Schneider Electric has joined the project team for 1000 La Trobe Street as technology partner.
The company has been tasked with the job of ensuring the office tower will be Melbourne’s next smart building.
Schneider Electric’s brief is to improve the 40,000-square-metre development’s operational and energy efficiencies utilising its cloud-hosted EcoStruxure solution.
It will allow the building to scale in new digital services over time to meet tenants’ needs, and ensure the 24-storey tower will be a building of the future.
Schneider Electric’s sales director for digital buildings, Keith Miller, said 1000 La Trobe will be sustainable, resilient, hyper efficient and people centric.
“The integrated system platform will essentially provide a single view into the building’s multiple smart technologies,” Miller said.
“The connected and integrated technologies allow for significant sustainability insights, with the ability to easily manage and monitor efficiency as well as focusing on integrating emerging technologies in a way that is people-centric.
“Covid-19 has emphasised the demand for smart and digitally connected buildings that make workplaces more dynamic, resilient, safe as well as efficient. The infrastructure at 1000 La Trobe allows for better digitisation of business practises and is enabled to support future technologies and initiatives.”
Incorporating a range of cutting-edge property technologies, such as Building Management and Energy Management Systems, EV chargers and Building analytics, the solution will enable smart, measurable, and effective energy and building operations.
The open nature of the Schneider Electric solution allows for seamless integration into room booking systems, density management offerings and better digitisation of remote work.
This technology drives tenant engagement as it is not just focused on the building’s operations but brings choice, interoperability and adaptability to the occupant experience.
Schneider Electric’s ability to access third-party data enables a building that is interactive and engaging with its occupants, enhancing tenant retention and engagement.
The platform will integrate all of the building technologies to provide a holistic view of performance, enabling the facility management team to make the right decisions around efficiency and ease of use.
It also provides the capacity to integrate changes into the future, including tenant engagement, improved sustainability benchmarking and performance, automated maintenance and/or analytics.
Integrating electric vehicle chargers into an energy management system means the management team will have centralised access to the performance and usage of the chargers.
To improve tenant engagement, the integration will be used to convert EV charger usage data into other meaningful metrics, such as the amount of carbon reduced or “trees saved”.
Building analytics
The analytics to be initially deployed feature Building Advisor and Power Advisor, which are key to the building’s performance and ensuring the health of the electrical system.
The Advisors will allow the management team to address issues before they become faults or even before tenants notice there is an issue.
Electrical metering equipment needs to be accurate to ensure the best NABERS performance, Power Advisor will help to ensure this, while avoiding intrusive electrical shutdowns and unplanned outages.
“Being a preferred solution by a building of such significance and prominence reflects yet another time that Schneider’s EcoStruxure platform possesses superior capabilities and vast potential for the buildings of tomorrow,” Miller said.
“With developers, owners and operators looking to attract tenants in a challenging market, Schneider Electric technology builds valuable points of data, enabling tenants to make informed and smart decisions on their use of space.”
The base build of 1000 La Trobe Street is scheduled for completion by mid to late 2021.