Decommissioned chiller

With a floor area of over 250 000 square metres, a lot of planning and work goes into maintaining the home of Australia’s Parliament. Most Parliament House employees and visitors will rarely have cause to consider the infrastructure that keeps the building operating like clock-work but for the folk in Capital Works Branch this is top of mind. Formed in early 2017 to provide a dedicated focus on new capital works projects, the branch has taken charge of some large and complex projects in its first year.

The 41 lifts scattered around the building are a welcome feature for weary visitors and Parliament House staff wanting to conserve energy on their daily journey through this enormous building. In early 2017, Capital Works Branch commenced work to upgrade the passenger lifts and the goods lifts that are relied on for safe and efficient movement of items around APH. After an open tender process, ThyssensKrupp Elevators Australia was engaged to partner with DPS on this project.

‘Scheduling is critical for a project like this. APH operates around the clock so we need to make sure that the work is carried out in a way that minimises any inconvenience for parliamentarians, staff and visitors’

Project Manager Trent Litster.

The upgrades will be staggered over four years to minimise disruption, with work on the first tranche of lifts scheduled for October 2017. The project team is working closely with APH architect Aldo Giurgola’s moral rights representatives (Ms Pamille Berg and Mr Hal Guida) to ensure that refurbishment of the lift interiors complements the original design intent.

(L-R) Martin Edgoose, Senior Project Officer, Capital Works Branch; Adam Buffier Plumbing Supervisor, Benmax; Rob Stefanic, DPS Secretary; Colin Filmer, Senior Project Officer, Capital Works Branch; Paul Cooper, Acting First Assistant Secretary, Building and Security Division; Nadine O’Keeffe, ACT General Manager, Built contractors; Michael Healey, Assistant Secretary Capital Works; Justin Westcott, Project Manager, Built Contractors.

Capital Works Branch has also had its hands full managing the replacement of chillers that supply cold water for the APH air conditioning system. The project to replace the chillers best known as ‘Chiller No 4 and Chiller No 5’ (as per their retro style name plates) follows the replacement of the three other chillers in 2011. The mammoth task involves replacing both the chillers themselves and all of the related equipment, including pipework, pumps, valves and mechanical switchboards. Two new chillers made the journey to Canberra all the way from Austin Texas, arriving in late June 2017. Weighing in at over 16,000 kilograms—each of the chillers is roughly equivalent in weight to seven rhinos. The chillers were dismantled prior to delivery to make transportation possible and air skates were used to lift and move the components into the Central Energy Plant-room housed in the building’s basement. The name plates on the old chillers were saved during their decommissioning and are proudly displayed on the new and improved ‘Chiller No 4 and Chiller No 5’.

‘The new chillers are expected to use around 22 per cent less energy than the previous chillers and demonstrate DPS’ commitment to the Australian Government’s goal of eliminating the use of R22 refrigerant, which contributes to ozone depletion.’

Senior Project Officer Martin Edgoose

In addition to being more environmentally responsible, the new chillers will help to ensure the comfort of all visitors and staff at APH on sweltering summer days.