May 2009
Refurbishment of an historic Sydney building provided plenty of challenges that were successfully tackled by the contractors - including a complete electrical refit to handel the energy demands of modern business accommodation.
Transport House, 99 Macquarie Street, SydneyTransport House at 99 Macquarie Street, the former Department of Motor Transport, had been mostly unoccupied for the past decade or so. Its owner, Mulpha, required full conservation of the building's 1938 architectural features that included classical colonnades with Art Deco influences.
Raven Electrical won the contract from Kell & Rigby for the electrical and communication services fit-out and appointed K E Brown Electrical Switchboards to supply and install all the switchboards.
"The building was being inadequately supplied with electricity for modern requirements that include air conditioning, telecommunications, new lifts, hydraulic services and electrical equipment," said Raven Electrical Managing Director Harry Raven.
"Not enough power was available from the nearby Phillip Street substation for an upgraded building, so the decision was made to install a new substation in the building itself, on level two on the Macquarie Street side of the building."
The in-house substation supplies power to the main switchboards, and from there to distribution switchboards and tenant switchboards on each floor.
Among the challenges of working within the conservation constraints of the historic building were that the internal columns supporting the building were either marble or Scagliola, a product that is no longer available in Australia, and the ceilings were plastered in Art Deco style.
"We couldn't drill, cut or do anything that might damage the heritage fabric, so false ceilings to carry air conditioning and wiring weren't possible," Mr Raven recalled.
Ducts that sit below the ceiling were devised to carry the electricity reticulation conduits, electronic cabling and air conditioning services.
A further obstacle was that contractors, including Raven Electrical and K E Brown Switchboards,
had no access through the front of Transport House and had to work through an InterContinental loading dock that led through a narrow doorway into the back of the building.
"We couldn't use the heritage entrance on Macquarie Street for bringing in equipment and tools, so had no choice but to use the constricted rear entrance," he said.
K E Brown's delivery and implementation teams worked in close liaison with Raven Electrical to overcome the difficulties of access and installation, according to Peter Silsby, K E Brown Operations Manager.
The two main electrical switchboards are about 4.5 and 2.1 metres long by 2 metres high and were transported in sections, being bolted together once on site. The switchboard includes the latest range of Terasaki components, supplied by NHP Electrical Products. The most recent technology in rubber seals has been employed to prevent the ingress of dust, which is always a potential problem with switchboards.
The board was constructed to Form 3b standard, which compartmentalises the switchboard for safety reasons and allows the installation of cables while power is live to the board.
"K E Brown Electrical Switchboards and Raven Electrical performed remarkably well on what was a challenging assignment - although nothing that was beyond their professional capabilities," Mr Raven said.
KEB today provides custom-engineered low-voltage switchboards to companies as diverse as BHP Billiton and IBM; ABN Amro and Bovis Lend Lease; CSR and AMP; Sydney Water and Woolworths; Telstra and EDS; Leighton Contractors and Coles; McDonalds and Optus Vision; and some of the country's leading hospitals, hotels, telecoms and banks.
