Royal Botanical Gardens Visitor Centre, Cranbourne, Victoria
In October 2015 DEA commissioned a design & construct project by the State Government of Victoria to rectify a failed geothermal system installed at its RBG Visitor Centre.
The Royal Botanical Gardens at Cranbourne is a very important site as it is a two times winner for the World’s Best botanical gardens.
Two large water to air heat pumps were utilised for this retro fit project which posed significant challenges to install in an underbuilding/underground plant room.
DEA was responsible for the engineering design, project management and installation of the 160kW open loop system. It uses a lake in the immediate proximity as a geothermal energy source.
Integration of piping into a very delicate natural environment required DEA personnel to take particular care to install the required supply/return water infrastructure. Integration with the installed HVAC system formed an important part of the Project. No replacement of any internal HVAC distribution systems were required.
This job incorporated a 5 year systems monitoring and maintenance contract in which DEA monitored the performance of geothermal systems to determine the effectiveness of the system over time for the client.
Water quality and filtration is a key factor in ensuring the long term success of the project and monitoring the effect of the lake derived water on core mechanical components is part of the monitoring process being undertaken by DEA. Wireless controls feature as a core technology component of the system.
The system has been operating very effectively since 2015.
Project Details
- Victoria
- Victorian State Government
- October 2015
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