About the Client
Primewest Northlands Shopping Centre, is located in Balcatta Western Australia, between Wanneroo Rd & Amelia St.
The building was constructed in the early 1970’s
Goals
- HVAC: Refurbishment of the air-conditioning system.
- Improve the shopping centre’s energy efficiency
The Challenge
- Installation within the tenancies without affecting their business operation.
- Architectural considerations / upgrades. Coordinating the design between the owner’s requirements and the major tenant’s design brief.
- The building was constructed in the early 1970’s. Unknown issues that are generally found during the project due to the missing as constructed documentation.
- Compliance considerations raised at the kick-off of site works (roof access, asbestos, obsolete Fire Panel, undersized neutral cable for the MSSB).
The Issue
- The central mechanical plant was operational but major components had reached the end of serviceable life.
- Air distribution was insufficient. Internal ductwork was in poor condition and didn’t comply with the current best practice.
- The electrical distribution was not capable of feeding the tenants’ air conditioning thus the electrical distribution boards were partly replaced, and the cable sizes were upgraded.
HFM found large opportunities existed for reductions in energy expenditure through a combination of passive and active measures.
Find out about the solutions that were applied to Northlands Shopping Centre below.
HVAC Upgrade
- Installation of rooftop air-conditioning units for the Shopping Centre.
- Installation of roof-top packages or ducted split air-conditioning units for the tenancies.
Controls
- New BMS/DDC control for the Shopping Centre and the major tenant.
- Individual A/C controls per shop, with the option to integrate into the new BMS in the future.
Electrical Services
- New MSSB with performance meters for the major tenant and the Shopping Centre A/C plant.
Builder’s Works
- New roof access, unit platforms & service paths.
- Ceiling modifications and make good at the general Shopping Centre area and the tenancies.
The Results
The A/C units were separated by installing a dedicated tenancy air-conditioning, which allows the tenants to have full control of their comfort condition, electricity consumption (by the A/C unit). Simultaneously, the landlord can increase the revenue by electricity on-sell.
This project paved the way for a commercial-sized solar PV installation utilising the rooftop areas.
HVAC upgrades are one of our Project Management services – At HFM Asset Management, we are ready to tackle projects of any size.