Workplace/retail designers team up with Ashburner Francis
Our team has delivered the design and documentation of all mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) services for the base build of Toowoomba’s new NAB banking hub.
The new building, spread across two storeys, accommodates more than 80 banking personnel as well as delivering on-site customer service.
Our engineering helped secure NAB a Five Star Green Star – Performance Portfolio rating (an internationally recognised sustainability certification). In close collaboration with local architects Sims White, civil structural engineers ADG, Built, and Green Star specialists, E-LAB Consulting, we designed and documented a series of energy-efficient services for the base build. These include an air-conditioning and ventilation system designed to be responsive to Toowoomba’s specific climatic conditions.
Additional energy-efficient MEP initiatives include:
- Roof-top solar panels
- Energy-efficient glazing
- Energy-efficient hydraulic piping
- Smart meters to monitor energy usage
Drawing upon our extensive experience with hydraulics infrastructure, we were well placed to manage the complexities of designing the building’s fire protection systems. Our solution helped circumvent the need for the costly installation of additional under-ground water tanks. Similarly, we assisted with locating the building’s fire hydrant on an easement — so as not to impair the visual appeal of the NAB facade, nor encroach on the site’s laneway where retail outlets are soon to be established.
Whilst our MEP design/documentation remit for NAB’s base build was extensive, some key elements include:
- Passenger lifts
- End-of-trip facilities (including showers and changing rooms)
- Common area lighting and power
- An upgraded site electrical supply, and distribution infrastructure throughout the building
- A new high capacity NBN link and site communications infrastructure
Architecture Graduate Keith Starr, from Sims White, worked closely with us on this project. “The Ashburner Francis team communicates really well and is always responsive and agile,” Keith says. “Their knowledge of energy-efficient engineering was invaluable on this project, as was their seamless integration of MEP services.
“Despite Ashburner Francis working solely on the base build, they took great care to consider how placement of switchboards, and the like, would likely impact the interior design — that foresight and generosity is also to be applauded.”
Planning a new workplace, retail hub or refurbishment of an existing building? We welcome your enquiry on hello@ashburnerfrancis.com.au