Conference speakers

Keynote speaker

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Beck Dawson

City of Sydney

Sydney's resilience story - joining the 100 Resilient Cities initiative

Abstract:
Sydney joined the 100 Resilient Cities network in 2015 to develop and implement an urban resilience roadmap for metropolitan Sydney. The strategy follows engagement with over 1,000 people and more than 100 organisations across governments, business and the community to identify local responses to global and city challenges. The strategy sets directions to strengthen our capacity to withstand, respond to, and adapt more readily to shocks and stresses. This session will provide an insight into the process and the opportunities from this collaboration for resilience.

Bio:
Dawson is the chief resilience officer for metropolitan Sydney, hosted by the City of Sydney Council as part of the 100 Resilient Cities Network. She leads the development and implementation of the Resilient Sydney Strategy, working with governments, business and the community to build collaboration and investment for a stronger, more connected and resilient city.

As a property sustainability expert, Dawson’s background is in long-term planning and investment in the natural and urban built environments. She was previously the general manager corporate sustainability at Investa Property Group, and worked on leading Australian property sector and resilience committees.

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Nicki Parker, M.AIRAH (speaking with Liza Taylor, M.AIRAH)

Norman, Disney & Young 

Resilience in the HVAC&R Industry: Why should I care, and if I already do, what should I do about it? 

Abstract:
Extreme weather, utilities failures and other catastrophic events are becoming more commonplace. As property owners, engineers, HVAC&R manufacturers, contractors and facilities managers, we all have a role to play in future-proofing our buildings and safeguarding our most important assets – our people.

Resilience is not just about enabling our buildings to withstand and, more importantly, bounce back from these events. Resilient HVAC&R can directly address the number one opportunity to reverse climate change with better refrigerant management, as well as reducing energy costs, extending asset life and improving comfort.

Parker and Taylor will summarise the current state of play of resilient HVAC&R and present the group’s vision in terms of what we, as an industry, can do to contribute to successful buildings, not just during normal operation, but at times when things don’t go to plan.

Bio:
With nearly 12 years in building physics and sustainability consulting, Parker’s in-depth knowledge of applying complex principles to practical sustainable design provides value to built environment projects throughout the design cycle. Her skills are focused around sustainable design solutions and advanced computational modelling techniques.

 Parker has worked in several sectors in order to incorporate sustainability as a key driver in the building industry. Her background in building physics is crucial in understanding how a building works, allowing project teams to pursue effective strategies – both from an energy consumption and cost perspective, and throughout the life of a building. This includes using climate change projections to quantify the potential impacts throughout the life of a development.

 Parker is a Green Star Accredited Professional (GSAP), the vice-president for the Australian affiliation of IBPSA, and co-chair on the AIRAH Special Technical Group for Resilience.

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Liza Taylor, M.AIRAH (speaking with Nicki Parker, M.AIRAH)

Global IQ Group

Resilience in the HVAC&R Industry: Why should I care, and if I already do, what should I do about it? 

Abstract:
Extreme weather, utilities failures and other catastrophic events are becoming more commonplace. As property owners, engineers, HVAC&R manufacturers, contractors and facilities managers, we all have a role to play in future-proofing our buildings and safeguarding our most important assets – our people.

Resilience is not just about enabling our buildings to withstand and, more importantly, bounce back from these events. Resilient HVAC&R can directly address the number one opportunity to reverse climate change with better refrigerant management, as well as reducing energy costs, extending asset life and improving comfort.

Parker and Taylor will summarise the current state of play of resilient HVAC&R and present the group’s vision in terms of what we, as an industry, can do to contribute to successful buildings, not just during normal operation, but at times when things don’t go to plan.

Bio:
Taylor has spent her career working for some of Australia’s most loved brands – across R&D, product, marketing and management – before “falling into” the HVAC&R industry over a decade ago. As CEO and co-founder of Global IQ Group, Liza is a key adviser to many HVAC&R organisations on strategy, innovation and marketing.

Taylor is an AIRAH board member and co-chair of the AIRAH Resilience Special Technical Group.

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Noni Nuriani

Norman Disney & Young

Building energy performance in a changing climate 

Abstract:
There is a consensus among climate scientists that the global climate is changing and will continue to change at an increasing rate in the future. There is also an increased awareness within the construction industry to consider the impact of climate change on the future energy efficiency performance of the buildings that we are designing today. To date, limited work has been done to quantify the impact to the energy performance of the current Australian building stock. However, it is imperative that designers and clients are aware of any potential increases and prepare appropriate measures that provide resilience to buildings in this changing climate.

Simulating the energy performance and internal temperature conditions of buildings relies heavily on the quality of the hourly weather files used, and the simulator’s knowledge of what they represent.

Nuriani will summarise the potential impacts for commercial building energy performance and internal conditions using simulation methods, particularly with reference to NABERS. Where adverse conditions occur, potential adaptation and mitigation measures will be discussed to provide insight in to how the industry can respond to future conditions. Passive design measures will be critical in addressing the changes, because simply increasing HVAC plant size and operating hours should only be considered if absolutely necessary.

Bio:
Since joining Norman Disney & Young in 2009, Nuriani has been a key player in delivering major energy efficiency upgrades of existing buildings, and energy efficiency assessments of new buildings – across commercial, residential, retail, health, industrial, education and defence sectors. She is now a senior sustainability consultant for NDY. She is also on the NABERS Steering Committee as a representative of IBPSA Australasia.

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Yale Carden, M.AIRAH

Geoexchange Australia 

Design for HVAC resilience through the lens of thermal potential
Introducing thermal potential as the foundation of HVAC resilience 

Abstract:
When confronted with the future reality of climate change, resilience becomes a natural evolution of sustainability. Resilience within an HVAC system enables the maintaining of indoor comfort levels, despite the impacts of long-term climate trends or weather events that are becoming more extreme and frequent.

Carden will explore the concept of local renewable thermal energy – or thermal potential – and its capacity to increase the resilience of HVAC systems. He will discuss the available thermal potential at any given location while also providing a series of case studies highlighting how its adoption enhances system resilience.

Bio:
Carden is the founder and managing director of GeoExchange Australia. He has over twenty years of experience in the sustainability sector, the past twelve of which have been specifically in geoexchange systems. A member and certified installer with the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association, Carden advises the public and private sector across the Asia Pacific.

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Stewart Monti

University of Technology Sydney – Masters Student

Where do we stand? A survey of resilient design measures for building envelope and HVAC&R systems 

Abstract:
Resilient design is an emerging field with increasing importance as the world moves beyond climate change mitigation to adaptation. Prescriptive design literature concerned specifically with buildings’ adaptability largely neglects building envelope and HVAC&R systems. It is the responsibility of all built environment professionals to address the fundamental gaps. Understanding where the gaps lie is the first step.

Using a framework of resilience design measures determined by the AIRAH Resilience Special Technical Group as the basis, a survey was conducted. A matrix was constructed to collate responses to specific resilience measures and highlight current gaps in knowledge.

Monti will share his analysis of existing resilience guidelines and rating systems, highlight the gaps in those tools and discuss possible actions industry can take to address these gaps.

Bio:
Monti is a final year Master of Architecture student at the University of Technology Sydney. In 2017, he worked with the AIRAH Resilience Special Technical Group to survey prescriptive resilience design documentation. The aim was to prepare a Resilient Design Guideline for the HVAC&R industry. He is currently undertaking his thesis, which is exploring ecomimcry as a means of creating an urban habitat for all forms of flora and fauna that benefit from the impending volatility of climate change. The project is sited at Waterloo, New South Wales.

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Justin Wong

EMF Griffiths

The elephant in the room: What do we know about the current weather file?  

Abstract:
Various Global Circulation Models (GCMs) have been developed to forecast future rises in global temperature. However, there is a lack of guidelines in using these projections for building design. Typical weather files are used in building energy simulation tools to predict annual energy performance of residential and non-residential buildings. Given the multitude of typical weather files available to the Australian energy simulation community, it is important to understand how baseline weather files should be selected for the purpose of developing future scenarios. This is crucial in understanding the performance of HVAC systems when subjected to future weather using building energy simulation.

Wong will compare several weather metrics typical of current GCMs. The intent is to quantify variabilities within the current set of weather files. In addition, there is a pressing need to develop an insightful understanding of the differences between typical weather files for residential and non-residential applications. This is crucial to lay the foundation for further harmonisation work as we move towards developing sustainable communities at the precinct level.

Wong aims to open a conversation about the variability of weather files, and identify and discuss important issues and challenges when evaluating the performance of HVAC systems using building energy simulation for future scenarios.

Bio:
Formally trained as mechanical engineer, Wong uses building energy simulation for design, code development, rating and operation. He is a director-at-large of IBPSA-Australasia and is a member of the AIRAH working group on load calculations. Funded by ASHRAE, Wong is collaborating with renowned experts to develop a new design tool to better incorporate fenestration system performance in building energy simulation. He is a voting member of the ASHRAE standard committee on equipment performance for building energy simulation, and holds memberships in technical and standard committees including load calculations, design information, climate change and BIM.

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Johanna Trickett

Aurecon

Façades – Not just a pretty face but the start of any resilient HVAC design

Abstract:
Trickett will look at the impact of façades on mechanical design. She will share the analysis of different façade treatments, ranging from window-to-wall ratios to shading scenarios and the impact of thermal bridging. She will focus on annual energy consumption, peak loads, associated thermal plant and HVAC infrastructure, and an economic comparison of where money is spent.

Bio:
Trickett has over 15 years’ local and international industry experience as an architect, sustainability adviser, and ESD consultant. She is a certified Passive House Designer and a Green Star Accredited Professional. Trickett is an ESD consultant at Aurecon.

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Anna Brannon

Atelier Ten

Designing façades for the future climate

Abstract:
Brannon will provide the audience with an understanding of how and why climate projections should be used as a tool to alter design strategies today. Buildings are often designed using old data. Designs that appear to be comfortable and efficient using historic weather data may look very different when evaluated for the future climate. Brannon will review the impact on system sizing, occupant thermal comfort, and energy usage for a residential building, comparing the use of current data to future climate projections while reviewing the sensitivity of various design options, with a focus on the building façade.

Bio:
As an environmental designer at Atelier Ten, Brannon specialises in building performance modelling, with a focus on façades, occupant thermal comfort, and high-performance HVAC systems. She works closely with building services engineers to ensure an optimised and holistic design approach, and has worked on a variety of projects across residential, retail, commercial, and public sectors.

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Chris Killoran

Arup

Resilience and cool roofs

Abstract:
Cool roofs can provide substantial energy savings to buildings through their high reflectance and emittance. However, most simulation tools underestimate the savings provided for larger roofs.

Killoran has conducted research studies using combined CFD and dynamic energy modelling. The aim is to more accurately determine the behaviour of cool and normal roofs for different roof sizes, climates and building types.

Cool roofs were found to provide greater savings than standard simulation tools would predict. This was the case for cooling energy savings, HVAC energy savings, peak demand reduction, operating costs and greenhouse gas emission savings.

Bio:
Killoran is a senior ESD engineer at Arup who has more than 13 years’ experience. His career in consulting engineering has involved using technical analysis to optimise the design and operation of new and retrofitted buildings for energy efficiency and environmental performance. He has a background in mechanical engineering design, which gives a practical background to his ESD solutions.

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Greg Johnson, M.AIRAH

Stockland

Adaptable and resilient buildings – Assessing vulnerability and resilience in commercial property

Abstract:
How would I assess my building to understand vulnerability and resilience to a changing climate?

What are the attributes of a resilient building? 

What scenarios and criteria should I be assessing against? 

What are the exposures and risks?  

Johnson will address these key questions and provide an overview of the work Stockland has done to assess its exposure to climate risk. He will share the lessons learned and opportunities to improve resilience in his firm’s commercial property portfolio.

Bio:
Johnson is Stockland’s national sustainability manager, providing support to the commercial property business. With 38 years of experience in the property industry in building services, asset management and sustainability, Johnson has been responsible for the development and implementation of sustainability policy and strategy over the last 16 years, and at Stockland since 2007. 

With his background in building services, operations and asset management, Johnson has a comprehensive understanding of the issues of measuring the performance of buildings and the integration of sustainability into operations for existing buildings and in design for new developments.

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Lasath Lecamwasam, M.AIRAH

ESBS

Resilience in building services design

Abstract:
Climate change impacts, such as extreme weather events and other natural or civil disturbances such as terrorist acts, have considerable impact on the built environment. For instance, they increase the safety obligations and financial penalties associated with the loss of functionality of buildings and facilities. These are important factors with which building services design engineers need to become acquainted. Yet if designed during a project’s early stages rather than as an after-thought, resilient building services can be very cost-effective.

Most building services engineers have the necessary technical knowledge to apply low-cost and pragmatic measures to greatly enhance resilience. However, there are many barriers that prevent these measures from being considered. These include commercial inhibitors – the reluctance to do more work for no appreciation in a competitive fee-driven market – and a lack of appreciation by building owners and end users of the potential consequences of systems failure. This situation is likely to change with increased awareness of resilience, and the cost of ignoring it.

Lecamwasam’s presentation will examine resilience factors as they relate to design and operation of business-critical applications. He will draw on his experience with design and maintenance management across mechanical, electrical and hydraulics services in a range of sectors and facility types including defence, archives, museums, healthcare, and power stations.

Bio:
Lecamwasam has 30 years’ experience in sustainable and resilient design of new buildings and refurbishment of existing. His international experience across mechanical, electrical, controls, and hydraulics services has been gained through working on numerous projects that demand embedded resilient design. Lecamwasam is currently the President of the ACT Division of AIRAH and the Director at Engineered Solutions for Building Sustainability (ESBS, which he formed four years ago).