Completion year 2018
Disciplines
Acoustics, Electrical, Energy Services, Fire Engineering, Hydraulics, Mechanical, Structural, Sustainability, Vertical Transportation
Markets
Health & Aged Care
Offices
Perth
Key People
Sustainability Section Manager, Principal
Electrical Senior Project Engineer, Principal
Acoustics Project Engineer, Principal
Mechanical Section Manager, Principal
Energy & Electrical Project Engineer, Principal
Hydraulic Project Engineer, Associate
Opal Aged Care provides specialist aged care facilities across Australia and WGE’s full suite of building service engineers contributed to the design, documentation and construction of their recent care home situated on Silica Road, Carine.
The new purpose-built 150 bed facility, design by Silver Thomas Hanley, is arranged over two levels to provide premium single bedrooms with ensuite, luxurious living areas and landscaped courtyards along with respite and dementia-specific care. The sloping nature of the site houses back-of-house functions below ground along the Emerald Way boundary, giving south-facing residents on the first level direct courtyard access.
The building features wide, open shared living and dining areas and a two-level void within the structure which resulted in the need for additional beams - reducing the ceiling space for building services reticulations. WGE undertook a full 3D REVIT BIM model of the services proposal which was crucial to the successful identification of alternative routes and helped simplify construction in the available space. The coordinated installation included Hydraulics, A/C, lighting, access control, ‘Nurse call’, security and fire safety provision.
Acoustics was addressed within the shared living spaces to offer comfort to residents, and the outsized open plan areas also demanded careful assessment and consideration to comply with BCA guidelines from a fire safety and protection standpoint. WGE’s ESD consultant presented options to maximise energy efficiency opportunities throughout the building to fulfil Section J building code requirements, while an additional energy assessment was also conducted to ascertain an alternative for embedded generation.