Steve Williams recounts how Page Kirkland Group achieved sustainable initiatives in a community centre in inner city Sydney.
As the general public increasingly want their environment to embrace energy efficiency and sustainable initiatives, so too is there a growing focus within the building and construction industry to deliver sustainable outcomes.
A practical example that has integrated numerous sustainable initiatives is the Surry Hills Library and Community Centre. The Centre opened in June this year and includes a library over two floors, a 26-place childcare centre, a café and a community centre comprising a large function centre, a commercial kitchen and meeting rooms.
Commissioned by the City of Sydney, the objectives for the building were established through extensive public consultation. One of the community objectives identified for the building was to provide a sustainable community facility. As Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP said: “this building could be a starting point for the development of a green rating system for public buildings.”
Page Kirkland Group was appointed as project managers at the start of the construction phase and relied heavily on the design team led by fjmt Architects in delivering these objectives. The challenge was to deliver a building that met the client’s expectations, as well as co-ordinating the multiple stakeholders involved.
The project included a series of complex environmentally sustainable design (ESD) initiatives over the four floors of the building, including an internal glass atrium, geothermal bores, a green roof, recycled building materials and photovoltaic cells.
Reducing the reliance on air- conditioning, as well as delivering high quality air, were primary objectives. The principal technology responsible for the quality and interior comfort was the environmental atrium — the integrated system filters, treats, conditions and circulates throughout the building.
Air is drawn in at the top of the atrium and then passes down through glass shafts, passing over specially selected plants. The plants are used as natural filters (bio-filtration) and aid in filtering volatile organic chlorides.
The air then flows around the perimeter of the basement in a thermal labyrinth where the temperature of the earth is used to condition the air before it passes back to the atrium, where it is filtered again before being delivered to the various levels of the Centre. This natural process provides 150 per cent more fresh air than standard and reduces the need for conditioned air by 50 per cent.
One of the ways to offset energy was to produce it on site. The Centre does this through a series of photovoltaic solar panels that run across the roof of the building. The energy that is generated is used to power equipment and the lighting systems of the building.
The Centre can be referred to as a responsive building. It includes automated devices which change and adjust the amount of light that comes into the building. An example of this is the louvres that shade the building. They are automatically controlled relative to the path of the sun to maximise solar gain and minimise glare. The high efficiency glazing on the windows also minimises external heat transfer and internal heat loss.
Efficient water management was another challenge. To aid in this, the building was designed with extensive water saving devices. On the supply side, the building harvests rainwater from the roof and stores it in a 62,000 litre underground water tank integrated into the landscaping of the new park adjacent to the building in the road closure. The harvested water is filtered and used for flushing toilets, irrigation of the atrium and general landscaping.
Other water saving initiatives include 5A rated fixtures, electronic tapware and air-cooled plant equipment.
As project managers, we ensured that the architect used sustainable materials to ensure longevity and reduce maintenance and material replacement; timber products were sourced from sustainable forests; the recycled content in structural concrete was maximised; and finishes with low volatile organic compounds, as well as formaldehyde content, were used.
Steve Williams is a director of project management at Page Kirkland Group and has over 20 years experience in providing property and construction services.
