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The Princes Wharf No 1 building, which was built in 1939, has undergone a major refurbishment. The premises were largely unaltered from 1939 until 2009/2010. Although it is one of the most significant buildings on the Hobart waterfront, in terms of the evolution of the working port from a technical and aesthetic perspective, the site was largely underutilised and not easily accessible for the Tasmanian community until 2010. Following an extensive public consultation, it was decided to refurbish the facility into a multipurpose community events centre to be used for festivals, concerts, arts events, conferences and exhibitions.
The multipurpose nature of the recently refurbished Princes Wharf No 1 ensures that the facility will be able to cater to the needs of many different community, cultural and commercial events and exhibitions, thus ensuring long-term viability for the Tasmanian Government. The fitout of the building ensures this multifunctionality, while a new building management system (BMS) eases management of the facility.

The fitout design was guided by the need to provide flexibility for a wide range of uses. This flexibility is evident in the seating, room partitions, stages, sound system and access to powered systems.

ADAPTIVE FITOUT AFFORDED
The fitout design was guided by the need to provide flexibility for a wide range of uses. This flexibility is evident in the seating, room partitions, stages, sound system and access to powered systems. In addition, a number of functions are remote controlled, including the vertical black room partition blinds that divide the internal area between the bookends and the upper level clerestory window blinds.
The venue was fitted out with moveable (internal and external) retractable seating for 496 people in eight banks of raked seating rows, and 194 individual matching stackable chairs. This makes up a total of 690 seats. Each bank of retractable seats includes six rows and 62 seats.
Each retractable bank of seats has a dimensions of 1.3 metres (depth) by six metres (width) when closed, 5.6 metres (depth), excluding front step, by six metres (width) when open and an overall closed height of 2.8 metres. The banks are moved within the shed with a ‘tug’.
Another fitout feature that enables adaptation of the shed interior to suit the needs of numerous types of events is the approximately 80 metres of black woollen theatre drapes that can be hung via chains throughout the shed. There are 21 individual drops, each 3.8 metres in length, allowing for an overlap. Room partition blinds and drapes fall from the lower trusses to the floor – an approximately five-metre drop.
The venue also includes a portable stage comprising 15 Megadeck stage panels that can be configured in any manner. They are each 1.2 metres by 2.4 metres (providing a total area 43.2 square metres), and 600 millimetres high, and include handrails and steps. There are three stage points – one in each bookend and one in another location – and three control points located inside the Castray Esplanade side wall.
The sound system installed also lends to the venue’s multipurpose nature. Category six wiring with designated audiovisual cabling and associated backbone distribution systems throughout the interior provide flexible usage options.
Along with the catering service kitchen, there are four self-contained demountable stainless steel cooking kiosks with individual exhaust hoods and risers, sinks and lighting with plug-in plumbing points along the centre of the shed (water, LP gas and electricity). This allows venue hirers to provide guests with live food cooking stations and a moveable feast. This is a great alternative to the standard three-course menu typical of many banqueting facilities.
There is an open space beneath the catenary structure in the forecourt, with services in each catenary pole for single phase and three-phase power, and data. Additional three-phase power can be made available through temporary underground conduits, hydraulics services, and in-built audio speakers to each pole. Overhead is an elevated canopy comprising a catenary lighting structure with integrated shade cloth sails, which cover approximately half of the total catenary area. Additional live loading opportunities for special lighting and gantries, for example, are also afforded.
Ease of setting up and knock down is facilitated by truck bump-in bump-out facilities that allow for vehicle access to the shed interior via a loading bay from the ‘paddock’. The maximum entry width into the shed is 6.09 metres. The width between the ‘paddock’ end bookends is 4.5 metres, which is sufficient to allow a 2.5-metre width semi-trailer.

The louvre windows systems are tied into the fire system, thereby offering an additional fire safety feature.

LOW MAINTENANCE, FIRE-FIGHTING LOUVRES
Another innovation installed during the refurbishment are the louvre windows systems, which are tied into the fire system, essentially allowing the old shed shape to work as a multipurpose venue.
David Auret, Queensland manager of Winco Systems, which completed the installation of the louvre windows, notes that the Schneider Louvre system installed at Princes Wharf is fully automated for daily natural ventilation, which is controlled via the BMS, but highlights that it has a more important secondary function as a smoke exhaust.
“The louvres are manufactured in Germany by Schneider Nolke and differ to domestic glass louvres in that they are specifically engineered for commercial buildings – having significantly heavier mechanisms – and utilise 12.76-millimetre glass blades,” Auret says. The heavier construction is designed to reduce long-term maintenance and servicing costs, and it also allows for greater daylight areas with greater spans than are normally achievable.
According to Auret, installation in a refurbishment project such as Princes Wharf poses some challenges as old timber buildings have a lot of movement and it is essential for louvres to be fitted perfectly square, so as to not jam the mechanisms. He notes that the automation component is achieved with LDF louvre actuators by D+H Mechatronic, adding that these drives are only 25 by 25 by 400 millimetres in size and have no visible moving parts. “While there is no Australian standard for this equipment, the LDF drives and associated control panels are certified to EN12101-2 (ISO21927-2). The drives are microprocessor controlled and can be programmed for operating force and speed in both opening and closing directions.”
In addition, the louvre windows are low maintenance. Auret explains, “They have an anti-pinch function to prevent hands from being crushed in closing windows (this is a feature of all D+H commercial drives) and, most importantly, there is a gasket relief function, which ensures, after the windows are closed as tightly as possible, the drives reverse by a few millimetres to release the pressure on the window seals, so that they function correctly and do not get distorted over time. This greatly impacts future maintenance costs compared to other automation systems.”
In the event of a fire, certain louvres will open to exhaust smoke from the building. Even if the power fails, they will still operate in the event of a fire. “The D+H control panels have an inbuilt 72-hour battery back-up that is monitored. In the event of a power failure, the louvres will be driven closed, the ventilation function disabled and the system goes into a standby mode and will only operate in the event of a fire,” Auret imparts. He notes that the cables to the motors are monitored in case a short circuit occurs (for example, someone accidently drives a nail through a cable). “The panel would go into fault mode and repairs can be carried out prior to any fire event.”
Furthermore, the incoming fire alarm signal is monitored; thus, if the FIP malfunctions or the cable is damaged, the louvres will automatically open in fire mode. Inside the panel, there is a thermal element to detect any fire within the panels and, in such a case, the windows are driven open prior to any serious damage occurring.
As part of the EN12101-2 certification, the LDF louvre drives are certified for 10,000 double strokes; however, on projects such as NAB’s headquarters in the Docklands, Melbourne, drives have exceeded over 30,000 to 40,000 cycles as recorded by an on-board microprocessor.

The multipurpose nature of the recently refurbished Princes Wharf No 1 ensures that the facility will be able to cater to the needs of many different events, thus ensuring financial viability into the future.

ONSCREEN OVERVIEW EASES OPERATIONS
A number of system upgrades were necessary to enable the building to become an effective venue and allow VMS to manage it efficiently. These included upgrades to the power, water and gas supply, lighting and lighting controls, security system and the sound system.
In addition, a new BMS was installed. Operated by a direct digital control (DDC) system, it allows control of the building’s gas heaters, toilet exhaust fans and window louvres ventilation though a central computer web interface from a PC located in the venue management office.
The functions controlled by the central web interface include remote web-based access, control and time schedule access, and manipulation of set points. The BMS, which was installed by Schneider Electric, also includes a graphics viewing of the venue that shows which systems are operational at any point in time, providing overall control of all the bits and pieces that together provide an efficient multipurpose facility.

More information
Venue Management Services
www.venuemanagement.com.au
Circa Architecture (previously known as Morris-Nunn and Associates)
www.circaarchitecture.com.au
Winco Systems
www.winco.com.au

The full Commercial Building Disclosure (CBD) program commenced on 1 November 2011 after a 12-month transition period. The CBD program is part of the National Strategy on Energy Efficiency policy and is aimed at improving the energy efficiency of commercial buildings. It was set up under the Building Energy Efficiency Disclosure Act 2010, with much of the detail in supporting regulations and various determinations.
The enacted scheme is robust and provides for substantial penalties, but, as is often the case, there are some uncertainties that will only be resolved with time and subsequent amendments. The issues discussed are likely to be valid for most facilities managers, as it is expected that the CBD program will be extended to Stage 2 in 2014, after consultation in 2012.

DISCLOSURE ISSUES TO BE AWARE OF

• To comply a Building Energy Efficiency Certificate (BEEC) must be valid, current and registered.
• A BEEC must contain a NABERS Energy rating, a Tenancy Lighting Assessment and a statutory guidance form on improving energy efficiency.
• An accredited CBD assessor must apply for a BEEC on behalf of their client.
• At any time there can be only one BEEC for any particular building; however, it is not always necessary to have a BEEC in respect of an entire building.
• A BEEC remains current for 12 months or until one of the underlying certifications expires.
• It is possible to maintain a ‘rolling’ certificate by reapplying for a BEEC with a new TLA or NABERS Energy rating before the previous one expires.
• New buildings and buildings that have undergone a major refurbishment are excluded from the scheme.

WHO NEEDS TO COMPLY?
Under the Act, from 1 November 2011 most owners, lessors and sub-lessors of disclosure-affected commercial office buildings are required to obtain and register a Building Energy Efficiency Certificate (BEEC) before offering to sell, lease or sublease a commercial office building or tenancy with a net lettable area (NLA) of 2000 square metres or greater.
One drawback of the Commonwealth enacting the CBD program is that it has used its constitutional power to regulate corporations so the Act primarily impacts only constitutional corporations and not individual owners. Other types of owners may still be required to disclose under the Act, however, if a constitutional corporation is a proposed purchaser or tenant. The disclosure obligations do not apply to sales of a partial interest in a building or of shares or units in a building owner.

GAINING CERTIFICATION
To comply with the Act, a BEEC must be valid, current and registered. There are two certifications underlying the BEEC: a NABERS Energy rating, and a Tenancy Lighting Assessment (TLA).
The TLA will calculate the nominal lighting power density (in watts per square metre) of the general lighting of the relevant office space being sold, leased or subleased, as well as review and broadly categorise the capacity of the installed lighting control system. It does not, however, measure lighting output, quality or suitability of the lighting for use in offices or how efficiently it operates in practice.
Once the certifications have been obtained, an accredited CBD assessor may apply for a BEEC on behalf of their client, which is registered on the publicly accessible Building Energy Efficiency Register.
At any time there can be only one BEEC for any particular building; however, it is not always necessary to have a BEEC in respect of an entire building. For example, if an owner intends to lease a disclosure-affected area in a building that is more than 2000 square metres, then it is only necessary to obtain a LTA in relation to that area. Subsequently, if the owner wanted to sell the building or lease another area, then it would be necessary to obtain a TLA in relation to the remainder of the building. In contrast, the NABERS Energy rating applies to the base building (or whole of the building if not separately metered) and cannot be obtained in parts.
A BEEC remains current for 12 months or until one of the underlying certifications expires. Inevitably, this will be for less than 12 months, as there will be time taken to register the BEEC after the NABERS Energy rating or TLA have been obtained. It is possible to maintain a ‘rolling’ certificate by reapplying for a BEEC with a new TLA or NABERS Energy rating before the previous one expires and this may become necessary in practice. This is feasible, as at the time of writing there was no application fee for obtaining a BEEC. In addition to the two certifications, a BEEC must also contain the statutory guidance form on improving energy efficiency.
An intention of the regulations is to ensure that separate areas in a building that “may be bundled together for offer of lease” are covered in calculating the 2000-square metre threshold. The current drafting is broad, however, and the position with non-contiguous floors in a building is uncertain.
We consider the better view to be that non-contiguous floors should not be bundled together, as in practice a tenant would be unlikely to lease non-contiguous floors. This is a matter for close attention by agents when advertising vacant space in a building to avoid contraventions of the Act. Care should also be taken in using NABERS Energy ratings to ensure they do not include GreenPower for the purposes of the CBD program.

While the CBD program currently only applies to offices, the consultation process for Stage 2, in respect of hospitals, schools, hotels, residential, industrial and retail buildings, is expected to commence in 2012.

WHO IS EXEMPT?
New buildings and buildings that have undergone a major refurbishment are excluded from the scheme, as they will not be able to produce a NABERS Energy rating. A major refurbishment is defined as one that affects the energy efficiency rating of the base building.
A new determination was issued in August 2011, however, that removed the exception for buildings undergoing a major refurbishment and only excludes buildings for two years after the issuing of a certificate of occupancy or equivalent by a local authority.
It remains possible to seek an exemption for a building undergoing a major refurbishment. To obtain an exemption, a CBD assessor must certify that a rating cannot be obtained. Often with refurbishments, a local authority is not required to issue a certificate of occupancy and a building surveyor may issue a final certificate, which, in our view, should be sufficient.
Other times that an exemption may be required are for buildings awaiting demolition and those partially occupied. Strata-titled offices are also exempt, as they generally cannot be separately assessed.
This exception again creates uncertainty, however, as what constitutes a strata subdivision is different in different states. For instance, some strata subdivisions in Victoria that will be exempt under the Act are equivalent to stratum subdivisions in New South Wales that will be disclosure-affected.
In addition, mixed-use buildings with less than 75 percent of the building used for administrative, clerical, professional or similar information-based activities, including support facilities for those services, are automatic exceptions to the disclosure obligations as they cannot obtain a NABERS Energy rating.

STIFF PENALTIES APPLY
The CBD program is supported by significant civil penalties. Penalties of up to $110,000 for a first offence and $11,000 per day for continuing failures can be applied by a court for failure to comply with disclosure obligations or failing to provide information requested by a CBD assessor.
Alternatively, the Secretary can issue infringement notices with fines up to one 10th of the civil penalties for those contraventions. As a further deterrence, if a person receives two or more infringement notices or civil penalties within 12 months, they are added to the Energy Efficiency Non-Disclosure Register, a web-based, searchable register.

GUIDANCE AVAILABLE
There are enough issues with the interpretation of the Act, regulations and determinations to support an argument for a settling-in period, during which penalties or infringements should only be issued after an owner or lessor fails to respond to a warning. As yet there has been very little guidance from the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency on that enforcement strategy; however, they have informally indicated they are likely to take this approach. Property owners should, therefore, actively seek guidance from assessors or the department in relation to any unclear issues.
It is apparent that during the transition period of the CBD program there has been a significant increase in the number of buildings obtaining a NABERS Energy rating. This is likely to expand as the full implementation phase is reached. This topic will become of increasing interest to all facilities managers because, while the CBD program currently only applies to offices, the consultation process for Stage 2, in respect of hospitals, schools, hotels, residential, industrial and retail buildings, is expected to commence in 2012.

Tom Cantwell is DLA Piper’s head of Real Estate in Australia. He has more than 20 years of experience in commercial real estate law and advises clients on complex and high-value property-based transactions. He has a special interest in sustainability in the built environment and is at the forefront of legislative, regulatory and policy change in this dynamic area. As chair of the State Taxes Committee of the Property Council of Australia, he develops property tax reform initiatives, responds to legislative changes and liaises with government to implement strategy. Cantwell is the only lawyer on the Victorian Divisional Council of the Property Council of Australia, providing direct access to property industry leaders.

David Andrewartha has a broad range of property experience acting for developers, property owners and managers, corporates and government entities at a local, state and federal level. He advises on commercial and retail leasing matters, forestry management and related legal issues, and carbon rights. He also has extensive experience advising on property related issues as part of major infrastructure and construction projects. Before becoming a lawyer, he worked as an operational plantation supervisor and he has a thorough understanding of the industry.

More information
Commercial Building Disclosure
www.cbd.gov.au
DLA Piper
www.dlapiper.com

Ilum-a-Lite’s newly released Azelite Azsence 6 inch and 8 inch dimmable recessed downlights are ideal for the replacement of conventional PLC and PLT downlights (compact fluorescent downlights). The new product changes a standard PL fluorescent downlight from twin 26 W PL with conventional ballasts to a 30 W Azelite Azsence downlight, saving up to 32 W of energy per fitting, according to the company. Lower wattage versions are available to meet most retrofit situations and the Azelite Azsence is registered with IPART for the NSW Energy Savings Scheme.
“The product represents great value for money and represents a one-for-one replacement for traditional PLC AND PLT fluorescent downlights with superior light output, energy savings and maintenance costs,” George Stylianou, national commercial manager of Ilum-a-Lite, says. A wide range of applications are applicable, such as offices, shopping centres, retail stores, hospitals, medical clinics, commercial and public areas, hotel rooms and foyers, kitchens, restrooms and living areas.

More information
Ilum-a-Lite
www.ilumalite.com

Gregory Kats was recently added to BuildingIQ’s board of directors. Kats is a leader in energy efficiency, green buildings and renewable energy and serves as president of Capital E. He served for five years as the director of financing for energy efficiency and renewable energy at the US Department of Energy. He is actively engaged in coaching clean energy CEOs and is sustainability advisor to CalPERS. Kats is a founder of the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), a founder of New Resource Bank and the founding chair of the national chapter of the US Green Building Council (USGBC). In 2011, Kats was the recipient of the USGBC’s Leadership President Award for exceptional contributions to the green building movement. In addition, he is the principal author of Green Office Buildings: A Practical Guild to Development and the author of Greening Our Built World: Cost Benefits and Strategies. “I believe strongly in the revolutionary approach BuildingIQ is taking to enabling energy efficient buildings with minimal capital expense,” Kats comments. “As the market continues to transition towards a partnership between government, utilities and the commercial sector, I see solutions like BuildingIQ as pivotal to linking smart buildings to a smarter grid.”

More information
BuildingIQ
www.buildingiq.com

Based on a survey of 4353 facility professionals from 45 countries around the world, the IFMA’s Profiles 2011 Salary and Demographics Report shows that when combining base salary and bonus pay, the average facility professional now gets US$99,578 in total compensation annually – up from US$91,766 in 2007.
The report states that practitioners with three or fewer years in facility management earn US$65,000 a year, up from US$56,000 in 2004. More young people are indeed entering facility management, even though the average age of a facility manager is 49. In total, facility professionals in eight industry sectors make an average of US$100,000 or more each year.
According to the report, facility managers with IFMA’s Certified Facility Manager (CFM) designation earn US$12,524 more per year than their counterparts without the credential. Those holding a CFM earn on average US$101,540 per year in compensation. The following annual base salaries (in US dollars) were reported for those with CFM and facility management professionals (FMP) accreditation:

The complete Profiles 2011 Salary and Demographics Report is available for purchase in hard copy or e-file pdf from the IFMA Bookstore at www.ifma.org/bookstore.

More information
International Facility Management Association (IFMA)
www.ifma.org

More information
Pro-Visual Publishing
www.provisual.com.au

Now that Facility Management magazine has created a Facebook page, which can be found here: www.facebook.com/facilitymanagementmagazine, you can keep up to date with all the latest facility management news simply by checking your Facebook news feed. ‘Like’ Facility Management’s Facebook page to receive regular updates on what is happening in the Australian facility management sector, as well as the international facility management community.

The page is also a platform where facility managers can discuss current issues, network with their peers and share their knowledge and successes. Your participation is most welcome!

More information
Facility Management’s Facebook page
www.facebook.com/facilitymanagementmagazine

Many apartment buildings are now being built under strict guidelines to be tightly sealed for improved energy efficiency. This is due to the fact that current building codes and regulations for multi-storey apartments require the building to be thermally insulated with minimal air infiltration to maximise energy efficiency.
In conjunction with strict fire codes, mechanical ventilation systems need to be carefully considered by designers, builders, facility managers and homeowners as, in the absence of an effective exhaust or ventilation system, condensation can cause detrimental issues within apartments or buildings.
Conventional bathroom and toilet exhaust systems used previously are facing an industry-wide problem, as there is no way for make up air to infiltrate these tightly sealed buildings. As a result, conventional exhaust systems are no longer functional or effective.
Late in 2010, Peter Carrington, principal of Peter Carrington and Associates, discussed with Air Change an appropriate ventilation system solution for the Campbell Street apartments in Canberra. The apartments required a system that would supply enough outdoor air and extract exhaust air in order to eliminate condensation and prevent any subsequent problems, such as mould and mildew.

TAILORED SOLUTION DEVELOPED
Although our existing products do provide solutions to these issues, the smaller capacity and nature of this project required the development of a unit specifically for this type of application.
Important aspects that the design team considered when designing the ventilation system for the Campbell Street multi-storey apartment buildings were:

• noise levels had to be kept to a minimum for residents living within the apartment building
• spatial restrictions for an in-ceiling installation were restricted to a height of around 200 to 300 mm
• convenient access to filters and fans for easy maintenance was required, and
• the ability to easily modulate the air flow for either a one- or two-bedroom apartment was necessary.

The in-ceiling energy recovery ventilator (ERV-IC 70) concept evolved from Air Change’s standard range and adhered to these design specifications. A design that suited apartments and multi-storey residential buildings, and ensured efficient reduction of condensation and optimal indoor air quality, was created.

With conventional ventilation systems there is no way for make-up air to infiltrate tightly sealed apartment buildings. The ERV-IC 70 uses the conditions of the bathroom extract air to precondition the incoming outside air, but does not transfer any of the moisture between the airstreams.

SENSIBLE ONLY DESIGN VITAL
The ERV-IC 70 was under development in R&D for approximately six months, with engineers testing the effectiveness of its airflow, performance and functionality, as well as its noise levels. Throughout the new design process, specialised features were added; for instance, EC (electronically commutated) motors and backward curved fans, which allowed for a low-profile design and ensured that energy efficiency and airflow was maintained.
In addition, in-built, air-to-air heat exchangers were incorporated to enable the ERV-IC 70 to offer an energy saving of up to 80 percent compared to conventional extract systems. Other features include built-in fire retardant filters and low pressure drops – even at high air flows. Furthermore, the unit can also be optioned with integrated electronic control with carbon dioxide sensors.
The ERV-IC 70 utilises the conditions of the bathroom extract air to precondition the incoming outside air, but does not transfer any of the moisture between the airstreams. This is achieved through the sensible heat exchanger, which permits temperature only to exchange. The sensible only design was vital in preventing condensation and the subsequent effects of indoor moisture build-up.
The installation of the ERV-IC 70s into the Campbell Street apartments was undertaken in May 2011 by King Air, with completion due by the end of the year.

FUTURE INSTALLATION
Peter Carrington and Associates was also responsible for designing the mechanical systems for the Aurora residences, a multi-storey luxury apartment building that has been proposed for the shores of Lake Burley Griffith in Canberra. The company has specified ERV-IC 70s for each apartment to ensure optimal indoor air quality and to prevent condensation and subsequent mould or mildew problems. The units are due for installation early next year.
The aim is to attain a minimum energy rating of 6 Green Stars for all Aurora residences. The design of Aurora places leading sustainable principles at the forefront. The building design uses sustainable materials, incorporates the use of grid interactive solar power and will offer tenants an EV (electrical vehicle) ready basement.

Shane Carmichael holds the position of New South Wales and ACT state manager for Air Change Australia, having over six years of experience in air-conditioning with energy recovery technology. He is an active member of AIRAH (the Australian Institute of Refrigeration Air-conditioning and Heating). In 2010, he received AIRAH’s prestigious Future Leader Award and has recently been elected as the president for its New South Wales committee. He is also involved with other industry bodies, such as the Green Building Council of Australia, and takes a personal interest in the green building movement. He has completed a bachelor of engineering mechatronics, which was awarded with honours, and is currently undertaking a master of business management at the University of Technology Sydney.

More information
Air Change
www.air-change.com

Professor Ian Forbes, adjunct professor at Sydney University of Technology’s (UTS) Faculty of Design Architecture and Building, and director of the research group for Health Architecture and Planning, insists proper maintenance is important not only for the health of the facility, but also for the health of people within that facility.
“Maintenance should be framed as a risk management exercise,” he says. He is supported by two facility managers who know from years of experience what they‘re talking about.
Steve Watts, Spotless national operations manager Health, has been with Spotless for seven years, but has been in the maintenance industry for much longer. Spotless maintains three hospitals under PPP (public-private partnership) arrangements: Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, and the $214 million redevelopment of the Bathurst and Orange Hospitals in New South Wales Central West.
It also has maintenance contracts with St Luke’s private hospital and aged care facility, Sydney, and at the post-WWII Repatriation General Hospital, Adelaide.
Jason Booker, Thiess Services, is facility manager for the Royal North Shore Hospital and Community Health Services PPP project in North Sydney. Thiess Services is contracted to provide hard facilities management for a 28-year project period.

PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE IS RISK MANAGEMENT
“Preventative maintenance through facility-specific programs is the best method of preventing potentially dangerous or even disastrous incidents from occurring,” says Watts. “It’s a question of risk management and risk mitigation. The risk of essential services failing and the costs of remediating the damage should outweigh the cost of regular maintenance.”
Booker agrees. “If maintenance is done on a purely reactive basis, as well as not being good practice, especially in healthcare facilities, it can lead to situations that develop into disasters, disasters that could have been avoided.”
Both cite the following areas of greatest risk, requiring continuous back-up and contingency plans in the event of failure:

• air-conditioning
• electrical
• hydraulics, and
• medical gases.

Horror situations that Booker has encountered in healthcare facilities in past years include:

• air-conditioning failures in medical laboratories that need to maintain constant negative pressure
• freezers containing critical experimental material breaking down with no warning, and
• hydraulic failures, causing flooding.

Even something as simple as drains need correct ongoing maintenance to avoid problems, Watts points out. Following recent heavy rain in Melbourne, blocked drains caused flooding in an underground level of one of the Alfred Hospital buildings. The Spotless cleaning team was the first in; it pumped out the water and cleaned up the mess, “using time and resources on a situation that need not have happened”.
“As an asset manager, your ultimate focus is to achieve a comprehensive asset management plan [so everything runs smoothly], but you need to have reactive maintenance systems in place to deal with unforeseen problems,” Booker says.

MAINTENANCE HASSLES IN OLDER BUILDINGS
Both Booker and Watts are experienced in hard maintenance on older buildings, and are very aware of the major problems.

• Out of date drawings: If the building drawings haven’t been updated when the building is modified, maintenance engineers can run into technical and safety issues. For example, if the switchboard is not correctly labelled, the engineer won’t know if a circuit is live or dead, or what services it serves. “This problem with out-of-date drawings applies to all services, and it’s difficult to know what services are where, and whether the alterations have impacted on any services, with the result that everything has to be traced, which is both risky and very time consuming,” Booker says.
• Asbestos: After out-of-date drawings, the big issue with older facilities, such as Adelaide’s 60-year-old Repat General, is asbestos as a building material. “When refurbishing a ward, if there is asbestos in the floor, it’s possible to lay a new floor over the top of it,” Watts explains. “But if it’s in the walls, we need to take those out. We subcontract this to an expert in asbestos removal, who provides a risk minimisation estimate to us before doing the work.” Uncertainty about where the deadly fibre might be is a reason for extreme caution, Booker warns. “We can look in every nook and cranny where asbestos might be, but you can never really say, hand on heart, that you know where every piece of asbestos is. There’s still the risk of someone drilling into asbestos.”
• Cooling towers: Older cooling towers need to be rebuilt to prevent problems with Legionella, Watts reminds us. “The existing tower is relined and refurbished to bring it up to standard. Even though the water supply is regularly checked and treated to keep bacterial levels at zero, over time the cooling tower will deteriorate and need to be rebuilt under preventative maintenance.”

IMPROVING QUALITY
How can the maintenance industry be improved and drive up quality?
According to Jason Booker:

• asset managers should move to comprehensive programmed maintenance, rather than purely reactive maintenance
• a comprehensive asset management plan based on the life cycle program for each piece of equipment and service should be developed
• vigilance is required in preventative maintenance programs, and
• it is necessary to think ahead with contingency plans for critical systems: how to stop a breakdown and how to get the system or equipment up and running quickly.

Steve Watts believes, “Budget constraints often lead to poor maintenance. If sufficient funds are not allowed to ensure regular preventative maintenance, the cost of repairs and replacing equipment is generally higher than the cost of regular maintenance. This is not cost-effective.
“It’s a question of risk management and risk mitigation. The risk of essential services failing and the costs of remediating the damage should outweigh the cost of regular maintenance.”
According to Ian Forbes:

• maintenance should be framed as a risk management exercise
• ongoing maintenance to keep the building looking schmick for all users leads to product quality and longer-lasting facilities, and
• it’s important to understand the maintenance regime for specific surfaces, finishes and equipment.

Sue Cartledge is a freelance journalist from CONTEXTualise editorial services.

More information
Spotless
www.spotless.com/au
Thiess Services
www.thiess-services.com.au
UTS’ Faculty of Design Architecture and Building
www.dab.uts.edu.au