GREEN STAR RATING
6 Star Green Star
– Design & As Built v1.2
LOCATION
Wurundjeri and Bunurong Country
Victoria
COMPLETION
2022
TYPE
Government
OWNER
Brimbank City Council
ESD consultant:
LCI Consultants
Acoustic consultant:
Marshall Day Acoustics
Architect:
William Ross Architects
Building services engineer:
BRT Consulting
Building surveyor:
Philip Chun & Associates
Main contractor:
ADCO Constructions
Project manager and quantity surveyor:
Turner & Townsend
Structural and civil engineer:
Irwinconsult
The Brimbank Aquatic and Wellness Centre (BAWC) made waves in Australia as the first 100% renewable energy powered, zero greenhouse gas emitting aquatic centre. With a 6 Star Green Star Design and As Built rating, BAWC represents a significant milestone in the advancement of sustainability in aquatic centres across the country.
Generally, aquatic centres consume more energy and emit more greenhouse gases than any other facility managed by Australian councils.
Water heaters, often powered by natural gas, run around the clock to maintain stable temperatures, while energy-intensive electric pumps keep water clean. Regulating air temperatures can also be challenging in damp, humid environments.
But the new $60 million Brimbank Aquatic and Wellness Centre, located in the west Melbourne suburb of Keilor Downs, presents an alternative.
“Brimbank Council declared a Climate Emergency in 2019, and we have strong requirements for our facilities to meet highest possible sustainable design standards. Our Climate Emergency Plan outlined a commitment to ‘assess the feasibility of electric alternatives to building new, or upgrading old, gas infrastructure in Council buildings’. Council was determined to exceed this commitment by bringing this all-electric centre to fruition,” explained Drew Hildebrandt, Manager of Brimbank Leisure Centres
Not only is it crucial to have operationally and thermally efficient aquatic centres from an environmentally sustainability perspective, but also from a financial perspective.
“Brimbank is part of the 60 council Victorian Energy Collaboration power purchase agreement (VECO) which is a long-term contract to purchase 100% renewable electricity linked to two wind farms in regional Victoria. As a result, gas use in aquatic centres is the sector’s top facilities emissions source. Coupled with the rising price of gas, the only way for Aquatic centres to be economically and environmentally viable into the future are for them to be designed as or converted to all-electric,” said Hildebrandt.
In the case of BAWC, this design approach also greatly reduced Councils overall carbon emissions and running costs of the centre.
The business case
Initially costed at $6 million, the all-electric component of the aquatic centre wasn’t always on the cards. But the team refused to give up on the goal.
“We wanted to make a difference in our building and in our community. But we also wanted to show other councils, and the development industry, that if we can do it, they can do it too,” said Hildebrandt.
The higher capital cost of the upgrade was initially unpalatable to executive management teams who approve the budget, so communicating the operational benefits with internal stakeholders was pivotal to get buy-in for this change.
“As a piece of infrastructure that will remain in place for decades with considerable operational costs each year, it is important to reframe the cost of these projects away from up-front capital costs and towards annual operational costs, the economic model for a 6 Star design in this case looks far more favourable when considering ‘whole of life’ costs,” said Hildebrandt.
In the case of BAWC, early modelling showed that the higher capital outlay of an all-electric facility (compared to a conventional gas plan design) will take 11 years to pay back in operations savings. This changed months into the centre’s operation as gas prices became volatile, the pay-off time estimate was updated to as little as 4.2 years.
“Our advice to anyone undertaking a project of this kind is to calculate the whole of life cost analysis and payback period and use this as a basis to communicate the case for the best possible environmentally sustainable design and highest-level certification,” he explained.
Sustainability goes swimmingly
In 2021, Brimbank Council secured $1.53 million in funding through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency which allowed the consultancy team to pursue an integrated renewable energy system for the centre.
Which means the Brimbank Aquatic and Wellness Centre relies on an all-electric heat-pump system for heating and cooling.
When the 500-kilowatt rooftop solar panels are generating power, they power the heat pump system to heat and cool the centre, while an 88,000-litre hot water storage system acts as a big ‘thermal battery’.
Any additional electricity needed is purchased through a 100% renewable energy power purchase agreement.
These solutions, taken together, achieve a zero emissions outcome for the aquatic centre. A laser-focus on innovation and investigation halved the costs of the all-electric component, and Brimbank City Council has shared the lessons learnt as it explored the heat pump and thermal energy storage options. “Going all-electric cost us around $2.3 million – nowhere near the initial $6 million we estimated,” the team confirmed.
The team’s main message was to an keep an open mind throughout the design and construction process.
Features of BAWC
A four-pipe heat pump for simultaneous use in pool, domestic water, space heating and cooling throughout the centre
High quality thermal building envelope including full pool insulation and double glazing
An integrated heat recovery system
A 500kW onsite rooftop solar PV system, at time of design the largest of any aquatic centre in Australia
A thermal energy storage system with a capacity of 88,000L, storing excess energy generated by the PV system
100 per cent renewable purchased grid electricity sourced from wind farms in regional Victoria via the long term VECO contract
A wellness centre and community program room are complemented by preventative health and social support services, delivered by co-located and integrated partners under the one roof
It’s all in the numbers
BAWC’s operational performance shows a 76% energy use improvement compared to similar aquatic centres in Victoria. And due to its high-quality thermal building envelope and integrated system, the centre is estimated to function as 52% more efficient than a typical Victorian centre which has switched to heat-pumps alone.
As Brimbank purchases renewable grid electricity and the centre is all-electric, BAWC has no greenhouse gas emissions in operation.
“Compared to a business-as-usual full gas plant design, BAWC avoids 1,192 tonnes of emissions per year, an approximate 17% reduction of Council’s overall annual emissions.
“Modelling estimates suggest that by being all-electric $2,122,000 will be saved over five years if current volatile gas price trends continue,” said Hildebrandt.
Against the current
Leaders forge an unfamiliar trail, but the team behind BAWC said the secret to success was collective commitment towards a common goal.
“We specifically wrote the contract so everyone in the project team had ownership. By going down the design and construct route, the builders and consultants were as committed to solving the challenge of 100% electric as we were,” Hildebrandt explains.
“Our builder ADCO now has a proven delivery method for 100% electric aquatic centres and can take that intellectual property to other projects.”
The project team also has the valuable Green Star “tick of approval” as proof that the project exceeds best practice benchmarks.
“Brimbank Aquatic and Wellness Centre is proof that climate emergency plans can be actioned. We’ve proven all-electric aquatic centres aren’t pie in the sky. They can be done. We are extremely proud of what we’ve achieved,” concluded Drew Hildebrandt.