NATSEM International Microsimulation Centre
Overview
The NATSEM International Microsimulation Centre provides many benefits to the University of Canberra. The building consists of 680m2 of office space, 467m2 of teaching space, 210m2 of accommodation, a large kitchen and the corresponding circulation space and amenities. The primary tenant of the office space is NATSEM, a world class and internationally renowned university Research Centre. The teaching space, known as the Ann Harding Conference Centre, consists of a large theatre as well as two seminar rooms which can be used separately or combined into a larger space. The accommodation consists of four self-sustainable single bedroom apartments, one of which is specifically designed to be fully accessible for persons with disabilities.
Features
Green Star
The project provided many challenges for the design team and achieved the rating 5 Star Green Star - Education Design v1. Rudds Consulting Engineers were involved with the design and documentation of many of the credit points awarded as part of the Green Star rating. These included; a 40kWPhotovoltaic (PV) installation, an electric car charging station, additional electrical metering to meet Green Star requirements and to be compatible with the existing system, daylight harvesting, automated lighting control including the use of movement sensors, uniform lighting levels, energy modelling, air distribution/rate of change of air using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling. The building management system is used in combination with CO2 and VOC sensors to maintain high level of indoor environment conditions while still achieving good energy efficiency. An informational display panel with energy usage data has been introduced to broaden the awareness of energy consumption with occupants and promote energy saving interaction.
High Quality Theatre
One of the main attributes of the teaching space within the building is the theatre. The new theatre has been designed to be a flexible space suitable for many different applications. These include the traditional university application of an educational presentation but also allows for a videoconferencing facility or a general area which can be hired out for large events. The theatre has a drop panelled ceiling for both architectural and acoustic requirements, in which the lighting, fire, mechanical and audiovisual services have been installed. The audio visual system consists of a state-of-the-art Crestron Digital Media control system which incorporates the latest High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) compliant digital media technology, as well as video conferencing facilities and the more traditional computer and document camera inputs. The space airconditioning system has been designed to achieve good acoustic performance whilst architecturally not dominate the space. A traditional chilled and heated water based constant volume air distribution system has been used in combination with full economy and CO2/ VOC contamination control all managed by the building management system (BMS).
Indoor Conditions and Efficiency
The theatre, seminar rooms, foyer and office space have fully independent air side delivery with different time schedule operation as per the occupants requirements. A combination of constant and variable air flow systems have been used to achieve a high degree of indoor conditions. To improve system efficiency, variable speed drives have been incorporated on all electric motor driven equipment (fans, pumps). A magnetic bearing chiller was installed which has improved part load efficiency, which improves the efficiency of the overall system.
Notes
Services provided by Rudds Consulting Engineers and the installation costs: Electrical Services (including Fire, Communications and Security) $775,000; Mechanical Services $860,000; Audio Visual Services $540,000; Photovoltaic Installation $200,000.