YOUNG ACHIEVER AWARD

GRACE FOO – DELTA Q

As an Asian female migrant, Grace is a living example of how the HVAC and built environment industry can be challenged to use diversity to achieve improved outcomes. Grace is a co-founder of

DeltaQ, a boutique energy and carbon management consultancy focussed on delivering quality outcomes and value creation for clients.

Despite setbacks early in her career, Grace set out to influence the world of construction and facilities management. She plays a “Full house” hand, excelling with a combination of technical & engineering proficiency, soft skills and commercial acumen. She has already demonstrated success and leadership qualities in all three areas.

Grace has since co-ordinated multi-disciplinary commissioning teams for green field and brown field projects, developed and implemented energy efficiency upgrade strategies. She is deeply involved in policy development work, such as the 2019 Section J revision and future trajectory of a net zero-ready buildings, expansion of NABERS to other sectors, impact of changing climate on building energy and design and future-proofing buildings for integration of distributed energy resources.

All things considered, including an approachable nature and commitment to integrity, Grace exemplifies the building services engineering profession and is a rising industry leader.

PRODUCT EXCELLENCE AWARD

TEMPERZONE AUSTRALIA – Econex R32 Inverter Air Cooled Package Units

The Econex air cooled R32 Inverter package unit range is a new Mid-Range product family consisting of four models with nominal cooling capacities of 25.4, 35.9, 44.9 and 55.6kW.  The product is the first R32 inverter package unit range in the ANZ market. Compared to our Eco R420 range the econex range has a 71–79% reduction in refrigerant related GWP per kW of cooling or heating capacity.

As higher GWP refrigerants face increasing cost due to emissions tax levies the specification of R32 systems will represent a significant reduction in the future costs associated with maintaining these systems. With a seasonal energy efficiency increase of 77% on previous models, Econex features EC, plug indoor fans, EC condenser fans, dual electronic expansion valves with dry mode feature, 50 and 100mm filter rails, capacity ranges up to 30% above nominal cooling, and up to 62% below nominal heating. 16 – 100% compressor modulation, standard high-level comms, 20% reduction in footprint and TCSPF of 5.223 on the 50kW.

Currently the most comprehensive range of R32 commercial product available & manufactured in Australia and NZ – the first of their kind in the market designed for local conditions.

PROJECT EXCELLENCE AWARD

AG COOMBS and AURECON – 25 King Street

Australia’s tallest engineered timber office building, 25 King, pushed current boundaries in design, construction, indoor environment quality and sustainability.  The building’s superstructure utilises a combination of engineered cross-laminated timber and glue laminated timber.  It is a commercially viable and more sustainable alternative to steel and concrete construction for mid-scale office buildings.

Beyond demonstrating the potential future of low to mid-rise construction, 25 King delivers a wellness objective, creating a workplace that is both sustainable and healthy.  The project achieved WELLTM Core and Shell v1 Certification at the Platinum level, Green Star 6-star Design and As Built v1.1 ratings, and NABERS 6 Star base building Energy, 4.5 Star Water ratings, 3.0 Star NABERS Waste Rating plus Climate Active Carbon Neutral certification.

Large-scale prefabricated engineered timber construction presented a wide range of challenges to the HVAC design and installation teams in achieving the targeted sustainability ratings.  A closely coordinated approach to design, installation detail and commissioning was applied in comparison to a traditional approach where cost is generally the main driver.  This approach provides a clear model for HVAC design and installation in the future application for this sustainable form of construction and to meet the ambitious ESD targets.

SOFTWARE/DIGITAL EXCELLENCE AWARD

COPPERTREE ANALYTICS – Kaizen

CopperTree Analytics is the developer of Kaizen, a powerful data analytics and ongoing commissioning tool that works in conjunction with the building automation and metering systems. Kaizen continuously monitors a building’s HVAC equipment performance and energy consumption, measuring it against optimal performance guidelines and its own baseline, alerting the user if a fault is detected or if performance is sub-optimal.

Our Kaizen software continuously analyses building systems so the end user knows the moment something is wrong. Our automated Fault Detection and Diagnostics (FDD) feature pinpoints where faults are occurring within a building, allowing the user to take resolving action immediately and often remotely, saving time and valuable resources. Kaizen also has a built in EMIS platform which allows the user to execute Measurement & Verification (M&V) as well as Monitoring, Targeting & Reporting (MT&R), and facilitate the measurement of energy performance initiatives.

The complementary money-saving features of FDD combined with the energy management and reporting of EMIS makes Kaizen an ideal one-stop analytics product, suitable for both short- and long-term energy performance programs. Regular reports highlighting the inefficiencies and issues are generated by Kaizen, and can be distributed to your building manager, energy manager, energy consultant, or anyone else who requires the information automatically.

OUTSTANDING EDUCATION/TRAINING AWARD

AMCA – Building Ventilation Summit

With airborne transmission now widely acknowledged as the primary source of COVID-19 transmission, the building industry has a vital role to play in supporting Australians to return to workplaces and other indoor settings confidently, safely and sustainably.

Recognising both the technical and people challenges involved in providing safe indoor environments, the Building Ventilation Summit brought together experts from across the sector and beyond to discuss the latest approaches being adopted by industry, as well as the health, economic and political contexts and the likely medium- and long-term reform implications.

The Building Ventilation Summit was targeted at all building industry stakeholders with a responsibility for providing safe and healthy indoor environments for people to live, work, and play. We also encouraged government departments, industry regulators and standards setting bodies to actively participate.  Held as a professional development program, the Summit was priced at $77 for a two-day ticket, making it accessible to everyone. Attendees could download a Certificate of Attendance for claiming CPD points.

The Ventilation Summit has ignited an important national conversation about what needs to happen to improve building ventilation. The issue has momentum, which we intend to harness and forge change.

The ARBS 2022 Industry Awards were proudly sponsored by :