Eco city in action

Ten years ago the Waitakere City Council's eco city aspirations appeared ahead of their time, but as its latest building developments show, sustainability is now well and truly part of the mainstream

Civic library area with orange sofas, and view architecture, ceiling, daylighting, furniture, institution, interior design, library, gray, red — Civic library area with orange sofas, and view of ceiling ducting.

Interior of civic building showing airconditioning ducting and architecture, building, daylighting, glass, structure, window, gray, black

Exterior view of building showing timber fins, roof angle, architecture, beam, daylighting, glass, house, line, stairs, structure, wood, brown

Multi-disciplinary consulting firm Connell Wagner designed mechanical and electrical services for many of Waitakere City's recent developments, all of which met the sustainable brief.

Design engineer Ashley Barnett says each project required specialist solutions, including combinations of Variable Air Volume (VAV) and displacement air conditioning, to match the usage.

"The civic centre was a work of art. The offices feature open floor plates, so there's no need for ductwork or false ceilings. The shell beams provide displacement ventilation at floor level and also control the building's thermal mass directly. This opportunity to use 100% fresh air provides free cooling and high indoor air quality. The lighting system has occupancy sensors that work bay-by-bay and perimeter lighting that recognises the amount of natural light and dims accordingly."

Perimeter windows are also shielded with louvres designed using thermal modeling. For further energy efficiency, Connell Wagner designed a method of recovering and recycling the waste heat generated in the refrigeration cycle.

For more details, contact Connnell Wagner, phone (09) 520 6019. Website: www.conwag.com.

Story by: Trendsideas

23 Jun, 2006

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