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Urge to merge When science meets artistry. FEATURE More than a feeling Parramatta in Sydney’s west is undergoing a substantial transformation as it seeks to become “Australia’s next great city”. Sean McGowan reports on the progress of the new Parramatta Square development that is re-imagining the city’s centre.
As the first stage of Walker Corporation’s A business and events centre also The new civic, cultural and community new $2.4 billion Parramatta Square provides office suites and flexible, building – dubbed by the local Mayor development – one of the largest functional event spaces to cater to as the “beating heart of Parramatta” – urban renewal projects in the country the growing needs of tenants. will be the final addition to Parramatta – 4 Parramatta Square is the first Square. This will feature a wave-shaped commercial office tower to have MASTER PLANNING façade of crystalline blocks as well as reached completion at the site. rooftop gardens. The wider Parramatta Square Designed by architects Johnson Pilton development has been designed to Its design is the work of a joint Walker (JPW) and constructed by Built re-imagine the civic and commercial venture between Manuelle Gautrand with its joint venture partner, major heart of the city. Architecture, Design Inc and Japanese construction firm Obayashi Lacoste+Stevenson – the winning team of Corporation (BOJV), the building Located across a 3Ha city block, an architectural design competition held offers A-grade office accommodation the precinct will include four by the City of Parramatta. Local, national to house three government agencies Walker‑developed commercial and international responses were sought. in a single building. This arrangement office towers to complement the improves efficiency, collaboration and already constructed Western Sydney The architects presented the $130 million the services provided to the people of University (WSW) School of Business, six-storey building as the focal point New South Wales. Sydney Water Headquarters and for Parramatta Square. 6,000m² of public space. The 65,000m² 34-storey Recently awarded to Built to construct commercial office building features It will also feature a new state-of‑the‑art and with AECOM to design civil, a three-level “super basement civic building to accommodate the structural, building services and carpark”. It also boasts multiple City of Parramatta council and specialist services, the building is podium levels of retail and public library (5 Parramatta Square). expected to be completed and open to public spaces that link directly to The existing heritage-listed Town the public in April 2022 to coincide Parramatta Station and rail links Hall will be refurbished to meet BCA with the completion of the remaining to the Sydney CBD. upgrade requirements. projects within the precinct.
24 MAY 2020 • ECOLIBRIUM FEATURE
4 PARRAMATTA SQUARE Close collaboration between AECOM’s mechanical and fire engineering One of four commercial office towers teams, as well as mechanical services planned for the site, 4 Parramatta Square contractor A.G. Coombs, ensured that is home to major government tenant all modifications to the original design Property NSW and its 5,000 staff. could be seamlessly integrated. Having already played a role in the Angus says developing the spatial feasibility and master planning of requirements of the building’s mechanical the entire precinct since early 2015, services plant was particularly critical AECOM was engaged by Walker in ensuring the building envelope was Corporation to provide multi‑disciplinary appropriately provisioned and “locked in” services at 4 Parramatta Square. for a smooth transition from feasibility This included mechanical, electrical, through to construction stage. hydraulic, facade, fire and fire safety engineering, acoustic, protection, “Working closely with A.G. Coombs, vertical transport, audio visual, our approach – through collaboration ICT services and ESD/sustainability between AECOM principal mechanical to the base building design. engineer Michael Calcoen and A.G. Coombs senior project engineer AECOM was also engaged by Property Paul Archer – was underpinned by a NSW to design the integrated base build commitment to innovation and the and tenancy fitout. DBS Consultancy creation of aesthetic, sustainable, led the peer-review of building services functional and economical designs,” and stakeholder engagement across the he says. government agencies, Property NSW, “We initially provided a design using tenancy architect Woods Bagot, and Built. conventional systems and material “We worked closely with the builder to always seek to optimise the Built in a joint venture with Obayashi quality of internal spaces for tenants Corporation (BOJV), to further and environmental performance develop their construction preference for the occupants. This proactive and methodologies,” says Paul Angus, AECOM associate director and project manager for the multi-disciplinary project. PARRAMATTA SQUARE “Design solutions evolved as the MASTER PLAN project progressed.” The Parramatta Square precinct will feature several buildings and spaces The entire precinct is designed to when it reaches completion in 2020: share the three-level “super basement ▲ Parramatta Square 1 – carpark” while three high-rise towers Western Sydney University sit above a two-storey retail podium. School of Business (26,500m²) This infrastructure required careful ▲ Parramatta Square 2 – consideration from the AECOM Sydney Water Headquarters engineering design team to find the best (23,000m²) placement of shared plant and equipment. ▲ Parramatta Square 3 – Particular attention was given to 43,000m² commercial minimising disruptions during the office building staged delivery of the precinct. ▲ Parramatta Square 4 – 65,000m² commercial “With structural floor-to-floor heights office building at podium level determined by adjoining ▲ Parramatta Square 5 – developments such as the existing City of Parramatta civic, cultural Parramatta railway station, servicing the and community hub retail tenancies and traversing services ▲ Parramatta Square 6 – to and from the basement level into 71,000m² commercial office tower the towers presented many challenges ▲ Parramatta Square 7 – overcome only by persistence and Refurbished heritage-listed collaborative thinking,” says Angus. Town Hall ▲ Parramatta Square 8 – The design of the “super basement” also 53,000m² commercial office tower required detailed CFD (computational ▲ Parramatta Square fluid dynamics) modelling of the carpark Public Domain – basement levels to ensure the ventilation 6,000m² public space system was carefully assessed. FEATURE
These targets included provision of a solar The 34-storey development features multiple podium PV array to produce onsite renewable levels of retail and public spaces that link directly to Parramatta Rail Station. energy, an energy-efficient mechanical services plant, rainwater harvesting, and extensive CO2 monitoring to deliver a high level of indoor air quality. Also adopted were passive design elements such as the use of natural daylighting to illuminate building perimeter spaces, and a high level of BMS monitoring. VARIABLE VOLUME SOLUTION To provide space cooling, a low- temperature variable-air-volume (VAV) system served by thermally zoned air‑handling units (AHUs) was adopted at 4 Parramatta Square. “This solution was chosen, as it requires significantly lower air quantities compared to standard-temperature systems and subsequently provides reductions in duct sizing and fan energy,” explains A.G. Coombs’ Archer. Through the careful selection of diffusers, suitable air distribution at low temperature and volume has been achieved. The 34-storey office tower features multiple mechanical services plantrooms on Levels 1, 2 and Podium approach adopted by A.G. Coombs sustainability section manager and Level 3, as well as on Level 19 and was strengthened by certainty of principal at Stantec – the ESD consultant Level 34 servicing the upper and delivery and robust risk management for the D&C contract. lower levels of the tower. through considered design and high-quality, fully coordinated Angus says the sustainability targets The main chilled water plant located on 3D documentation.” not only influenced the design of the Level 19 of the building feeds water to building and services, but also led to the the AHUs in the low-, mid- and high‑rise The project’s sustainability ambitions introduction of a number of initiatives. plantrooms. This variable primary chilled were established early in the design process and outlined within the base building accommodation brief. LESSONS FROM As well as being designed to achieve Restores degraded condenser coils in HVAC units compliance with stringent BCA Section THE BUILDING SERVICES ENGINEER J energy efficiency requirements, Rebuilds damaged thermal connections 4 Parramatta Square targeted 5 star AECOM multi-disciplinary project but also the daily operation of the Green Star Office design and as-built manager Paul Angus offers precinct that is operated by the City of Improves heat transfer and dissipation across cooling surfaces ratings plus NABERS Office Energy Parramatta council. some of the key lessons from the 5 star base building rating. Improves operating efficiency 4 Parramatta Square project. Regular meetings and workshops were Major tenant Property NSW also required conducted with all the key stakeholders, its own specific sustainability goals to be The importance of collaboration even from the bid stage. Improves heating performance in reverse cycle HVAC units between team members, drawing on met including a NABERS Water 4 star Do the research and set realistic their strengths and making informed Reduces icing up of condensers base building design and as-built rating targets to ensure the design is not decisions quickly. (based on current design assumptions). over‑complicated. Think about the Onsite application To achieve these sustainability targets, Understanding the requirements of not operator – and keep the design simple AECOM worked closely with Built just the end clients – Walker Corporation and reliable – while still meeting Extends life of HVAC equipment national sustainability manager and Property New South Wales – environmental and financial targets. Joe Karten, and Alexander Kobler,
26 MAY 2020 • ECOLIBRIUM PROMEK Technologies FEATURE
7MW arranged in parallel to serve chilled “A relatively large operating temperature water loads. A fourth chiller handles split of 7°C has been utilised in addition COLD SHELLS low‑load, and efficiently maintains to tower isolation to further reduce The podium levels and retail building loads during off-peak periods. pumping energy associated with the condenser water system,” says Archer. tenancies have been provided as Heat exchangers were used as pressure “cold shell” spaces as part of the breaks in the pipework system to A variable primary heating hot base building works. Capped-off ensure the working pressure remains water system consisting of gas-fired provisions of cooling, heating and within typical equipment tolerances. hot water generators (boilers) with ventilation systems mean they are A primary‑only chilled water system was dedicated pumps is also located in poised for future fitout. selected to minimise pumping energy. the Level 34 rooftop plantroom. The building’s basement carpark This heating plant is comprised of Heat rejection from the base building is ventilated using common supply three gas-fired hot water generators chilled water plant is achieved via six and exhaust plenums. each sized to meet 33 per cent of the induced-draft, counter-flow cooling building’s peak heating load of 4MW. A.G. Coombs’ Paul Archer says towers located at the Level 34 rooftop air quantities have been determined plantroom. With a combined overall Like the chilled water system, pumping using CFD calculations to optimise for heat-rejection capacity of 13MW, energy has been minimised via the minimal carbon dioxide build‑up in the they have been sized to match the total selection of a primary-only heating space while maintaining fan energy. peak-required capacity of both the base water system. building and tenancy loop condenser water systems. ACCELERATED water system consists of four water-cooled INSTALLATION chillers, with dedicated pumps operating The cooling towers operate in parallel on a temperature split of 6°C/14°C. with motorised isolation butterfly valves To keep pace with the construction at the inlet and outlet of each tower sequence on the multi-faceted The plant includes three centrifugal to enable deactivation of the towers development site, an accelerated chillers with a total overall capacity of depending on heat-rejection demand. installation program for the building’s ACADS-BSG A leader in the development and support of software for Building Services. ACADS-BSG Support Desk Now Live! ACADS-BSG has launched its new online Support Desk facility in a move to provide greater value to all ACADS-BSG software Members. The Support Desk will assist in the modernisation of applications for ACADS-BSG where data will be collected over time to create an extensive knowledge base for Members. More value for members The implementation of the new Support Desk adds even more value to the ACADS-BSG Membership service which already includes: • A licence transfer service which allows users to migrate software to other devices. • Exclusive access to the latest software updates. • Personal software support via e-mail or phone (9am–5pm AEST/Mon-Fri) • Discounts to ACADS-BSG training events • Future savings on new software releases • 50% discount on additional licences. Creating flexibility and modernising the ACADS-BSG suite is a primary goal for ACADS-BSG as they continue to serve over 500 companies globally with building services Is your Membership up to date? solutions via CAMEL, HYENA, KOALA and many more. Check now via www.acadsbsg.com.au/supportdesk/ www.acadsbsg.com.au FEATURE
mechanical services became one of the project’s key challenges. “The design team met this challenge using the latest onsite technology, as well as leveraging off proven prefabrication capabilities,” says Archer. Design and coordination of mechanical services at all floors was undertaken prior to the concrete pour sequence, thereby enabling the use of “cast-in” anchors. These were accurately located using a laser on the concrete pour deck, and drilled through so as to be positioned ready for hanger installation below once the slab formwork was stripped. According to Angus, A.G. Coombs To keep pace with the construction sequence ensured the project utilised as much an accelerated mechanical services installation offsite fabrication as was possible. program became a key project challenge. This not only sped up the installation program, but also provided for a safer lifted into position. Large vertical “Site activities that would traditionally installation environment onsite. and horizontal duct runs were also take weeks were reduced to a couple of Mechanical equipment was pre-joined prefabricated and pre-joined offsite then days,” says Angus, “due to the design to connected services, and mounted lifted complete with castors to enable initiatives that maximised the scope on base frames offsite before being easy relocation when unloaded. for pre-fabrication.”
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PERFORMANCE TESTED 4 Parramatta Square reached completion at the end of November 2019, ahead of a 2019/20 summer period that presented testing ambient conditions for temperature, humidity and air quality in Parramatta. Tenants commenced occupation of the building from mid-January 2020. Archer says that fine-tuning of the mechanical systems has continued in the months since, with set-points adjusted Main plant includes three centrifugal to achieve an optimal HVAC response chillers with overall capability of 7MW to ambient conditions. with a fourth chiller for low load. NABERS Energy monitoring has also commenced, with performance during project design team, contractor BOJV and the first two months of 2020 well ahead multiple sub-contractors, are extremely PROJECT AT A GLANCE of predicted modelling. proud of our achievements,” says Angus. “In a short period of time, the space has “Together we have helped our client, The personnel been reliably maintaining set-points Walker Corporation, meet its objectives without any major concerns to the in transforming the beating heart of ▲ Acoustic consultant: operation of the building,” Angus says. Parramatta and creating a vibrant AECOM/Acoustic Logic second CBD in western Sydney for ▲ Architect: Johnson Pilton Walker The mechanical heat-rejection systems all the community to feel part of for ▲ Architect (tenancy design): have also been found to consume less many years to come.” Woods Bagot energy than predicted, even during the ▲ hot summer experienced in Parramatta. With Parramatta Square’s commercial Builder: office buildings now 75 per cent Built in joint venture with Obayashi - BOJV “Fan energy is consistently running at leased – representing more than a fraction of the maximum demand, 170,000m² of high-quality office space ▲ Building services engineer: AECOM ensuring energy-efficient operation committed – the precinct is set to ▲ Client: Walker Corporation through the highest demand time rival buildings in Sydney’s CBD in ▲ ESD: AECOM/Stantec of year,” he says. terms of amenity and quality. ▲ Facade engineer: AECOM “The A.G. Coombs team are committed to Add to that other major construction ▲ Fire safety engineer: AECOM tuning the system through the shoulder and infrastructure projects including the ▲ Mechanical services contractor: seasons and across the winter period.” Bankwest Stadium, Parramatta Aquatic A.G. Coombs 4 Parramatta Square now forms an and Leisure Centre, the Civic Link and ▲ Structural engineer: BG&E important connection for those accessing Arthur Phillip High School, and it is clear public transport from the precinct. that Parramatta’s future is looking up. The equipment “All of the multi-disciplinary team at We have a feeling it might just be AECOM, in collaboration with the entire Australia’s next great city. ❚ ▲ AHUs: Daikin ▲ BMS: Alerton Australia ▲ Cooling tower: Evapco Offsite fabrication was maximised including large horizontal and vertical duct runs. ▲ Boilers: Simons ▲ Chillers: Carrier ▲ Dampers: Celmec ▲ Diffusers: SmartAir Diffusion ▲ Duct: Kavanagh Industries/Sublime ▲ Fans: Pacific HVAC/Fantech ▲ FCUs: GJ Walker ▲ Grilles: Airfoil ▲ Heat exchangers: Fluidpro ▲ Pumps: Wilo ▲ Sensors: Alerton Australia ▲ VAV boxes: Celmec (Source: AECOM)
30 MAY 2020 • ECOLIBRIUM