facility perspectives v1#2 june 2007

facility

i n t e g r a t i n g p e o p l e – p r o c e s s – p l a c eVolume 1 Number 2 June 2007

Offi cial magazine of the Facility Management Association of Australia Ltd Print Post Approved 340742 00155 $9.95 inc GST

ideaction 2007Innovation, inspiration

and celebration

Greening the FutureRole of the built environment

Project Management’s work in progress

Global FM: Interview with Stan Mitchell Measures & Services

Ernst & Young – Watching the Clock:Countdown to Water reform

Planning & Infrastructure:Sustainable Sydney 2030

FM Lead Story: SAM @ UNE

Book reviewScorcher: The Dirty Politics of Climate Change

Open protocols were conceived as part of an end userbacklash against the proprietary buildingautomation and control systems that weretraditionally a staple of the market. In the past, if acustomer wanted to expand or change their

building systems, they were typically locked into using theoriginal supplier of the control system. The rationale fordeveloping open protocols was to prevent this ‘lock-in’ byallowing users the ability to ‘mix and match’ products fromdifferent vendors and easily integrate them for managementpurposes.Today, most organisations are aligned with one of two keyopen protocols for automation and control – LonWorks orBACnet. The decision to go down either path can be dependenton a number of factors – for example, the level of integrationrequired in a particular room or zone, the factory-standardcontrols provided with the building equipment, and futurebuilding expansion plans. However, the alignment of theconsulting engineer to the project is just as likely to be a keyinfluence.The trend for open protocols in recent months is one of overlapand convergence. LonWorks, which derives its strength fromdevice-to-device integration, is moving upmarket at a timewhen open rival, BACnet, known in the high-level system-to-system integration space, is executing a “top-down” approach.The resulting overlap in capabilities means it is now possiblefor organisations to have a perfectly functional end-to-endautomation and control system using either protocol.

Achieving an environment that mixes both protocols,however, is still a fairly complex task. As the overlap instandards becomes more pronounced, the willingness ofvendors to support both protocols, either separately ortogether, will become increasingly important from a future-proofing perspective. The same vendor’s ability to providesystems integration and consultancy support may also proveadvantageous in the long term, particularly as the need forintegrated LonWorks and BACnet environments increases.HOW THE STANDARDS EVOLVEDLonWorks is the control networking technology platformdeveloped by Echelon Corporation. In 1994, Echelon alsocreated LonMark – a governing body with a set of guidelinesand strict testing process to certify the interoperability ofLonWorks-based solutions from multiple manufacturers – acritical element to ensure the platform can act as a globalopen standard. LonWorks is generally considered the bestsolution for device-level connectivity – for example, enablingthe controller that modulates the damper for airflow in aparticular room to ‘communicate’ locally with a lightingcontroller from another manufacturer.The American Society for Heating Refrigeration and AirConditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) developed the other openprotocol, BACnet, starting in 1987 and finishing almost adecade later— initially as an enabler for system-to-systemintegration. The protocol has since evolved to be included incontrol devices as well. ‘Native BACnet’ solutions are oftenpromoted as the only true open standards by followers, basedon the protocol’s development origins from within an ASHRAE

OpenwarfareSupporters of open buildingautomation standards shouldthemselves remain open as thetwo main protocols overlap,writes Simon James.

ADVERTORIAL

industry group as opposed to coming from a private company.The argument does not appear to have negatively affectedsales of LonWorks controllers globally, which so far outnumberBACnet-based solutions. In saying that, BACnet can boast arelatively strong following among government and highereducation organisations, based on its status as a more openlydeveloped protocol and broad acceptance within the academicand consulting engineer fraternities.It is currently not possible for LonWorks and BACnet platformsto interoperate without a gateway device that converts oneprotocol to the other. It is technically possible for either aBACnet or LonWorks device to share a common LonTalk bus totransport messages using their separate control languages (inthe same way the devices can communicate over Ethernet)although, in practice, this is rarely done.DECISIVE FACTORS FOR OPEN ADOPTIONAs the standards continue to evolve, interoperability is likely tobecome a key issue. Manufacturers, systems integrators andother professional services firms that remain open to bothprotocols rather than aligning with either camp will likelyhave a natural advantage over competitors who do notembrace the relevant standards.A key factor in any successful building systemimplementation is a trained and knowledgeable vendor todesign the system, write the applications and make the righttechnology choices to enable efficient operation andmaintenance, while accommodating future expansion needs.While a LonWorks only or BACnet only based solution canwork, adherence to a single protocol can create increasedcomplexity and cost, particularly from a long-termmaintenance and future expansion perspective.Emerging standards such as Open Building Informationexchange (oBIX) – a protocol for exchanging buildinginformation using XML (therefore making it more consistentwith Information Technology standards) – further justifies theneed to choose a platform with multi-protocol support. Thesetypes of solutions will prove far more cost-effective over thelife of the building system than those that work with a singleprotocol.MAKING TOP-TIER CONTROL ACCESSIBLEOne of the key benefits of open standards is that they haveessentially commoditised the automation and control systemsmarket. Cheaper electronics, together with the number ofproviders with open standards-based solutions, has levelledthe playing field both in terms of upfront purchase costs andthe functionality manufacturers are able to build into theirdevices.While there is little doubt integration and interoperabilityhave improved with the advent of open standards, anecdotalevidence suggests that less than 20 per cent of the commercialbuilding market has embraced the concept to create a truemulti-vendor environment. In reality, up to 80 per cent oforganisations – and maybe more – still buy most of theirequipment from one vendor. The recent trend away from best-of-breed ‘point’ solution-based environments to end-to-end,single vendor platforms means this trend may continue forsome time.Ultimately open protocol-based devices have benefited themarket as a whole. The next challenge – and opportunity – forsystems integrators in the space will be ensuring they havethe ability to offer either BACnet or LonWorks-based devices ora ‘best of both worlds’ type approach, tailored to thecustomer’s requirements. At the same time, organisationscurrently participating in tender processes should ensure thesystems integrator or service provider they select has theflexibility to offer multiple control options to ensure thesystem provided today can scale to meet any future needs inthis space.

ADVERTORIAL

ABOVE: Comforpoint productfamily – an example of a BACNetCompliant HVAC controller

an open book

For more information, contact Honeywell Building Solutions

at (02) 9353 7807 or [email protected]

or visit www.honeywell.com.au/hbs

© 2007 Honeywell International Inc. All rights reserved

The right Building Management tools can’t be

found in a text book.

Honeywell believes that each business is unique so the

systems and processes you use should reflect that.

Honeywell introduces ComfortPoint — a BACnet-based

building control system that’s simple to use, yet is

sophisticated enough to seamlessly integrate a wide range

of applications and control components so that you won’t need to worry about it. Whether

you are working with a new construction project or planning a retrofit for an older building,

ComfortPoint’s Open Systems Technology is your ultimate choice in achieving an efficient

and reliable automation system. Book an appointment with Honeywell’s experts today to find

out more about how ComfortPoint can make your operations as easy as A-B-C.

fa c i l i t y p e r s p e c ti v es • 3

IN THIS ISSUE

18 Greening the Future and the role of the Built EnvironmentBy Facility Perspectives Melanie Drummond.The blunt truth about the politics of climate change is that no country will want to sacrificeits economy in order to meet this challenge, but all economies know that the only sensiblelong term way of developing is to do it on a sustainable basis. – Tony Blair

50 FM ACTION AGENDA Stephen Ballesty52 ESD & THE ENVIRONMENT Preparing for the perfect storm – The Australian Climate Data Bank Project.63 ESSENTIAL SAFETY MEASURES Building Update66 FM LEAD STORY SAM at University of New England70 LEGAL & COMPLIANCE Major initiatives in Waste Management, and Victoria’s new Charter of Human Rights80 PEOPLE 15 Minutes of FM Fame – Jan Biggs FM, Merrill Lynch (Australia)

20 COVER STORY Greening the Future and the role of the Built EnvironmentGoing Green Today. Case Studies: 500 Collins St, Solson Place and Deakin University Geelong Campus.

42 EVENTS FMA Australia ideaction 2007 Conference ReportThree perspectives on ideaction 2007The FMA Australia FM Excellence Awards and Branch AwardsGala Night Picture Montage

56 GLOBAL FM: Interview with Stan Mitchell.Having implemented their organisation and governance principles, Max Winter spoke to Global FM’s Stan Mitchell about the nextstep in the process.

58 PROJECT MANAGEMENT: The changing Face of Project ManagementHuge strides have been made in providing the tools necessary for Project Management, but as Facility Perspectives MelanieDrummond found out, skills shortages are not unique to Facilities Management.Case Study: Eureka Tower

72 PLANNING & INFRASTRUCTURE: The Sydney 2030 PlanHow will the City of Sydney become sustainable by 2030? WinterComms Sydney correspondent, Marie Giessler reports on anAIRAH sponsored forum outlining the City of Sydney’s plan for Sustainable Sydney 2030.

74 PLANNING & INFRASTRUCTURE 2: Watching the Clock: Countdown to Water Reform.One of six articles in Ernst & Young’s 2007 edition of Business Agenda, Watching the Clock: Countdown to Water Reformreminds us the scarcity of this precious resource – best described as belonging to everyone, and yet no-one – is foremost oneveryone’s minds.

78 BOOK REVIEW: Scorcher: The Dirty Politics of Climate Change by Clive Hamilton.Book Review by Susan Keck WinterComms Director Instructional Design & Research

Regulars

Features

13 The Dynalite Philosophy

24 New Artoleum – Nature inspired eco-floring from Forbo

28 Green Air Handling Units aim for the stars

30 Intelligent Daylight Harvesting

32 Visy Recycling – Green office tips

40 Lamp Recycling – The responsible thing to do

Sponsored Industry Profiles

Cover Story

4 Editors Comment 6 FMA Chairman’s Address 8 FMA CEO’s Address10 FMA Calendar 12 Fast Facts & News

facility

i n t e g r a t i n g p e o p l e – p r o c e s s – p l a c e

FMA Australia’s ideaction 2007 certainly lived up to its namethis year with an agenda jam-packed with site visits,networking events, informative keynotes and challengingpanel sessions, plenary and concurrent sessions.

From a strategic viewpoint, the stand-outsession for me was CEO of the PropertyCouncil of Australia Peter Verwer’svision of the Building Information Model

(BIM) as being the quantum leap forward inenhancing facility management’s value in theBoardroom and toward organisationalobjectives.

This viewpoint reinforced the outcomes ofthe FM Action Agenda FM Exemplar Project:Sydney Opera House, and the collaborativeindustry and government team led by CRC forConstruction Innovation, this year’s winner ofthe FMA Australia - Rider Hunt Terotech IndustryAchievement Award.

Of the three research streams ofPerformance Benchmarking, ServicesProcurement and Digital Modelling, Verwer madeparticular mention of the Digital Modellingstream which concerned the BuildingInformation Model (BIM) and interoperability.

BIM is an integrated 3D digital description ofa building, its site and related GeographicInformation System (GIS) context. A BIM iscomprised of individual building, site or GISobjects, (supported by accurate geometry andrepresented visually), with attributes thatdefine their detailed description, andrelationships that specify the nature of thecontext with other objects.*

If you can picture a building represented 3-dimensionally, placed in context of itssurroundings with each of the building’scomponents complete costing, life-cycle andmaintenance history listed, including theirhierarchy in relation to other buildingcomponents, you will get the idea.

Secondly, that the BIM is supported byinteroperability through Industry FoundationClasses (IFC). This means (very roughly) thatthey have developed a software shell into whichall sorts of compliant software from all theArchitectural, Engineering, Construction andFacilities Management industry sectors can beplaced and with minimum tweaking, they canbe seamlessly integrated into one cohesive

information system that supports the BIM.Excited? You should be. In essence it is a

complete Building Information Model that coversthe entire life cycle of a building, and aninvaluable tool that removes the informationbarriers that currently exist between thedifferent disciplines involved in the life of abuilding, represented visually, with all theinformation you would need, at hand.

Facility managers would be able to optimisetheir procurement processes, theirmaintenance requirements and contractorrelations, they would not lose time looking forArchitectural plans, and As-Builts, they would beable to do performance benchmarking internallyand externally, and most of all, they would beable to provide all the information needed topresent their cases for their predictivemaintenance budgets and forward facilitiesmanagement planning.

In short they would have all the informationneeded to optimise their portfolios and add real(and statistically acknowledged) value to theBoard. This is what Peter Verwer was excitedabout.

Is the process of digitising informationcurrently held in hard copy or microfichecostly? Yes it is, but industry organisationseverywhere are biting the bullet incrementallyand taking the first tentative steps intosoftware-enabling their space, maintenance andcompliance management processes (read theFM lead story in this issue as an example), andreaping the rewards.

The BIM with interoperability, as outlined inthe first and second reports of the FM ActionAgenda FM Exemplar Project: Sydney OperaHouse is the next step.

*quoted from Adopting BIM for facilitiesmanagement. Go to the FM Action Agendawebsite at www.fmactionagenda.org or the CRCfor Construction Innovation website athttp://www.construction-innovation.info/ formore details on the reports.

Max WinterEditor – Facility Perspectives

ideaction 2007 –An Event toRemember

MAX WINTER

EDITORS COMMENTS

Level 6, 313 La Trobe StreetMelbourne VIC 3000Tel: 03 8641 6666Fax: 03 9640 0374Email: [email protected]: www.fma.com.au

Front Cover:Larry Pitt PhotographyTel: 0408 727 006

Published by:

ABN 30 007 224 204

Editor-in-Chief: Ric NavarroLayout + Design: Anthony CostinNational Sales Manager: Phil Haratsis

430 William StreetMelbourne VIC 3000Tel: 03 9274 4201Fax: 03 9329 5295Email: [email protected]: www.executivemedia.com.auOffices also in Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide

Editorial: WinterCommsDirector & Editor: Max WinterNational Communications Manager:Melanie DrummondWinterComms Sydney Correspondent:Marie Geissler, Geissler CommunicationsEditorial enquiriesTel: 02 4471 1252 or 03 8417 6577E: [email protected]

Stock Images: Photo Disc, Jupiter Images,Digital Vision, Creatas

Printed by Superprint Pty Ltd

The editor, publisher, printer and their staff and agents are notresponsible for the accuracy or correctness of the text ofcontributions contained in this publication or for theconsequences of any use made of the products, and theinformation referred to in this publication. The editor, publisher,printer and their staff and agents expressly disclaim all liabilityof whatsoever nature for any consequences arising from anyerrors or omissions contained in this publication whethercaused to a purchaser of this publication or otherwise. Theviews expressed in the articles and other material publishedherein do not necessarily reflect the views of the editor andpublisher or their staff or agents. The responsibility for theaccuracy of information is that of the individual contributorsand neither the publisher or editors can accept responsibility forthe accuracy of information which is supplied by others. It isimpossible for the publisher and editors to ensure that theadvertisements and other material herein comply with the TradePractices Act 1974 (Cth). Readers should make their owninquiries in making any decisions, and where necessary, seekprofessional advice.

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part, withoutwritten permission is strictly prohibited. © 2007 ExecutiveMedia.

ISSN 1834 6375

Thank you to all our FMA Australiamembers and readers of FacilityPerspectives for the overwhelmingresponse to the first edition of this

magazine. It was very pleasing to receive such positive

feedback from the advertisers, members andsubscribers. FMA Australia is very proud of thenew look magazine with a format that willcontinue to reflect the innovation and evolutionof our industry.

I have just returned from ideaction 2007and as you will see depicted in this edition weexperienced many memorable momentsthrough the enjoyment of our social functionsand through the value presented by theoutstanding presentations. Thank you to all ourpresenters and I would like to especially thankour Platinum Sponsor ISS Facility Services andall our other supporters and exhibitors, whoensured with their involvement, that thisconference would provide a valuable andmemorable experience.

A special thank you to all our delegates whotravelled to Sydney and I look forward toreceiving the final evaluation reports on yourthoughts of the conference, after all ideaction isrun for our members and industry practitionersand your feedback is very important to assistus with our planning.

FMA Australia’s Awards for Excellence aredesigned to recognise our members who haveexcelled in these categories. Again this year thenominations were of a high calibre and thejudging panel had a difficult job. Ourcongratulations to the following winners:

u FMA Australia and Transfield ServicesEnvironmental Achievement AwardAir Con Serve Pty Ltd

u FMA Australia and Rider Hunt TerotechIndustry Achievement AwardCooperative Research Centre forConstruction Innovation

u FMA Australia and ProgrammedMaintenance Services Facility Manager ofthe Year AwardFrank Riley – Brisbane City Council

u FMA Australia and Tungsten Young FM ofthe Year AwardMichael Russo – Investa Property Group

As a national organisation we would notexist if not for the hard work from all ourbranches. It is a highlight for each chairman toaward the FMA Australia Recognition Awards andI would like to congratulate the followingwinners:

u Branch Committee Member of the YearWestern Australia – Renae Loftus

u Branch Committee Member of the Year ACT– Ami Sudjiman

u Branch Committee Member of the YearVictoria – Derek Wilson

u Branch Committee Member of the YearNSW – Christine Kelly

u Branch Committee Member of the YearQueensland – Lex Dewar

u Branch of the Year – Victoriau Corporate Supporter of the Year – GJK

Facilities Servicesu Member of the Year – Stephen Ballesty

We have featured ideaction 2007 in thisedition and I encourage you to read the reviewon this year’s conference, and pre scheduleyour extended holiday next May on the GoldCoast.

It is important for the board andmembership to continue to focus on emergingissues that face the FM industry such as:

u sustainability in FM and how smart FMcan meaningfully contribute toenvironmental, social, financial andeconomic sustainability

u providing greater opportunities forknowledge and skill growth with apriority focus on addressing the everincreasing skill shortage

u addressing the impact of our ageinginfrastructure

u the increased need for security in ouriconic and commercial buildings, and

u being able to productively contribute tothe vibrancy and function of urbancommunities into the future throughintegrated facility and urban design.

Many of these issues were addressedduring ideaction but should continue to be onour radar and through FMA Australia’sProfessional Development series, our SpecialInterest Groups and through our other stateactivities. We, as a board, look forward tomeeting the challenges of these topics andothers over the coming months.

Enjoy this edition and, again, don’t hesitateto let us know your thoughts on this magazineor any issues in general.

RegardsAndrew McEwen – Chairman

ANDREW MCEWAN

Phot

ogra

phy:

Mel

bour

ne H

eads

hot C

o.

News from

Andrew McEwanChairman – FMA Australia

Andrew McEwan (2nd from left) and David Duncan (3rd from left), with Branch of the Year, Victoria members Mike Rowlands(left), Kristiana Greenwood(centre), Martin Lietch (behind), Trish Ferrier, Branch Committee Memebr of the Year, Derek Wilson(front), Lou La-Delpha and Greg Burnham. Phtography by Larry Pitt.

FMA CHAIRMAN’S ADDRESS

6 • fa c i l i t y p e r s p e c ti v es

Nothing good comes without training.Even professionals need the right training to perform in pressure situations. Will your staff know how

to properly tackle an emergency? These days the onus is on the employer to provide a safe working

environment for their team. As one of the world’s leaders in fire protection, Wormald has the experience

to equip your people with the skills they need – skills that save lives and reduce damage to property when

the pressure is on. Our fire training covers everything from basic extinguisher skills, to evacuation and fire

warden training.

For the best training around call 133 166 or email [email protected].

FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEMSFIRE EQUIPMENT | E X TINGUISHING SYSTEMS | INSTALL ATIONS | SERVICING | COMPLIANCE

The 18th national conference themed“Striving towards a better environment-isit important?” was held in the beautifulcity of Sydney at Darling Harbour and

attracted nearly 400 delegates and over 40exhibitors. Pleasingly corporate sponsorshipwas at an all time high which enabled us todeliver a first class event.

High calibre speakers were a feature of theevent, a claim substantiated from thesummaries of speaker evaluation formssubmitted by delegates at the conclusion ofeach of the sessions. Indeed we attractedspeakers from the United States and Hong Kongand very much appreciated them making theeffort to ensure a successful event.

We were also joined by colleagues fromGlobal FM, a federation of international FMAssociations of which FMA Australia is afounding member, including the InternationalFacility Management Association (IFMA), theBritish Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM)and the Association des Directeurs etResponsables de Services Generaux (ARSEG)from France.

A very memorable highlight of theconference program was the Gala AwardsPresentation Dinner held in the stunningSydney Town Hall. The black tie event was mostfitting for such an elegant venue.

It would be remiss of me not to mentionthat every aspect of the conference wasmanaged by my highly competent staff underthe guidance of the conference organisingcommittee. They operated like a well oiledmachine and the successful outcome was duein large measure to their hard work and untiringefforts.

Next year we will be staging our 19thnational conference on the Gold Coast and thechallenge before us is to make it an even betterexperience for delegates, corporate sponsorsand exhibitors.

That said, I take this opportunity to thanksincerely all delegates for attending and for the

generous support and participation of all ourspeakers, sponsors and exhibitors. Indeedwithout all of you the conference would nothave been the success it was.

Apart from the conference activity much ishappening throughout the Association. Notably Iwas very pleased to have visited our WA and SAbranches and meet with some of our members.Although small in number at this time the levelof interest is growing in both of these Statesand national office support will be forthcomingto assist the branch committees and ensurethat members have access to a broad range oflocal events and services.

An electronic survey of members in bothStates has been undertaken and the results arecurrently being assessed with the view todeveloping and implementing proactivemeasures for the benefit of members.

FMA Australia as a member organisationvery much appreciates feedback from members,whether good or not so good. While it is difficult,and probably impossible, to cater to everymember’s wants, it is certainly our aim tosatisfy the majority of them.

Finally, I trust members and others, findthis second issue of Facility Perspectivesinteresting and informative. As the new officialpublication of FMA Australia we are striving toensure Facility Perspectives is the pre-eminentmagazine of the facility management industry.Your feedback will greatly assist us in achievingthat goal along with the much appreciatedsupport of all our advertisers.

David DuncanChief Executive Officer, FMA AustraliaDavid’s Photo Melbourne Headshot Co.

DAVID DUNCAN CEO’s Message

With another successful ideaction conference behind us it is appropriatethat we reflect on, and acknowledge, some of its highlights.

Phot

ogra

phy:

Mel

bour

ne H

eads

hot C

o.

CEO’S MESSAGE


Photography Larry Pitt

Simple Steps to Relocating…

Rack, Pack, Stack, and Go!Movers and Shakers Reusable Plastic Crates(RPCs) provide the ultimate in protection foryour important documentation and belongings,whether you’re moving internally or across thecity. Designed to replace the standardcardboard carton, our simple rack, pack andstack system provides a quick, safe, secureand cost effective solution to packing andrelocating your business.

Making All the Right Moves

Rack…Optional rack inserts

mean your suspensionfiles transfer quickly andeasily from cabinet to

Crate.

• No more ‘floating’

files, losing theircontents

• Quick and easy to

use

• Sequence of files

maintained

• Large label areas for

ease of identification

• Files can be locatedand accessed rightup to moving day

Stack…Loaded Crates are more

efficient to handle andtransport.

• Crates stack to maximise

available space in storageor during transport

• Recessed, attached lidsprovide secure stacks to

prevent load shifting orgetting crushed.

• Ergonomic handles

incorporated into Cratedesign

• Stacked Crates are easily

and quickly unloadedutilising purpose designed‘Skates’

Pack…Crates arrive ready to

pack – no assemblyrequired.

• Attached lids close

firmly with NOTAPING required

• Wide opening allowsquick packing

• Optional security tiesensure contents arekept safe from

tampering or spillage

• Rigid plastic

construction providesall-round protectionfor goods being

moved

You Benefit from…• Cost saving - Eliminate time

and labour of assembling,breaking down, and disposal ofcartons

• Space saving - Empty Cratesnest to conserve valuable floor

space

• Eco Friendly – Crates aremade of 100% recyclable High

Density Polypropelene with alife expectancy of up to 10years

• User friendly – no sharp edgesor corners. NO BOX CUTTERS

NEEDED

• Securable and identifiable,unlike cardboard boxes.

Contact us: 1300 136 681

www.moversandshakers.com.au

Thinking of using cardboard boxes… Think again…

ACT Branch Events 26 July – Site Visit – Visit to an Existing Facility30 August – Social Dinner – Lake Cruise Dinner27 September – Forum – Managing Change inAccommodation 25 October – Annual Pitch and Putt Golf Day29 November – Forum

QLD Branch Events18 July – Site Visit9 August – Networking Forum24 August – Annual Golf Day19 September – Innovation Forum11 October –Networking Forum24 October – Site Visit6 November – Melbourne Cup Event7 December – Lunch

NSW Branch Events8 July – Lunch24 July – Site Visit2 August – Hunter Region Sub–Branch Lunch8 August – Lunch22 August – South Coast Sub–Branch Lunch28 August – Site Visit12 September – Lunch25 September – Lunch10 October – Lunch30 October – Site Visit6 November – Lunch27 November – Site Visit28 November – South Coast Lunch5 December – Christmas Lunch

VIC Branch Events27 July – Lunch – RACV Club24 August – MCG Site Visit & Luncheon – MCG21 September – Lunch – Crown19 October – Lunch – Crown23 November – Lunch – RACV Club14 December– Christmas Lunch – Crown

WA Branch Events24 July – Site Visit20 September – Site Visit23 November – Annual Golf Day

Women in Facility Management, NSW10 July – Recall Document Management SiteVisit – 5:30 pm

Professional Development Seminars

Sustainability with Dr Vyt GarnysMelbourneTopic 1Tuesday 24th July9.00 am to 1.30 pmEther Centre, Grand Mercure265 – 281 Little Bourke Street, MelbourneTopic 2Wednesday 8th August9.00 am to 1.30 pmEther Centre, Grand Mercure265 – 281 Little Bourke Street, MelbourneTopic 3Wednesday 22nd August9.00 am to 1.30 pmEther Centre, Grand Mercure265 – 281 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne

SydneyTopic 1Thursday 26th July9.00 am to 1.30 pmMercure Sydney,

818 – 820 George Street, SydneyTopic 2Friday 10th August9.00 am to 1.30 pmMercure Sydney, 818 – 820 George Street, SydneyTopic 3Tuesday 4th September9.00 am to 1.30 pmMercure Sydney, 818 – 820 George Street, Sydney

BrisbaneTopic 1Friday 27th July9.00 am to 1.30 pmRoyal on the ParkCnr Albert & Alice Streets BrisbaneTopic 2Monday 13th August9.00 am to 1.30 pmRoyal on the ParkCnr Albert & Alice Streets BrisbaneTopic 3Tuesday 28th August 9.00 am to 1.30 pmRoyal on the ParkCnr Albert & Alice Streets Brisbane

2007 Branch EventsFMA AUSTRALIA EVENT CALENDAR


Photography Larry Pitt

SOLAR FOR A SLIVER OF THE PRICEGround-breaking technology, that could cut the cost of solar panels

in half, may soon see more Australian businesses making the move torenewable energy. In collaboration with Origin Energy, Australian NationalUniversity researchers Klaus Weber and Andrew Blakers have developedthe ‘SLIVER®’ cell technology which reduces the amount of expensivesilicon wafer needed in conventional solar panels by 90 percent.

By slicing the silicon wafers into thin slivers and placing them in apanel, the solar energy conversion rate greatly increases – a solar powerpanel that uses SLIVER® cell technology would use only two siliconwafers to convert sunlight to 140 watts of power, compared to aconventional solar panel which uses approximately 60 silicon wafers toachieve the same results.

Significantly thinner than most solar cells, SLIVER® cells are micromachined from monocrystalline to 50 microns thick (thinner than ahuman hair). They are also flexible and perfectly bifacial (accept lightfrom either side), unlike conventional solar cells which are often squareor round, up to 4 or 5 times thicker, quite rigid and usually single sided.

The SLIVER® cells are capable of high-grade performance due to theirthickness and good cell design, with demonstrated efficiencies over 19%and voltages of 680mV. The 50 thickness corresponds to a Watt/kg ratioof 1600 and, unlike conventional cells, SLIVER® cells have a width that isthe order of the thickness of the module which allows for the design ofefficient light trapping schemes.

The new technology allows for large decreases in silicon usagecompared to conventional crystalline silicon wafer technologies. Inaddition, it allows for a large reduction in the numbers of wafersprocessed per module by up to a factor of 35 compared to standardcrystalline silicon technology.

The new technology reduces costs in two main ways – by usingmuch less expensive silicon for similar efficiency and power output, andneeding less capital to build a solar panel plant of similar capacity.

The unique attributes of SLIVER® cell technology could lead to otherSLIVER® cell development applications, in addition to conventionalrooftop and off-grid uses, including:

u Transparent SLIVER® cell panes to replace building windows andcladding

u Flexible, roll-up solar panels u High-voltage solar panels, and u Solar powered aircraft, satellite and surveillance systemsSince Origin Energy first engaged the Australian National University’s

group of solar energy researchers a decade ago, it has invested $30million in developing the SLIVER® technology to be ready for thecommercial market and building a pilot plant at Regency Park in SouthAustralia.

Origin hopes that moving forward with an international partneralready connected in the international solar market will enable them tobegin large scale production of SLIVER® modules in the near future.

Developments are regularly updated on the Origin Energy website atwww.originenergy.com.au

LEADING THE WORLD IN CARBON TRADINGMedia Source: Lend Lease News

Origin Energy and construction giant Lend Lease have recentlyannounced the development of a scheme which enables the globalproperty industry to sell and measure carbon credits obtained byadopting energy efficient practices into their buildings.

The world-leading mechanism will provide portfolio owners andproperty developers inducement to undertake energy efficient practicesrelating to HVAC systems, ventilation, appliances, lighting and buildingdesign.

Rather than undertake the traditional emission offsets of renewableenergy projects and tree-planting, the carbon trading scheme willapproach reducing greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the need forelectricity. It’s a move that can’t come soon enough – current estimatesshow the operation, maintenance, construction and demolition ofbuildings is responsible for about 40 percent of global greenhouseemissions.

Lend Lease announced its work on the development following theMarch launch of Origin Energy’s voluntary national carbon tradingscheme. Under Origin’s Carbon Trading Scheme, Lend Lease will make itsglobal headquarters in Sydney carbon neutral by purchasing carboncredits from energy efficiency to offset tenant electricity consumption.

For more information visit www.lendlease.com

FAST FACTS + NEWS


Dynalite is a highly specialised company whose principal occupation is to provide cutting

edge technology solutions in lighting control and automation.

A wholly Australian owned and operated company, we are proud of our considerable achievements and success worldwide.

We live in a time of environmental paradox; social and political attitudes have changed in favour of energy conservation, yet working habits now lean toward longer working hours spread across a wider period of time. Office tasks have evolved from isolated individual processes to technology-based interactive communication tasks. In effect, workers a consuming more energy for longer periods of time!

THE DYNALITE PHILOSOPHY

SYMPTOMS OF AN UNDER-CONTROLLED LIGHTING INSTALLATION

before most workers have arrived

the middle of the day when many workers go to lunch and daylight penetration is at its peak

late into the evening

overnight

Energy usage profile in an undercontrolled lighting installation

THE DYNALITE SOLUTION

A sophisticated lighting control system can provide significant cost savings in any environment. In an office tower, for example, a variety of control methods present a solution that gives workers flexibility and control over their environment, whilst ensuring that energy is not consumed unnecessarily.

The Dynalite approach to energy management;

the task

deprived

future-proof. Today’s actions shouldn’t prevent tomorrow’s solutions from being implemented.

To find out how Dynalite can help your bottom line, phone 1300 554 178 or go to dynalite-online.com and download a copy of our Office Lighting Energy Management brochure.

INDUSTRY PROFILE



FAST FACTS + NEWS

TELSTRA IN A TIZZY – THE REAL STORYTelsta’s full page ads, recently placed in major Fairfax daily

newspapers, created a furore with messages targeted at getting JohnHoward to overrule the Australian Competition and ConsumerCommission’s (ACCC) pricing conditions on fibre-to-the-node (FTTN)broadband.

As reported by Alan Kohler in The Age on May 15, 2007, thecontention between the ACCC and Telstra originates from Telstra wanting,in the ACCC’s view, to charge competitors excessive wholesale fees foraccessing its existing copper wire network to deliver internet services.

Telstra’s proposal for delivering the much needed high-speedbroadband to Australians is estimated at delivering a retail price ofaround $100 a month, compared to the competing Optus G9 consortiumproposal which settles at around half of Telstra’s retail price.

The Telstra ads (which cost somewhere in the vicinity $250,000)call on the public to “tell the ACCC to stop saying ‘No’ to high-speedbroadband” but ACCC Chairman Mr. Graeme Samuel says they are notprepared to back down on ensuring Australians get a fair deal on FTTNbroadband.

“The law requires that decisions as important as the future ofbroadband supply in Australia be made in an open transparent way. Thepublic and competitors must have the chance to make comment on howthis is done – whether it’s the G9 proposal, Telstra or anybody else.”

Mr Samuel says the ACCC’s three main criteria, which it will applywithout fear or favour, are to:

u Promote investmentu Promote competition andu Protect consumers against paying monopoly prices and to

promote innovation and highest quality servicesWhile Telstra battles it out to deliver FTTN broadband to Australia

however, Alan Kohler contends that the rest of the world is alreadymoving away from copper wiring (used in FTTN from the telephoneexchange to the home) and on to fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) internetservices which is faster and (ultimately) cheaper to run. The Optic fibreused in FTTH technology is significantly more reliable than FTTN, since itbypasses the telephone exchanges and goes directly to the home, anddoes not require the use of the existing copper wire infrastructure. Ittherefore encounters less interference and ultimately gives customersmore control over the service. While the initial cost to establish FTHH inthe home is estimated at falling somewhere between $1200 to $1500 toestablish, it is likely to save each household about $US110 per year.

Adopting FTTH technology would leave Telstra with only their cabletrenches as the established infrastructure for which they could chargetheir competitors, since duplicating this would be too prohibitive forother telecommunication companies.

BUDGET DELIVERS ON WATER RECYCLINGThe 2007/08 Victorian State Government budget delivers an extra

$136 million for vital water projects needed to secure the future watersupply of Victoria.

Victorian Premier Steve Bracks has said that $16 million would beinvested in Altona, Westenport and Frankston to save 3.5 billion litres ofdrinking water every year. The Government will provide $5 milliontowards an upgrade of the Altona Treatment Plant which will allow thesupply of 2 billion litres of recycled water per year to the Qenos plasticsplant a kilometre away. At the Qenos plant, a further 400 million litres ofwater will be recycled on site. At the Australian Vinyls plant also nearby,another on-site project will free up a further 300 million litres. The on-siteprojects at Qenos and Australian Vinyls are supported by $4.3 million inthe 2007-08 Budget.

A further $2.2 million is allocated to fund a Frankston project toprovide recycled water to community open spaces such as sportsfacilities, parks and gardens, saving 160 million litres of water a year. TheGovernment is providing $4.1 million to another industry recyclingproject at South East Water’s Somer’s Treatment Plant which will free up660 million litres of drinking water by providing recycled water to BlueScope Steel’s Hastings Plant.

Water Minister John Thwaites said the budget also contained newfunding to reduce industry water use including initiatives to reducewater use in cooling towers, industrial laundries and to install smartwater metres in industry, a move estimated to save about three billionlitres of water a year by 2008.

Facility managers are committed to playing their part in savingwater, and for more information on water saving practices, Sydney Waterhave outlined valuable water conservation measures in the best practiceguidelines for cooling towers in commercial buildings and best practiceguidelines for clubs, now available from their website atwww.sydneywater.com.au

UMS ACQUIRES NEW BUSINESSUrban Maintenance Systems (UMS) have recently purchased Sydney

based company Service Station Building Maintenance Services (SSBMS)– one of petroleum’s leading Building Maintenance companies. SSBMShas been supplying building maintenance services to the retail side ofthe petroleum industry for the best part of 28 years.

The recent acquisition will allow SSBMS to grow its services further inQueensland and Victoria, as well as enabling SSBMS to offer the full suiteof UMS services which include Road, Park and Building maintenance andmanagement, Graffiti removal, Essential Services (Safety Measures), LifeCycle costing and a range of Project Management Services.

SSBMS will continue under the same name and be known as amember of the UMS group of companies specializing in the petroleumsector.

ENERGY TRANSFORMED: FORUM CLEARS THE AIR ONCLIMATE CHANGE

In the latest issue of CSIRO magazine Solve (Issue 11), HeatherCatchpole writes that the CSIRO led Energy Futures Forum has found thatbig reductions of greenhouse emissions are economically feasible.

Despite the impact of carbon constraints as energy bodies attemptto address climate change, a new report* concludes there is no reasonwhy reductions in greenhouse gas emissions should lead to moreexpensive electricity. The report, released by a forum focusing onAustralia’s energy future, has also found that the economy couldcontinue to grow even if Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions werereduced to 50 per cent of 1990 levels by 2050, by capturing carbondioxide and using alternative energy sources such as wind and solar.

* The forum’s report, The Heat Is On, released in December 2006, is aculmination of two years of discussion and modelling by CSIRO andABARE that looks at how individuals and the economy would fare in arange of future energy scenarios. It is available atwww.csiro.au/science/EnergyFuturesForum.html.

TWO SCENARIOS FOR THE INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY– WORLD ENERGY OUTLOOK 2006 REPORT.

The International Energy Agency – World Energy Outlook 2006Report provides a detailed outline of two scenarios for the paths to 2030.The first confirms that fossil-fuel demand and trade flows, andgreenhouse-gas emissions would follow their current unsustainablepaths in the absence of new government action – the underlyingpremise of their Reference Scenario. The Report also demonstrates, in anAlternative Policy Scenario, that a package of policies and measures thatcountries around the world are considering would, if implemented,significantly reduce the rate of increase in demand and emissions.Importantly, the economic cost of these policies would be more thanoutweighed by the economic benefits that would come from using and

producing energy more efficiently.The Report also makes the point that while biofuels such as ethanol

will make a significant contribution to road transport energy needs ineither scenario (with Brazil leading the way), rising food demand willcompete with biofuels for existing arable land and pasture land. About 14million hectares of land are currently used for the production of biofuels,which is equal to about 1% of the world’s currently available arable land.This share rises to 2% in the Reference Scenario and 3.5% in theAlternative Policy Scenario. The amount of arable land needed in 2030 isequal to more than that of France and Spain in the Reference Scenarioand that of all the OECD Pacific countries – including Australia – in theAlternative Policy Scenario.

Go to the International Energy Agency’s website athttp://www.worldenergyoutlook.org/ for the Report.

ANZ TOWER SETS GREEN EXAMPLESource: The Age (Peter Hannam, 7 May 2007)

ANZ announced its intentions to build the largest green building inAustralia on its Collins Street site in Melbourne’s Docklands, by usingsolar cells and wind power to cut reliance on fossil fuel-generated powerby 70 per cent, and water recycling to reduce the use of mains water by60 per cent.

According to the Green Building Council of Australia, ANZ is aiming fora world-leading 6 Star Green Star sustainability standard for its new 10storey complex; a move likely to prompt more companies to invest inreducing their environmental impact.

ANZ initially budgeted $478 million for a 5 Star-rated building, butopted to spend another $34 million to reach the highest rating, achievedby just three other bank projects globally and just two other Australianbuildings – CH2 and 40 Albert Road.

The tower will be among the first in the country to utilise non-distributed energy in the form of on-site gas turbines that generatepower and heating and cooling which will help to overcome the nearly50% loss of energy experienced through coal-generated power, fedthrough the electricity grid. Energy management systems will also beinstalled to minimise off-peak energy use, and the building will make useof some of the renewable energy technologies such as six wind turbines,and recycle all the waste or “black” water produced in the building fortoilet flushing and air conditioning .

Chris Carolan, project director for Bovis Lend Lease, says “we’re notaware of any black-water recycling that’s being used to supplementcooling towers,” and the move as such probably represents a first for thiskind of water conservation.

While some of the renewable enrgy measures will have a pay-backperiod as short as two years, a key reason for seeking a 6 Green Starrating was to improve the work environment for the 5500 staff who willmove in after 2009.

“It’s going to boost productivity of our people,” said Jane Hamilton,ANZ’s global head of property. “It’s going to be a much healthier buildingand a much more enjoyable building to work in.”

While the project would tap experience gained at the Royal Bank ofScotland’s 6 Star-equivalent building in Edinburgh and a counterpartproject for the Bank of America in New York, Melbourne’s hotter climatewould require modifications including additional shading for windows, MrCarolan said.

“The actual capital investment people are having to make to achievegreen outcomes is reducing considerably,” said council chairman TonyArnel. Still, he concedes that the ratings are likely to be “dynamic”,particularly if governments are forced to accelerate efforts to cutgreenhouse gas emissions to stall climate change. “Ten years down thetrack, we’ll look back and say well, you know, that was just the start.”

He added that 7 Star and 8 Star ratings were likely to emerge overthe coming decade. Go to http://www.gbcaus.org for more information, orvisit http://www.anz.com

FAST FACTS + NEWS



COVER STORY

Greening the future


COVER STORY

On March 31st, 2007, over 2 million Sydney residents turned off theirlights as part of WWF’s Earth Hour. Heading into the event over65,000 individuals and 2,000 businesses had already registered toparticipate in the groundbreaking initiative to cut C02 emissions.

Results of the voluntary blackout resulted in a 10.2 percent drop in energyusage across the central city. It doubled organiser’s expectations, reducingemissions by a staggering 24.86 tonnes of carbon dioxide – the effect oftaking 48, 613 cars of the road.

It seems that finally, Australians are sitting up and taking notice of GlobalWarming.

The commercial built environment is also fast realising the extent of itsaccountability. Statistics estimate1 the construction of buildings consumes32% of the world’s resources. In Australia alone, commercial buildings produce8.8% of national greenhouse gas emissions, generating up to 46.4 milliontonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions (increasing by at least 3% perannum). With the distinct possibility of future water and carbon trading taxesand mounting pressure from the public and media to reduce the builtenvironment’s impact on climate change, ‘going green’ looks certain to be theonly way of sustaining a commercial future.

Facility Perspectives’ Melanie Drummond looked into the issuessurrounding Green Buildings and spoke to Caroline Pidcock, President of theAustralian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC) and Romilly Madew,Chief Executive of the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA).

Global Warming: the gradual increase of the temperature of the Earth ‘slower atmosphere as a result of the increase in greenhouse gases sincethe Industrial revolution.2

Global WarmingAustralia is no stranger to climate change. Enduring one of the harshest

droughts in our recorded history has forced people throughout the country toadapt to increasing water restrictions and to adopt a new attitude towardsrecycling one of our most precious resources. It’s clear the time for changehas arrived.

The world’s leading scientists now agree the amount of carbon emissionswe are pouring into the atmosphere each year is the cause of the rapidincrease in global warming that is affecting our planet at a terrifying rate.There is now also confirmation of the widespread belief that climate change isresponsible for the extreme weather patterns that have hit our planet inrecent years.

A report released from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change3

earlier this year outlined the projected effects of global warming, unless thereis a worldwide move to heavily reduce carbon emissions:u Drought-affected areas are likely to increase in extent while heavy

precipitation events are likely to increase in frequency.u Increased disease, injury and death due to extreme weather events such

as droughts, fire, storms and floods.u 20 to 30% of plants and animal life will be at risk of extinction if

temperatures surpass an increase of 2.5 degrees Celsius.u Mountain region settlements are at greater risk to glacier lake outburst

floods caused by melting glaciers.u Increasing sea levels will force the displacement of tens of millions of

coastal dwellers in the approaching decades.u Low-lying regions in dry and tropical areas can expect a decrease in crop

productivity which will increase risk of hunger.u Water security problems are expected to intensify in southern and

eastern Australia as a result of reduced precipitation and increasedevaporation.

u By 2050, continued population growth and development in areas such asCairns and Southeast Queensland is expected to face increasing risksfrom rising sea-levels and the increasing frequency and intensity ofcoastal flooding and storms.

u Declining water supplies in glaciers and snow cover will reduce wateravailability in regions that rely on melt water from major mountain ranges(more than one-sixth of the world population currently lives in theseregions).

u There will be increasing economic and social costs resulting from morefrequency of extreme weather events.The projections are a glaring reminder Australia has no time to waste in

cutting carbon emissions. In the year 2000, Australia was ranked as thefourteenth largest source of fossil fuel CO2 emissions in the world, responsiblefor an estimated 94 million metric tons. Per capita the figures are even morestartling – Australia is now the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in theworld4 due to the amount of coal burned to generate electricity.

Ranked as the world’s fourth largest coal producer5 and the largestexporter of coal, Australian coal consumption accounted for almost 60 percentof 2000 figures for total emissions.

In spite of the alarming figures, Australia and America refused to ratify theKyoto Protocol in 2005, a decision which gained both countries widespreadpublic criticism. The protocol, an amendment to the United Nations FrameworkConventions on Climate Change, assigned a mandatory 5.2 percent cut ingreenhouse gas emissions to the 35 nations that ratified the agreement.

and the role of thebuilt environment

BY FACILITY PERSPECTIVES’ MELANIE DRUMMOND

The blunt truth about the politics of climate change isthat no country will want to sacrifice its economy inorder to meet this challenge, but all economies knowthat the only sensible long term way of developing isto do it on a sustainable basis – Tony Blair

MELANIE DRUMMOND

They both use the most reliable, energy effi cient, long life

lamp technology available!Don’t be misled, Lumatec Cold Cathode is the only proven long life lamp technology

for Australian Emergency Evacuation lighting. Six years experience has shown that Lumatec lamps

not only reduce running and maintenance costs, they improve building safety as the lamps don’t

burn out. Friendly to the environment as well as the hip pocket, Lumatec® lamps are heat, moisture

and dust tolerant making them ideal for the harsh Australian environment.

What do these 2have in common?

Talk to Thomas & Betts today about using Stanilite Lumatec Cold Cathode technology. Call 1300 666 595 or visit www.tnbaust.com for more details.

Ratifying countries were each consigned relative emission targets and haveuntil 2012 to actualise the reductions.

As governments across the world strategize and implement the changesnecessary to reduce carbon emissions, local government in Australia is alsocommitting to the cause with gusto. The Cities for Climate ProtectionAustralian Programme, which started in 1997, has spurred on local councilsacross Australia to take up the climate change challenge. During the years of2005/06, participating councils reported the reduction of nearly 2.9 milliontonnes of carbon dioxide through action taken by their respectiveorganisations. By 2010, the city of Melbourne alone has committed to reducecorporate greenhouse gas emissions to 30% below the figures from 1996 andto achieve zero net emissions by 2020.

Green buildingsContinued media focus on global warming has instigated an unstoppable

wave of public pressure on businesses to take responsibility for contribution toclimate change. As the planet gets hotter, tenant demand for environmentally-efficient properties is also on the rise. Savvy property developers are alreadywell aware that ‘green buildings’ are the only way forward for businesses eagerto establish a foothold in an increasingly ‘greener’ society. However, lack ofinformation and education on green issues has left many organisations still inthe dark over the long-term commercial advantages of going green.

Recycling, using renewable energy and reducing unnecessary energyconsumption offers countless commercial benefits including: lower annualoperating costs, increased occupant productivity, less staff churn, higherrelative investment returns, marketing advantages and higher market valuefor rent. The sustainable revolution is already so well underway that, in China,planning is currently in progress to develop the world’s first sustainable city.Dongtan, which is nearly the size of Manhattan, will be designed with theintention of consuming such low energy that it gets as close to carbon neutralas possible.7 The urban eco-city will be designed to attract a wide variety ofcommercial and leisure investors.

While Australia may not be quite ready for an entirely sustainable city, italready boasts some of the finest sustainable buildings in the world.Melbourne’s 500 Collins Street and Council House 2 (CH2) are just two of thehigh profile green buildings that have achieved 5 Star and 6 Star Green Starratings respectively for creating buildings that mirror the planet’s ecology. The5 Star Green Star rating awarded to 500 Collins Street is particularly notable asit is the largest, and oldest, retrofitted office building to achieve a Green Starrating.

The Green Star rating system, established by the Green Building Council ofAustralia8, was created to assist the property industry in its move towardssustainable development. By setting a standard of measurement for greenbuildings, the Green Star rating system promotes the integration of whole

building design, recognises environmental leadership, identifies building life-cycle impacts and raises awareness of the many benefits of sustainabledesign.

Green Star is a holistic rating system that addresses initiatives thatimprove, or have the potential to improve, a building’s environmentalperformance in a range of categories – including water, energy, IndoorEnvironment Quality, materials, transport, ecology and emissions. Green Starhas now extended beyond new commercial office buildings to provide a ratingsystem for existing office buildings, shopping centres, healthcare facilities andschools and universities.

Another valuable tool for helping companies green their buildings is,NABERS (the National Australian Built Environment Rating System) – aperformance-based rating system that rates an existing building on itsmeasured operational impact on the environment. A NSW government initiative,NABERS provides building owners, managers and occupants with an indicationof how well they are managing the environmental impact of their buildings.

Despite the obvious reputational benefits of being a green building,buildings like CH2 can also look forward to reaping the long-term financialbenefits of environmentally efficient practices. Of the $51.045 million dollarsspent to build CH2, $11.3 million dollars was spent on the building’ssustainable features – solar hot water collectors, photovoltaic cells, shadingscreens, timber shutters, light harvesting devices, precast ceilings, chilledwater cooling systems, co-generation plant, air-conditioning and beams andslabs. It is expected that savings in energy and water costs will pay for thebuilding’s sustainable features in just 10 years time.

CH2 has taken the idea of mimicking nature to a whole new level. Architectand Designer, Mick Pearce, adopted the ecology principles used by termites tomoderate air temperatures within the building.9 By using a stack effect, termitemounds are able to maintain a consistent temperature of around 30 degreesdespite varying outside temperatures ranging from anywhere between minuszero to 40 degrees. Termites generate their own heat, which creates warm airthat rises and is then released through vents at the top of the mound. Cool airthen rushes in at the bottom to replace it, creating a natural air conditioningsystem.

Pearce copied the stack effect principle for CH2 by designing it so thewarm air rising from the offices is released through vents in the roof that arehidden by energy-generating wind turbines. The natural cooling system is aworking example of bio-mimicry, a new architectural movement of buildingsmimicking nature in order to reduce their impact on the environment.

To ensure revolutionary buildings like CH2 continue to be built in Australia,and throughout the world, it is essential there is continued collaboration andknowledge sharing between designers, scientists, architects, engineers,environmentalists, property developers, managers and legislators.

COVER STORY


Interior of 8 Brindabella.Photo courtesy Australian Research Council.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 23

Is it really green?

For advice and sales enquiries please call

Adelaide: 1800 224 184 Melbourne: 1800 224 184

Brisbane: 1800 628 411 Perth: 1800 289 677

Canberra: 1800 420 933 Sydney: 1800 420 933

Of course the answer you get will always be “Yes”. But if you value the environment you need to be sure! How do you know? Is the “proof” really proof? Are you qualified to judge?

Sustainable Living Fabrics makes it simple for you. Every fabric in the Green Living® Collection carries the GECA Ecolabel, your guarantee of environmental certainty.

These fabrics are 100% carbon neutral. Our carbon offset program represents the equivalent of removing 2000 cars from Australian roads every year.

We are not waiting until tomorrow but are making a difference every time right now. Regardless of whether the project is green, by using these fabrics you can be sure you and your client are also making a difference to the environment every time.

Our sustainability credentials and the Green Living® Collection can be viewed at www.greenliving.com.au


COVER STORY

Facility Perspectives: What are the main issues surrounding‘green buildings’ today?

RM: There are still a number of barriers to building green and thereis still also a perception within the industry that green costs more.

As identified by The Dollars & Sense of Green Buildings, the GreenBuilding Council of Australia’s cost-benefit analysis of green buildingsreleased in 2006, there are a number of barriers to the mainstreamuptake of green building principles and practices, including:u a general lack of knowledge and skills about green building in

pockets of the industry; u a lack of value attached to the long term benefits of green buildings

and too great a focus on short-term, low-cost construction; u a inconsistent level of government support and leadership across

all levels, including insufficient incentives and inconsistent anduncoordinated regulation; and

u a supply chain issue with availability of appropriate green andreusable materials.Despite inconsistent government support, the property industry

have been the quiet achievers over the past four years, embracinggreen building practices in new construction and making real inroadsinto reducing the built environment’s impact, particularly in terms ofcutting greenhouse gas emissions and reducing water consumption.

Facility Perspectives: What challenges will retro-fitting bring to theproperty industry?

RM: The real challenge will be the greening of Australia’s ageingoffice buildings, which represent 98% of building stock, andgovernment support is required if we are to really tackle this.

In particular, the Australian Green Building Council has called forgovernment support through a carbon trading scheme and taxincentives. The development of a national carbon trading scheme whichallows buildings to accrue and trade carbon credits from energyefficiency, and demand side abatement initiatives is fundamental todriving improvement to the environmental performance of existingbuildings.

Facility Perspectives: What are some of the current trendsemerging in green building design?

RM: With the current drought situation engulfing Australia, water isplaying a strong part in the focus of sustainable design. The industry isusing innovative design and technology to create ways to reduce wateruse (and rainwater harvesting goes without saying) and recycle waterwherever possible. There are three major trends: monitoring, demandreduction and potable water replacement.

Monitoring: Sub-metering is being installed in high-performancebuildings to monitor water use (effectively accomplished throughBuilding Management Systems) and detect any leaks. Leakageaccounts for 20-25% of potable water use in Australia’s commercialbuildings.

Demand reduction: An important step is to initially reduce the totaldemand of a building, which can be accomplished through efficiencymeasures such as water-efficient fittings and fixtures: dual-flushtoilets, waterless urinals, efficient WELS-rated taps and water-efficientlandscape irrigation systems. This can also be accomplished throughmeeting the same needs in a different way, such as using air-cooledHVAC systems, xeriscaping or fire protection systems that don’t expelany water for testing (and instead recapturing it for reuse).

Potable water replacement: The already reduced demand can thenfurther be offset with non-potable water. Wastewater treatmentsolutions include: u Aerobic treatment, where water is purified by roots of plants

growing in a water-based solution; they can form fascinating,elaborate greenhouses that have been used in a few educationalfacilities such as University of Sydney, as living laboratories. One ofthe terms used for such aerobic systems is ‘Living Machines’;

u Anaerobic digestion, where water is purified by bacteria in theabsence of oxygen, with methane as a by-product (R&D has takenon the challenge of converting methane to electricity); thesesystems do not look spectacular because they are usuallyconcealed below ground, but they are a space-effective andpragmatic approach to wastewater treatment.

Other architectural applications include dual-pipe systems that actto accomplish any of the following:u Use of filtered greywater (from taps, showers and equipment) for

flushing toilets or landscape irrigationu Use of harvested rainwater for toilet flushing, landscape irrigation,

fire protection or HVAC systems (for in-slab cooling/heating orcooling tower make-up water).

Facility Perspectives: Do you believe there are enough skill setscurrently in the facilities/management industry to run green buildingsefficiently?

RM: Across the whole property sector there are still pockets of theindustry that lack an understanding of sustainability and greenbuildings, this includes people among the facilities management sector.

On a positive note though, industry knowledge is changingconsistently and fast, so it will always be a challenge to keep them upto date with the latest technologies and industry developments.

There is also a challenge in conveying a single coherent message

Facility Perspectives’ MelanieDrummond discussed moredevelopments and challenges on thehorizon for greening our builtenvironment with Chief Executive of theGreen Building Council of Australia,Romilly Madew.

New Artoleum –Nature inspiredeco-flooring from Forbo

Artoleum is the naturalflooring choice for theenvironmentally-conscious

specifier with green star creditstop of mind! Made fromharvestable raw materials, andwith a closed life cycle, thisfeature-packed linoleum carriesthe Good Environmental ChoiceLabel and has won numerousinternational eco-awards.

Neither marbled nor plain,Artoleum is unique in flooringofferings with its own identitywithin the total flooring market.

Artoleum Prisma consists of twodesigns – one subtle and one bold.The subtle design (available in sixcolourways) features onepredominant colour with a colourco-ordinated fine pattern throughit. This creates a solid, harmoniouseffect that works well in anyspace. Complementing each ofthese subtle designs is a bold oneoffered in a choice of two, carefullycolour-matched options (each ofthe bold options has its quietcounterpart’s main colourrepresented in its pattern).Viewing the bold designs close-upyou can clearly make out eachcolour; viewed from a height ordistance the colours form acompletely unique and vibrantambience.

Inspired by natural scenes andvivid seasonal palettes, ArtoleumPrisma is ideal for creating floorswith perfectly colour-matchedborders, panels and other designfeatures.

Artoleum Mineral takes its cuefrom the variety and richness ofnatural stones. Warm neutralcolours and quiet patterningensure a harmonious, pleasantbackground to any space.

The Artoleum Graphic range hasexpanded to nine timeless black,white and grey based designsinspired by the markings of

lithography, etching and blockprinting. These versatile andstriking designs blend effortlesslywith all kinds of building materials.

With proven durability, Artoleum’scolours go all the way through thematerial and will never fade orwear off. Forbo’s advancedTopshield finish protects Artoleumagainst scuff marks and the build-up of dirt resulting in easiermaintenance and low lifecyclecosts.

Artoleum is also biodegradable,ensuring this lively and uniqueflooring will not damage the verything that inspired its creation –the world around us.

Designed for designers by Forbo’sdedicated design team, the newArtoleum collection exudes styleand quality, demonstrating arelationship with nature and anunderstanding and respect of theenvironment.

The 46 Artoleum offerings are thelatest development from flooringinnovators Forbo.

The new range colours anddesigns can be viewed atwww.forbo-flooring.com.au

Forbo’s stunning new eco-friendlyArtoleum flooring collection, and itsthree ranges entitled Graphic, Prismaand Mineral, will be unveiled at thecompany’s DesignEX stand (J02) inMelbourne this year.


INDUSTRY PROFILE


COVER STORYin a diverse industry and a lack of research in Australia to supportgreen buildings. The Green Building Council plans to release a numberof research reports and publications in 2007 that will help to inform theindustry.

Facility Perspectives: Are there currently enough professionaldevelopment/educational opportunities for people working in the builtenvironment to learn about going green and sustainability?

RM: There could always be more education on green buildings –however if you consider the number of courses and conferences ongreen buildings being held a year ago to now, there has been adramatic increase in courses on offer – the issue then is ensuringproperty professionals attend these courses.

Education is one of the major drivers to greening the propertyindustry, especially for facility managers. This was clearly identified inthe Jones Lang La Salle latest white paper, Sustainability: Bridging theKnowledge Gap – which identified a skills shortage due to a lack ofcritical knowledge of building design and operation lost in criticalstages of the building life cycle.

The industry cannot stand still so education is key in raising thebenchmarks and driving the innovation of green buildings forward. TheGreen Building Council is releasing new Green Star rating tools inresponse to market demands, and they therefore need to be educatedin all these new green star developments.

Facility Perspectives: For a Facility Manager who may alreadystruggle to meet all their KPI’s in a given day, how would you convincethem that the extra time taken to run a ‘green building’ is beneficial?

RM: The business case for facilities managers to green theirbuildings has been made specifically around cost, operational savings

and reduced liability risk.Cost is a large factor in green buildings and one that drives many

facility managers. Lower operational costs from reduced lighting loads,high efficiency appliances, increased insulation, passive ventilation,and commissioning that recognises and improves inefficiencies all leadto savings that can be passed on to perspective clients and tenants.

Reduced liability risk is another key factor, with some industryexperts predicting that insurance companies will start linking lowerpremiums to green buildings.

Facility Perspectives: Does going green cost more?

RM: The perception that green costs more is being constantlyeroded by case studies and reports. With more buildings achievingcertification, the word from GBCA members is, if the design andconstruction process is managed effectively and complimented by anintegrated design approach, a Green Star project does not have to costmore.

However if you put this in perspective, where buildings aim for 6Star Green Star – cost will be a consideration. 6 Star buildings are worldleaders and incorporate state of the art technology. In addition,undertaking a green refurbishment or retrofit on an existing building,especially an old one, would also assume an increased cost and this iswhy governments need to be responsive to industry.

On the other hand, by building green you are reducing the risk of abuilding becoming obsolete, and reducing operating costs opens aproject up to whole raft of benefits.

Facility Perspectives: Relationships between landlords andtenants of green buildings is becoming increasingly important whenensuring the successful operation of a sustainable building. Can yououtline for me some of the benefits/shortcomings of Green Leases?


COVER STORY

Raised Access FloorsFor Underfloor Air Distribution

Reduced Energy ConsumptionLower air pressures required and less cooling andheating as air delivered at close to room temperature.

Improved Air QualityAir moves from floor to ceiling taking pollutants& stagnant air from the occupied zone.

Reduced Re-configuration CostsCabling and air diffusers can be easily re-positionedanywhere within the access floor.

Enhanced Personal Comfort & ProductivityDue to improved air quality and individually adjustableair diffusers.

Reduced DuctworkThe underfloor air plenum is sealed and pressurisedwith plenum dividers attached to the understructureto create zones.

A Fletcher Building CompanyFREECALL 1800 700 718

RM: Tenants need to drive the demand for green buildings andoffice fit outs, and a Green Lease is an important tool in assisting them.

Organisations are becoming increasingly aware of the marketingpotential of green building and by signing a green lease; a number ofcompetitive advantages are available for tenants. These include:u Attracting and retaining employees, which has significant financial

benefitsu Enhancing employee wellbeing and productivity, which reduces

absenteeism and improves the level of work producedu Reduces liability due to a safe and risk free working environmentu Increases profitability through lower operational costs

Facility Perspectives: What do you think of the recent Green LeaseSchedule put out by the Federal Government?

RM: The Federal Government is showing leadership in driving theshift to a sustainable property industry through the introduction of itsGreen Lease Schedule (GLS) and the Green Building Council of Australiaapplauds the intention and initiative of the GLS.

However, the Australian Green Building Council would have liked tohave seen a broader approach that includes other environmentalimpacts such as water, materials, and Indoor Environmental Quality(IEQ), rather than an exclusive focus on energy.

This could have been achieved if the Federal Government hadadopted the approach of the South Australian and Victorian StateGovernments, which have incorporated Green Star into their officeaccommodation guidelines.

In the short term, the Australian Green Building Council is calling onthe Federal Government to clarify the terms of the Green LeaseSchedule as a matter of urgency so that the market can fullyunderstand its impact.

Facility Perspectives: With the number of sustainabilityorganisations out there, do you see the need for more unification?

RM: There are a number of organisations involved in greenbuildings – so as not to confuse the industry it is important theseorganisations collaborate and co-ordinate their approaches. This is whyASBEC (Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council – an umbrellagroup of industry associations) is so important.

The GBCA has also been calling for co-ordination and consistency innational metrics, standards, and targets around a single rating system– namely Green Star – to provide clarity for the industry.

Green Star is a national benchmark for green buildings andprovides projects with a chance for achievements within green buildingto be recognised and encourage the industry to aim higher. If there isno direction, or a sense of achievement, there would be nothing to drivethe uptake of green design.

It also limits the amount of “greenwash” in the market, and helpsto enable the public and perspective tenants to make comparisons andbe more informed in what they can expect and should request.

Facility Perspectives: What will happen to organisations that don’tmake sustainability a business imperative?

RM: An overwhelming comment from speakers at the Green CitiesConference this year about organisations that do not manage theirbuildings with sustainability in mind was simple – your building risksbecoming obsolete.

When considering organisations and their embracing ofsustainability, the evidence is already there that green buildings assistorganisations to attract and retain talent. A report by ColliersInternational released in 2006 called “Lifeblood” supports this “In order


COVER STORY

Solar Gard® Window Film will significantly reduce the transmission of solar heat through glass windows.

Solar Gard helps cut energy costs associated with air conditioningin homes and commercial buildings.

Solar Gard Reduces Energy Costs• Up to 81% solar energy reduction

• Up to 93% glare reduction

Improve internal living and working conditions by reducing heat and glare and let Solar Gard show you how it will pay for itself.

AD

wor

ks 1

0850

®Registered trademark of Bekaert Specialty Films Australiawww.solargard.com.au

Free quotations - phone (02) 8825 6677for your local installer

to win the “battle for talent”, employers will need to respond to newvalues and lifestyle expectations from employees and the design of theworkplace and the building that accommodates it is becomingincreasingly important and as an expression of an organisastion’sculture and values.” The report goes onto say that selecting the rightbuilding with good indoor environment quality is crucial.

Facility Perspectives: What possibilities do you see for sustainabledesign in the future?

RM: Australia has everything it needs intellectually and technicallyto give it the capacity and commitment to be world leaders insustainable design.

The possibilities are endless. The only restrictions to sustainabledesign are the ones the industry imposes on itself. It is up to them tobe as innovative as they can and approach the challenges of greenbuilding as opportunities for creativity and clever design.

The future of the planet rests in our hands. There are many excitingpossibilities and opportunities to turn global warming around, but itrequires the commitment of the commercial built environment. Theenormous level of carbon emissions we are pouring into theatmosphere everyday has to come down, and there is no time to waste.

Architect and President of the Australian Sustainable BuiltEnvironment Council (ASBEC), Caroline Pidcock agrees that greeningour buildings is the only way to ensure the future survival of thehuman race.

“We are at an absolute tipping point of change. I think it’s terrifyingand exciting all at the same time, the issue of climate change and theurgent need to do something about it is so upon us that it’s urgent weput all our efforts in to finding a solution so we can continue the humanexperiment on the planet.”

References and Resources 1 The Dollars and Sense of Green Buildings 2006 Building the Business Case for Green

Commercial Buildings in Australia2 reference.aol.com/planet-earth/globalwarming/facts3 Working Group II Contribution to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth

Assessment Report Climate Change 2007: Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation andVulnerability

4. ABC radio transcript of interview with Dr Mark Diesendorf – Senior Lecturer at the Instituteof Environment Studies, University of New South Wales(http://www.abc.net.au/rn/scienceshow/stories/2006/1658637.htm)

5 Carbon sequestrarion leadership forum – Energy summary of Australia (http://www.cslforum.org/australia.htm)

6 Romilly Madew, CEO Green Building Council of Australia7 http://www.arup.com/eastasia/project.cfm?pageid=70478 Green Building Council Of Australia – Green Star rating overview

(http://www.gbcaus.org/gbc.asp?sectionid=88&docid=952)9 NABERS rating system overview - http://www.nabers.com.au/10 ABC Online transcript of interview with Mick Pearce: http:

www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/s1901482.htm

Going Green Today

COVER STORY FEATURE CONTINUES ON PAGE 33


INDUSTRY PROFILE

Astudy released in April 2007 showedthat New York’s 950,000 buildings areresponsible for 79 percent of thegreenhouse gases produced by the city

with transportation including mass transit, carsand trucks, responsible for most of theremaining 21 percent of the emissions. “Eventhough New Yorkers already generate less thana third of the carbon emissions than theaverage American does, we can and we must domore,” Mr. Bloomberg said in announcing theresults of the study at a news conference inLower Manhattan.1

Astute developers and property managersare making the switch to green buildings, andconsidering major refits of existing older andless efficient buildings to avoid their “loomingobsolescence”. Major opportunities can ariseduring initial design or major refurbishment,whilst many other small improvements in thearea of energy efficiency can be achieved withlittle investment or no disruption to operations.

The new Building Code of Australia has setguidelines for energy usage, and the GreenBuilding Council of Australia (GBCA) hasintroduced a star rating system for designers.New 5 and 6 star buildings are achieving around30% lower CO2 emissions than a typical officebuilding, whilst still providing a higher grade ofindoor air quality with more outside air. Creditpoints towards a star rating can be achieved onthe basis of ventilation improvements relative tothe minimum levels stated by AustralianStandard 1668.2-1991.

A new high profile and potential Green Starproject has selected Air Change air handlingunits (AHU) as a companion product to thechilled beam system planned for this building.

Green StarCredit Points

Outside Air Ventilationimprovement onAS1668.2-1991

1 50%

2 100%

3 150%

Chilled beam systems need a dedicated outsideair unit to provide cool dry air. The requirementis ideal for Air Change with its capacity tocondition high levels of outside air efficientlywith inbuilt energy or heat reclaim.

The “green” air handling units have aninbuilt air-air heat exchanger which takes hotoutside air, and transfers this heat to the coolerspill air. The net result shown in the figureshown is an 8.2 degree reduction intemperature from 35ºC to 26.8ºC. This is wherethe major energy savings are made.

This inbuilt heat exchanger lies at heart ofall Air Change units and reduces the cost ofconditioning outside air by around 75%. All 3phase units come with Variable Speed Drives asstandard equipment, to control fan speed.Directly coupled fans and motors replaceoutdated pulleys and belts, reducing servicingcosts. CO2 sensors are a new addition to the AirChange AHU range to vary the requirement forconditioning and ventilation according to thepopulation of the area.

Other heat reclaim products available arerooftop and pool package units, fan coil unitsand ventilators, with airflows from 100 to12,000 litres per second. With all units madeand designed in Australia, retrofitted units are

made viable for many older buildings.Some high profile clients with similar Air

Change air handling units include:u Australian Institute of Sport

(Consultants: Acor,Installation: Climatech Group)

u Bendigo Police Station(Consultants: GHD,Installation: Burns Pty Ltd)

u Shangri-Lah Resort, Fiji(Consultants: Irwin Alsop Pacific,Installation: Kooline Refrigeration)

u Launceston Hospital(Consultants: Engineering SolutionsTasmania, Installation: Omni Contracting)

u St Kevin’s Aquatic Centre(consultants: BRT Consulting Engineers,Installation: Allcare Air Conditioning)

u Box Hill Hospital(Design and Construct: AssociatedMechanical Services)For further information contactShane Carmichael of Air Change [email protected], 1300 766 704or check out the web site atwww.air-change.com

1 Report commissioned by New York Mayor, Michael R

Bloomberg.

Green Air Handling Unitsaim for the starsThe challenge of climate change is demanding urgent action by buildingmanagers, owners and operators. Buildings – commercial and residential –contribute 71% of greenhouse gasses, according to speakers at the GreenCities conference held in Sydney in February 2007.


INDUSTRY PROFILE

Fortunately, the research and developmentteam at Advanced Lighting’s lamp division,Venture Lighting, has waved its magic wandand developed a new generation, high

wattage, pulse start, metal halide lamp that putslighting designers on the right side of everyperformance feature big box retailers want, saysMark Kirkham of Advanced Lighting Technologies.

Venture’s new Uni-form Natural White lamp andOpti-E dimmable electronic ballast system are amajor step towards better quality retail lighting, saysKirkham.

“With a colour temperature of 5000°K there area host of advantages. These lamps are a lot closer tonatural light and provide a more effective andefficient light source for the human eye, and moredollars through the till for retailers.

“There were some initial concerns that thecooler appearance of these 5000°K lamps would beperceived as less inviting than that of the traditional4000°K lamps. Trials, however, have proved theopposite,” says Kirkham. “With a CRI of 90+, coloursilluminated by these full spectrum Natural Whitelamps – especially reds and blues – appear morevibrant, and skin tones appear more natural. You nolonger have to put up with the poor colour renderingassociated with previous generation metal halidelamps.”

So while bad lighting might make you ‘see red’,good lighting will make you see red so much better,and one company that wants to see the bestpossible red is The Warehouse in New Zealand.

The Warehouse’s Energy Management Team hasbeen the company’s driving force to maximise theperformance of the Red Shed’s lighting and to devisea specification that delivers optimum energyefficiency and conservation, while still meeting thecommercial imperatives of effective, quality retaillighting.

The Warehouse is moving its branding andpresentation up a notch and needs a lightingsolution that shifts customer perceptions to this newlevel. Bringing daylight into their stores is a key partof this strategy and Venture’s new Natural Whitelamp integrated with their new Opti-E dimmable,electronic, metal halide, high bay aisle light was theEnergy Management Team’s product of choice toachieve the desired change.

The Warehouse has been using fittings fromAdvanced Lighting for over ten years and now work

closely with Venture as its lamp technology evolves.The new store in Hamilton was one of the first in theworld to trial the new Natural White lamps anddimmable fittings, and the company’s new SylviaPark complex in Auckland, which includes its firstsupermarket, has benefited from the positive gainsproved in the Hamilton operation.

The Warehouse in Hamilton is on two floors andthey installed the 4000°K lamps downstairs and thenew 5000°K lamps upstairs. Downstairs is static andlit like a traditional store, while upstairs thedimmable fittings respond smoothly to thefluctuations of daylight coming through the roofskylights.

“The new electronic ballasts dim from 100percent seamlessly down to 35 percent,” TheWarehouse says. “They provide a much greater

range of control compared to the bilevel metalhalides we used to use, so The Warehouse can nowmore effectively harvest the daylight they bring intotheir stores.”

The Warehouse says that having proved theperformance and energy savings of the new 5000°Klamps and dimmable fittings, the bulk of the varietystore area in Sylvia Park is now lit with these, as willfuture stores.

Their recommendation is simple. “Look at colourtemperature, colour rendering and lumen output andweigh up all three, not just lux levels. With the new‘Natural White’ lamp you can consider all three andcome up with a highly effective design.”

For more information email:Nenad Sumarac [email protected]

Intelligent DayightHarvestingWhen it comes to ‘big box’ retailing, lighting designers have struggled to get itright. Competing demands such as more light, more energy savings, morecontrollability, higher colour rendering, longer life and cheaper overall cost havelargely been impossible to meet, and designers have had to trade off gains insome areas at the expense of others.

Retail store in the evening with artifical light

Retail store with natural daylight

High frequency dimmable electronic ballasts for 320w, 350wand 400w options

SUBMITTED BY The Warehouse, NZReprinted with permission of Electrolink magazine

SUBMITTED BY The Warehouse, NZReprinted with permission of Electrolink magazine

Enter the world of

INTELLIGENT DAYLIGHT

HARVESTINGAdvanced Lighting TechnologiesIntelligent Daylight Harvestingsystems offer:

• Up to 50% energy savings through intelligent daylight harvesting

• Minimisation of energy consumption for air conditioning, heating and lighting

• High performance, economical skylight panels and designs

• Maximisation of the performance of natural and artificial light with fully dimmable High Frequency Electronic Ballast & Electronic Venture Uniform Pulse Start Lamps in 320w, 350w & 400w options

• Economical control & design solutions for organisations with single or multiple installations

50% ENERGY SAVINGS

AUSTRALIA 110 Lewis Rd, Wantirna Sth, VIC 3152 T: 61 3 9800 5600 F: 61 3 9800 5533 E: [email protected] ZEALAND Advanced Lighting Technologies New Zealand Ltd. T: 64 07 579 0163 F: 64 07 579 0164 E: [email protected]


INDUSTRY PROFILE

Does YOUR office have a recycling service?

Visy Recycling works with over 35,000 organisations in Australia helping them divert recyclable materials from landfill and conserving our precious natural resources.

Visy Recycling offer recycling services for the collection of:• Paper • Cardboard • Plastics • Glass • Aluminium • Steel

No matter what type of business you’re in, Visy makes recycling easy for you. Contact 1300 368 479and see www.visy.com.auto start recycling for a more sustainable office.

Visy Recyclinggreen office tipsEncouraging recycling and providing services to enable our customers to recycle, isat the very core of our business but as a society we must also continue to work atthe front end. By that we mean purchasing recycled and environmentally friendlyoffice products, thus contributing to the many other things you can do to reduceyour environmental impact in the office to save money and make a positivecontribution to the environment.

A few key tips for a Green Office:

u Reduce the amount of paper you use each day:u Using scrap paper for notes;u When printing from your computer, print two pages per A4 page, if you

have duplex printing, print on both sides of the page;u Only print out emails or documents when absolutely necessary.

u Make sure you have access to paper, cardboard and co-mingledrecycling services:

u Place all used paper, used on both sides in the Visy Recycling, officepaper recycling floor box or desk tray;

u Collect cardboard boxes for recycling and place into your VisyRecycling bin;

u Place your plastic bottles, aluminium cans, tin cans, milk and juicecartons in your Visy Recycling office co-mingled bin;

u Reduce your energy consumption:u Turn off computers, when not in use;u Turn off office lighting when not in use;u Activate sleep mode on your computer to switch off the screen after

10 minutes;u Switch off office equipment at night, when leaving the office.

u Reducing your waste: u Bring your own mug to work and have some set aside for visitors;u Try and bring lunch from home or eat in a local café to avoid

packaging waste generated by take away lunches.

Remember if your office does not have a paper recycling orco-mingled recycling bin and would like one, contact Visy Recyclingon 1300 368 479 Visy makes Recycling Easy!

Going Green Today

The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) has suggested some changes youcan make to improve your business’ performance. These initiatives can deliverconsiderable green benefits, most notably reduced costs, water and energysavings and healthier workplaces. Their ideas are listed in this article, and manycan be undertaken immediately (so start TODAY), whilst others may require alonger lead-time and/or a few of you planning the changes.

TODAY (& EVERY DAY)Equipmentu Turn off all computers, monitors and other office machines when not in

use (especially overnight and on weekends).u Activate the energy-saving function ‘Energy Star’ that is installed on

most new computers. A step-by step guide is provided athttp://www.energystar.gov.au/consumers/stepbystep.html. If yourcomputer doesn’t have energy-saving software installed you can saveenergy by simply switching off the monitor when not in use. Monitorscan consume three times the energy used by your PC.

u Re-set photocopiers and printers to default to double-sided printingu Always choose the low water consumption feature on dishwashers (ie.

the short-wash option often called “Economy”). Display a sign to thiseffect for all users, including cleaners.

Lightingu Remove superfluous light bulbs – that’s right, just take them out!u Turn off lights when not in use (especially overnight and on weekends)

and put up signs to remind other people to do so.Your Comfortu Open windows – if you can – instead of using air conditioners.

Remember that most air conditioning systems provide less than 10%fresh air (no wonder you often feel sleepy!).

u Ask your service manager to program your climate control systems toturn off at the end of each day and on weekends – there’s no pointheating and cooling empty offices.

u Don’t block up the vents above your desk to avoid draughts as this willonly cause increased air movement for other colleagues.

COVER STORY


CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27



COVER STORY

u Position your computer monitor so it is perpendicular to the window toreduce glare.

u Adjust the monitor brightness to match the space brightnesssurrounding your desk – this may change throughout the day.

u Organise an energy audit for your office. The Australian BuildingGreenhouse Rating scheme (http://www.abgr.com.au) providesaccredited assessments of the greenhouse intensity of officebuildings. A list of assessors can be found at http://www.abgr.com.au

Materialsu Install a desk-side recycling bin for all paper products – you can either

re-use a cardboard box or ask your waste paper collection contractorto provide one. Most waste collection companies can provide these foryou.

u Use electronic mail wherever possible. You can also send and receivefaxes electronically (ask the IT department to establish this capabilityfor everyone).

u Use on-line (versus hard copy) versions of items such as annualreports, information memorandums etc. Cut and paste necessaryinformation and/or print needed pages only (rather than wholereports).

u Avoid using cover sheets when sending facsimiles and ‘WithCompliments’ slips when sending physical mail.

u Use two-sided printing for all letters, reports etc.u Print two (or even four) pages per single A4 sheet of paper where

possible. It’s easy – just nominate it via your print dialogue box (oftenusing the ‘Properties’ button). Trust us, it’s still readable!

u Re-use envelopes, bags etc. Make a space in your stationery store areafor people to recycle them.

u Re-use computer disks and CDs.u Share periodicals with other staff to minimise multiple copies.u Re-use paper that is unprinted on one side for in-house drafts, fax

machines, photocopies etc.u Re-fill toner cartridges used in photocopiers and ink-jet printers.u As well as sharing newspapers and periodicals, review ordering and

distribution requirements – are they actually being read, and is theperson they are addressed to still on staff?

Otheru Establish a ‘Green Office’ team or committee to implement longer-term

and ongoing energy efficiency initiatives.u Walk, cycle or use public transport.u Take your mug when purchasing takeaway coffees – you might even

get a discount!u Create a flexible work environment by giving staff that need after-

hours computer access, remote log-in capability so they can work fromhome.

NEXT WEEKEquipmentu Implement office policy to minimise unnecessary equipment use.

Introduce an incentive scheme to encourage staff.u Ensure that your organisation’s purchasing policy sources the most

efficient equipment and requires suppliers to provide proof ofperformance. Seehttp://www.greenhouse.gov.au/energyefficiency/appliances/labelling/index.html

u Provide an efficient under-sink filter/chill water system to discouragestaff from buying plastic water bottles (or at least encourage them tore-fill them).

u That sweet smell you detect in the print room is toxic ozone gas andsometimes a cocktail of other gases. Get your print rooms ventilatedseparately to your regular air conditioning.

u Consider flat screen monitors as they use 1⁄3 of the energy. Laptopcomputers use even less!

Lightingu Replace light bulbs with lower wattage or compact fluorescents.

u Place signs in areas where lighting is needed infrequently remindingstaff to turn off lights when leaving the room or building.

u Install ‘task’ lighting – eg an efficient lamp for your desk so that awhole bay of overhead lights doesn’t have to be turned on just for you.

Your Comfortu Position electrical equipment (eg printers, faxes) away from

thermostats to avoid false temperature readings and consequent over-cooling.

u If you use a laptop get a stand to elevate the screen to eye level toavoid glare and eye-strain

u Get your IT department to configure your operating system to deliverpop-up messages on staff computer screens reminding staff to take abreak, get up and stretch, recycle etc

Water Conservationu Shut off hot water to bathrooms – using only cold water saves both

energy and water. Just think of the distance hot water has to travel toget to an office bathroom, which is why you often have to wait so longfor it to warm up!

u Reduce hot water temperatures in kitchens to reduce heating costsand also avoid accidental scalding.

u Only run dishwashers with full loads, and use ‘economy’ settings,which use less water and energy and are perfectly adequate forwashing cups and glasses

Materialsu Replace disposable items such as plastic and polystyrene cups,

wooden stirrers and paper towels with glasses, mugs, cutlery andcloth. Buy enough mugs for staff and visitors and don’t let people keepthem as their own – so much water is wasted if everyone washes theirown mug each day – use the dishwasher!

u Buy only re-writable CDs and re-useable disks.u Make sure you buy recycled content paper. Check out the University of

Melbourne’s Little Green Guide to Design & Printing:http://www.mpso.unimelb.edu.au/mpso/publications/green

u Introduce re-usable envelopes for internal mail.u Revise distribution lists for annual reports, newsletters etc. Delete

redundant and repeat addresses. Establish a regular review programto maintain correct and complete databases.

u If your organisation is a shareholder in an Australian listed company,check http://www.etree.com.au (or contact the listed company direct)to see if you can register your organisation’s e-mail address to receiveall shareholder communications electronically. A donation is made toLandcare Australia for every eTree registration.

u Remove your name from unwanted mailing distribution lists.u Turn boxes of unused or obsolete stationery and single-sided printed

paper into note pads.u Place stickers on photocopiers to alert staff to the double-sided

printing option button.u Set all office printers to default to double-sided printing; staff can

override this option if single-sided printing is required.u Designate a paper tray on all photocopiers and printers for re-using

single-sided printed paper.u Provide waste sorting bins to enable staff to separate and recycle

waste such as paper, cardboard, glass, plastic, aluminium, tonercartridges, mobile phones batteries etc.

Otheru Use indoor plants to filter pollutants from indoor air, release oxygen,

increase the relative humidity (in airconditioned offices) and create amore natural, pleasant and healthy working environment.

u Sign up to a water management and conservation program – eg Sydney Water’s Every Drop Counts Business Program for business customers who spend more than $70,000 per year on water and related charges (seehttp://www.sydneywater.com.au/SavingWater/InYourBusiness/HowCanWeHelp.cfm) or in Victoria enter the Savewater! Awards:http://www.savewater.com.au/default.asp?SectionId=18&SortTag=15




COVER STORY

We are honoured to have beenchosen to receive the

FMAEnvironmentalAchievement

Award

For our SHAW METHODof Air-Conditioning installation

at the ART GALLERY of South Australia

This complements awards from…

AIRAH NECANational Winner National WinnerAward Of Excellence Environment &For Sustainability Energy Efficiency Division

For further information contactWayne Ryan of

Tel: 08 8363 3155Email: [email protected]: www.airconserve.com.au

u Sustainability Victoria’s recently revamped website holds the key to awealth of resources including Waste Wise office, hotel, events, andcatering toolkits http://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au

NEXT MONTH/YEAREquipmentu Consider buying or leasing flat screen monitors – they are very

energy efficient.u Install water-saving devices or flow restrictors in kitchens and

bathrooms. Ensure AAA-rated showerheads are fitted in any showercubicles and consider using a timer to minimise the length ofshowers taken.

u Install surge detectors to avoid accidental damage to yourequipment.

Lightingu Older style electromagnetic ballasts cause perceptible light flicker

that can cause headaches and nausea. The vibration also causes anaudible hum. Replace electromagnetic ballasts with electronicballasts which are not only more energy efficient but operate at ahigher frequency and produce virtually no detectable flicker or noise.

u Install intelligent lighting controls including motion detectors,separate zone switching and after-hours timers and photo sensors toautomatically turn off bays of lights when natural light is ample.

u Design your office layout to maximise use of natural light - artificiallighting typically accounts for at least 15% of the total energyconsumption of an average office building so it’s worth trying toreduce this reliance.

u Your Comfortu Have your heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems regularly

serviced to ensure they operate at maximum efficiency. Most airconditioning simultaneously runs heating and cooling processes totry to maintain the often prescribed 22 degrees Celsius.

u Remember that horizontal blinds and shading devices are moreeffective for north-facing windows, and vertical blinds are moreeffective for east and west facing windows.

Materialsu Buy non-toxic cleaning supplies in bulk or condensed forms, and in

recycled or recyclable containers.u Buy chlorine-free, high-recycled content paper and tissue products.

Choose similarly environmentally-friendly paper products forcompany business cards, Christmas cards etc. Better still, don’t sendChristmas cards at all!

u Buy re-manufactured or refillable toner cartridges for printers andphotocopiers.

u Establish a ‘re-distribution room’ to enable staff to deposit and re-usesurplus office materials including computers, telephones, mouse-pads, pens, pencils, rulers, staplers and even furniture before buyingnew products. Donate stockpiled items to schools or charities.

Otheru Hold conferences, workshops and other special events in the office or

nearby and/or use video-conferencing.u Introduce and promote a ride-sharing scheme.u Choose Green Power from your electricity supplier to reduce

greenhouse gas emissions. See http://www.greenhouse.gov.au formore information.

The following websites will provide you with more ideas and information:u A Guide to Purchasing Recycled Content Office Paper from Resource

NSW: http://www.resource.nsw.gov.au/officebuildingsu Waste Reduction in Office Buildings – A Guide for Tenants

http://www.resource.nsw.gov.au/officebuildingsu Waste Reduction in Office Buildings – A Guide for Building Managers

http://www.resource.nsw.gov.au/officebuildingsu Better Practice Guide for Waste Management in Multi-unit Dwellings

http://www.resource.nsw.gov.au/data/MultiUnit Dwellings.pdf



GREEN BUILDING CASE STUDY

Keeping it greenA case study of 500 Collins Street500 Collins Street in Melbourne is thefirst and oldest Australian CBD officebuilding to be retrofitted to achieve a 5Green Star Rating.

The six-star rating system, established by the Green BuildingCouncil of Australia, was created to assist the property industry inits move towards sustainable development. Built in the 1970s, the28-storey office building1 was long overdue for an upgrade when it

was purchased by the Kador Group in 2002. After deciding to ‘green’ 500Collins Street, the Kador Group also agreed it was essential to maintain 80percent tenant occupancy rate throughout the retrofit to ensure theproject remained commercially viable.

Kador Group1 put together a team which included architects PeddleThorp, façade engineers Connell Mott MacDonald, project managers BovisLend Lease, services engineers Umow Lai & Associates, structuralengineers Robert Bird & Associates and environmentally sustainabledesign consultants, Sustainable Built Environments.

Construction began in early 2003 and throughout the project GreenStar Accredited Professionals have been engaged and consulted.

To ensure optimal building performance independent commissioningagent was appointed, an environmental management plan wasimplemented and a comprehensive waste management plan implementedto divert 80% of construction waste from landfill.

Several strategies and design features were actioned in the 500Collins Street building to ensure a successful ‘green’ retrofit and toguarantee the building would eventually be as environmentally efficientas possible. Information supplied courtesy of the Green Building Council of Australia2

Indoor Environment Qualityu 50% improvement in fresh air rates relative to Australian standardsu Carbon dioxide monitoring and controlu High frequency ballastsu Thermal modeling to optimize comfort levelsu Acoustic modeling to ensure building services contribute minimal

noiseu Low-VOX paint, carpet, sealants and adhesives throughout the

buildingEnergyu Energy efficiency modeled to achieve an estimated 5 Star ABGRu Tenancy sub-metering to enable effective energy monitoringu Chilled-beam air conditioning system designed to reduce energy

consumptionu Variable speed drives on major plant and equipmentWateru Waterless urinalsu 3/6 L dual flush toiletsu Rainwater and condensate collection for landscapingu Water efficient cooling towersMaterialsu Dedicated recycling waste storage area including worm farmu Re-use of structure and facadeTransportu Reduction in car parking spaces, with a greater proportion of small car

spaces

u Secure bicycle storage facilities and change roomsInnovationu Active and passive chilled beam air conditioning in an occupied multi

tenanted buildingu Comprehensive pre and post occupancy study to assess the

productivity impact of tenants moving from old space to refurbishedspace

Emissionsu Low Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) refrigerantsu Refrigerant leak detectionu Reduced flow to sewer through use of efficient fittingsu 500 Collins St has also been certified as the first Waste Wise office

building in Melbourne under the EcoRecycle Victoria Waste WiseProgram3. The certification is one of the steps ECS Property Services has taken

to turn 500 Collins St into a more sustainable building, another is to workwith tenants on behalf of the owners of 500 Collins St by providingrecycling services in tenancy contracts and actively encouraging andsupporting the tenants to reduce their waste.

Chilled Beam technology – 500 Collins StreetReprinted courtesy of A.G Coombs ‘building efficiency’ magazine

The Chilled Beam technology applied in 500 Collins St certainlydelivers optimal energy outcomes for building owners and occupiers, but



the technology presents its own unique challenges, not the least of whichis the building façade has to be virtually an airtight envelope. Focused onprojects, services and advisory, A.G Coombs4 were on hand to provide thesolutions, and to collaborate in providing some ‘smarts’ in the projectdelivery process.

Implementing a staged conversion of a CBD building from a dual ductto a chilled panel system presented a number of major challenges for theproject team.

A partnering strategy developed on the project fostered through theClient’s focus on the project delivery methodologies encompassed in theGreen Star approach. The 500 Collins Street experience demonstrates theclear benefits that can arise from Green Star and the partnering strategiesit evokes to deliver complex projects.

A.G. Coombs’ involvement with the project commenced during thedesign process with the provision of façade pressurisation tests todetermine the air tightness of the façade; an important determinate inrelation to the design of the chilled beam system and the ultimate energyperformance of the building. A special test rig developed by A.G. Coombsprovided variable pressure and air flow to a sealed section of a typicalfloor. Measurements completed to NEBB certified standards provideduseful information in relation to the façade and floor to floor air leakagerates and the confidence to implement the chilled beam solution for thebuilding. This investigative testing involved use of Inspection Test Plans,(ITPs) as well as close collaboration between the designers and A.G.Coombs to fine tune the commissioning methodology as the testingprogressed.

Once in construction, the implementation of a Green Starcommissioning strategy was based on the CIBSE CommissioningManagement Guidelines. The commissioning process commenced with acommissionability design review and continued through each stage of theproject to the final hand-over when the system will have been optimisedthrough a 12 month tuning process. This process has seen a close

working relationship develop between the designers and the contractor’sengineering and commissioning teams. Early resolution of a number ofdesign, installation and commissioning details have provided benefits tothe team and ultimately a better outcome for the Client and futuretenants.

A key insight from the process has been that the Green Star approachrefocuses resources to bring commissioning forward in the projectdelivery process with the benefit that site resources are utilised moreeffectively and costly wastage and abortive works are reduced offeringthe possibility to reduce total costs.

An additional benefit has been the development of a single airconditioning knowledge base which progressively captures and integratesthe knowledge gained through each phase of the air conditioning systemdesign, installation and performance tuning process. The Operating andMaintenance manual becomes a key resource providing information notonly necessary to operate and maintain the system but also informationnecessary to manage the system and optimise its performance for thelong term.

500 Collins Street in many respects is able to set benchmarks formajor CBD building refurbishments, but it should also be seen todemonstrate the intrinsic value that the Green Star approach can bring toa project team through smarter project delivery strategies.

References and Resources1 Sustainability – one step at at time. By Adam Carey, EcoLibrium, February 2006

2 Green Bulding Council of Australia. 500 Collins Street Case Study

3 EcoRecycle Victoria Website

http://www.ecorecycle.vic.gov.au/www/extensions/publications/template/newsletter_artic

le.asp?id=1037

4 A.G Coombs building efficiency magazine


INDUSTRY PROFILE

Energy efficient fluorescent and HIDlamps have gained widespread usageover the years. Their increasingpopularity is due to the fact that

fluorescent lights use only about one quarterthe energy of a common incandescent bulb andlast an average of 10,000 hours compared to750 hours. However, fluorescent and HID lampscontain very small quantities of Mercury andwhile these products are totally safe to handleand to use, if broken, they can pose a seriousrisk of exposure to this very toxic neurotoxin.

Spent lighting products are the largestsource of Mercury contamination in ourmunicipal solid waste systems and this hasraised concerns over their proper disposal.Mercury is the most toxic chemical afterradioactive substances on the EPA list.

Scientific tests carried out at municipallandfills have shown that Mercury present indisposed fluorescent and HID lamps isconverted by heat and bacteria into a very toxicand volatile gas known as Methyl Mercury whichis then spread into the environment.

It was demonstrated that the air over theselandfills contained 30 to 50 times higher levelsof Mercury than the surrounding air. Withestimates of between 50 and 70 millionMercury containing lamps being disposed of inAustralia each year, dumping over 13,000metric tons of Mercury contaminated waste intothe nation’s landfills, there is a danger thatimproper disposal methods will transportMercury from the soil to local water sources.Lakes, rivers and the coastal oceans have beenpolluted with Mercury, rendering fish unsafe toeat.

One hundred broken fluorescent tubescontain enough Mercury to contaminate about 4billion litres of water above unsafe levels.Posing serious threats to the nervous,cardiovascular and immune systems andpossibly leading to death, contamination of ourfish and water resources is a serious threat.

The answer to Mercury contamination is therecycling of spent lighting.

Advanced Recycling Australia Pty Ltd is theonly EPA licensed company in Australia involved

in the environmentally responsible recycling ofall Mercury containing waste, includingfluorescent and HID lamps.

The company, with its head office based inVictoria and branches throughout Australia andNew Zealand, operates a state of the artSwedish recycling facility capable of recyclingall lighting waste generated in Australia.

Lamps are collected directly by thecompany or via third party associated wastemanagement companies throughout Australiaand New Zealand using purpose built collectionStillages or special prepaid collection boxes.Lamps are crushed and sorted into glass, metaland phosphor powder which contains theMercury. The powder is then distilled with a 99%Mercury recovery rate. The collected material isefficiently and cost effectively recycled andcustomers are provided with a recyclingcertificate as evidence of responsible andenvironmentally friendly recycling of theirwaste.

For more information contact AdvancedRecycling Australasia Pty Ltd

Lamp Recycling – The responsible thing to do

3 5 8 6 7 6



Solson Place

Located in Melbourne’s Epping North1, Solson Place will feature 140apartments and townhouses upon its completion in late 2008.Townhouses and apartments on the 2.1 hectare development willhave solar panels in north-facing roofs that will supply 80% of the

development’s electricity and reduce greenhouse gases by 569 tonnesevery year.

To tackle the water conservation issue, each house will have arainwater tank2 and be fitted with appliances and smart shower headsthat will reduce water usage and waste.

Add to that an underground irrigation system and an environmentallysensitive landscape design, and Solson Place can expect to cut waterconsumption by at least half, saving 11,620 kilolitres of water a year.

Each of the residents at Solson Place can hold their head up highamong fellow greenies with the knowledge that each dwelling hasachieved a 6 star energy rating and has been designed to make the mostof the earths natural resources – wind, rain and sun. High qualityinsulation will reduce heating and cooling costs, that coupled with withcrossflow ventilation will keep homes cool in summer and practicallyeradicate the need for any air-conditioning. An on-site recycling stationwill also reduce waste from 147 cubic metres down to a weekly average ofsix.

In addition to the 140 apartments and townhouses, Solson Place willalso offer residents a café, heated lap pool, gymnasium, parklands, 1.2kmbike and running track and a BBQ area.

Developers, Long Lease Property Group3 selected Aconex constructionproject management software to ensure accountability across projectteams, to increase productivity and to reduce the amount of documentsprinted. On the project, Long Lease Property Group Director Peter Giantsismanages a team of consultants which includes the architect, civil andstructural engineers, traffic management specialists and town planners.

Long Lease, known for being frontrunners in sustainabledevelelopment, were also aware that Aconex would enable them todrastically reduce the quantity of paper used on the project. Everythingthat is uploaded to do with the Solson project can be viewed online sodoesn’t need to be printed off and the project team make it a policy to notprint off anything that isn’t absolutely necessary.

To keep an eye on the project, Long Lease will also be using Aconex’ssite camera facility which enables images of Solson place to be updated

every 10 minutes for viewing.1 information sourced Ray White Real Estate clipping in The Age, Saturday July 30, 2005

2 http://www.solsonplace.com.au/environ.html

3 Aconex News 21 February 2007

DEAKIN UNIVERSITYDeakin University is playing their part in reducing the environmental

impact of the built environment with the refurbishment of part of theDalgety Wool Store1 building at its waterfront Geelong campus.

The new design studio for the School of Architecture and Buildingincorporates environmentally sustainable design (EDS) principles withoutinhibiting the buildings natural historical appeal.

The design studio incorporates sustainable lighting, and HVACtechnologies – included in the building is solar roofing for pre-heated airsupply and displacement ventilation and thermal chimneys whichguarantee the reduction of energy consumption and the ultimate benefitof reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

At the beginning of the project, the University’s Property ServiceDevision collaborated with academic staff from the School of Architectureand Building’s research group to ensure that each design element adheredto their main ESD principles maximise the performance of the buildingthrough managing and monitoring energy outputs, reduce the energyused by the lighting system, work with what already exists in the building,reduce the heating and cooling loads of the building and minimise the sizeof the mechanical plant.

The project team also decided early on to ensure the existing buildingwas as insulated as possible from outdoor temperature fluctuations. Tominimise the energy used by lighting, the project team used acombination of daylighting design and artificial lighting system that iseco-efficent. Natural light was optimised by utilising existing windows andadding skylights. The artificial lighting that was required was provided byenergy efficient T5 fluoro lights which can be individually controlled andare also only enabled when there is insufficient natural light available1 Information provided by Sustainability Victoria report on Deakin’s Waterfront Campus

Design Studio

Sustainability is now becoming a fashionable lifestyle choice for theenvironmentally-conscious. Evidence of future ‘green’ lifestyle villages is alreadyemerging, with the development of Solson Place, the largest solar powered site inthe southern hemisphere.


ideaction 2007

A Facility Perspectivesideaction 2007 Report BY MAX WINTER, SUSAN KECK AND MELANIE DRUMMOND.

This year we were fortunate to have almost the entire WinterCommsEditorial Services crew on hand at FMA Australia’s premier Asia – PacificConference, ideaction 2007 entitled Striving towards a betterenvironment – is it important?

We decided to present our individual perceptions on what theideaction 2007 Conference and associated social events had to offer.

An outline of the ideaction 2007 Conference – Max WinterMy choice of site visit was Optus Campus and I was singularly

impressed with the level of forethought and planning that went into notonly the design and construction of the group of buildings that comprisethe gated workplace community but the degree and scale of the entireconcept. From the water retention and recycling measures and hugeunderground storage tanks, to the transport, childcare, physical fitnessneeds and pre-tax meal options that were offered, the project presenteda completely integrated approach to the provision of a productivityenabling workplace environment.

The ideaction 2007 Conference opening keynote was a very polishedpresentation by Dr Keith Futcher, the MD of ISS Hong Kong, who argued

for the need for an outsourced FM service provider to have a multi-skilled and management-oriented workforce from strategic tooperational level.

This value added dimension of service delivery he contended, wouldprovide a competitive advantage in the capturing and retention of newbusiness in an increasingly competitive and cost-oriented market.

Geoff Dennis, President of TEFMA, presented a totally differentapproach with much humour and humanity as he outlined hisresponsibilities with TEFMA and the valuable initiatives the organisationhad to offer facilities management. He then moved on to his role asDirector of Facilities at University of Queensland, and making passingmention of the massive budget that was his responsibility, Geoffoutlined the significant sustainability initiatives they had developed, andthe practical flow on effects for the students, staff and visitors that theyprovided.

Moving onto the concurrent sessions I went to hear Dr Vyt Garnisfrom Cetec (also Chairman of the FMA Australia Indoor Ecology SpecialInterest Group) present his session on Valuing Productivity and theIndoor Environment. Vyt presented the Holy Grail of Indoor Ecology – a

FMA Australia’s ideaction conferenceseach tend to provide a multitude ofvaluable ingredients to the FacilitiesManagement industry pie, and this yearwas no exception. The major themeswere FM’s emergence on a global stage,the integration of building life-cyclecomponents into a cohesive whole,education and professionaldevelopment, and sustainability.The overriding message – from theinformative Site Visits to the excellentfinal presentation from the PropertyCouncil of Australia’s CEO, Peter Verwerhowever, was the same. Facility Managers are in the box seat tomake the difference in the BuiltEnvironment, and as an industrywaiting to be recognised, FacilitiesManagement’s time has come.


ideaction 2007

tool for measuring and demonstrating the correlation between workplaceproductivity and the Indoor Environment, and he asked whetherAustralia was ready to accept the European standard, or whether it wasready to develop its own variant. Question time was engaging, andinformative.

The keynote PPP’s Update panel chaired by Duncan Waddell, DirectorFM Intelligence, was well researched and presented with considered andmeasured arguments for and against. Kenneth Davidson from The Agemade a particularly insightful and scathing argument for transparencyin the PPP process and reminded us all that the devil is in the detail. I felt

question time was too short, and could have easily taken another halfhour.

Having dealt with some commitments I was able to attend the BrianPurdey (M.D of KODO Pacific) Concurrent session on Delivering Maximumvalue from investment in property, and hear of his work with probe* andproductivity topographic maps in gauging employee satisfaction withtheir workplace environment within a government building. The MABEL(Mobile Architecture and Built Environment Laboratory) team thenswung into action to place scientific metrics against the satisfactionratings and found that there were practical issues and solutions to befound, proving (over a series of such projects) that employeesatisfaction ratings are reasonably accurate indicators of realenvironmental issues that affect workplace productivity.

*probe© workplace performance evaluation is used to measure the critical

factors that can impact upon the health, comfort, satisfaction, work

effectiveness and productivity of employees in a built environment. Data on

90 workplace performance factors in 15 key result areas can be rated

against local benchmarks to guide performance improvement planning.

Commitments on the Executive Media / Facility Perspectives / FMAAustralia stand and elsewhere ensured that the Gala night and the FMAAustralia Excellence Awards were next, and the spectre of the SydneyTown Hall’s Centennial Hall loomed large and magnificent as the organistplayed the theme to Phantom of the Opera and Bach’s Toccata in Fuguein grandiose style. No wonder the Hall’s designers opted for Wunderlichpressed metal ceiling panels, thinking that the vibration from the organwould bring the ceiling down – the organ absolutely dominates the rearof the Hall.

The Hall provided a fitting ambience to a wonderful night ofentertainment including the excellent comedy routines by GraemeBowman, networking and Award presentations as Facilities Managementexcellence was recognised and celebrated by all those who attended.

The next day opened with a keynote presentation from Global FMDirectors, Steve Gladwin, and Fred Child as they brought us up to date ondevelopments abroad and their plans for furthering the FM agenda inmature and emerging sectors of the globe.

John Ridley from Hyder Consulting headed the plenary sessions withFM Leadership in a Carbon Constrained Economy and left no doubt aboutwhere we were headed, arguing for a tipping point (of no return) of 550parts per million in carbon emissions, an increase of 2 degrees worldwide(currently we are at 380 ppm), and leaving us with the fervent hope thatwhat can be measured, indeed can (and will) be managed.

Charlie Reilly, Deputy MD of Multiplex FM followed with TheImpossible Dream? Integrating FM into the Design and Constructionprocess. A timely presentation given at the individual level, but backedup with global drivers for seamless integration in Building InformationManagement (BIM) Systems and the efficiencies that can be gained in awhole of life building approach. This is where we are headed as anindustry in the Built Environment.

Peter Scuderi’s (COO, CRC Construction Innovation) presentationApplied Research in AEC – FM Industry: Australia’s Leading Performance,reiterated the message, and also highlighted some of the outstandinginitiatives the Cooperative Research Centre for Construction Innovationis developing.

Given the amount of detail to be imparted, Paul Sedman, ManagerMajor Projects, Optus presented a fast-paced keynote address on theOptus Campus project, and the plans (four years in the making) formoving 6500 Optus staff from three separate facilities, commencing inAugust. Key to the success of the project he noted was staff buy-in andgood communication.

Carolyn Burns, National Director Strategic Consulting for Jones LangLaSalle was my choice for the concurrent sessions, where she presentedDelivering a Smarter, Better, Mobile Environment. Carolyn took usthrough the strategies and pitfalls of moving to a more mobileenvironment, and provided a few case studies as examples to illustrateher point.

Other commitments in the interim meant that I was fortunateenough to be present at the final Keynote presentation by Peter Verwer,Chief Executive of the Property Council of Australia, whounceremoniously (and with some humour) reminded us that we werejust mucking round at the edges of innovation; what we really neededwas to embrace the Building Information Modelling (BIM) andinteroperability standards utilised in the FM Action Agenda FM ExemplarProject: Sydney Opera House.

This he argued, would provide the quantum leap forward facilitiesmanagement needed to gain its rightful place as a voice at Board Roomlevel, since these technologies would enable facility managers to driveefficiencies in the management of their facilities more effectively andprovide the savings needed to improve building investment earnings.

He contended that due to increasing pressure on investmentreturns, facility managers were really in the box seat to make thedifference needed in an increasingly competitive environment.

It was an enjoyable and informative Conference, and one that in myopinion, reinforced the notion that facility management’s time as anindustry has indeed come.

ideaction 2007 Site Visit: Optus Campus. Photography Larry Pitt.

ideaction ‘07: passion & talent in abundance


ideaction 2007

ideaction 2007 –ImpressionsBY SUSAN KECK, HDIPT, GDIPED, GRADCERTBUSAD, ANZIIF (MEM)

I sensed an undercurrent of energy anddirection pervading ideaction 2007 – asense that facility management is theemerging profession of the twenty-firstcentury.

It is becoming increasingly apparent that facility management isgoing to be pivotal in effectively meeting the challenges and needs ofsustainability and technological advance. That facility managers be soplaced, comes from their role in determining, recommending and

implementing the most efficient, effective and sustainable processes formanaging a facility.

The ideaction 2007 Program seemed designed to help define andadvance this role: 1. Sustainability was again a significant theme. 2. One of the marks of a profession is a cohesive body of knowledge.

Education is critical to development of the knowledge throughresearch, and the establishment of standards through teaching andaccreditation.

3. Site visits demonstrating the complexity of facility management inpractice, dealing with people, process and place.On May 9, in Room Bayside 103, I listened as Melbourne University’s

Dr Richard Reed recognised the increasing role of the facility manager inhis analysis of the impact of office buildings on the environment. Hisresearch profiles the entire office stock of Melbourne CBD and is intendedto allow facility managers to gain a better understanding of where energysavings can be made. The next day, John Ridley of Hyder Consulting ledthe plenary session with an address on the opportunities presented to theFM industry to establish a key position of influence and responsibility inrelation to climate change.

Facility management is such a diverse industry, but one thing thatstands out is that members are friendly, concerned and sincere. Crewingthe stands between sessions gave me the opportunity to meet with manyfacility managers – most were interested in the FMA’s accreditationprocess and/or dropping their business card into the Facility Perspectivesdraw. (By the way, congratulations to Tom Regener who won a dozenbottles of wine provided by publisher, Executive Media.) I also got to chatwith some of the dedicated accreditation mentors on hand, who werethere to give current and potential candidates a bit of practical advice.

Room Bayside 105 was as far from the main action as you could get,but it was well worth the trek. Dr James Baxter, of RMIT, spoke of the highdemand for programs in property, valuation and construction (tenapplicants for every place), the difficulties in getting an educationprogram approved within the financial constraints on universities, and theeffect on the promotion of the profession and professional education. Heraised the question of where the next generation of teachers will comefrom, making the point that for professions a PhD is not the tradition inproperty or facility management but it is almost essential for academicemployment.

Next day, in the same obscure room, I had the pleasure of listening toGraham Gunner speak of the ‘Butterfly Effect’ and its potential for impactfrom a facility manager’s perspective. Graham is studying for a GraduateCertificate in Facilities Management at the University of Sydney, and

presented a stimulating review of Risk and OHS on a business continuitysite. It was an excellent presentation that highlighted two things for me –the value of professional education and the importance of a structuredapproach to the collection and analysis of data in support of facilitymanagement.

Having worked for three years at a university – mid-career – and amuch longer time in professional education and accreditation, I naturallywent on the University of Sydney site visit.

It was interesting to see a ‘place of learning’ from a differentperspective – the university has a turnover of over $1 billion a year. Theapproximately 70 faculties, schools and centres are viewed by theCampus Properties and Services Group (CP&S) as different businessesand different clients with different needs.

Like most universities it is confronted with enormous changemanagement issues while lacking the same level of flexibility that existsin the commercial sector. (Not necessarily a bad thing I say).

Australia’s oldest university, the University of Sydney is an iconic sitewhere the preservation of heritage buildings is as important as theprovision of twenty-first century education facilities.

We were there to learn about the Campus 2010+ Building for theFuture program. The program covers a collection of five individual projects:u The Law Buildingu A facility for the School of Information Technologiesu USYD—a student services buildingu Public Domain Project linking Camperdown and Darlinghurst

campusesu Eastern Avenue pedestrian thoroughfare.

With construction taking place in high use areas, we were introducedto the facility and asset management issues, and strategies put in placeto address them – a great source of stories to come.


ideaction 2007

A perspective on theideaction 2007 ConferenceLeading up to the ideaction 2007 conference, I was a little nervous at the prospectof finding myself among a few hundred facility managers. A relative newcomer tothe industry (I had no idea what Facility Management was when I first startedwriting about it), I have at times found myself more than a touch overwhelmed bya multitude of industry acronyms and jargon that seemed to serve no otherpurpose than to confuse me.

BY MELANIE DRUMMOND

Before boarding the plane to Sydney I comforted myself with theknowledge that I did in fact know about KPIs, building controls,churn, staff retention, sustainable design, AS1851 (I’m sure itwill come in handy one day) and a number of other relevant and

useful pieces of information.Having chosen Taronga Zoo as a site visit, after a bit of contention

within the WinterComms’ team (they ALL wanted to go), I ventured out formy first real brush with the facility managers that are so important to mywork.

Instantly, I was impressed with how friendly and approachableeverybody was. While taking our guided tour of the enclosures at Taronga,it was easy to fall into conversation with people about their work and whathad bought them to the conference.

I was also impressed with the friendly Taronga Zoo staff who keeptheir operation running successfully for 365 days of the year. The extentof the construction team’s efforts on the soon-to-be-opened GreatSouthern Oceans enclosure was also impressive. With just one road in andone road out, 20,000 cubic tonnes of concrete had been transported intothe challenging site. The Project Manager for construction summed up thedifficulties the team had faced. “It’s been a challenging project working ona cliff side adjacent to Sydney Harbour; it’s the most challenging projectI’ve been involved with in 20 years.”

After seeing the giraffes against the stunning backdrop of the SydneyOpera House and bridge, it was off to Telstra Stadium for lunch and a tourof the extensive facilities.

The conference was officially, and festively, opened that evening withthe Chairman’s Welcome Reception. I quickly got in the swing of thegambling and promptly lost half of my money on the Blackjack table,which established the pattern my finances would take for the rest of thenight. The highlight was definitely meeting more friendly and positivefacility managers.

It was an early start the next morning, joining WIFM members for aninformative and relaxed breakfast get-together. Speaker Kerry Lodgetalked about her experiences setting up a green office programme for BP10 years ago, when ‘sustainability’ was not yet on anybody’s agenda. Itwas easy to see how valuable WIFM meetings are as an information-sharing forum. Members were clearly at ease with sharing experiences,problems and victories encountered as facility managers.

Later that day after an informative panel session on PPP’s, and adelicious lunch, it was straight back into the Bayside Auditorium forKeynote Speaker Dr Geoffrey Pembroke’s speech on SustainableInnovation in the New Millennium. And my, what an interesting speech itwas. From first telling us how he’d earlier had a bit too much to drink fromhis hotel minibar – “You’re not drunk if you can lie on the floor withoutholding on”, he went on to later boast the benefits of being ahermaphrodite worm. It was at this point that I stopped taking notes.Often the most gullible person I know, it wasn’t until the very end (aftermuch laughing) that I discovered Dr Pembroke was in fact a hoax speakerby the name of Graeme Bowman. I applaud FMA for the inspired idea ofadding such an entertaining Keynote speaker to the programme!

The afternoon was wrapped up well with keynote Alex Ritchie,Executive Director of Brand Experience. His dynamic and creativepresentation conveyed succinctly the importance of creating and living acompany brand.

Later that night was, of course, the Gala Dinner held at the majesticSydney Town Hall. It impacted upon me how important the night is foracknowledging the work being done in the Facility Management industryand for celebrating its incredibly bright future.

The next morning after a good strong cup of coffee, it was time tosettle into the final day of the conference. Most of my day was spent onthe FMA Australia / Facility Perspectives booth in the Exhibition centrewhich provided a great opportunity to talk with people about themagazine’s future editorial prospects and to gauge feedback on our firstissue. I also had the pleasure of talking to Kerry Lodge and WiFM ChairKirsten Smith about a range of facility management topics – keep youreyes peeled for those interviews in the next edition of FacilityPerspectives.

Saying goodbye to friends I’d made during the conference was a littlesad but I was excited about heading home with a greater understanding ofthe people we call facility managers. My lasting impression is that facilitymanagers are friendly, hardworking and passionate about the industrythey work in – which is truly commendable in any field. My sincere thanksgoes out to FMA Australia staff for making ideaction 2007 such a fantasticexperience and I have no doubt they will endeavour to make next year’sGold Coast Conference even better.


ideaction 2007BRANCH AND EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Award Winners1. Frank Riley, Brisbane City Council, accepting FMA Australia & Programmed Maintenance Services Facility Manager of

the Year Award from Mark Piwkowski (Programmed Maintenance Services) and FMA Australia Chair Andrew McEwanAndrew McEwan.

2. Derek Wilson accepts Branch Committee Member of the Year Victoria award from FMA Australia Chair Andrew McEwan.

3. Christine Kelly accepting her award for NSW Branch Committee Member of the Year.

4. Lex Dewar accepting his award for QLD Branch Committee Member of the Year.

5. Michael Russo, Investa Property Group, accepting the FMA Australia & Tungsten Young Facility Manager of the YearAward from Steve Taylor (Tungsten) and Andrew McEwan.

6. Kristiana Greenwood and a victorious Victorian Branch with their award for Branch of the Year.

7. Winners of the FMA Australia & Rider Hunt Terotech Industry Achievement Award, Cooperative Research Centre forConstruction Innovation: (L to R) Peter Scuderi (CRCCI), George Spink (CRCCI), Paul Ackhurst (Sydney Opera House),Stephen Ballesty and Andrew McEwan.

8. Wayne Ryan, Air Con Serve Co, accepting FMA Australia & Transfield Services Environmental Award from Phil Warren(Transfield Services) and Andrew McEwan.

1

2

3

4

5

7

6

8

ideaction is proudly brought to you by our 2007 Platinum Supporter

SUPPORTERS

Silver Sponsors



Master of Ceremonies Graeme Bowman, who had impressedconference attendees earlier with his ‘entertaining’ keynotespeech at the Conference, did a superb job of ensuringproceedings ran smoothly throughout the evening. From his

opening David Attenborough impersonation act to remarking on the perilsof being 50-something, his presence kept the evening light-hearted andentertaining.

The Gala dinner serves as the perfect opportunity for industrypractitioners to reflect and acknowledge the significant achievements thathave been made in the past year. The FMA Australia Recognition Awardsalso gives FMA Australia the opportunity to acknowledge the constantwork and commitment undertaken by each of the individual Statebranches. As FMA Australia Chair Andrew McEwan so eloquentlycommented in his address, “As a national organisation we would not existif not for the hard work of all of our branches.” And without further ado, thewinners were: u Branch Committee Member of the Year Western Australia – Renae

Loftusu Branch Committee Member of the Year ACT – Ami Sudjimanu Branch Committee Member of the Year Victoria – Derek Wilsonu Branch Committee Member of the Year NSW – Christine Kellyu Branch Committee Member of the Year Queensland – Lex Dewar

u Branch of the Year – Victoriau Corporate Supporter of the Year – GJK Facilities Servicesu Member of the Year – Stephen Ballesty

Chair of the Victorian Branch Kristiana Greenwood spoke to FacilityPerspectives after the Conference about winning the Branch of the Yearawards in this year’s ceremony.

“Winning the Branch of the Year award this year was a particularlyspecial occasion as nine out of twelve members of the Victoriancommittee were at the conference to receive it! I was particularly proud asmy committee has worked tirelessly this past year in the interest of ourmembers and our industry as a whole to promote the facilitiesmanagement profession. Our monthly committee meetings have almostalways been fully attended and the action points have been followed upswiftly and thoroughly. Our Victorian members can feel confident thatthere is an extremely capable and professional committee representingand promoting their interests. We look forward to the new challenges andchanges that our next term will bring.”

The FMA Australia Awards for Excellence are the major awards for ourIndustry and this year we congratulate the following winners:u FMA Australia & Transfield Services Environmental Achievement

Award – Air Con Serve Pty Ltdu FMA Australia & Rider Hunt Terotech Industry Achievement Award –

Facility Management’sCelebration of AchievementBY MELANIE DRUMMOND

The ideaction 2007 Gala dinner was a night of glamour, entertainment andcelebration, marking its place once again as a night to remember for the FacilityManagement industry. Held at the stunning Sydney Town Hall, guests were treatedto a spectacular performance on the historical organ upon arrival to their tables –a fitting way to mark the momentous occasion.

OPENING KEYNOTE

CLOSING KEYNOTE

GALA DINNER

CHAIRMAN’S WELCOME

SITE VISIT LUNCH SUPPORTER



Cooperative Research Centre for Construction Innovationu FMA Australia & Tungsten Young FM of the Year Award – Michael

Russo – Investa Property Groupu FMA Australia & Programmed Maintenance Services Facility

Manager of the Year Award – Frank Riley- Brisbane City CouncilFacility Perspectives caught up with Frank Riley after the conference

to find out what his reaction was to winning the prestigious award forFacility Manager of the Year.

“I was very honoured and it’s great to get that peer group recognitionfor an award like that. Also, managing a facilities portfolio the size ofBrisbane City Council is not a solo act, so I really think the award wasrecognition for the hard work of my staff and our whole city propertybranch’s effort over the past few years.”

When discussing what precipitated the award win, Frank commentedon the corporate accommodation and facilities strategy his team haddeveloped and implemented.

“We’ve stuck to implementing the strategy and it’s resulted in a muchhigher standard of accommodation for council, particularly in commercialaccommodation with Brisbane Square coming online very recently, we’ve

also got a Green Square project which is due for completion in August.Both of those properties are likely to be 5 green star rated. It’s been ajourney in improving the facilities standard and to a point where that haskbeen nationally recognised.”

When Facility Perspectives asked Frank what attributes are needed tobe successful in a facility manager’s role of such magnitude, it becameclear that a multitude of skills are required to deliver the requiredoutcomes.

“I think to be successful in this type of role you need a certainamount of patience, technical knowledge, certainly a good understandingof your organisational vision and values and being able to interpret thoseinto the facilities that the organisation wants and needs. Also I think beingable to implement initiatives and to think up smarter ways of deliveringsupport for the organisation’s outcomes is a valued skill. Facilities andproperty are really just a means to end for most organisations so youneed to work out a way to be cost-effective, efficient and sustainable anddoing it in such way that is supportive of the objectives of theorganisation.”

Frank’s final comments on the importance of the FMA Australia FMExcellence Awards to the industry succinctlyexpressed the widespread views of the facilitymanagers who attended ideaction 2007.

“I think it’s very good for the industry totake a step a back and reflect on itsachievements and an awards night like the FMAAustralia FM Excellence Awards certainly doesjust that. I think FMA Australia does it betterthan most in terms of a big body organisationbeing able to recognise and acknowledge whatit’s achieved in the industry.”

The award is the second award Frank hasachieved recently; in August 2006 he wasawarded Corporate Real Estate Executive forAustralasia by CoreNet Global.

Branch of the Year Victoria members Mike Rowlands,Derek Wilson, Trish Ferrier, Lou La-Delpha, Kerry Lodge,and Kristiana Greenwood with Andrew McEwan.Photography Larry Pitt.


FM ACTION AGENDA

The three-year implementation phase has now reached its mid pointand has already made significant progress across a wide range ofinitiatives. Highlights from our Recognition Working Group’s achievementson the key platforms include:

InnovationA web based survey identifying innovation as core to business growth

and corporate success. The survey confirms that further FM innovation isrequired in the areas of services procurement and performancebenchmarking, with the majority of respondents stating that they learnabout innovation through networking. Further development of a web-based FM Innovation Forum is planned.

This working group recently conducted an Innovation Round Tablebreakfast at FMA Australia’s ideaction 2007 at which industry leadersexchanged ideas on potential research projects and innovation forums.

Education & TrainingBroad engagement across the educational sector has been pursued to

develop FM career pathways. This has included working with theConstruction and Property Services Industry Skills Council (CPSISC) tosupport the provision of Vocational Education and Training (VET) and theuse of the Property Operations and Development (POD) coursesframework for FM education.

Additional to the Group’s dealings with the higher education sector hasseen the establishment of Australia’s first undergraduate FM degree

program this year at Deakin University. Other Universities are alsoconsidering new FM programs or increasing the FM content within existingcourses.

The update of FMA Australia’s competency framework and theproduction of FM fact sheets for the CPSISC’s Regional Industry CareersAdvisors and support of future Careers Expos are also planned.

Regulatory ReformA detailed understanding of requirements for nine regulatory issues

across multiple legislative jurisdictions has progressed with a view todeveloping a National Protocol Recommendation for uniformity. It is alsointended that FM compliance guides should be developed to assistowners, tenants and managers better appreciate the strategic role of FMand the benefits of cross-jurisdictional harmonisation of compliancerequirements.

SustainabilityConsultation regarding FM’s contribution to resolving a range of

environmental challenges has been pursued with a range of industrygroups such as the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council(ASBEC), the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA), the Department ofEnergy, Utilities and Sustainability (DEUS) and the Property Council ofAustralia (PCA).

Specifically input has been provided to the Warren Centre’s LowEnergy High Rise project, the CRC for Construction Innovation’s YourBuilding project and the Department of the Environment’s ESD OperationsGuide for Commercial and Public Buildings.

CommunicationsThe FM Action Agenda’s distinctive logo and dedicated website

www.fmactionagenda.org have been established. Our secondImplementation Annual Report is due in September 2007.

Industry presentations and media releases continue to profile ourunique collaboration between government and industry, both here andabroad, and within the last month alone the FM Action Agenda has added

FM Action Agendareaches midpointBY STEPHEN BALLESTY, IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMAN, FMA AUSTRALIA, DEPUTYCHAIRMAN, FM ACTION AGENDA, DIRECTOR, RIDER HUNT

The Facilities Management (FM) Action Agenda was established by the Departmentof Industry, Tourism & Resources and produced its strategic plan entitled‘Managing the Built Environment’ in 2005. The plan set out a 20 point action planto improve the recognition of FM as a contributor to a more productive andsustainable built environment through improved innovation, education andregulatory reform.

STEPHEN BALLESTY


FM ACTION AGENDA

presentations in Atlanta and London to the list. On 20th June in Canberrathe findings of the FM Exemplar Project will be showcased for the fourthtime, with the Hon. Bob Baldwin MP and myself presenting.

FM Exemplar Project: Sydney Opera HouseThe FM Exemplar Project: Sydney Opera House was initiated by the

Australian Government’s FM Action Agenda, as part of a strategicframework for managing the built environment. The research, supportedby the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources, was undertakenby the Cooperative Research Centre for Construction Innovation incollaboration with Rider Hunt, Woods Bagot, Transfield Services Australia,Sydney Opera House, FMA Australia, Brisbane City Council, QueenslandDepartment of Public Works, CSIRO, Queensland University of Technologyand The University of Sydney. The project was led by Rider Hunt on behalfof the CRC for Construction Innovation and FM Action Agenda.

Sydney Opera House – Australia’s most famous landmark and one ofthe busiest performing arts centres in the world provided us with achallenge to showcase the value of FM, but we did it. FM Exemplar Project

reports can be downloaded free atwww.construction-innovation.info

The FM Exemplar Project: SydneyOpera House was completed late lastyear, representing the output of 23participants from 10 organisationsacross three research streams. Thefinal report integrating the DigitalModelling, Services Procurement andPerformance Benchmarking researchstreams was entitled ‘FM as abusiness enabler’.

The FM Exemplar Project: SydneyOpera House has now received the

Facility Management Association of Australia’s Rider Hunt TerotechIndustry Achievement Award for excellence in facility managementstrategy and practice. The award was presented last month at the FMAAustralia ideaction 2007 conference gala dinner in Sydney.

The Digital Modelling component of the FM Exemplar Project researchalso featured in two recent Arup-sponsored international awards – theJury’s Choice category of the American Institute of Architects (AIA)Technology in Architectural Practice (TAP) 2007 Building InformationModel (BIM) awards, and the Bentley Awards for Excellence 2007 awardfor BIM in multiple disciplines.

As John McCarthy, Chairman ofFM Action Agenda stated: “the FMExemplar Project has made asignificant contribution to the body ofFM industry knowledge and hasdemonstrated Australia’s leadership inthe FM profession globally”.

Moving ForwardThis article provides only a high

level update, with further detail beingprovided in future editions of FacilityPerspectives.

Should you wish to become moreinvolved in the FM Action Agenda ordirectly support any of its initiatives

please do not hesitate to contact either John McCarthy as Chairman on(02) 9252 6973, David Duncan at FMA Australia on (03) 8641 6608 ormyself.

Thank you to all those who have assisted thus far, we are lookingforward to the second half of the implementation phase and let’s make adifference!!

Facility ManagementConsulting Services

Providing constructive solutions

Sydney02 9415 1600

Melbourne03 9867 3011

Brisbane07 3210 1366

Perth08 9481 8991

Adelaide08 8231 3330

Gold Coast07 5592 5605

Procurement

Strategies

Tender/Contract

Documentation

Benchmarking &

Asset Valuations

Service Level

Agreements & KPIs

For further information contact

[email protected]

www.curriebrown.com

Staffing and Recruitment

Specialists in Facilities Management and Integrated

Facilities Services Recruitment

Contact - Geoff Southby on 1300 360 362

[email protected]

Quality cost effective professional and executive recruitment solutions

Australia wide

www.octopusonline.com.au


ESD & THE ENVIRONMENT

Preparing for theperfect storm

The Australian ClimateData Bank ProjectBY TREVOR LEE, DIRECTOR (BUILDINGS) ENERGY PARTNERS, AND MARK SNOW. INTRODUCTION MAX WINTER

There is now no doubt that changes in climate patterns are a resultof global warming. The increasing rate of greenhouse gases to theatmosphere mean a corresponding increase in heat, and heat isenergy. This energy charged atmosphere is changing weather

patterns both globally and locally, with intensifying adverse weatherconditions being experienced further South in Queensland and theNorthern Territory than before. Tropical Cyclone Larry and others are justtimely reminders of these changes, and the need to plan for buildingdesign changes to accommodate them.

In the meantime, the Southern States are becoming increasingly drierand warmer, providing the need to infuse intelligent design principles intobuildings that are increasingly subject to ambient and radiant heat. It isnot only the property, facilities management, engineering andconstruction industries that are aware of the problem, the rising incidenceof loss and consequential damage has not been lost on the insuranceindustry either, and it is interesting to note that one of the top teninsurance loss and underwriting claims in history was the Sydneyhailstorms of a few years back. As a consequence of the mountingevidence for the need for a reduction in greenhouse gases, the insuranceindustry is also actively lobbying to this end.

While efforts are being made at all levels in industry and governmentto address the greenhouse gas issue, in the meantime thesecontingencies point to the need for better planning in the design,maintenance and upgrading of buildings, and to do this better informationon these changing weather patterns was needed. This information isneeded for the “current” climate, the foreseeable climate and theimmediate past weather if the built environment is to be managed andenhanced to fit the new and evolving reality.

The Australian Climate Data Bank ProjectThe Australian Climatic Data Bank (ACDB), the result of collaboration

by the CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) in the mid-1980s, isthe base source for weather data in virtually all major building and energysystem simulation programs used in Australia. Prior to the recent project,the ACDB comprised only pre-1986 data stored as hourly values – mostlyinterpolated from 3-hourly measurements taken by BOM. In the case ofsolar radiation data for Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra and Sydney, thisrepresented only three years of measurement.

The key aims of the ACDB project included updating the ACDB data setusing post-1986 data in addition to the earlier weather data, expanding thenumber of climate zones for second generation NatHERS (NationwideHouse Energy Rating Scheme) tools (first generation having only 28climates) and generating for each of 69 locations a ReferenceMeteorological Year (RMY) being a composite of 12 typical meteorologicalmonths of best fit for a range of weather elements (as opposed to thepreviously used Test Reference Year (TRY) or actual year of best fit –which, in the case of non-NatHERS ACDB sites, was the best fit for dry bulbtemperature only).

The project provides a site list of geographical coverage, including howan alpine climate zone was defined. It also describes the method used forallocating ACDB sites to postcode locations in keeping with the 8 broadlydefined climate zones enshrined in the Building Code of Australia (BCA).This is an important process for selecting recommended RMY data sets forbuilding simulation modeling and energy rating tools anywhere inAustralia. The work involved completing a thorough quality assuranceprocess to check the validity of the derived climate data for each sitelocation.



Appropriate weather data is a necessary requirement to effectivelyevaluate opportunities to economically exploit renewable energyresources and conserve fossil fuels in conventional systems. The projectinvolved reviewing the range and quality of existing weather datacurrently available for Australia from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM)and developing various mathematical approaches to extend the data fromavailable measured values and satellite observations, to providedependable hourly data for system simulation and decision making.

The project involved the ACDB site selection following consultationwith BOM, the use of geographic information system (GIS) techniques forallocating Australian postcodes to climate zones, and a process applied tocheck the validity of the updated climate datasets.

Geographic Coverage The new ACDB site selection expands modestly on the number of

climate zones in the original ACDB (64 excluding off-shore territories) andmore than doubles the number of climates available for second generationNatHERS tools, (the first generation having only 28 climates). Some ofthese additions resulted at the request and sponsorship of the Tasmanianand Western Australian state governments, improving the geographiccoverage which building simulation and renewable energy experts coulddraw upon and better reflect climate zone variability.

Climate Zone AllocationSome of the issues encountered in allocating postcode areas to the

most appropriate ACDB sites included:u Coastal and upland postcodes include higher altitude hinterlands,

especially on the east coast and sub-alpine areas. A few postcodesinclude 3 of the 28 NatHERS climate zones.

u Expansive northern postcodes having more than one climate zone(generally an arid and a monsoonal one).

u Postcodes do not always share boundaries with local government andcan present issues with building submissions that are dealt with at aLocal Government Area (LGA) level. They also do not always shareboundaries with BCA climate zones which have been generallyharmonised with LGA boundaries.

BCA Climate ZonesA description of each Building Code of Australia (BCA) climate zone is

outlined in the representative map excerpt, as follows:Figure 1

Source: adapted from www.abcb.gov.au Climate Zone map

Two examples of a definition used by BOM to guide the setting of itsboundaries are as follows:u CZ06 – Mild to Warm Summer, Cool-Cold Winter (Mild Temperate Zone)

u average January max temp <= 30°C; u average 3 pm January water vapour pressure <= 2.1 kPa) ; andu average annual heating degree days 1,000 to 1,999, using base

18°C (this is the thresh-hold where edge insulation of concreteslabs becomes cost-effective).

u CZ08 - Alpineu a subset of the Mild To Warm Summer, Cold Winter (Cool

Temperate Zone). u taken as areas with an elevation above 900 metres in Tasmania

and 1,200 metres on mainland Australia.

Given that BOM had mapped interpolations for most if not all weatherelements used to define the BCA climate zones, there existed anopportunity within the project to apply Geographic Information System(GIS) techniques to assign and query the most suitable ACDB climatedataset to postcode locations.

The BCA climate zone map considers the climate variables whichaffect human comfort. These variables are temperature, humidity (orwater vapour pressure/content of the air), heat (radiated from the sunand from surroundings) and wind speed. The combined effect of thesefour quantities determines how hot or cold we might feel. The project teamthen interpreted the thematic maps and processes used by BOM andAssociation for Computer Aided Design (ACADS)2, and a GIS overlayprocess was used which enabled an Australian postcode layer to beplaced on top of the BCA climate zone map (refer to Figure 1).

Once all data was assessed, a thematic SQL3 database was compiled,allowing users to input the postcode number and be recommended themost appropriate ACDB site. The output format is provided in Excel foreasy file compatibility with prospective users, especially CSIRO in theirpreparation of the 2nd Generation NatHERS.

Compilation / Selection of Reference (typical)Meteorological Years

It is acknowledged that different weightings for the various climateelements could be used to compile/select indicative climate data sets formonths/years for different purposes. The original ACDB used dry bulbtemperature only and selected a full Test Reference Year by progressivelyeliminating full years with extreme temperature values, hot or cold, untilonly one year was left.

The new ACDB comprises Reference (typical) Meteorological Years(RMYs) which use the weightings for solar energy and buildingapplications adopted by the American Society for Heating, Refrigerationand Airconditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) which have become the de factointernational standard for RMY selection. For each of the 69 sites, 12typical calendar months were selected on this basis and concatenatedinto an RMY. Subsequently, Toowoomba and the Atherton Tableland wereadded in an ongoing process of enhancement.

The ACDB project has resulted in a greater accuracy of all existing 28NatHERS sites, now complemented to a total of 71 sites.Building/thermal/PV energy performance software will be able to accessthe enhanced ACDB for more reliable results and select the recommendedACDB site by postcode. The project also offers the possibility of anenhancement of the Australian Solar Radiation Data Handbook (ASRDH) 4,along with its computational software, providing more accurate irradiationdata for PV and other solar energy system design tools.

The 69 sites of the earlier ACDB are in use now within NatHERS withthe extra two slated for inclusion in the next upgrade. They are alsoavailable and in use for non-housing energy compliance confirmationwhere one of the two simulation verification options is applied.

PROPOSED AND POSSIBLE IMPROVEMENTSIn addition to considering extra ACDB site locations and the updating

and expansion of the ASRDH, potential further improvements include:u Using internationally acknowledged TMY2 data structure to raise the

dataset parameters to a more sophisticated level and ensure that newbuilding and energy system simulation tools or upgrades have accessto TMY2.

u Multiple RMYs to suit building and system types (eg, more weight ontemperature for deep plan buildings);

u Analyse the impact on housing and ABGRS star bands. About a third ofall new dwellings will be rated in a NatHERS climate zone differentfrom the one in which they are currently rated. A quantitativeanalysis of the impact of this on a range of designs is an effectiveinput to the acceptance on the ground of the climate zone re-allocation that this project has put into effect;

u Designate data quality, then weight the spatial interpolation inassigning a climate to any building site/postcode/municipality;



u Include “CAT modeling” (University of Adelaide) to adjust for heatisland effects. The model generates data representing realistic site-specific air temperature in a city street based only on data fromstandard weather stations such as those operated at local airportsand descriptors of the two sites.

CONCLUDING REMARKSThe ACDB project has resulted in a number of important deliverables.

These include, all 28 NatHERS sites will be more accurate and becomplemented to a total of 71 sites. Building/thermal/PV energyperformance software will be able to access the enhanced ACDB for morereliable results and select the recommended ACDB site by postcode. Thework also offers the possibility of an enhancement of ASRDH 4, along withits computational software, and thus providing more accurate irradiationdata for PV and other solar energy system design tools.

The project reported here deals only with the “current” climate (andassumes that it is essentially constant over the period of 1967 to 2004and beyond). Energy Partners is also engaged in developing data sets forforeseeable climates in those same locations and for immediate past (socalled “real time”) weather data sets. These developments are beingundertaken so that building energy performance evaluation, analysis andoptimisation can be carried out with reference to the actual weatherencountered (or to be encountered) rather than the RMY which wouldotherwise have to be assumed.

AcknowledgmentsThe project was completed through funding support from the

Australian Greenhouse Office (AGO). The work was carried out by EnergyPartners in association with the Centre for Applied Mathematics andStatistics at the University of South Australia (CIAM) and with AdelaideApplied Algebra (AAA).

The support and review of state and territory government officialsinvolved in the updating of the NatHER Scheme is gratefullyacknowledged. The ad hoc contribution of history, critique and advice isalso acknowledged from Dr Angelo Delsante (CSIRO), Dr Ernest Donnelly(ABCB), Dr Peter Lyons (then Arup), and Murray Mason (ACADS-BSG) atkey points in the project.

We would like to extend our gratitude for the professionalism shownby key staff at the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) during the project,confirming again the value and importance of a developed, Australia-widenetwork of well equipped terrestrial climate measurement stations.

About the AuthorTrevor Lee, ARAIA, B.Arch(hons)

An architect by initial training, Trevor is a consultant on energyconservation in the built environment through his multi-disciplinary firmEnergy Partners. His interests include solar energy applicationsand climate data. He is the lead author of the “Australian Solar Radiation

Data Handbook” (1996 and 2006 editions) published by the Australianand New Zealand Solar Energy Society of which he is a past Chairman. Heserved on the ABCB’s technical advisory committee on energy efficiencyin housing as the delegate of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy(BCSE).1 The RMY is a composite of 12 typical meteorological months of best fit for a range of

weather elements [as opposed to the currently used Test Reference Year (TRY) or actual

year of best fit - which in the case of non-NatHERS ACDB sites was the best fit for dry bulb

temperature only]. The dry-bulb temperature in turn, is the temperature of air measured

by a thermometer freely exposed to the air but shielded from radiation and moisture.

2 ACADS (1993) NATHERS climate zone allocation, ERDC Report

www.greenhouse.gov.au/buildings/publications/pubs/feasibility_study.pdf

3 Structured Query Language

referencesANUDEM software (2000) http://cres.anu.edu.au/outputs/anudem.php.

ACADS (1993) NATHERS climate zone allocation, ERDC Report

Australian Climatic Data Bank, on IBM format diskettes, includes data for several nearby

countries, unpublished, available from ACADS, 16 High Street, Glen Iris, Victoria 3146,

facsimile (03) 885 5974

Delsante, A.E. (1989). Extension of Australian Climatic Data Bank and Outdoor Design Data

(NERDDC Project 984, Final Report), CSIRO, Division of Building, Construction and

Engineering, Melbourne.

Energy Partners (2005), Development of Climate Data for Building Related Energy Rating

Software, Report to the Australian Greenhouse Office, Canberra (unpublished at the time

of writing)

Hutchinson,M.F. and Gallant,J.C. (2000). Digital elevation models and representation of terrain

shape. In: Wilson,J.P. and Gallant, J.C. (eds), Terrain Analysis, Wiley, New York, Chapter 2,

pp 29-50.

Lee, T.R (December 1991) Defining the Solar Resource ... Just when we thought we had arrived,

editorial, Solar Progress, Vol 12, No 3&4

Lee, T.R (1993) The Australian Solar Radiation Data Handbook - Progress Report on the Third

Edition, Proceedings of the ANZSES Solar ‘93 Conference, Perth

Lee, T.R., Oppenheim, D. and Williamson, T. (1995) The Australian Solar Radiation Data Handbook

(Edition 3), Energy Research and Development Corporation, Canberra (distributed by

ANZSES)

Lee, T. R, Snow, M. and Stokes, B. (2006) The Australian Solar Radiation Data Handbook (edition

4), published by ANZSES (www.anzses.org)

Lee, T. R, Snow, M. and Stokes, B. (2006) AUSOLRAD (version 2), the software companion to the

Australian Solar Radiation Data Handbook published by ANZSES (www.anzses.org)

Lee, T. R, Snow, M. and Stokes, B. (2005) The Australian Solar Radiation Resource Updated, in

proceedings of ANZSES Solar 2005, University of Otago, Dunedin

Ridley, B and Boland, J. (2005) Development of Climate Data for Building Related Energy Rating

Software, in proceedings of ANZSES Solar 2005, University of Otago, Dunedin

Szokolay, S.V., (1988) Climate Data and its use in Design”, Royal Australian Institute of

Architects, Canberra.

EnergyManagement

� Building Automation� Access Control

� Security Systems

40 Albert Road, Melbourne “The Podium” Digital Harbour, Docklands Melbourne Darling Island, Sydney��

Head Offi ce Tel: (03) 9558 5500 Email: [email protected] Web: alerton.com.au

M e l b o u r n e � S y d n e y � C a n b e r r a � A d e l a i d e � P e r t h � B r i s b a n e � H o b a r t

� Energy Management

��


When compliance matters

“Council and fire brigadeinspection audits estimatethat between 90-100% ofthe buildings had sometype of essential servicesnon-compliance.”

Source: Building Commission - Zenith Report

FIRE SAFETY MEASURES - A RISKY BUSINESSObligations: Statutory Requirement,Criminal & Civil Liability, Mandatory,OH&S, Insurance.

Building Compliance has just been solved. ��

With 32,000 sites nationally now on our database, 5�� the solution to ensure compliance is not your risk.

“We continue to experience high levels of non compliance throughout the industry. �� at the ground level. You’ll know where your compliance is every step of the way and you will get value for your maintenance �� effective recording and management tool is all that is needed. Our growth and industry acceptance demonstrates we have it right.” ��

Call today on: 1300 133 950

www.verified.com.au


GLOBAL FM REPORT

Interview with Stan MitchellGlobal FMBY FACILITY PERSPECTIVES’ MAX WINTER

Facility Perspectives: What are the things to come out of themeetings this time around for Global FM?

SM: Well Global FM is currently one year old and as you can appreciatewe have done a lot of the groundwork to ensure that the basis for thegovernance and operation of Global FM is sound. There are a whole set ofproblems when you want to operate from an international perspective andsome of them are obvious and some of them are not.

The problem we experience at the moment is that FMA Australia hasbeen involved as a foundation member for some three years now and sofor FMA Australia members there is an expectation of some deliverablesfrom a three year old perspective, and we are very conscious of that.

The workshop that we had here was the third International Workshopand alongside the FMA Australia ideaction 2007 Conference we also hadour Board meeting. Since the directors of the Board are from differentregions of the world and have full-time day jobs, the practical issues ofgetting people together means that it is not something you can do everycouple of months.

That said, the Board meeting we just had was strategically veryimportant. When we first started we ensured that the systems wereproperly developed with considerations such as Balanced Scorecardapproach and identified areas of focus. The Board meeting we just hadeffectively gave us a blank sheet to start with in terms of establishingwhat it is we want to deliver, and part of this is the engagement process

with FMA Australia and other associations and groups. We created our four key objectives or themes, such as financial

management, education and professional development, internalperspectives of policies and procedures and communications to ensure wehave transparency in what we do, and member and stakeholder benefits.

The next step is to establish the measures against these keyobjectives and this is something we hope to have in place by July 1. Out ofthat we will establish the actions against which these measurements canbe taken, and of course this will be a continual refinement process ofevaluating effectiveness and taking corresponding action.

In relation to the workshop; it was the third workshop that we have hadand each of the workshops have been very different and have evolved, inpart, because of our audience.

The first one was held in San Diego and it revolved around what thestakeholder requirements and expectations were. The second one was heldin March in England, which built on the first in that we asked people tobring along what they considered were identifiable hot topics.

We then did a comparison with stakeholder groups and associationsfrom all around the world, who each brought their own perspective. Wethen prioritised them and arrived at a group consensus on what order theyshould be. We arrived at six hot topics, and from memory some of thesewere Sustainability, FM Futures, Innovation, FM Risk Management, andEducation and Training.


GLOBAL FM REPORT

What we did with this workshop, because we have a differentaudience, a different group, is to play that back and gain some validation.Each time we meet with a different group or have a different audience wegain another dimension to the complete picture. For example, we gainedsome critique on sustainability and where we are in that space, because atthe moment everyone is in that space, and we need to establish who ouraudience is and what their expectations are.

One of the core objectives of Global FM is to represent the FMcommunities with one voice, and if we are all serious about what we do inFM, whether you are an association, a service provider or a university, if wedon’t start talking with one voice, no one is going to listen.

We see this as being mission critical.So the outcome of our research to date is that very soon you will see a

list of projects or focus objectives from Global FM that will present GlobalFM as an umbrella organisation for all these disparate stakeholder groups.At that stage we will be looking to the corporate players of the world to askthem for project funding.

While we are a not for profit organisation, the funding that we receivefrom FMA Australia and other associations allows us to manage ourmembership. To fund these projects, we need to go outside theassociations and gain sponsorship from industry internationally, in orderto deliver value back to the members locally, around the globe.

The objective is to deliver the value back to the FMA membership, theuniversities and the FM industry generally. This is what has come out ofthe workshops.

In education and training for example, Australia has their own set ofstandards, which are not dissimilar to U.K standards, but in the UK they arearrived at in a completely different way. What we need to do is to evaluateand understand the differences so that we can aim for recognition ofqualifications internationally, and also be able to provide these standardsfor the understanding of new and emerging FM industries internationally.

These measures are for the new facility managers, those who are

emerging and will emerge with the global marketplace in their sights asbeing their potential workplace. It is not for our generation – it is for thenext generation, and if we can provide these standards, awareness andtools to provide a level playing field across the globe, then that will be afantastic member benefit.

One of the pieces of research we intended to undertake was to look atthe question of the future of our industry – where are we headed as anindustry sector? One of the benefits to come out of the workshops is thatwe found that IFMA had already done a sizable piece of research on thatvery topic, and so we are in the position of being able to internationalisethat for the benefit of all our members. Consequently FMA Australia doesnot have to start the research on that level. They have the benefit of thatresearch work already done.

Part of the excitement of Global FM is the realisation that we cannotlive in isolation to outside influences, we live in a global world and thereare a host of opportunities that we can exploit to make the most of that.We have to arrive at a roadmap for that process and be able to provide theanswers; otherwise we miss the target and lose the opportunity.

In terms of membership, the full voting members are the membercentric national associations, and the affiliate grades of membership arethe other stakeholder groups.

At the moment we have just had Hungary join as a full member, and fora lot of people in Hungary, English is not necessarily their secondlanguage, so we have to develop the communication tools and mentoringprograms to assist them in maturing their industry.

In this way Global FM contributes toward building a global FMcommunity for the benefit of its members.

The reason Global FM came together is that the three foundingassociations started talking to each other, and the benefits to come out ofthat already are immeasurable. We need to establish what the agenda is,and then take a leadership position in setting it collaboratively for thebenefit of all.


FEATURE: PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Facility Perspectives: What are some of the issues you see facingproject managers today?

There are a couple of really big ones. For a start, many people havebecome Project Managers accidentally in their careers so the name ProjectManager is used very broadly and regularly inappropriately. We find thereare a lot of Project Managers working who have effectively had no trainingin Project Management.

In some places the hours required to be a Project Manager is as littleas 80, so what we’ve got is a whole stack of people who call themselvesProject Managers who don’t know what scheduling is or what costestimation is. They simply don’t know what the fundamental basics ofProject Management are.

When we go to have a look at the ‘Project Managers’ who are havingproblems in major corporates and government agencies we discover theydon’t have a programme, they don’t have a risk plan. If they do have aschedule, they get an outside consultant to do it for them and then theydon’t know how to use it. They become post boxes, not Project Managers.

Facility Perspectives: How do you think Project Management haschanged in Australia in the recent years?

Basically now there are two main types of projects – simple projectsand complex projects. Simple projects tend to be ones where you can usethe normal project management tools and guarantee project certainty.Complex projects are where there’s no such thing as certainty, the projectsare subject to emergent strategies and are subject to technologicalchange. The actual core of the project is complex and remains complex.For example a change management programme that includes Informationand Communication Technology (ICT) is very complex.

In the 70s, 80s and 90s we’d see long-range strategic planning whichhas now been totally disproved. It’s now accepted that you cannot do longrange planning for more complex projects, you’re lucky if you can evenplan three months ahead. If you look at the tool sets and the methodologyyou need for a simple project versus a complex project, they’re totallydifferent.

Another issue facing project management is that many simpleprojects are now being executed in complex environments so the projectitself remains simple but the environment they’re implemented in hasbecome quite complex with political change, environmental change andcontribution from major stakeholders.

Facility Perspectives: Are Project Managers sufficiently equipped toadapt to the increasingly complex environment projects are undertakenin?

The traditional set of competencies you need to be a Project Manager

have changed, so you still need to know about scope, quality, cost, risk –all those basic things, but now we need a whole set of new skills as well.You need leadership skills, organisation/design skills; you need strategyskills, performance management skills and change management skills.What’s happened now is that these Project Managers, who have the skillsthat might have survived in an operational world with a stable project, areno longer adequate.

I would say the profession is now merging so what we’ve got is threedifferent types of project managers. We’ve got the truly complex projectmangers – and there are very few of them in the world, then you’ve gotyour traditional project managers that do the simpler projects and whatwe’ve now got is a new group of project managers which we’re callingexecutive project managers who have other political skills on top oftraditional skills.

What we’re looking at now is defining that internationally anddeveloping courses to help train those people – the new standard forexecutive project management is likely to be formally launched thismonth (May). The new project management standard will identify ninetotally new views; a totally different philosophical model to traditionalProject Management; it operates in an anti-positivist model which is reallywhere there is no such thing as certainty.

Facility Perspectives: What training courses are available in Australiafor training in Project Management?

We’ve got about 280 courses at the moment and almost all of themare focused on traditional project management. I think you’re going to findover the next two years that there is going to be a real change in what istaught and what is expected of project management education. AIPM seesa distinct need for a stronger relationship between AIPM, the Universities,Government/Industry and the individual practitioner.

Facility Perspectives: How does the Australian Project Managementindustry compare globally?

Australia has been a leader in Project Management since the early 70sbecause of our mining and heavy infrastructure. We’ve also had a numberof pioneering companies like Lend Lease who have been fundamental -they were the training ground for many of the better Project Managers inthe early days. Because of that we were able to get the AIPM togetherfairly early due to a lot of people who gave their own time up to drive it. Iwould say that we are one of the most mature and strongest PMassociations in the world. We’re also the only PM association in the worldwhere the training and certification are linked. In fact the Vietnamesewant to take the whole Australian system for PM training and certificationand put it in place in Vietnam as the model for the future.

The Changing Face ofProject ManagementBY MELANIE DRUMMOND

Huge strides have been made in providing the tools necessary for the applicationof the increasingly complex profession of Project Management, but as FacilityPerspectives’ Melanie Drummond found out, skill shortages are not unique toFacilities Management. Melanie spoke to David Dombkins, National President ofthe Australian Institute of Project Management, about the changing face of ProjectManagement in Australia.

MELANIE DRUMMOND



Facility Perspectives: Lead times for projects are getting shorter,how is that affecting Project Managers?

Lead times are increasingly getting tighter and tighter, you don’thave time to train, you don’t have the luxury of being able to sit back andplan scenarios of early works – you’ve got to put together structuresthat are much more flexible and are able to keep the parties aligned eventhough the project is evolving.

Facility Perspectives: How have you seen collaborative toolsdevelop in PM?

Collaborative tools are central to the industry. We started off withpartnering in about 1988, partnering was an overlay we put on as avehicle to create collaboration on traditional adversive contracts and thatwas quite effective, but partnering is limited – it can help but even intraditional contracts we’ve moved away from that and we’re seeingproject alliances, governance contracts and lead system integrationcontracts.

For example on a project I’m working on at the moment, the timeframe we’ve got is two years and we will have on that contract at leastten major contractors. They’re all going to be working across a 57 acresite together so as you can imagine the configuration surveymanagement and integration/co-ordination required for that isincredible. What I do to deal with it is put together a collaborativecontract which enables an integrated team type model, that way thecontractors all come together to form a single project organisation andthat’s the sort of thing we regularly do these days because onecontractor doesn’t bring all the skills, I need a half a dozen differentcontractors to bring all the different skill sets in.

Facility Perspectives: Can you use that concept on a smaller scale?We can take a similar model and we’ve used it in Western Australia

with their roading contracts and up in South Queensland at the momentwith all the new infrastructure developments happening up there, they’reusing alliance contracts almost exclusively.

Facility Perspectives: Are relational contracts likely to becomecommonplace?

When we first put it out in the early 90s it was quite unusual, it wasvery rare. Now people like Transfield Services, United Construction groupand others, they would do about 90 percent of their work using that sortof contract now.

These relational contracts are now the dominant form of contractingused in Australia for major projects and those skill sets are going downfurther and further as it becomes more embedded in the organisations,so they’re using it for lower and lower level projects.

Sustainability is a big issue in every corner of the commercial builtenvironment at the moment. How do you think it will affect the projectmanagement industry in the future?

What I see coming is that people are starting to look at what theycan do about sustainability on major buildings and major infrastructureprojects. They’re asking what the issues are. I think as well that there isgoing to be a huge market in retrofitting buildings. I think sustainabilityis now becoming something that Project Managers knew nothing aboutbefore and now they’re beginning to understand it. They’re looking atheat transfer, at their optimal design and power usage – but it’s stillfledgling. I think you’ll start to see it become very strong in the next twoyears.

Facility Perspectives: So you see retrofitting being a major part ofthe next five years for Project Management?

I think it’s going to become a major marker, I think it will be a multi-billion dollar industry in the near future. Superannuation funds and othercorporates need to be seen to be green and that will bring about a largenumber of retrofits because a lot of these buildings are just exceptionallywasteful at the moment. I think there’s a huge capacity to cut the powerconsumption in major buildings, if you wanted to you could probably cutthe power consumption in major buildings by up to 60 percent. There’ssome real work to be done there and I suspect its going to become themajor area of focus in project management.



Facility Perspectives: Why has Bond University implemented the newMasters programme?

The course came about because of the need for a program thatfocused on the international aspects of project management rather thanthe national or organisational aspects of project management.

It is targeted at organisations that work in the international arena andwho want to expose key staff to internationally focused training andeducation in Project Management that includes cutting edge research.

From our knowledge of existing courses and their structure theinternational aspects were a gap that was not being filled. Whereas thereality today, especially with major projects, is that organisationsdemonstrate many features of “internationalism” in the projects they runor initiate:u They use international teams u The physical location of the team may differ from the physical location

of the project u The project may be repeated in different countries,u The project may use international fundingu Projects may be located in varying economies and cultures u Projects may utilise human resources at all levels that are

internationally sourcedu Materials and Plant may also have to be procured internationally

In addition when one examines major projects (there are at least 20currently underway in Dubai such as Burj Dubai, Lagoons, Dubai world,and Dubai airport), they are all programs (that is, a number of projectsthat all contribute to the overarching objectives of a program) andtherefore both program and portfolio management become importantaspects of the world of international projects and the course that is beingoffered.

These are the kinds of areas that the course will examine and discussgiving participants a unique insight and skill set at its conclusion. At thesame time the course does not ignore the widely accepted fundamentalknowledge and skills of project management.

Facility Perspectives: What other courses does Bond University offerin the way of Project Management education?

Bond University offers a Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma,Master’s Degree and an international executive Master’s Degree as formalaward courses.

We also offer short (1-3 day) executive education courses. All of thesewill also be offered in Dubai and the Middle East in the near future. We alsooffer in-house Masters Degrees courses tailored for each organisation.

Facility Perspectives: How important is it that educationalopportunities are offered to train in Project Management?

Given the Australian and global shortage of project managers it isessential that we train more, although it has to be remembered that theunderpinning knowledge and theory which courses such as these offerdoes not substitute for experience and commercial competency, which isthe other side of the coin.

It is also important to put in place formal education for all thosepeople who have become project managers by accident rather than bydesign and who have no real comprehension of the total scope of whatProject Management is but have instead focused on one or two smallareas.

Facility Perspectives: How has Project Management developed as acareer path in Australia in the recent years?

20 years ago there was little training in Project Management and littlerecognition of its importance in the commercial/ industrial sector. That haschanged dramatically and is reflected in the increasing membership ofthe professional project management organisations such as the ProjectManagement Institute (PMI) with nearly 250,000 members worldwide, theAustralian Institute of Project Management (AIPM) with 10,000 members,the UK based Association of Project Managers (APM) with 15,000members and the International Project Management Association (IPMA)with 40,000 certified professionals internationally, and many others invarious countries.

Today we see many organisations that recognise the value of ProjectManagement. I would hesitate to state that it represents a recognisedcareer path for Project Managers in Australia; I would suggest that someorganisations recognise project management as a career but by no meansall.

Things are improving, but PM as a career path is by no meansuniversal or universally recognised as a career.

Facility Perspectives: What skill sets does Bond Uni teach in ProjectManagement?

Bond teaches the full range of skill sets that assist graduates toeffectively fill positions as project, program and portfolio managers asthey gain their practical experience. In common with many otherinstitutions we do not admit students to our project managementprograms without a prior period of appropriate industrial/commercialexperience.

Facility Perspectives: How do you feel Project Management ischanging in Australia?

There is now a growing recognition of the importance of ProjectManagement and recognition that Project Management does make adifference. As project organisations develop competency in ProjectManagement they are now starting to look at the benefits of program andportfolio management as pathways to link and run projects within thebusiness and strategic objectives of the organisation. I also suspect thatin the next 5 years we will see the establishment of a generally acceptedgeneral theory of Project Management.

Facility Perspectives: What issues do you see surrounding theProject Management industry in Australia at the moment?

Project manager shortages are compounded by a continuing boom,especially in Queensland and Western Australia, of infrastructuredevelopment which has previously lagged in the last 10-15 years.

Facility Perspectives: What changes do you think people can expectto see within the Project Management industry in the next 5 years?

We have already seen the start of an Australian Diaspora in ProjectManagement as many of our project managers take up work in overseascountries; this of course continues to contribute to the Australianshortage.

There are a number of locations where the amount of development(Project Management in particular,) is many times the total value inAustralia. These areas (United Arab Emirates and Shanghai for example)will continue to absorb all of the project managers that can be producedfor at least 10-15 years. I believe the industry will continue on its pathwayto professionalism as the value and credibility of project managersreceives greater recognition.

In January 2008, Queensland’s Bond University will offer an International Executive masters in ProjectManagement. The course will be a joint venture of the world’s leading universities who specialize in projectmanagement namely: Lille Graduate school of Management (Christopher Bredouillet), MarylandUniversity (John Cable), NASA (Ed Hoffman), and Bond University (Andrew Leicester). Facility Perspectives’ Melanie Drummond talked to Associate Professor of Project Management at BondUniversity, Andrew Leicester, about the need that precipitated the development of the new course and whatlies ahead for education in the Project Management Industry over the next few years.


PM CASE STUDY

EUREKA!A project management case studyof Melbourne’s Eureka TowerBY MELANIE DRUMMOND

Client/Developer:Eureka Tower Pty LtdArchitect:Fender KatsalidisStructural Engineer:Connell Mott MacDonald Pty LtdMechanical Engineer:Norman Disney & Young Pty LtdLandscape Architect:Tract Pty LtdContractor:Grocon Construction Pty LtdVertical Transportation Engineer: Norman Disney & Young Pty Ltd

The Eureka tower cuts a striking figureagainst the Melbourne skyline, firmlyholding its place as the tallest residentialbuilding in the world. To build the

apartment block that would one day boast 92storeys above ground,1 construction for the300 metre-high building started back inJanuary 2002. Eureka Tower is still one of onlysix buildings in the world that has 90 storeysor more.

The plaza for the building was completedin June 2006 and the building officiallyopened on October 11, 2006 to widespreadpublic and media attention.

The tower which is largely residentialhas 556 apartments, a swimming pool, carpark, function centre, observatory and alsocontains offices and a restaurant.

The façade of the tower consisted of5,000 tons of reinforced steel, 110,000tons of concrete, 40,000 square metres ofglass and aluminium panels and a summitthat testifies to being clad in glass with asurface of real gold.


Photography by Patrick Beckers


PM CASE STUDY

Also designed with environmental and energy-efficiency in mind, theinternal mass2 concrete structure stabilises the internal thermalenvironment and to reduce energy use, double-glazed, high performanceglass is used to minimise heat gain and loss.

Maximising the use of glazed areas increases natural light permeationand reduces the need for artificial lighting. The whole structure is encasedin a curtain wall skin that is insulated with spandrels, this minimisesthermal loss and allows natural ventilation through the glazing systemwhich provides natural air flow and reduces the demand on mechanicalventilation.

Materials used for construction were selected with a consideration forlife cycle, waste minimisation; low-emission products and natural materialswere used where possible.

The architectural firm that won the commission for the project,3 FenderKatsalidis Australia, was founded in 1997 and is a relatively small companythat does however, boast highly-experienced principal team members whohave been involved in other successful architectural firms over the past 25years. Since its inception, FKA has quickly established a reputation for itsaward-winning high-rise buildings. Its previous well known projects inAustralia and Asia include the Republic Tower, the Ian Potter Museum of Art,Bendigo Art Gallery and HM@S Beach Apartments.

Located in Melbourne’s Southbank area, an interesting feature of theEureka tower is also its slenderness, it has a height to base ratio of 6 to 1,which means concrete in the columns needs to be of a very high strength3.

The construction of the foundations proved to be a challenge4, largelydue to the complex geological conditions on site – primarily because of thetwo layers of basalt above the Silurian Siltstone bedrock that occurs at adepth of 35m.

By providing an innovative foundation solution for Eureka tower, Keller(Leading Ground Engineering Specialists) Australian company Vibropilebelieve that close cooperation with structural and geotechnical consultantsled to a 30% cost reduction in the building’s construction.

The scheme initially in place for the foundation was for 764 largediameter bored piles which would have proved expensive and timeconsuming, and as an alternative solution Vibropile put together a proposalfor using Continuos Flight Auger (CFA) piles when the conditions weresuitable for founding on the lower basalt. In places where conditions werenot suitable for founding CFA piles on basalt, bored piles were socketed intothe siltstone.

Based on the ground investigations conducted by geotechnicalconsultant Golder Associates and consultant engineer Connell MottMacDonald, Vibropile developed a solution of 28 large diameter bored4 piles,

of 1200mm nominal diameter, socketed deep into siltstone; and 243 CFApiles of 750mm diameter founded on the basalt.

The final solution proved to be a cost-saving success and won Vibropilethe Victoria Master Builders Association’s ‘Most Innovative ConstructionMethod’ award for its involvement in the project.

To undertake the magnitude of a construction the scale and scope ofEureka Tower required involving project teams from over 100 organisations.Architect Fender Katsalidis and builder Grocon realised early on thatestablishing effective communication flow between project participationswould be essential in completing the project on time and within budget.

As a solution, they used web-based collaboration system Aconex5 tostreamline communication between project teams and securely managedocumentation. Aconex stored all Eureka Tower project information –including documents, drawings, workflows and correspondence – onlineand in one central site. This allowed project members to instantly view,track and share their information at any time, and from any location.

Aconex allowed Eureka Tower contractors and project managers totrack and manage drawings, approvals, schedules, requests forinformation, variations, meeting minutes and other information in real time.Every document and piece of correspondence on Aconex was archived andits status tracked. This version control and audit trail ensuresaccountability by detailing ‘who did what and when’ and also made surethat everyone was working from the most up-to-date version of each file.

Grocon Contract Administrator, Michael Waters found that using a web-based collaboration system reduced costs such as couriers, printing andadministrative staff, reduced risks such as information loss and disputes,saved time, increased productivity and flagged any potential issues beforethey could impact on budget or scheduling objectives.

“Aconex helped to give meetings clarity and focus. Five minutes beforegoing to a meeting, our team could produce a report of outstanding items.This meant we could immediately say to the architect or the client, ‘This isall the correspondence we’ve had since the last meeting, and these are theitems that are outstanding’ and get straight down to business. Theaccountability makes people do their job.” said Michael Waters.

References and Resources1 wikipideia online encyclopedia.

2 www.architecture.com

3 AEC bytes www.aecbytes.com/feature/2004/EurekaTower_pr.html

4 Keller – leading international ground enginnering specialists

http://www.keller.co.uk/klr/case/studies/row/3420444

5 Aconex Eureka Tower Case Study www.aconex.com/Clients/Case-studies/Eureka-

Tower.html


Phot

ogra

phy

by P

atric

k Be

cker

s


ESSENTIAL SERVICES

DEREK HENDRY

Building UpdateBY DEREK HENDRY, DIRECTOR HENDRY GROUP*

Vic wide: You Must PayProperty owners and facility managers entering into “construction

work” contracts (includes partition alterations/ installation and electricalworks) need to be aware of the recent changes to security of paymentprovisions, namely the “Building and Construction Industry Security ofPayment Act 2002”. Recent amendments ensure that any person whocarried out construction work via a written or verbal contract will get paid.The Act makes it easier to resolve disputes about payments thus loweringcosts to both parties and improving the contractor’s cash flow. Bewarethat holding up of contractors’ invoices for payment now hasconsequences.

NSW wide: Building Professional RegulationsFacility managers in NSW need to be aware of recent amendments to

the accreditation system that has occurred through the recentcommencement of the Building Professionals Act 2005, which sets theframework for accrediting, auditing and investigating accredited certifiers.Facility managers need to be aware that consultants need to beaccredited before engaging them, and request proof.

With the commencement of the Building Professionals Regulation2007 (the Regulation), which came into effect on the 30 March 2007, theRegulation ensures the effective operation of the Act. The Regulationenables accredited certifiers to be accredited in 21 areas of specialisationand specifies the work that certifiers can undertake in each category. Thecategories include building surveying, electrical engineering, mechanicalservices and fire safety engineering, to name a few. The Regulation hasdirect influence on matters such as, the accreditation scheme, the

renewal of accreditation, the record keeping of accredited certifiers, theinsurance requirements for accreditation, the fees for accreditation andthe penalties for an offence under the scheme. An overview of the BuildingProfessionals Regulation 2007 can be found atwww.planning.nsw.gov.au/planningsystem/pdf/brans/bs07_003_bpb_reg.pdf

Australia wide: Insurance and ElectricityFacility managers are advised to read the fine print when they receive

a building’s insurance policy document. Some underwriters include as acondition, the requirement to provide a current electrical safety report(and a requirement to act on any maintenance items mentioned). Itshould be obvious that if a current electrical safety report is not obtained(and acted upon), that from a risk and insurance perspective, the buildingowner is now exposed.

A fire in the building caused by a malfunctioning electrical systemthat would have been foreseen in an electrical safety report would, as aconsequence, most likely result in the rejection of a claim under thebuilding’s insurance.

Australia wide: BCA 2007 Catch-upFor anyone looking for a summary of the most recent changes to the

BCA which became effective on 1 May 2007 as BCA 2007, a consolidatedlist of the amendments, including any changes to referenced AustralianStandards, is available on the Australian Building Codes Board website atwww.abcb.gov.au. Just follow the links from What’s New.



ESSENTIAL SERVICES

Vic wide: New OH&S LegislationWorkSafe Victoria is reviewing and consolidating Victoria’s

thirteen existing health and safety (OH&S) regulations into one singlestreamlined document to be known as the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 2007. It is proposed the new regulations will beintroduced on July 1, 2007.

The proposed regulation aims to make it simpler for employers andworkers to comply with and understand their safety obligations whilstfocusing effort on controlling, rather than assessing, risks. The proposedregulation will also allow Victoria’s approach to OH&S to more closelyreflect recently developed national standards. According to independentanalysis, the streamlined regulation will provide employers with greaterclarity on how to make their workplace safer - helping to reduce thenumber of workplace injuries and deaths. Economically, it is anticipatedthe streamlined regulation will bring about a general reduction incompliance costs.

Australia wide: Don’t Ignore OH&SFacility managers responsible for OH&S due diligence systems in

buildings are just as liable to prosecution as the business owner underAustralia’s OH&S laws in the event of an injury or death. Michael Tooma,partner in the law firm Deacons recently said in an article “Recent caselaw highlights the dangers of failing to implement due diligence systemsand how contraventions of OH&S legislation can have personalconsequences for managers and business owners”.

A number of states have significant penalties for managers, appliedas “personal liability”. Facility managers in the loop should ensure a due diligence system is in place to cover all OH&S obligations. Failing tomeet this criteria will be costly and lead to imprisonment for repeatoffenders in NSW.

* The Hendry Group of consulting companies specialises in assistingbuilding owners, property managers, facility managers, body corporatemanagers, tenants and solicitors in all facets of building control, statutoryobligations relative to essential services/safety measures, Building Codeof Australia audits, due diligence reports, emergency evacuationprocedures and facility management through our offices in Melbourne,Sydney, Perth and Brisbane.



FM LEAD STORY

NAOMI NIELSEN

SAM at the Universityof New EnglandBY NAOMI NIELSEN, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, FACILITIES MANAGEMENT SERVICES DIRECTORATE

Taking a strategic asset management (SAM) approach to the management of builtenvironment is vital but when your organisation is faced with a significant backlogliability and limited resources.

The team at the University of New England (UNE), FacilitiesManagement Services Directorate (FMS) is progressing toward theultimate goal of Total Asset Management as part of the SAM plan fromwhat many in the tertiary education sector have recognized as a very

low base in terms of building and infrastructure quality and best practice inthe management of assets.

UNE is located in Armidale, in the New England North West region of NSW.It is classified as a Rural Campus, and was established in 1934. UNE has lowinternal student numbers and high external numbers. The main campusconsists of 137,000 sq metres and the 40,000 sq metre Residential campus,located on 210ha with eclectic architectural styles, a mixture of low gradebuildings with weatherboard and fibro construction, a small but significantnumber of heritage listed sites and a number of middle grade brick andconcrete constructed buildings.

Context The journey toward SAM is occurring with a back drop of constant change

with the sector responding to the increasing pressure of industrial reformand a limited source of skilled technical labor. Prior to 1996 FM Services(FMS) employed 140 permanent staff, was predominately trades-based withvery little outsourcing. In 1996 the University outsourced the seniormanagement team to an external FM organisation and the process of changeand rationalisation began. The majority of the change had taken place by2001 through the implementation of outsourcing strategies for the majorservice areas such as cleaning and security and the introduction of theEnergy Performance Contract. (The EPC contract established in 2000 saw theuniversity decommission two coal fired boiler houses and implement a gasheating system for the entire system, resulting in the closure of the BoilerHouses). Since 2001, the senior management team has been restructured toachieve alignment with a new service delivery, and further outsourcing of thegrounds and garden unit undertaken late 2005.

The University saw the first capital building project of $2.8 million fundedby capital grant completed at the end of 2006, this marked the first capitalprogramme project at the University since 1993. The FMS currently have $22million in funding allocated to capital projects for 2007, with an operatingbudget of around $14 million to fund operations and maintenance. TheUniversity have a deferred maintenance liability of $40 million.

Approach – Project FMS TAM The overall approach taken was to present a total asset management

plan that was consistent with and supported the strategic assetmanagement plan; and one that would achieve endorsement from theUniversity’s Executive.

The plan included of the following steps: u Given limited funds, develop a funding strategy designed to stage the

finance of the necessary steps, u develop and/or align policies and procedures that would take advantage

of FM enabling technology,

u undergo a review and selection process of available technologiesu select, customise and implement the technology, u align the service delivery model with the technology and u progressively train our human capital in maximising the effectiveness

and efficiency gains that each technology element or module offered asit was being rolled out. With the selection of ARCHIBUS/FM (Version 15) the roll out of technology

commenced in August 2005 with the implementation of a SpaceManagement system as the base module. The roll out at this initial stageincluded the process of digitising all the hardcopy documentation tocomputer aided design (CAD). In mid 2006 we made the transition from aprevious software system to the ARCHIBUS/FM AFM Building OperationsModule and implemented the Works Management and Asset Managementsystems, with the progressive capture and entering of asset details. By theend of 2006 the AFM Condition Assessment module was implemented andthe SpacePlan Module, development by Griffith University, was implementedin March 2007.

Endorsement and fundingIn 2004 success was achieved in receiving a small but significant

contribution from a Vice-Chancellor’s initiative fund. FM Services weresuccessful in receiving funding primarily because of the emphasis placed bysenior management of FMS on technology as being a critical tool insupporting the decision-making process for the allocation of capital funds, asthe University embarked on the journey of renewal of its built environment.This was achieved by educating our executive in the benefits of managingassets with appropriate technology. Following this initial one off allocation,FMS allocated operating funds from savings made on operating costs throughorganisational restructuring.

FM Services have been able to leverage this investment through thedevelopment of strategies that have enabled the necessary training anddevelopment of staff. This has resulted in around 1 to 1.2% of the operationalbudget being allocated directly to education and professional development;to stage the implementation of the key element of the system; and to thepurchase of licensing.

The University recognised early on that due to limited funds we wouldnever achieve a full implementation of all the modules, so we progressivelystaged the implementation of each element of technology over a three yearperiod.

A small but significant success at the early stages was the savingsachieved by sending scanned images offshore to a CAD converter in India,which meant that ultimately we were able to convert 80,000sqm for under$10,000 with minimal risk.

Policy Development and Alignment with OrganisationalDrivers

Investment in FM technology requires strong alignment with relevantorganisational policies and procedures, for returns to be realized. By


FM LEAD STORY

identifying the key drivers for a total asset management approach and thendetermining what polices can support the organisational objectives, supportin the journey can be realised and the degree of organisational commitmentrequired is cemented. The other process that occurred in parallel was acommunication strategy to ensure that the University community couldmake the connections and understand the relationship with these keydrivers to the policies and procedures being implemented.

To maintain the objective of an increasing commitment towards therenewal of the built environment the UNE Strategic Asset Management Planwas developed. This document was used to align the critical plans forinfrastructure such as Capital, Minor Works and Demolition programs,Maintenance and Operational plans and the Space Allocation Policy into anintegrated approach for managing the utilization and lifecycle requirementsof the university’s physical assets. A Space Allocation policy was developed toclearly define the ownership of space and to provide the guidelines forchanging the ownership or functionality of the space. A consultation strategywas also developed to establish with the University community the likelyfuture academic and research endeavours and the implications forinfrastructure of the 5 year capital works and the 3 year minor worksprograms, and ultimately to arrive at the UNE SAM Plan

Critical to achieving a successful strategic approach to managing assetswas clearly identifying how the directorate would deliver services in anincreasingly challenging fiscal environment. The journey has required thereview and alignment of the FMS Maintenance Plan and the Service LevelAgreements that underpin it, with major organisation units and faculties, andother Directorates.

The increasing complexity of statutory compliance requirements oninfrastructure coupled with sustainability and the environmentconsiderations and the increasing focus on the management of risk andquality assurance measures, have given rise to the development of DesignStandards, CAD and GIS Standards and a UNE Environmental Policy.

The procurement process and implementation After an extensive site visits to other universities such as Monash, UNSW,

Sydney, QUT, Macquarie, and UTAS, FM Services convened a user group withthe assistance of external representation from within each sector, andestablished our key requirements. These documents ultimately became ourEOI (expression of interest) and in turn our RFP (request for proposal). A keydriver behind the selection process was the recognition that we needed asystem that could provide us with a single technology FM platform that couldbe interfaced with the other UNE enterprise systems such as Finance, HumanResources, and Timetabling. We recognised very early on that we would nothave the capital to interface two “best of breed” FM software systems andthen spend even more interfacing it with the other enterprise systems. Keyrequirements were:u the ability to generate an extensive suite of reports before resorting to

third party report writers, u the software had to be able to run off an Oracle platform, u modular scalability to avoid redundancy and u local support for the product.

The FMS Total Asset Management Project commenced in August 2005and due to the University having only 8% of the built infrastructure capturedelectronically with limited cash flow, a staged approach to implementationwas adopted and the 170 buildings across the two campuses were rated intocapture priorities. With the main campus space elements captured, a similarstaged approach has been adopted for the capture of assets based oninfrastructural criticality in terms of compliance and OH&S. The capture ofassets includes the external above and underground services and thebuilding infrastructure. Adopting a staged approach toward theimplementation of the system has had a number of benefits includingproviding the cash flow to facilitate the necessary customisation, and theprovision of the time necessary to adjust the Directorates service deliverymodel, business workflows and to further train staff.

Service Delivery and Human Capital The changes in technology required adjustments to the Directorates

organisational structure and existing human capital to ensure our investmentwas maximised:

The roles that support the technology include:u Finance and Operational Systems Officer, who operated the Works

Management moduleu CAD and Space Management Officer, (our high end users and on-site

system administrator) who operates the Space management modulesand the associated building information management system

u Facilities Auditor, who initially has been responsible for auditing space,and as the capture of assets reaches a critical mass, will audit thecondition of assets

u Maintenance Planner, who will audit major plant and schedule allcategories of maintenance

u Data Entry Officer, who assists with space auditing and the data entry ofassets In addition to the above dedicated roles, the entire team at FMS have

received training and development in all the relevant areas of technologysuch as: u Relevant Archibus modulesu AutoCAD and AutoMAPu Records Management System (TRIM) u Finance system (FinanceOne) u MS excelu Data capture techniques and u Site Visits to other Universities

OutcomesThe investment in our approach to Strategic Asset Management has

resulted in the following u The provision of information required to achieve greater utilisation of

existing space through adaptive re-use resulting in the minimisation ofcapital programs

u Assist the University in determining Capital project priorities u The identification of assets, the maintenance requirements and liability

each represents u A Help Desk that is totally integrated with the system u Assists in the reduction of recurrent operational costs such as utility

costs and maintenance through understanding utilisation rates u Assists in the planning of infrastructure to support the teaching and

learning needs and requirements of the University for future growth orcontraction

u It clarifies the utilisation and allocation of the built infrastructure andassists in cost allocation strategies

u A detailed planning and consultation tool for relocation managementresulting from organisational structural reform

u Integral in the management and co-ordination of compliance issues suchas OHS, Asbestos management and Fire Safety

u The basis for the directorates Quality Assurance system and theidentification and documentation of business processes

u A tool for condition assessments which is integrated with our assetmanagement data

About the ARCHIBUS/FM Modules ImplementedSpace Management

Over 100,000 sqm of space is being managed using the SpaceManagement module, which provides an inventory for the space used theuniversity. This enables the university to create, track and maintain anaccurate and up-to-date repository of all the universities space information.

This module integrates with the Computer Aided Design (CAD) overlayfunctionality for allowing graphical representation of spaces and relatedinformation. Seamless navigation and amendment of database informationusing the AutoCAD graphical display has also increased the efficiency andreduced the workload of the CAD manager.

Some of the benefits provided to the university by the SpaceManagement module are;



FM LEAD STORY

u The ability to produce space inventory reports on different types ofspace and show how these areas are utilised.

u Develop a space inventory by creating drawings of the floors containedwithin the buildings, representing each floor’s areas in these drawings,identifying these areas, and registering this information in the projectdatabase by linking the drawing representations of areas tocorresponding database records.

u This space inventory has also provided the functionality to activelydocument the location of each individual employee.

Space PlanningGriffith University contracted ICAD Consultants to develop the Space

Planning Module to integrate within ARCHIBUS/FM to provide a robust, easy touse and flexible set of tools with which to perform indicative space planningfor universities. The development is based on the Griffith UniversitySpaceTrak system developed by Qualtrak Software which in turn is based onthe ‘Specification for the Development of the Indicative Space Module of theSpace Planning and Management System’ published by a joint working partyof the AVCC (Australian Vice Chancellors Committee) and DEET (Departmentof Employment, Education and Training) and in 1993.

The Space Planning Module was developed for the purpose of estimatingthe total amount of space required by elements of a university based onseveral different criterions. These criterions are the full time equivalentstudent and staff load and a space standard for the type of element andfunction. The Space Planning Module uses the concept of a ‘Scenario’ to allow‘what if’ projections for future years. Each year can have any number ofscenarios containing variations to the main criteria set.

The University of New England has successfully implemented this spaceplanning module and were able to use the reports generated to justify certainbusiness decisions about the requirement of both space and budget. Theresults compiled from the Space Planning Module have allowed the plans forfuture development and maintenance of the universities facilities to be

revised and adjusted according to the information retrieved. This module hasalso allowed the university to better assess and utilise its current facilities.Asset Management

ARCHIBUS/FM is being used to hold the information for the university’sassets, with the identification how assets will be described and the capture ofthese assets now underway. From 2008 regular asset audits will bescheduled and performed by staff using a tablet PC on critical infrastructure.

The main objective of the Asset Management Activity is to identify recordand maintain a standard register of owned assets within the university. Eachasset is then grouped using a category and type for clear identification andbetter reporting. Since the space hierarchy has also been defined within theARCHIBUS/FM system using the Space Management module, this module canthen track the location of each asset using this defined information. Thisenables ARCHIBUS/FM to clearly define the relationship between the assetsand their locations.Works Management

The University of New England performs a significant amount ofmaintenance work around the campus. This maintenance work can begrouped into one of the following categories:u Preventative Maintenance (PM)u Statutory Maintenance u Corrective Maintenanceu Deferred Maintenanceu Backlog Maintenance

The primary objective of the Works Management module is to record,maintain and provide detailed reports on all data relating to works carried outon university assets or space, and provide the general ability to utilizecollected data in a more strategic manner.

The Works Management module provides the university with a userfriendly interface to a single repository of data which manages the worksperformed throughout the university. This works repository will utilise datastored in other modules used within ARCHIBUS/FM. The Space Management


FM LEAD STORY

module will be used so that the work can be allocated to a space in theuniversity, the Asset Management module will be used to assign work to anindividual asset owned by the university. Employee and organisationalinformation which is retrieved from the ARCHIBUS/FM and Concept interface(described below) can also be used within this module. As the universitygrows and more ARCHIBUS/FM modules are implemented, data from othermodules can also be utilised within the Works Management module.

The effective and efficient management of maintenance works is acritical component of the day to day operation of the Facilities ManagementServices (FMS) department at the University of New England as it will directlycontribute to the level of customer service delivery capabilities.

Through optimizing the tracking and flow of works, bottlenecks andproblem area were reduced resulting in less wasted time, misused resourcesand administering unnecessary work. Hence the benefits by theimplementation of the Work Management Module were:u Significant time reduction in data entry and reporting on works

performedu Increased accuracy in management of worksu Ability to generate enterprise reports to analyse works trendsu Ability to accurately record and report the cost of completing worksu Ability to report accurately and efficiently on Key Performance Indicators

(KPIs)u Ultimately to have the ability to provide better service and response timeIntegration

The primary function for the implementation of ARCHIBUS/FM at theUniversity of New England is to manage the universities facilities. Themaintenance of financial purchase order and invoice details along withemployee and organisational hierarchy is done using systems external toARCHIBUS/FM. FinanceOne contains the financial data and Concept HR maintainsthe employee and organisational data. To allow access to this data without theneed to maintain the data in multiple systems, interfaces were developedbetween ARCHIBUS/FM and the external systems to allow the seamless

integration of data between the systems without the need for user interaction.The objective of the integration is to provide additional functionality to

the systems without the need of maintaining the data in more than onesystem. This increases productivity and allows different departmentsthroughout the university to utilise the same data from two systems withoutthe need for redundancy or unnecessary time delays.

The FinanceOne interface allows the immediate integration of databetween ARCHIBUS/FM and FinanceOne. The maintenance workflow usedthroughout ARCHIBUS/FM has now embedded the interface to FinanceOne sothat purchase orders sent to contractors can be initiated from the facilitiesservices department using ARCHIBUS/FM, then provided to the financedepartment and processed using their own FinanceOne system. When thework is carried out by the contractor and the facilities services departmentare satisfied with the completed work, all the relevant contractor paperworkis processed by the facilities department and a request for payment isautomatically sent to FinanceOne. Once the payment is processedARCHIBUS/FM automatically archives the work request record.

Integrating ARCHIBUS/FM with Concept unites human resource andbusiness data with graphic facilities and infrastructure information. Thisprovides access to accurate employee and organisational data withinARCHIBUS/FM without the need for additional data maintenance. Together,this data supports strategic decisions that optimize return-on-investment;lower asset life-cycle costs, and increases enterprise-wide productivity andprofitability.

About ICAD ConsultantsICAD Consultants Pty Ltd is a professional company that provides

technology expertise in the design, development and management ofinformation technology systems related to critical business needs. Themajority of their clients are involved with the built environment and relyheavily on computer aided design, facilities management technology andweb technologies.

O’Brien service.There’s nothing remotely like it.Whether it’s for a single property or multiplesites across the state, no one has moreexpertise in glass replacement than O’Brien.

And with over 80 years experience, it’s littlewonder why Facilities Managers acrossAustralia depend on us for all their glazing.

For immediate service or to learn more abouthow we can support you…

Our unique E-link service gives you emailed

updates on the progress of a job.

When it comes to glass replacement,

we’re ready for any job at anytime.

Regardless of the type of glass, we can

replace it; including energy efficient glass.

With more than 260 service vehicles

we have you covered — anywhere.

We can even lodge your claim and take care

of all the insurance paperwork.

Our workmanship is fully guaranteed (for life) and

meets, or exceeds, Australian Standard AS1288.

Call 13 16 16 24 HOURS7 DAYS


LEGAL AND COMPLIANCE

Towards Zero Waste – The Victorian State Government’snew Metropolitan Waste Management and ResourceRecovery Arrangements

Late in 2005 more than 130 delegates from 66 Victorian local councilsattended a Waste Policy Forum convened by the Municipal Association ofVictoria to discuss waste management and resource recovery issues forVictorian local government. At that forum councils gave their in-principalsupport for the strategies and targets outlined in Towards Zero Waste –the Victorian State Government’s new strategy for solid wastemanagement and resource recovery released in September 2005.

Toward Zero Waste StrategyTwo targets which the Toward Zero Waste strategy aims to achieve by

2014 are; a 1.5 million tonne reduction in the projected quantity of solidwaste generated statewide; and a 65% recovery rate (by weight) ofmunicipal solid waste for reuse and recycling.

When developing Toward Zero Waste the State Governmentacknowledged that current waste management technologies and wastemanagement arrangements, particularly in metropolitan areas, areunlikely to be able to deliver the outcomes required by the strategy.

To overcome this, Toward Zero Waste sets out new arrangementswhich recognise that successful waste management and effectiveresource recovery requires coordinated planning and action at local,regional and State scales.

In particular, Toward Zero Waste outlines the restructuring ofmetropolitan waste management arrangements to enable access to a newrange of waste processing and resource recovery technologies. Thisrestructuring includes the creation under the Environment Protection Act1970 (Vic) of the Metropolitan Waste Management Group (MWMG) whichwas established on October 1, 2006.

Metropolitan Waste Management GroupThe MWMG is responsible for coordinating and facilitating the delivery

of the municipal solid waste aspects of Towards Zero Waste inmetropolitan Melbourne. The new arrangements aim to increase the

capacity and flexibility of the combined group buying power of the 30member councils so that services that are otherwise unavailable (such asadvanced waste processing technologies which need optimal scales ofoperation requiring the waste collections from a number of councils to beviable) can be established and used.

The MWMG is to take a long-term (25 – 30 years) view of the type andsiting of major resource recovery, recycling and waste technologyfacilities and is responsible for facilitating establishment of such facilitiesthough public private partnerships involving local governments andprivate sector providers. The MWMG has the capacity as principal to enterinto contracts with service providers for the establishment of thesefacilities, supported by back to back contracts with councils. In enteringinto such contracts the MWMG will be required to adopt risk managementguidelines, which are to be developed in consultation with the Departmentof Treasure and Finance, Partnerships Victoria, the waste managementindustry and local government.

Looking ForwardThe Victorian State Government introduced the necessary legislation

to establish the MWMG into Parliament in the latter half of 2006, with thenew organisation established in October of that year.

It is expected that the MWMG will be looking for private sector entitieswith waste management experience with whom it can enter intopartnerships, with the aim of fulfilling its role in delivering the wastetargets outlined in Towards Zero Waste. In other states Councils are alsoseeing the benefit of privately financed waste management facilities. InWA a $100m waste processing facility is being negotiated by MindarieRegional Council with various short listed private companies on behalf of7 neighbouring councils.

For further information about this article and legal services in thisarea, please contact: John Rantino, Head of Public Law, MaddocksEmail: [email protected] (03) 9288 0694www.maddocks.com.au

Major initiatives in WasteManagement, and Victoria’s newCharter of Human Rights


LEGAL AND COMPLIANCE

The New Charter of HumanRights – What does it meanfor Local Government?REPRINTED WITH KIND PERMISSION OF MADDOCKS PUBLIC LAW GROUP

The new Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act2006 (Charter) came into force on 1 January 2007. Within 2months it was being relied on by a senior barrister as part of anapplication to review a decision by a council to grant a planning

permit (see M & L Property Developments Pty Ltd v Hobsons Bay CityCouncil [2007] VCAT 418).

It ought not to come as a surprise that the Charter will be used as abasis to review decision-making at local government level. The case ofHatton v United Kingdom, which was decided in the European Court ofHuman Rights, provides a good example of how such rights might apply inthe Victorian context and the implications for local government.

In this case, the United Kingdom Government sought to extend flightsfrom Heathrow airport between 4am and 7am. Local residents objected tothe permission sought and argued that if the flight extension was allowed,it would adversely impact on their capacity to sleep. It was argued thatthis was a violation of their right to privacy and home life. The EuropeanCourt of Human Rights agreed. It held that the failure of the government tosufficiently assess the impact of the noise and consider all possiblealternatives so as to minimise interference with the privacy and home lifeof the residents amounted to a failure in its obligations to strike a fairbalance between the economic interests of the State and the rights of thelocal residents.

Relevantly, the Victorian Charter also includes a right to respectprivacy and home life. It is not that far-fetched or difficult to see how thereasoning applied in Hatton v United Kingdom could be employed inplanning and environmental matters. The Charter may also impact uponlocal government within the context of judicial review of an administrativedecision or where a person is defending a charge (even though theCharter does not give rise to an independent right to take legal action for abreach of its provisions).

How will the Charter work?The Charter is designed to guarantee that human rights are a priority

for both present and future governments and that decision-making isaccountable and transparent. To this end, the Charter obliges all publicauthorities, which relevantly include local government, to consider anumber of substantive human rights. Those substantive rights have beenlargely imported from the International Covenant on Civil and PoliticalRights and include the right to equality before the law, the right to freedomof movement, the right to privacy, the right to freedom of religion andproperty rights, to name but a few.

The Charter obliges all public authorities to take human rights intoconsideration when making laws, developing policies and providingservices. All statutory provisions (both primary and delegated legislation)must comply with the Charter. Relevantly, the public sector will be boundby the Charter from 1 January 2008 to enable practices and proceduresto be changed if necessary.

The human rights enshrined in the new Charter call for a balance to bestruck between the competing individual human rights and the need toprotect the broader public interest.

Importantly, if a public authority fails to strike a fair balance betweenthese competing interests, it will be in breach of its obligations under theCharter.

The Charter will have implications for the way in which courts andtribunals must interpret and apply the legislation consistently with thesubstantive rights. Significantly, the Charter expressly states that courtsand tribunals may have regard to relevant international, regional andcomparative domestic human rights jurisprudence in the interpretationand application of the substantive rights.

In addition, from 1 January 2007, the newly named Victorian EqualOpportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC) has been givenexpanded duties in its role as a broad human rights watchdog. Theseinclude providing an independent assessment of how public authoritiescomply with the Charter and reviewing policies and practices of publicauthorities if requested to do so. VEOHRC will also have capacity tointervene in court or tribunal proceedings that involve interpretation orapplication of the Charter.

Announcing the Maddocks Charter TeamIn response to this significant development, and to enable us to better

service our government and local government clients, we haveestablished a special Charter Team. The Team will focus on providing legaland strategic advice and training to our many government and statutoryauthority clients.

Members of the Charter Team are: Catherine Dunlop, Glenda Beecher,Kevin Phelan, Mimi Marcus, Jane Polglase and Kelly Saunders.

Upcoming seminar seriesIn order to provide information on the new Charter, Maddocks will be

conducting two seminars on this topic. The seminar will provide acomprehensive overview of the operation of the Charter and itsimplications for local government. Invitations to the seminar will be sentshortly. If you wish to discuss the application of the Victorian Charter,please do not hesitate to contact Mimi Marcus.

Mimi MarcusLawyer, Planning & Environment Practice GroupMaddocksDirect: 61 3 9240 0871Facsimile: 61 3 9288 0666Email: [email protected] William Street, Melbourne Victoria 3000www.maddocks.com.au


PLANNING & INFRASTRUCTURE

MARIE GEISSLER

The Sustainable Sydneyof TomorrowThe Sydney 2030 PlanBY FACILITY PERSPECTIVES SYDNEY CORRESPONDENT, MARIE GEISSLER

The forum for this event was based around a series of thought-provoking presentations given by Professor Jan Gehl, Professor ofUrban Design, Director of Public Space Research at the School ofArchitecture, the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts Copenhagen and

Alan Cadogan, City of Sydney Acting Director, City Strategy Planning andDevelopment. The City has commissioned a study from Professor Gehl to feedinto the city’s long-term strategic plan, Sustainable Sydney 2030.

Professor Jan Gehl described urban revitalisation projects he hadundertaken in Europe, Asia, Australia and the United States, using this as avehicle to flag changes that may be forthcoming in his recommendationsfor the Sustainable Sydney 2030 plan and the benefits they would bring to thecity. He encouraged changes to a city which brought people into more friendlycontact with each other, encouraged people to walk outside, cycle andsocialise in public places. He contended that people-watching was arguablyone of the most enjoyable and leisurely pastimes in a city, and that it was theduty of planners and councils to ensure this could happen. Professor Gehl’swork is underpinned by a belief that a hallmark of a great city centre is onethat attracts people and is enjoyable to spend time in, something thathappens when a city provides people with attractive spaces.

He advocates that creating such opportunities was a product of urbanplanning that energised city centres and breathed new life into poorly-usedareas. Initiatives to achieve this include reducing the number of cars in thecity and reducing vehicular traffic in streets and freeways in central citylocations. As well, there had to be an increase in the number of cycle ways,pedestrian facilities and public amenities like parks and squares. Prosperouswell planned cities of today are overwhelmingly places for publicentertainment, not shopping. Gehl’s findings indicated that 40% of peoplecome to shop and 60% to enjoy, connect with others and relax. Importantly, hesupported more residential in cities, as people on the streets were a city’slifeblood.

Gehl’s study for Sydney will be a landmark urban design initiative for theCity and help strike a balance between people, cars and the built form. It willform the framework to shape and increase public space usage to ensureSydney is an enjoyable and functional place for everyone. It will ensure thatSydney remains a global and competitive city through ensuring accessibilityand desirability.

Professor Gehl’s study will focus on the CBD, William Street, Broadwayand Oxford Street, and includes fieldwork by a team of urban designers;

How will the City of Sydney become sustainable by 2030? Toundertake a successful program to achieve sustainability in 2030,the City of Sydney spoke at an AIRAH sponsored forum outliningSustainable Sydney 2030* in May, an initiative to map within asustainable framework, the city’s environmental, services andinfrastructure challenges for the next 25 years. It will address thethemes of energy and emissions, water, waste, plants and animals.



mapping of activities such as children playing, sidewalk merchants, sitting onbenches to determine the quality of urban spaces and busking; countingpedestrian traffic and movement patterns to provide a clearer understandingof how street usage is prioritised; analysis of connections with surroundingvillages, traffic, parking, pedestrian and car conflict, travel time, types of nighttime activities and street furniture; and recommendations for qualityimprovements to spaces.

“A good public realm where people from all walks of life naturally andcasually meet is important for democracy, social cohesion in society, thenotion of an ‘open city’ and the feeling of safety,” Professor Gehl said.

Professor Jan Gehl said: “A good city is like a good party – people staylonger than they planned to because they are enjoying themselves.”

Alan Cadogan’s lecture outlined ways in which the City will work over thecoming months with Australia’s best minds in urban planning, finance,engineering, property, the arts and environmental science to create a 25-yearvision for Sydney entitled Sustainable Sydney 2030. The plan was initiated byLord Mayor Clover Moore MP, who was in New York at the time to discussenvironmental initiatives with mayors from some of the world’s largest citiesat the C40 Large Cities Climate Change Summit.

Mr Cadogan, described how an extensive business, individual,environmental, government and community consultation process would occurover the next few months. He said that at this stage the Sustainable Sydney2030 project would soon begin community engagement and participation toshape the suite of ideas, aspirations and projects that would guide the Cityover the next 25 years. Information for the plan would be collected through aseries of forums and events, displays at centres, written submissions,meetings with groups and individuals, City News and information from thewebsite www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/environment. These ideas would thenbe carefully tested and evaluated before being incorporated into the plan.

Mr Cadogan said “Future development will create substantial demands onthe city’s environment, services and infrastructure. Public and privateinvestment must be coordinated to ensure Sydney remains Australia’seconomic powerhouse and a sustainable, liveable city. To achieve the 2030vision, the City will continue its comprehensive community and corporateconsultation. We’ll be working with a broad range of experts and key thinkersto develop the plan but also working closely with the community and citybusinesses. We’ll ensure that its projects will include robust financialinformation to enable long-term planning and sound financialmanagement. By the middle of this year, we are aiming to have a broad visionarticulated. Toward the end of the year, key projects will be selected andconcepts developed, and by early next year, the program will be finalised.”

Key projects are yet to be developed but might include planning for newtransport networks with the State and Federal Governments and with theprivate sector to deliver efficiencies to businesses as well as residents andvisitors, new recycled water networks to further drought proof the City, orprojects such as the long talked about town square on the site of theWoolworths building and an indigenous cultural centre – which is a highpriority for international visitors.

The City has an important role in building the Green Square Town Centreas part of a vital new business and residential corridor between the CBD andthe airport. Green Square will be the centre of an economic growth area, and acrucial part of the city’s economy. Cadogan suggested that SustainableSydney 2030 might bring a number of different approaches to thedevelopment of Green Square from taking the centre off the electricity gridand using other energy sources, to looking at ways of reusing stormwater asgrey water and sewage.

Alan Cadogan said that the Lord Mayor and the City are committed toensuring Sustainable Sydney 2030 will promote Sydney as a significant globalcity and economic force. Sustainable Sydney 2030 will help deliver liveableand inviting neighbourhoods, inspiring workplaces, vital parks, a dynamiceconomy, attractive streetscapes, and a vibrant and diverse culture – allserviced by an efficient and integrated transport system including walkingand cycling.

He said that the plan would help to achieve sustainability for the city’sfuture, working in new partnerships with State and Federal Governments andwith business. The plan would include initiatives to achieve leadership in the

conservation of water and energy consumption. It would also addressdelivering a world-class public domain and building design and provision forhousing and population growth while maintaining livability, quality servicesand transport. At the same time the plan would set down ways of fostering avibrant, diverse and inclusive community, and a lively arts and cultural sector.*The Partners in this Sydney 2030 Forum:

The City of Sydney, the Australian Institute of Refrigeration Air Conditioning and Heating, the Green

Building Council of Australia, Department of Environment and Climate Change, Department of Energy

Utilities and Sustainability, Landcom and the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (SHFA) have

formed a partnership to deliver the Sydney Forum, a series of public talks with the goal of increasing

the development and refurbishment of commercial buildings in Sydney.

About Marie Geissler and Geissler CommunicationsMarie Geissler BSc, MPRIA, is director of Geissler Communications. Her

expertise includes corporate, community, government, media and crisiscommunications, the development of sponsorship programs, exhibitions andthe writing of media releases, speeches, articles, marketing materials andbooks.

Through her long association and involvement with the art world and CraftArts International, Marie offers an art consultancy service to organizations,government and business.

Over many years Marie has worked in the area of sustainability, workingclosely with many architectural, technology and design practices to promotetheir “green” services and products. She worked closely with the Green Officeat the Sydney Olympics 2000, staging several seminars for theinternational media to promote the “green” design that was part of thedelivery of the Games.

Geissler Communications is a member of the Public Relations Institute ofAustralia, the Foreign Correspondents Association, The Australian Academy ofDesign, The Media Arts and Entertainment Alliance. Tel 02 9380 5510 or [email protected]



Watching the ClockCountdown toWater ReformONE OF SIX ARTICLES IN ERNST & YOUNG’S 2007 EDITION OF BUSINESS AGENDA –WATCHING THE CLOCK: COUNTDOWN TO WATER REFORM

The ambiguity of water ownership is lost on no-one. Asthe management of this commodity is addressed andorganisations consider the economic, regulatory andreputational implications of water reform, the scarcityof this precious resource – best described asbelonging to everyone, and yet no-one – is foremoston everyone’s minds.



As the November 2006 Water Summit recognised, Australia is facinga national water crisis. Put simply, the nation’s water system hasnot kept pace with our growth. While the initial Council of AustralianGovernments (COAG) 1994 water reform agenda attempted to

provide a sound basis from which to address this and other key issues,water reform is now firmly on the national agenda and is gainingunequivocal momentum. Consequently, businesses will need to considerhow to respond to the new forces unleashed by water reform and the needfor water security in today’s water constrained environment.

According to the Water Services Association of Australia, “Over the last20 years, with the exception of Perth, no new water sources have beendeveloped for our cities.”1 Combine this fact with a rapidly increasing urbanpopulation and it is not surprising that 80 per cent of urban Australians livewith some form of water restrictions2, with areas such as Gosford/Wyongand Goulburn in NSW, the central region of Victoria and Toowoomba inQueensland already under total outdoor water bans.3

In 2007, however, Australia may find a united political will to acceleratethe previously glacial pace of water reform and address water shortages. Inan interview with The Age in November last year, Victorian Premier, SteveBracks, declared water “one of the most important issues of this electioncampaign,” while his government prepared a controversial $1.5 billion planto secure Melbourne’s drinking water supply for 50 years.4 Meanwhile, theSouth East Queensland Infrastructure Plan and Program 2006-2026 hasallocated an expected $5 billion in water infrastructure projects, with furtherresources for water grid projects to be announced in 2007.5

Water is fundamental to Australia’s economic growth. In its 2006 report,Water under pressure: Australia’s man-made water scarcity and how to fix it,the Business Council of Australia states that fundamental water reform,including allowing water prices to rise to clear the market, is “one of themost urgent tasks facing the Australian Government”. The report goes on tocomment, “Australia’s productive capacity is considerably less than it shouldbe. This is because our available water is not being put to its best use, andbecause the water rationing that is currently being adopted in both urbanand rural areas is an extremely inefficient method to match the availablewater supply with demand.”6

Indeed, as the government concludes, “part of the solution is betterpricing, but the real issue is better management and adequate investmentin water infrastructure.”7

Major pricing increasesIf the National Water Initiative, which was agreed to in June 2004, is

successful in driving and building on COAG’s 1994 water reform agenda,Australia will eventually have a market for water, similar to the way it has amarket for other commodities such as electricity. The result will be afundamental change to how Australia sources and pays for its water.

For years, Australian consumers and businesses have only been payingfor the cost of storing, treating and transporting water: there has been noprice tag for water itself. In marked contrast to electricity and many othercommodities, the price of water currently bears no relevance to supply anddemand.

As a result and despite being the driest inhabited continent in the world,Australia has among the world’s lowest water prices.8 As the Hon. MalcolmTurnbull pointed out in a speech to the Committee of Economic Developmentof Australia9, “The ABS estimates that in 2003-2004, Australian householdspaid an average $311 a year for water and $1,200 for electricity, gas andother substitutes ... water is not a finite resource in the way minerals are ...we can have as much water as we are prepared to pay for ... we can make asmuch and more water than we need from recycling ... or ... desalination.”

But all this is about to change. “Regardless of the extent of tradingbetween the urban and rural water sectors and the attribution of aneconomic value to water to assist in driving its efficient use, the base cost ofwater and water services will increase. In addition, the need to addresswater security through the introduction of non climate-controlled sources ofsupply such as desalination or water recycling will inevitably furtherincrease costs to users,” says David Green, Head of Ernst & Young’sElectricity and Water Advisory Group.

Just how much prices will increase once water reform initiatives arefully implemented and water security is enhanced is a topic of hot debate.According to Green, who was also recently appointed as one of threeinaugural Water Commissioners to the Queensland Water Commission: “Inthe next five years, we should expect prices to at least double and possiblymove higher again as the consequences of the full cost recovery of waterinfrastructure and associated water services are passed on to water users.”

He adds, “The full pricing consequences will not be known for sometime as new institutional and pricing arrangements will need to beimplemented and the introduction of an urban water market accelerated toaddress urban water security. These initiatives will fundamentally changethe way in which we, as a community, use and value water.”

In its 2006 report, Without water: the economics of supplying water to 5million more Australians10, the CSIRO contends that if governments do notact to expand water trading and access “new” sources of water by buildingdesalination plants, establishing large sewage recycling schemes andmaking use of storm water, in our worst affected city – Perth, the price ofwater would need to increase by about ten times to manage demand in2032.

In South Australia, Cabinet has determined that residential water priceswill rise by an average 6.4 per cent from July 2007. “The Government hasmade a responsible decision about water pricing, with the increase comingas a result of CPI and the need to build better water infrastructure in thefuture,” says Government Enterprises Minister the Hon. Michael Wright.11

Ultimately, where the water market will settle is hard to forecast giventhe unpredictable factors that will affect both supply (climate change,rural/urban trading and the extent of desalination or recycling, as well asongoing management) and demand (the efficiency of water managementand the ongoing role of water restrictions). “Clearly, businesses need tostart assessing the likely impact of both water scarcity and water priceincreases and prepare appropriate risk mitigation strategies,” says LizaMaimone, Partner, Ernst & Young’s Environment and Sustainability Group.

Economic forcesWhile every business will feel the economic impact if their water bill

doubles and water supplies become unreliable, heavy water users willclearly be more affected than others. For example, the manufacturing,agribusinesses, mining and power sectors will be more directly affectedthan banking. However, even those that are not water dependent will needto carefully consider the indirect effects of increased water prices on theirsupply chain. “A bank may not be heavily water dependent, but many of itsclients will be; water forms a relatively small percentage of the retail coststructure, but what will happen when higher water bills gouge intoconsumers’ discretionary spending?” explains Ernst & Young’s Chris Leptos,Managing Partner, Government.

Organisations need to strategically position themselves for thisenvironment and consider which course of action is best suited to mitigatethese impacts. For instance, for the last few years individual sustainabilityprograms have seen some organisations taking measures to voluntarilyreduce water consumption. Coca-Cola Amatil is one such company, having

The impact of price increases and supply constraintsThe questions to ask...1) If water prices increased 25 per cent or 50 per cent,

what impact would that have on:a. Our business?b. Our suppliers’ businesses?c. Our customers’ purchasing decisions?

2) If the water supply decreased by 25 per cent or 50 percent, what impact would that have on:a. Our business?b. Our suppliers’ businesses?c. Our customers’ purchasing decisions?



implemented water efficiency programs in its plants all over Australia.Success in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide has shown thateven slight changes to operations can deliver substantial water savings.

Alec Wagstaff, Director of Corporate Affairs, explains: “Coca-Cola Amatilhas made cumulative water savings of 13 per cent over the last five years.That offers us huge savings in our water bills alone. We’ve gone as far as toinstall dual flush toilets and water saving showerheads across our Brisbanesite and every tap is fitted with an aqualock flow regulator.”

Companies can also investigate innovative local solutions to reducetheir reliance on potable water. These solutions, which are already in play,range from very simple programs such as industrial parks capturing the rainthat falls on storage sheds roofs, to major infrastructure developments. Byway of example, Coca-Cola Amatil’s Brisbane plant uses recycled water fromits rinsers to feed the cooling towers, truck wash area, toilets, floor hose-down reels and the gardens.

In Western Australia in 2004, a collaborative project between industryand government led to the construction of the Kwinana Water ReclamationPlant which today provides six gigalitres (million kilolitres) of treatedwastewater a year to Kwinana’s industrial customers, including BP, Hismelt,Tiwest, CSBP and Edison Mission Energy. The Kwinana Industries Council iscurrently developing sustainable options for water supply, wastewater reuseand wastewater disposal over a 15 year planning horizon (2006-2021) witha view to further decreasing industry’s reliance on scheme water. “TheKwinana Industries Council will continue to work closely with our partners toimplement the recommendations from the study, encouraging new watersynergies across industry as well as a diversity of water supply options,”says Tonia Swetman, Kwinana Industries Council Director.

Regulatory pressureEven those businesses without clear economic drivers to reduce water

consumption will face increasing regulatory pressure to do so. South EastQueensland is leading the way in this regard. Organisations using greaterthan ten megalitres of water per annum are required to complete WaterEfficiency Management Plans to comply with Level 4 water restrictions,which have been in place since November 2006 and are likely to move toLevel 5 as soon as March. The plans require businesses to better managewater use, save on water costs, improve efficiency and reduce businesswater consumption – by a minimum of 25 per cent or best industry practice– in line with regionally agreed water reductions.

Other States have implemented similar schemes, with Victoria amendingits Environment Protection Act 197012 to require premises where water orenergy consumption exceeds a mandated trigger level to prepareEnvironment Resource Efficiency Plans, including measures and deadlinesfor decreasing water and energy consumption. In preparing for mandatedwater consumption reductions, businesses should seek opportunities toapply for assistance either from the various Federal government or State-based initiatives that currently exist. For example, the QueenslandGovernment has allocated $40 million for an incentive scheme providingfinancial and technical support to businesses implementing their WaterEfficiency Management Plans.

Reputation riskBeyond economic pressure and environmental regulations, improved

water consumption practices will also be driven by a rise in corporateresponsibility practices and the increasingly high profile public reporting ofenvironmental and social performance.

While the Parliamentary Joint Committee, convened in 2005 to inquireinto a range of corporate responsibility matters, did not recommend legallymandated corporate responsibility reporting it did make two keyrecommendations.13 The first is that the ASX Corporate Governance Council’sPrinciples of Good Corporate Governance and Best PracticeRecommendations encourage companies to inform investors of the materialnon-financial aspects of their risk profile by disclosing their top fivesustainability risks, along with strategies in place to manage these risks.

The report also recommended that company auditors annually reviewthe extent to which companies are making non-financial disclosures in their

operating and financial reviews.Specifically, auditors should report on the extent to which the

disclosures allow shareholders and the wider capital market to assess andvalue material non-financial performance, risk profile and risk managementstrategies. These recommendations have two major implications in respectto water scarcity and water consumption. Firstly, both these issues shouldbe factored into an organisation’s risk profile and, where appropriate,included in risk disclosures. Secondly, in publicly reporting on variousenvironmental indicators, companies should consider including informationon water consumption and initiatives in place to reduce this.

“Specifically, stakeholder pressure to report on such matters creates aninformal driver encouraging companies to be more responsible in theirwater use – a failure to do so can impact upon a company’s reputation andthe perceptions of that company in the broader marketplace,” says Ernst &Young’s Maimone. In addition, as governments move to more adequately

Increased private investment in water infrastructureAustralia will need to come to terms with the need for privatecapital to fund the tens of billions of dollars needed to beinvested in water infrastructure over the next few decades.The Australian market is maturing to the point where thereare many opportunities for the private sector to play animportant role in building and operating water infrastructure.As Macquarie Bank’s $20 billion investment in Thames Watermade clear, the private sector has substantial appetite forwater infrastructure investment. Media reports noted that “... the attraction of Thames Water for Macquarie and its co-investors is that the system of regulation of water utilities inBritain gives the owners set rates of return over five yearperiods. They are also seen as relatively high-yielding andlow-risk investments.”14

We’re always looking at better ways to service our clients and we’re also looking at better ways to help the environment. To see the whole picture, have a look at:

theglassisgreener.com.au

1300 666 234ALL DAY ALL NIGHT ALL OVER AUSTRALIA

RPB

RO

WN

118

4



manage the urban water demand supply balance, it is likely that demandside initiatives will require mandatory reporting of business water useefficiency measures, such as South East Queensland’s Water EfficiencyManagement Plans.

“Business can expect to be under substantial pressure to moreefficiently use the community’s limited water resources. In Brisbane, thecapital city facing the most stringent water restrictions so far, residentialwater use has fallen markedly and business is now being asked to make asimilar commitment,” says Green from Ernst & Young.

Releasing the pressure slowlyWith water reform leading the government’s agenda, corporate Australia

faces the task of analysing the implications of price increases andmandatory reductions in water consumption as water positions itself as anissue for most businesses.

Attention must be given to this new risk profile, while there is still timeto strategically manage the process to avoid sudden shocks to coststructures or supply chains. As best practice risk management has proven,those adapting early to the new shape of business will cope well and rise tothe top once the pinch of water restrictions and demand reduction initiativesbegin to encroach on business activities.

About Ernst & YoungErnst & Young is a global leader in professional services. The firm’s

110,000 people in 140 countries pursue the highest levels of integrity,quality and professionalism in providing a range of sophisticated services.In Australia, Ernst & Young has over 4,000 partners and staff based in sevenoffices and is a trusted advisor to many of the country’s leadingorganisations. To obtain a copy of Ernst & Young’s Business Agenda 07, inPDF format, go to http://www.ey.com/global/content.nsf/Australia/Home

References and Resources1 Water Services Association of Australia, Testing the water, WSAA Position Paper No. 01, Melbourne,

October 2005, page 4.

2 Water fight: fury over $1.5 billion plan, The Age, 13 September 2006, via Factiva, © VNU Business

Publications Limited.

3 National Water Commission, Australia’s water supply status and seasonal outlook, October 2006,

page 16.

4 Water fight: fury over $1.5 billion plan, The Age, op. cit.

5 The Coordinator-General, Queensland Government Office of Urban Management, South - East

Queensland Infrastructure Plan and Program 2006-2026, May 2006, page 2.

6 Business Council of Australia, Water under pressure: Australia’s man-made water scarcity and how to

fix it, Melbourne, September 2006, pages ii and 10.

7 Committee for Economic Development of Australia, Transcript: Prime Minister John Howard,

“Australia’s national challenges: energy and water”, 17 July 2006,

<http://ceda.com.au/public/package/howard_200607/howard_200607_speech.html>.

8 Business Council of Australia, op. cit., page 12

9 The Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, speech to the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, Why

should our cities be short of water? Is urban water a finite resource?, 8 June 2006,

<http://www.malcolmturnbull.com.au/news/article.aspx?ID=495>.

10 CSIRO and Monash University, Without water: the economics of supplying water to five million more

Australians (MD Young, W Proctor, E Qureshi and G Wittwer), © 2006

<http://www.clw.csiro.au/publications/science/2006/WithoutWater.pdf>, page iv.

11 The Hon. Michael Wright MP, Premier and Ministers of South Australia News, Price rise to help secure

SA’s water future, 7 December 2006, <http://www.ministers.sa.gov.au/news.php?id=1060>.

12 EPA Victoria Environmental legislation, 19 September 2006, Environment Protection (Amendment)

Act 2006, EPA Victoria, December 2006, <http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/about_us/legislation/epa.asp>.

13 Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services, Corporate responsibility:

managing risk and creating value, June 2006, pages xxii and 121.

14 Water boys make name in the big league, The Australian Financial Review, 18 October 2006, via

Factiva, © VNU Business Publications Limited.

At Facility Perspectives, we’re focused on integratingpeople, process + place.Subscribe now and keep up-to-date with the latest in facility management.

NAME:

POSITION: COMPANY:

ADDRESS:

SUBURB: POST CODE:

PHONE: FAX:

EMAIL:

❏ 2 YEARS $65 (inc GST & postage) ❏ 1 YEAR $35 (inc GST & postage)

❏ OVERSEAS SUBSCRIBER RATE IS $70AUD PER YEAR (postage included)

❏ MY CHEQUE TO EXECUTIVE MEDIA PTY LTD IS ENCLOSED ❏ PLEASE CHARGE MY CREDIT CARD

❏ VISA ❏ MASTERCARD ❏ AMEX

CARDHOLDERS NAME:

SIGNATURE: EXPIRY DATE:

FAX TO: 03 9329 5295 OR POST TO: EXECUTIVE MEDIA PTY LTD, PO BOX 256, NORTH MEBOURNE VIC 3051

facility

i n t e g r a t i n g p e o p l e – p r o c e s s – p l a c e

This document serves as a Tax Invoice once your payment has been successfully processed. Executive Media ABN 30 007 224 204. Your subscription will commence with the nextavailable edition. Privacy: your personal details are used for the subscription of this magazine only. There are no refunds provided.

✁


BOOK REVIEW

SCORCHERThe Dirty Politicsof Climate Changeby Clive Hamilton

This is described as the most likely scenario by Clive Hamilton inhis new book, aptly titled Scorcher. His figures are derived fromthe Fourth Assessment Report of Working Group 1, released by thetortuously named, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

(IPCC). The IPCC was established in 1988 by the World MeteorologicalOrganisation and the United Nations Environment Programme and isacknowledged by most world governments, including Australia’s, as thesource for information on climate change.

In practical terms, what can this mean for Australia? Drawing on CSIROdata, Hamilton lists, amongst other consequences: u the intensification of the El Nino effect leading to more, and more

severe droughts; u a doubling or quadrupling of the number of days over 35°C in the

capital cities; u more days of high and extreme fire danger and more intense and

more frequent bushfires; u permanent damage to the Great Barrier Reef; and u the spread south of ‘tropical’ diseases such as Dengue Fever.

Hamilton maintains that the research shows that we cannot preventclimate change—it is more a question of whether the world can agree onhow to prevent the effects from being worse.

So how did we get to this state? It seems not that long ago our leaderswere proudly describing themselves as climate change sceptics, anddismissing concerns about global warming.

Taking up the challenge to answer this question, Hamiltonconceptualises the climate change debate as a battle between thewarnings of climate change scientists and the desire of fossil fuelcompanies to protect their commercial interests.

In this feisty book, he dispenses with the polite introduction andlaunches into an exposé of powerful fossil fuel lobbyists, in particularrepresentatives of the coal, oil, cement, aluminium, mining and electricityindustries, and their influence of the Australian Government.

Hamilton’s objective is to write a history of the politics of climatechange in Australia. Subtitled ‘The Dirty Politics of Climate Change’,Scorcher traces the history of domestic and international manoeuvring bythe Australian Government to protect certain sectors of Australianindustry from the impact of attempts to reduce emissions.

Beginning with an explanation of the principles underlying the climate

change debate, Hamilton thenoutlines the structure ofAustralia’s greenhouseemissions and provides aneatly structured explanationof the Kyoto Protocol.

It is often forgotten thatAustralia was, in fact, asignatory to the 1997 KyotoProtocol, where it agreed tolimit emissions to an averageof 108% of 1990 emissionsacross a five year period from2008 to 2012. To come intoeffect, the Protocol had to beratified by at least 55countries (141 ratified) andcountries accounting for 55%of greenhouse emissions. Thiswas achieved in 2004 when

Russia ratified. As is well known, Australia and the USA refused to ratify,though Australia maintains it is meeting its 1997 emission targets.

Clive Hamilton is the Executive Director of the Australia Institute, anindependent think-tank based in Canberra. He is an authority on theeconomics and politics of climate change, having been involved in thisarea as a participant and observer for many years. He is scathing in hisanalysis of the Australia’s approach to the Kyoto Protocol.

Australia, he maintains, is the only industrialised nation engaged inwidespread land clearing. He describes how, in agreeing to the 1997targets, Australia ensured that emissions due to land clearing be includedin the calculation of its 1990 emissions. If land use change and forestryare excluded, a quite different picture emerges, with total greenhouseemissions in Australia increasing by 25% between 1990 and 2004.

Hamilton maintains that by 2010 the increase in total emissionsexcluding land use and forestry will exceed 30%, and that emissions fromburning fossil fuel is growing so rapidly that Australia is not expected tomeet the target set by the Kyoto Protocol. He bluntly describesgovernment claims otherwise as ‘a lie’.

The globe will warm by 3°C or more and sea levels will rise by 0.35 to 0.43 metresby the end of the century if greenhouse gases continue to be emitted at or abovecurrent rates.

BLACK INC. AGENDA $29.95

REVIEW BY WINTERCOMMS DIRECTOR-INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN AND RESEARCH

SUSAN KECK HDIPT, GDIPED, GRADCERTBUSAD, ANZIIF (MEM)

SUSAN KECK


BOOK REVIEW

The Australian Government’s justifications for not ratifying theProtocol as outlined in the book include that:u Australia only contributes 1.4% of global emissions and therefore the

difference made by any cut backs would have a negligible effect.u Developing countries had been exempted from the Protocol and this

was ‘unfair’ and would undermine the effectiveness of the agreementbecause they will be responsible for more future emissions thandeveloped countries.

u Australia would be disadvantaged because it is rich in fossil fuels.u The agreement was not in Australia’s ‘national interest’.

Hamilton counters the government’s position, argueing that:u Australia is the world’s seventh largest greenhouse gas emitter.u Australia has the highest annual emissions per capita of any

industrialised country.u If the world were made up of only 71 nations, each of which was

responsible for 1.4% of emissions then that would account for 100% ofemissions.

u Climate change is being caused by the concentration of pastemissions made by rich, developed countries. He notes thatAustralia’s “20 million people produce more greenhouse pollution thanIndonesia’s 200 million”.

u Every international agreement on climate change, including Kyoto,recognises that developing countries will be required to cut theiremissions.Hamilton explains that under the Kyoto Protocol, emissions are

counted when released, not when fossil fuels are mined. This is significantbecause it will be Australia’s customers who burn our fossil fuels that willbe penalised under a carbon emissions trading system that is expected tooperate between 2008 and 2012. All the political obfuscation in Australiawill not change this fact.

According to Hamilton, government commissioned modellingconcludes that by 2010 the cost of not ratify the Kyoto Protocol will begreater than ratifying it, due to the actions of other countries reducingtheir fossil fuel imports.

Overall energy efficiency is poor in Australia compared with otherOECD countries. Hamilton refers to studies that show that Australia couldreduce its energy consumption by 20% at zero cost, and therefore easilymeet our Kyoto target, even being able to sell our surplus emissionpermits to other countries.

Rather than seeking to deny climate change, Hamilton suggests thatthe strategic approach would be to exploit Australia’s massive resources ofalternatives such as, solar, wind, tidal and geothermal energy. Ouradvantage derives from large land area, sunny climate and long coastline,and our expertise. He argues that Australia is actually “particularly wellplaced for the longer term global energy revolution”.

There is a sense of increasing urgency towards the end of the book asHamilton introduces the concept of “tipping points”—the significantworsening of a climate change affect as global warming precipitates a

change in the environment which in turn accelerates increases in globaltemperatures. The warning is that “we have less than ten years to cutcarbon emissions before global warming runs out of control and changesthe world forever”.

In ‘Scorcher’ Hamilton builds a case towards the appalling conclusionthat in order to protect Australia’s fossil fuel and high emission industries;the Australian Government is actually engaged in an attempt to sabotagethe Kyoto Protocol at the international as well as on the domestic front.

The book reads like a current affairs transcript as despatches comein. Well researched, it provides a basis for understanding the complexity ofthe climate change debate in Australia.

“The last time it was 3°C warmer, sea levels were 25 metres higher ...once you get the process started and well on the way it is impossible toprevent it.” – Dr James Hansen, director of the NASA Goddard Institute forSpace Studies as quoted, p181, 2007

PostcriptIn December 2006 a joint government industry task group was

estabished to advise on the nature and design of a workable globalemissions trading system in which Australia would be able to participate.

In its Terms of Reference it is prescribed that Australia’s majorcompetitive advantages through the possession of large reserves of fossilfuels and uranium must be preserved when assessing Australia’s furthercontribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The Task Group will be supported by a joint whole-of-government andbusiness secretariat located in the Department of the Prime Minister.

On 31 May 2007, the Prime Ministers Task Group on emissions tradingwill report to the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

It will be chaired by Dr Peter Shergold, Secretary of the Department ofPrime Minister and Cabinet and its membership includes: u Mr Peter Coates, Executive Committee Member, Xstrata u Mr Tony Concannon, Managing Director, International Poweru Mr Russell Higgins, Non-Executive Company Director Australian

Pipeline Trust u Ms Margaret Jackson, Chairman, Qantas u Mr Chris Lynch, Executive Director, BHP Billiton u Mr John Marlay, Chief Executive Officer, Alumina Limited u Mr John Stewart, Managing Director, National Australia Banku Mr David Borthwick, Secretary, Department of the Environment and

Heritage u Dr Ken Henry, Secretary, The Treasury u Mr Michael L’Estrange, Secretary, Department of Foreign Affairs and

Tradeu Mr Mark Paterson, Secretary, Department of Industry, Tourism and

ResourcesSource:

http://www.pm.gov.au/media/Release/2006/media_Release2293.cfm

http://www.ipcc.ch

Adding value for building owners> International Green building cost analysis

> Australian Green building cost and benefit analysis

> Portfolio risk and condition assessments

> Due Diligence for acquisition

> Life-cycle planning

> Tax allowance valuation

> Replacement valuation

> Asset improvement planning and delivery

www.davislangdon.com Innovative thinking in property and construction |


HUMAN CAPITAL

With offices in 37 countries andterritories, Merrill Lynch offers abroad range of services to privateclients, small businesses,

institutions, corporations and high net worthindividuals. In Australia, the company operatesfrom Sydney, Melbourne and Perth Offices with atotal of 411 employees nationally, and that’swhere Janet comes in.

She’s kept busy looking after the Australianfacilities portfolio which includes leases, fitouts,churn, business travel, occupational health andsafety, maintenance, catering, concierge,switchboard, mail, copiers and third partydevices.

“Every day I’m responsible for service on theclient floor in regards to catering, and reception. Atpresent we are going through a restack, so itsplans, sign offs, looking to long-term futurestrategy, and ensuring we have flexibility to meetthe business needs throughout different stages of the market cycle.”

Her team consists of outsourced providers which total 21 – most ofthem based on the premises, and a total of 4 full-time Merrill staffnationally. She also oversees the Melbourne operation and manages thefacilties in Perth . The extent of her responsibilities brings with it a numberof obstacles to overcome each week, a challenge she takes gracefully instride.

“Apart from the usual maintenance and operational issues common tothe FM role, one of our biggest challenges is finding space for new hiresthat meet compliance rules governing Chinese walls between differentparts of the business. To overcome these it’s important to have goodcommunication with all parties involved and to build a smart andresponsive team that can meet deadlines and that aren’t afraid to askquestions.”

While good communication is a cornerstone in succeeding as a

facilities manager, Janet also suggests a numberof other attributes needed to achieve the KPI’srequired in her hectic role:

“Don’t take things personally, laugh don’t cry,have patience, don’t be afraid to make decisions,plan, have strong organisational skills, have greatpeople to work with and communicate both goodand bad news in a timely fashion.”

Having worked extensively in facilities overthe past 10 years, Jan still sees problems facingthe Facilities Management industry.

“A challenge is still the ever-changingenvironment and the demands of the job are still24x7 by 365 days a year. The blurred line ofwhich services should and do come under afacilities manager. How do you measureperformance and salaries when all FM’er rolesare different? I don’t believe we have ever had adefinition of a Facilities Manager that could becalled ‘Generic’. I believe setting the base line is

underway with the FMA accreditation programme, as it takes into accountthe experience of the individual and provides a guide for the level ofexpertise that companies are looking to employ.”

Janet would also like to see Facility Management explored further byyoung people looking for a challenging and constantly changing careerpath.

“I would like to see an option of a course at TAFE level so it could betaught straight from school. It would attract more men, but women inparticular at a younger age into an industry which I think is exciting andfull of opportunities.”

Unfortunately, the nature of Jan’s exciting job doesn’t allow her toachieve everything she would like to each day.

“I do find it a bit challenging to keep my desk tidy, no one would everfind anything if I got run over tomorrow to pick up and run with. Althoughof course, I think it’s organised!”

Jan Biggs may have trouble keeping her desk tidy, but it doesn’t stop her keepingon top of her role as Facilities Manager for Merrill Lynch (Australia), one of theworld’s leading wealth management, capital markets and advisory companies.

Jan Biggs

15minutes of facilitymanagement fame

BY FACILITY PERSPECTIVES’ MELANIE DRUMMOND

Hays Facilities Management locations:

Adelaide 08 8212 5242 [email protected] 07 3243 3002 [email protected] 02 6230 5142 [email protected] 03 6234 9554 [email protected] 08 9486 9553 [email protected] 03 8616 8400 [email protected] 02 9249 2222 [email protected]

Specilist Recruitment hays.com.au

Hays Facilities Management has been servicing Australia for more than a decade and with a dedicated team of professionals we take an honest and efficient approach to establishing your best course of action and offer advice on taking the next strategic step. So make it simple, spend some time with us.

We specialise in:

• Facilities Managers • Facilities Coordinators

• Maintenance Managers • Building Managers

• Project Managers • Service Managers

• Soft Service Managers • Maintenance Electricians

• Refrigeration Mechanics • Security Technicians

• Fire Technicians

Contact us for more details

Make your recruitment simple. Spend some time with us.

fa•cil•i•ties [fe sil et ies] n. pl.

an establishment set up to fulfil a particular

function or provide a particular service.

ORIGIN early 16th cent. From French facilite,

or Latin facilitas.

man•age•ment [man ij ment] n.

the people in charge of running a company

or organisation, regarded collectively:

management was extremely cooperative.

To plan your career : contact Adam Kelly on 07 3105 2311 www.dmgroup.com.au

: PROPERTY

: EXECUTIVE

: ARCHITECTURE

: CONSTRUCTION & CIVIL

: FACILITIES MANAGEMENT

: RESOURCES, MINING & POWER

: PROJECT MANAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT

facility perspectives v1#2 june 2007

Documents