Monash Woodside Building for Technology and Design
The Woodside Building for Technology and Design is a landmark, representing the latest thinking in tertiary education and world-leading energy-efficient building design. It is the largest Certified Passivhaus project in the southern hemisphere. Its size and scope make it a truly pioneering project.
The five-storey, smart-technology enabled building serves as a living lab for IT and engineering students and researchers. They can experience first-hand how an integrated design approach can increase occupant comfort and indoor air quality and dramatically reduce energy consumption.
Woodside was deliberately designed to allow students to learn from the building itself. Visual access to plant rooms through glazed windows provides an insight into the role of different components of plant equipment. Some areas of the raised floor will be laminated glass with LED backlighting, showing how the mechanical, electrical and hydraulic services function. Structural steelwork and exposed piles include sensors that show how stresses and vibrations on structural elements change in different load conditions and temperatures.
The overarching design challenge was to provide a building which maximises daylight and reduces energy demand. Detailed coordination amongst trades and designers was required to find suitable and maintainable equipment and systems.
The building was also certified by Climate Active, becoming Australia’s first carbon-neutral construction project. This illustrates how the Passivhaus standard can readily fit with other sustainability initiatives. The builders implemented energy efficiency initiatives on-site, calculated all emissions produced from fuel and energy use and purchased carbon credits to offset those emissions.
Woodside generates its own power via 250 kilowatts of solar panels, contributing to Monash’s commitment to achieving net zero emissions for its campuses by 2030.
PROJECT SPECS
Heating Demand 9 kWh/(m²a)
Heating Load 13 W/m²
Treated Floor Area 15,860 m²
Form Factor 1.25
Air Leakage @ 50Pa 0.6 ACH
Primary Energy Demand 74 kWh/(m²a)
Generation of Renewable Energy 64 kWh/(m²a)
Cooling Demand 14 kWh/(m²a)
Cooling Load 30 W/m²
PROJECT TEAM
Architect / Designer: Grimshaw Architects
Passivhaus Designer / Consultant: Aurecon
Builder: Lendlease
Passivhaus Certifier: Passivhaus Institute Germany