UTS raises the roof for sustainability

The University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) unveiled its new Faculty of Engineering and IT (FEIT) building on 12 June. The 44,000 m² facility is the university’s first building to offset its energy usage from renewables.

The $190 million building was partially funded by the NSW and federal governments and will accommodate up to 5000 students and staff through a mix of public, learning and faculty office space. Throughout the project, UTS worked with architects Denton Corker Marshall and contractor Lend Lease to ensure that the innovative design, technology, engineering and sustainability requirements of the building were all met.

The building’s atrium, work and learning spaces are all naturally lit. It has no formal ceilings and instead features a raised-floor system to contain all services, including air conditioning. Running air conditioning under the floor is an energy-efficient process which uses low-level air displacement and only cools or heats the room’s occupied area.

One of the most significant sustainability aspects of the building is that it has a cogeneration plant on its roof, where multiple sources of energy work collectively to produce 20% of the building’s electricity, air conditioning and heating. It includes a vertical axis wind turbine, an organic rankine cycle (ORC) turbine, 20 solar water panels, 74 photovoltaic solar panels and a series of solar parabolic troughs, or solar thermal concentrators.

From late June, UTS is collaborating with RMIT University, Standards Australia and Solem Consulting to deliver the first Australian Standard for industrial scale use of solar thermal concentrators. Funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, the 18-month industry initiative will be based around the solar thermal concentrators and ORC turbine, which utilise the power of water and sunlight to provide air conditioning and hot water.

“This system is instrumental in verifying these Australian Standards before Standards Australia approves the process,” said Research Laboratories Manager Ray Clout, who is overseeing FEIT’s involvement in the project. “We will run a series of tests over a period of a year, gather the data and verify those standards.”

Overall, sustainability benefits for the building are expected to include:

• An energy saving of 30-45%.
• A potable water saving of 20-30%.
• A 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions over benchmark tertiary educational buildings with similar functional spaces.
• A 10%-15% operational energy saving due to the shading of the semi-transparent aluminium screens which envelop the building.

Internal sensors placed throughout the building - internally and within the concrete - will monitor air quality, sound, vibration, concrete ion erosion and movement of the structure. The building will thus become a living laboratory, delivering real-time data on its performance. This will be displayed on screens throughout the facility and can be used for teaching and research purposes.

UTS is targeting a 5 Star Green Star rating for the building, to be certified by the Green Building Council of Australia. It will open for teaching in late July.