytics, forecasting, modelling, and a welter of other innovations changing the way to figure out what’s wrong with our buildings. Ideally this data can be used to radically change the way things are done, make BMS professionals more efficient, and actually generate some outcomes for facility owners and building owners.

District heating and cooling could offer an important pathway to decarbonisation – and one of the biggest barriers to its uptake might simply be our mindset, writes Mark Vender.

Alan Obrart, L.AIRAH, wonders why the bottom line is so thin for those HVAC businesses that detect and fix difficult-to-resolve problems in buildings. He has a theory. 

In becoming the first regional NSW project to achieve 6 star Green Star Design and As-Built rating certification, the University of Newcastle’s Q Building has set a new sustainability benchmark for the Hunter region. Sean McGowan discovers how mass timber construction and a smart glass façade contribute to the achievement.