Engineering Laboratory University of Southern Queensland
Project Background
Overall the University of Southern Queensland employees a large numbers of lecturers and other individuals who belong to the administration department. USQ Springfield alone offers more than 25 theoretical engineering courses both on campus and online to its students and also 5 laboratory based practice courses for its engineering students. Most of the theoretical courses of engineering are being taught at its Springfield branch. But majority of the people associate with the project are in need to be provided with their roles and responsibilities, in order to make sure that the project will run smooth with not too many issues.
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Overall Project context
In any business, communication is an important aspect in all kinds of projects; it is the responsibility of the people associate with the project to make sure that all the communication is taking place properly and openly. However in delivering the training and lectures it has been observed that communication between Toowoomba and Springfield is not always been easy. A proper tool or method of having open communication is missing, what can be done to achieve proper communication is still in pending. Once the communication between both the campus and among various departments is improved than staff members and other members associated in the project of new Engineering laboratory will than be able to have proper communication.
PROBLEM DESCRIPTION
Issues in Building Engineering Laboratory
In general a typical engineering laboratory in majority of the universities at present uses five times as much energy water per square foot as a typical office building. With the help of research facilities in the laboratory it will require intensive ventilation system including “once through” air.
The major key aspects of sustainable engineering laboratory has to have a design for USQ that should include the following
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The increased energy and water conservation and better efficiency
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Reduction or elimination of harmful substances and waste from the lab
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Improvements to the interior and exterior environments, for the campus leading to increased productivity for staff members
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Efficient use of materials and resources throughout
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Recycling and increased use of products with recycled content.
University of Southern Queensland (2009b).
Building laboratories have extensive direct and indirect impacts on the environment, mainly because of the reason that buildings use resources such as energy, water and raw materials, generate waste and emit potentially harmful materials. However those people who are responsible for building laboratories that include Dean, HOD, designers and builders will face a unique challenge to meet demands for new and renovated facilities that are accessible, secure, healthy, and proactive while minimizing their overall impact on the environment (S. C. Rockefeller,1996).
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
In order to make sure that new engineering laboratory is sustainable, six fundamental principles persist that needs to be considered.
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Optimize Site/Existing structure
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Optimize Energy use that the laboratory will require
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Protect and conserve water capacity
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Use environmentally Preferable products
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Enhance indoor Environmental quality
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Operation and maintenance Practice
Scope of Engineering Considerations:
For USQ in order to be able to have sustainable engineering laboratories, it should be able to address civil engineering concerns as well as the design of mechanical, plumbing, and lighting systems. For civil engineering, designers and builders must consider transplanting existing trees instead of removing them around the building (T. M. Parris and R. W. Kates, 2003). Besides they should also develop proper storm water management strategies in order to reduce erosion.
Corporate issues
As new standards are surrounding corporate sustainability in different projects, companies and organisations are beginning to weave sustainability capabilities more deeply than ever (Development and Conflict Management, 2003). For University of Southern Queensland there are various issues that needs to be looked after as they not only have to make sure that the quality of service they are offering is of high quality but at the same time the university has to make sure that safety of their workers is of prime importance. The location of the laboratories, the overall design and products used in the building has to be of high quality. Successful programs are championed by a CEO/ HOD’s or Dean’s who will be fully responsible for maintaining sustainability as an ongoing discussion throughout the building of engineering laboratories. Rather than concentrating exclusively on environmental compliance, energy availability and costs, and other risks, main corporate issue would be to focus simultaneously on managing risks and leveraging opportunities.
Few issues to consider would be:
Who will report to whom?
Who will administer the whole project?
Who will be responsible to make key decisions?
Where to get the data from?
Economic issues
In any project, regardless of their nature there are various set of economic issues, concepts and analytical frameworks that can be used to make appropriate decisions at various stages in project planning cycle (T. M. Parris and R. W. Kates, 2003). The feasibility of building engineering labs can be determined by basic issues such as the availability of inputs and regulatory of outputs, to make the project sustainable it will definitely require labor to be available at particular times during the production cycle
Physical issues
For USQ one of the major physical issues to consider is to look in to the physical aspects that involves the major decision either to retrofitting an existing building that might be more cost effective as compare to building a new facility. If the management of USQ decides to renovate or retrofitting the existing building that include the sustainability initiatives reduces operation costs and environmental impacts and will result in increasing building resiliency, would be a major decision.
Usability and revision issues
From the university perspective another important sustainable issues to consider would be the use of direct energy management systems that will commissions the entire building to ensure that the new engineering lab systems will operate as efficiently as possible. Designers should be able to design the laboratory keeping in mind the long term flexibility options that will include the module for all architectural and engineering systems. Computers that will turn themselves off during the non working hours of the lab will help in reducing the energy use and costs by reducing the cooling loads other electrical demands.
Sustainable Lighting Design
By implementing sustainable lighting in the laboratories it will help in reducing the energy use while enhancing employee comfort and productivity. Along with the use of lighting system, having adequate access to the natural daylight is an important principle of sustainable design. As it will not only reduce energy use but it also increases comfort and enhance productivity. Design of the laboratory should be in such a way that it disperse the light in all major areas, so people inside the labs will be able to look outside and orient themselves according to the time of the day. Most importantly daylight should and must be the most important source of illumination.
Ecological issues
The main objective for USQ in sustainable design of their engineering laboratory is to make sure that they avoid resource source of depletion of energy, water, and raw materials by building laboratories that livable, comfortable, safe and productive.
