Division of Facilities Management

Type of Project

Name of Project

Project Brief

New facilities to accommodate DFM Operations & Maintenance section and Division of Finance Transport, Mail and Stores operations.

The new building aims to bring all these divisions together (except for DFM offices) under the one roof resulting in a consolidated and more efficient facility.

Architectural Features

The project is conditioned by a number of contextual and Functional Brief elements. One of the main contextual elements that the project acknowledges is the war memorial where an Avro Ansen plane crashed near by the site. The project responds to this in 2 ways:

a) The inclusion of a vehicle pull over area enabling the public to view the memorial
b) The formal language of the new building referencing the plane like aesthetics of a wing on a plane

Another contextual response of the architecture is its orientation/placement on the site. The strategy here was to place the length of the building along the contour lines and minimise built area perpendicular to the contour lines. This logic was adopted to minimise excavation across the site.

The only other driver for the placement of the building was the existing dense vegetation on the hill. By setting the building away from these trees, we allow the link road to pass through and create a generous buffer between the new Facility and these trees. 

Sustainability Features

Implements the principles of ESD and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by:

• Rain water harvesting and reuse for toilet flushing, vehicle wash bay, irrigation.
• The building shall utilise energy efficient Heating Ventilation and Cooling Systems. Reverse Cycle or Variable Refrigerant Volume systems shall be used.
• The building shall utilise T5 fluorescent, LED and compact fluorescent and other high efficiency lighting. Low voltage lighting shall not be utilised.
• The lighting systems shall be controlled with motion detectors throughout and daylight linking at perimeter glazing
• The building fabric shall optimise energy reduction through the use of shading devices, exposed thermal mass and high performance glazing.
• Daylighting shall be used, where possible to maximize Indoor Environment Quality and connection to outside and to minimise use of artificial lighting through daylight linking 

Consultants

Woods Bagot Architects
CSU Project Officer: Michael Dunn (Thinc Projects) and Garry Crichton (DFM Project Officer)

Nexus to University Strategy 2011-2015

Complete exit strategy from NSW DPI lands/buildings.
Develop accommodation that provides flexibility for organisational change and growth.
Integrate service providers within an efficient services hub/precinct.
Ensure new office accommodation aligns with University strategy for sustainability, energy reduction, staff well being.
Eliminate/improve current split/isolation of services/service providers.