WAITAKERE CIVIC CENTRE
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT IN A SUSTAINABLE BUILDING.

INTRODUCTION

The facilities management function can easily be described as the three ‘legs’ of Sustainability – social, environment, economic. In fact long before ‘Sustainability’ became a buzz word, Facilities Managers were tasked with solving air conditioning problems, minimising waste, reducing the cost of response maintenance calls, getting the best cleaning deal etc… all with a mind towards long term ‘Sustainability’ (or at the very least making our job easier in the long run).

We assume that ‘Sustainable’ buildings cost more but have lower running costs, which is the reason we build ‘sustainable’. This paper will show that this is not necessarily true, but with a little experience behind us, future buildings are more likely to be.

Also the question needs to be asked, should the occupants of a sustainable building be expected to make sacrifices in their work environment to be in a sustainable building, or should there be no discernible difference between a sustainable environment and a traditional building environment?

This paper was written to give you an insight into how the Waitakere Civic Centre came into being and what it is like to work in it from a Facilities Managers point of view.

This paper will contain the following:

1. A skim over the sustainable bits of the design brief that went off to the Architect.
2. A brief look at the developed design report which was produced by Aurecon.
3. The post occupancy survey carried out by E-cubed in July 2007.
4. Lastly anecdotes of day to day life in an eco friendly building.

THE BRIEF

Like all Facilities Managers I wished I had, input into the brief for this project. In the form that it was sent out, it seems, (in my opinion) to be suitably vague. Which in turn allows the Architect and the rest of the design team great latitude in which they may meet the requirements of the brief, but may not deliver be what the client wants.
 
Waitakere City Council declared itself to be an Eco City in 1993. In 2000 it adopted a new minimum sustainability standard for all its buildings. This in itself is a huge advantage compared to most clients who don’t have any background in this area.

I have extracted parts of the design brief that apply to ‘sustainability’ (or at least the bits in the sustainability section) these form part of the Appendix under ‘Design Brief – Sustainable bits: (extracts only)’ these I will examine in the following:

A1.4.7 Sustainable Design
Every aspect of the external design process (and a lot of the internal design) could refer back to this statement. It’s no big stretch of the imagination to think that the Architect used A1.4.7 to justify a large number of design decisions. Depending on the design teams frame of mind this could have resulted in a large number of options, including orientating the building in a different direction to allow more natural ventilation. Katja Lietz wrote in her paper for SB07 ‘10 New Buildings – What Have We Learned?’
    
For such projects, it is important for architects and clients to acknowledge that the form and orientation of a building will dictate its energy efficiency. While comfort levels in a poorly orientated building can be ensured through air-conditioning, ongoing running costs will be higher. For naturally ventilated buildings the implications may be that acceptable comfort levels cannot be achieved if they face the wrong way, are the wrong shape and/or use the wrong materials.

Katja also mentioned that, and I’m paraphrasing, in the past Architects have built large beautiful buildings in the knowledge that the mechanical engineers could design plant to keep the interior climate controlled (regardless of ongoing running costs?).

I have not met a Facilities Manager that has not at some time or another cursed architects or mechanical consultants in general. However maybe we give them bad press, could it be that the brief, we as clients put out, is in fact too ‘brief’?

An accurate description of the Waitakere Civic Centre can be found in the developed design report, produced by Aurecon. (attached).

A1.4.7.2 Sustainability at Preliminary Design Stage:

It’s hard to imagine a new building that would not include the characteristics detailed in A1.4.7.2. The danger though, in not being specific, is that the Architect and design team may spend too much time in research and in the end the client gets a building that ticks the boxes but may not quite hit the spot. ‘Sustainable building’ is still a developing industry and in the absence of sustainable ‘rating tools’ (the brief went out in 2003) the end design may not actually achieve the goals that an aspiring young Facilities Manager would expect.

Here the brief discusses climatic requirements. A naturally ventilated system was rejected early on due to the proximity of the railway, (however in hindsight the reliance on mechanical plant and its inherent problems suggest that staff would not have minded a little noise every hour or so for a chance at operable windows)

Further on into A1.4.7.2 there are more guidelines. In particular a target figure for energy use of 100 kWh per m2. Being a public organisation we are responsible to the rate payers of Waitakere City for a variety of things including value for money, so aiming for 100 kWh per m2 is not an unreasonable demand, however to my knowledge the design team where never asked to prove this figure, and a recent level 2 energy audit has suggested that the actual energy usage is nowhere near this ideal. The question is, was 100kWh an enlightened target to aim for or totally unrealistic in the first place? Were the mechanical and electrical systems optimised to reach this figure and failed? Or has the 100kWh figure been ignored? I am guessing the answer lies somewhere in the middle, throughout the design and construction phase decisions were made based on various factors that arose, and slowly the 100kWh figure was eroded (without malice), until you have a finished building which costs a little more in energy to operate than you expected.

The three most recognisable features described in A1.4.7.2 are:

• Roof water could be collected and used for non-potable purposes, such as toilet flushing and irrigation;
• Provision of solar hot water systems and/or photovoltaic cells;
• Provision of a green roof.

All of three of which where integrated into the final design.

A1.4.7.3 Sustainability at Developed & Detailed Design Stage:

To the best of my knowledge all of the requirements of A1.4.7.3 have been incorporated in one way or another. Points of note are the secure bike shed and ‘space should be provided for recycling…’ both good easily identifiable features, I have however had a number of contractors complain about the ‘good access should be available’ provision, as it would seem that this is not always the case.

The sustainable design features will be discussed in more detail in the next section ‘The developed design report’.

This section is getting closer to the FM’s heart in that it is more specific about what Council wanted, however it still left a lot up to the consultants.

A1.4.10    Operation and Maintenance

Whether the ‘The building and systems design will ensure that the building is a demonstrable model of efficiency in its service and operational costs.‘ is really the crux of the problem. One of the most useful activities I could have done since practical completion is to measure. This I believe is the most important aspect of a sustainable

building today. Without hard data on everything from water usage to air-conditioning complaints we cannot truly judge how effective our ‘sustainable’ building is.

So needless to say a ‘demonstrable model of efficiency’ in the case of Waitakere City Council tends to be client driven, although the project did install check meters (kWh) on every floor, and we have half hour revenue and the usual water usage meters.

As the client we have had installed (post PC) water meters on the storm water storage tank to measure rainwater usage and how much top up water we use from the mains, we have had a Post Occupancy survey commissioned and a level 2 energy audit.

All of which will be discussed (briefly) later.

Further on in A1.4.10 there is mention of operation and maintenance manuals and there are indeed full operation and maintenance manuals for every conceivable piece of kit installed at Waitakere Civic Centre, (although it has been my experience that when I’ve had to hunt down data on an esoteric piece of equipment the relevant page tends to be missing) curiously however there are no instructions on how to change the BMS machine for daylight savings.

Which leads me on to the BMS, I wont mention the supplier however it is my considered opinion (having worked with it for almost 2 years) that it is the most convoluted and complicated device known to humankind! How anyone at the design level could believe that the system installed meets this requirement ‘The design and function of operable service systems, equipment, fittings and facilities within buildings, whether manual, powered or automatic, shall be “user friendly” and easy for staff to understand, operate and maintain.’

Is beyond me, which is all I will say on the subject.

THE DEVELOPED DESIGN REPORT
Issued by Aurecon

My thanks go to Aurecon and their developed design report, in fact I had considered just plagiarising  their report, but instead it is attached.

The report has been invaluable, not only in promoting the complex itself, but as an education tool for staff.

Something to bear in mind when reading the report is that it was last updated 18 months before staff occupied the building, there are initiatives detailed that users of the space simply do not utilise.

There are also initiatives that Council have put in place, for example the installation of additional PIR sensors, metering of the storm water storage tank, tinting and the installation of vertical blinds, installation of two over door heaters and a fan coil unit.

And finally there are initiatives that simply do not perform as well as expected, namely the louvers on the northern face of the building, which allows sun strike in winter, unventilated stair towers cause heat build up, and the mechanical plant has had trouble coping with the occupancy demands of the building.

POST OCCUPANCY EVALUATION
Produced by e Cubed Building Workshop Ltd

EXTRACT FROM THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

During June and July of 2007 a Post Occupancy Evaluation was undertaken of the Waitakere City Council Civic Centre by e Cubed Building Workshop.

Using the BUS overall rating system, BUS rate the Waitakere Civic Centre as 7 on the 7 point scale (where 1 is “Very Poor” and 7 is “Exceptional”) and 92 on the 100 – point.

Unfortunately the detailed results of the Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) are confidential, however as you can see from the extract above the building performed very well.

Regardless of how you measure your success or failure as a Facilities Manager I would suggest that there is nothing that compares to getting an independent POE done for your building (s). As the Facilities Manager for the Waitakere Civic Centre, it was with trepidation that I read the POE, and my trepidation turned to delight to find that my fears concerning the ongoing air conditioning faults, the false fire alarms, the glare and draft issues where comparatively minor in the grand scheme of things. The POE showed that productivity was up, and people liked their new work space.

Which was contrary to the feeling I was getting about the building.

As the Facilities Manager and indeed as any Facilities Manager does I tend to bear the brunt of dissatisfaction about various aspects of the building. What the POE showed (and I guess confirmed in my mind) was that the problem areas of a building may be quite minor but require a disproportional amount of time and effort to address, whereas the absence of comment generally indicates that nothing is actually wrong which in this particular case is a good measure of effectiveness.

NUTS AND BOLTS OF FACILITIES MANAGEMENT AT WAITAKERE CITY COUNCIL

My interview for the position of Facilities Manager at Waitakere City Council included a walkthrough of the (still being constructed) Waitakere Civic Centre, I must have done something right because I was subsequently hired, but what is important to note is that this position was created to actively manage the Waitakere Civic Centre. This shows (to me at least) that Waitakere City Council are committed to sustainable building.

So early on I was based in a dodgy leased premises on Lincoln Road, one of seven such leased sites around Waitakere City that housed Council staff, I spent my time familiarising myself with Council systems and the New Building, from mechanical drawings to site meetings I felt I was prepared! I had even volunteered to run orientation sessions for staff. We would meet in the car park I would give a health and safety spiel and then we would wander around the building, where I would discuss points of interest we’d end up in a large meeting room on the sixth floor where I would continue presenting the virtues of a sustainable building at which point I would take questions and then hand the group over to another department for their briefing.

All staff went through this orientation, which was very good for getting staff acclimatised to the new building but meant that I was now the public face of the property department.

My biggest mistake was thinking that I could solve everyone’s problems on my own and still move forward! However in reality my first year in the new building was spent being inundated with issuing keys, air con problems, glare, fire alarm, cleaning issues etc all the things I took for granted when managing a site with all those processes already in place. As a consequence of my ‘busyness’, I failed to keep accurate records of the day to day faults other than to report them on a snag list.

We have had numerous mechanical plant issues related to the design which are being worked through, there were a number of lighting control issues mainly relating to not having enough PIR’s around the building and issues where the contractor had decided on a configuration for the lighting which was not what the use of the space required, a number of concerns around the generator supply, the usual space issues ‘we don’t have enough storage’ etc.

There were some odd design decisions made. For example, in keeping with the Brief and trying to minimise mechanical ventilation neither of the six level glass enclosed stair wells are ventilated, meaning we can grow tomatoes all year round, and some enterprising team have done.

All the mechanical distribution boards are metered but the server room which has a large 24/7 load is not.

But all in all we have worked through these issues and no doubt will work on others as they arise, but the issues we encounter are no different from those you find in a standard building.


Now the Waitakere Civic Centre runs well with very little input from the property team, we have all the usual maintenance contracts in place and time will tell whether the argument of paying more upfront to save money on running costs will prove true.

CONCLUSION

Measure, measure, measure.
It seems obvious but in the heat of the moment it is easy to forget, we can build a ‘sustainable’ building but without hard data we will be unable to prove it, and also as Facilities Managers we need to know when our buildings are performing and when they are not.

This paper has given me a new insight into the design and build process, what I see now (and didn’t even think about before) is that the client needs to be reasonably prescriptive in what they want, then let the design team advise as part of the process.

Sustainable buildings are not always easy to understand, for example what is our green roof for, why is it sustainable etc? So a building manual explaining how the building works and what to expect from its features is a great idea and useful as an induction tool too.

On the whole, the process for a Facilities Manager, from practical completion to now is no different to that of an ordinary building, the key is to celebrate sustainability.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank Architectus for their ongoing support through the defects process, and the project team for their insight into commissioning the Post Occupancy Evaluation and the Level 2 energy audit.

REFERENCES

eCubed Building Workshop Ltd. 2007. “Post Occupancy Evaluation Waitakere City Council Civic Centre” Confidential Draft Report.
Katja Lietz. Sustainable Building Conference 2007. “10 New Buildings – What Have We Learned?”

APPENDIX

Design Brief – Sustainable bits: (extracts only)

A1.4.7 Sustainable Design

The Architect shall assess the site in relation to the effect that climate and weather conditions may have on the building design.  The building should be designed to use or control climatic conditions to meet all required standards, minimise environmental effects without compromising user comfort.  These factors could have an influence on the appearance of the building in that they may determine the building's position and orientation on the site, materials, sun screening, wind protection, climate control systems, covered outside spaces and access ways.

A1.4.7.2 Sustainability at Preliminary Design Stage:

New buildings should be energy, water and resource efficient and should be built of materials that do not harm the environment or the people who will use it.  They should be cost effective to operate.  A healthy indoor climate should be provided.  It is envisaged that the design will reflect environmental and sustainability principles throughout.  Simple solutions and passive systems are preferable to high-tech options.  

Climate control systems must meet all required standards, minimise environmental effects and meet sustainability goals without compromising user comfort.  This may allow the avoidance of air conditioning systems for part of the buildings or part of the year.  No CFC gases are to be used in any air conditioning systems.  The Project Control Group will only approve the adoption of alternative natural systems if supported by rigorous calculations to prove that comfort conditions could be maintained for prevailing climatic conditions.

In particular, the new buildings should meet the following guidelines unless approved otherwise by the client:
• The buildings shall have a long design life, with a form and floor plan that are inherently flexible, thus allowing for a variety of uses.
• Maximising the energy efficiency of the finished buildings should be a key factor when determining the form, orientation and materials of the buildings.
• The use of natural heating, cooling and ventilation systems wherever possible in preference to air conditioning systems.  Areas where people work for long periods should ideally have windows that open.
• Maximising the use of natural light and designing artificial light to complement natural light.  Workstations should have access to natural light but not be in direct uncontrolled sunlight.
• Compliance with NZS 4243:1996 as a minimum, though the standard should generally be exceeded.  Overall the buildings must not consume more than 100 kWh per m2 per year (total energy use, including gas and any other fuels, but excluding passive solar energy).
• Compliance with the AAA rating criteria for water efficiency in Australian Standard SAA MP 64-1995.
• The overall lifecycle costs (environmental and financial) should be considered when choosing materials.
• All timber, including any composite wood products, is from New Zealand plantation grown timber or from an independently certified sustainable source.
• The buildings should be designed to reduce waste generation during construction, operation and demolition.
• Minimise stormwater run-off from the site by reducing impermeable surfaces and by providing innovative stormwater retention and treatment.
• Ensure safe and appropriate access for all people to all facilities in the buildings.  This includes providing a safe access route from disabled carparks to all public facilities in the buildings and providing appropriate toilet and changing facilities.  It is expected that the recommendations in the Resource Handbook for Barrier Free Environments be followed.

Additionally, the following features should be explored.  A final decision on their inclusion will be made by Council depending on costs and expected benefits:
• Roof water could be collected and used for non-potable purposes, such as toilet flushing and irrigation;
• Provision of solar hot water systems and/or photovoltaic cells;
• Provision of a green roof.

A1.4.7.3 Sustainability at Developed & Detailed Design Stage:

All the principles of the preliminary design phase still apply, but there are additional considerations applicable to the more detailed design work:
• Less environmentally damaging materials should be chosen for each application.  Consideration should be given to: embodied energy, toxicity, damage caused throughout the materials lifecycle, sustainability and renewability of the resource, and to the technical performance of the material.
• All domestic type hot water heaters used should comply with NZS 4305:1996 Energy Efficiency – Domestic Type Hot Water Systems.  Where larger commercial type systems are used, such as a boiler, the most efficient type practical should be used.
• Artificial lighting should be of the most energy efficient type available.  Lights should be placed to illuminate areas to required levels; care should be taken not to exceed necessary lighting levels.  Lighting layout should have regard to natural light available (see also Preliminary design).
• Low-flow and low water use systems shall be used
• If air-conditioning is required, the most energy efficient system practical should be chosen.  Air-conditioning should only be supplied to those areas where temperature and air exchange cannot be controlled by mechanical or natural means and only at those times when other control is inadequate.  All air conditioning equipment has to be free of ozone depleting substances, such as CFC’s, HCFC’s, R11 or R12.
• Good access should be available to ceiling spaces and other service voids to allow for efficient maintenance and flexibility for replacement or new service runs in the future.
• Heating systems should be energy efficient and be situated and designed to allow energy efficient use by buildings' occupants.
• Heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer should be reduced as far as practicable through good insulation.
• Water re-usage through fire systems should be considered.
• Space should be provided in the design to allow for functional recycling facilities.
• Provision should be made for secure bicycle parking and other appropriate facilities for cyclists.
 
• Mechanical fixing should be used in preference over gluing wherever possible.  Sealants and fillers should be avoided where possible through careful detailing.  Where adhesives are needed, water-based products are preferable.  For sealants and fillers, the least toxic product available should be used.
• The least toxic paint or finishing product practical should be used.  However, performance must not be compromised.

• All appliances should have a good energy rating (four or more stars) and be water efficient.  No in-sink waste disposal units should be installed.  Fridges should not contain ozone-depleting substances (CFCs, HFC’s and HCFC’s).



A1.4.10    Operation and Maintenance

The building and systems design will ensure that the building is a demonstrable model of efficiency in its service and operational costs.  The design and function of operable service systems, equipment, fittings and facilities within buildings, whether manual, powered or automatic, shall be “user friendly” and easy for staff to understand, operate and maintain.  Associated control equipment and fittings shall be easy and safe for staff to access, identify and operate but shall not be accessible to children or the public.  To ensure that full advantage is gained from the intended function of the installed service systems, equipment, fittings and facilities, the Architect shall coordinate with the various sub-consultants responsible for the designs, to provide staff with clear and concise operations and maintenance instruction manuals.  This is especially important for any equipment that controls comfort levels of the building’s internal environment.

The manuals shall include basic explanations of the function and instructions for the operation and maintenance of the following operable components in each building:
• Temperature control – electrical heating, ducted heating, passive solar heating.
• Manual ventilation – windows – intended airflow patterns.
• Mechanical ventilation - fans, air-conditioning (if installed).
• Sun screening.
• Lighting – switching, bulbs.
• Electrical – Switchboards, circuit breakers, photovoltaic supply (if installed).
• Equipment with wall or floor socket connections to installed cabling;
• Audio.
• Video.
• Tele-communications.
• Computer workstations.
• Security – window and door-locking systems, alarms.
• Fire safety – fire hose reels, extinguishers, smoke and/or heat sensors, alarms.
• Automatic doors (if installed).
• Solar water heating (if installed).
• Pumped rainwater system (if installed)
• Elevator (if installed).
• Any other installed, operable service systems, equipment, fittings and facilities.

Throughout the buildings there shall be adequate cabling to allow for relatively generous numbers of conveniently spaced power socket outlets and it connection points to provide for flexibility in the number and position of computer workstations and other it facilities.  This is to provide for potential information technology advances.

The design for exterior wall claddings and interior linings shall specify materials and finishes that enable ease of cleaning and maintenance.  In easily accessed areas, added consideration shall be given to specifying graffiti resisting treatments.  Where possible, design and specify surfaces that do not attract tagging.

In the design of landscape elements, components and planting consideration shall be given to the specification of materials that require minimum maintenance and are readily available for repairs and replacement.  Any installed services, for instance garden irrigation systems, shall be simple and easily operated and will also have an operation manual.