Page 16 - Climate Control News September 2019

Air Movement, Fans & Ventilation
Condensation handbook updated for NCC provisions
LEFT: There are a number of international standards available that provide details on moisture control and condensation.
international standards as they relate to condensation.
However, there is no Australian Standard that solely deals with the management of con- densation.
Instead there are standards dealing with roof- ing, wall cladding, insulation, masonry, and bushfire management.
These are matters that all affect how de- signers and builders deal with issues that af- fect condensation.
“There are international standards that ad- dress condensation specifically. These stand- ards are aimed at European climate zones and often use very different construction practices not common in Australia,” the handbook warns.
“For these reasons designers need to be wary of blindly following International Standards.”
Condensation can occur in all types of build- ings, largely due to poor design or inappropriate use of materials and, once present, it is difficult to eliminate.
There are a number of international standards available that provide details on moisture con- trol and condensation risk assessment in build- ings and building envelopes.
The assessment methods are mostly based on multi-variable calculations and enacted through computer simulation tools.
ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 160-2016 Criteria for Moisture-Control Design Analysis in Buildings sets minimum acceptable criteria for analytical
tools capable of analysing thermal and moisture transfer and conditions in building envelope components.
The quantified performance evaluation crite- ria provided in the standard include measures for conditions affecting mould growth and cor- rosion of the various materials and surfaces within the building or the building envelope, ex- cluding the exterior surface of the building.
The ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 160 cites two other ASHRAE Standards as references:
DESPITE A LACK of regulatory guidelines on the management of condensation in Australia, the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) has warned that blindly following international standards is not the solution.
The warning is included in the updated Con- densation in Buildings Handbook released by the ABCB this week.
It covers condensation requirements and new provisions within the National Construction Code (NCC) 2019.
The handbook includes key Australian and
• •
“THERE IS NO AUSTRALIAN STANDARD THAT SOLELY DEALS WITH THE MANAGEMENT OF CONDENSATION.”
ASHRAE Standard 55-2013, Thermal Environ- mental Conditions for Human Occupancy; ASHRAE Standard 62.2-2013, Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Low-Rise Residential Buildings.
Mirvac CEO appointed GBCA chair
Both of the referenced standards have been updated since the release of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 160-2016. ASHRAE Standard 55- 2017 and ASHRAE Standard 62.2-2016 are the current versions.
The ABCB handbook was first published in 2011, revised in 2014 and minor editorial chang- es were made in 2016. It was updated in 2019 due to new condensation provisions introduced in the NCC 2019.
THE CEO AND managing director of Mirvac, Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz has been appointed chair of the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA).
She has taken over from the CEO of Frasers Property Australia, Rod Fehring, who steps down after two years in the role.
Lloyd-Hurwitz first joined the GBCA Board as a director in 2013.
“The GBCA has played a critical role collabo- rating with industry to improve sustainability across many areas of Australia’s built environ- ment,” Lloyd-Hurwitz said.
“Now our challenge is to extend these bene- fits to other sectors of the property industry, including homes and social infrastructure, so
more people can live the benefits of greener properties.
“We will also continue our focus on net zero carbon buildings and ex- panding the net zero goal across the industry.”
Lloyd-Hurwitz has
been driving a strong
sustainability agenda at Mirvac, which has committed to being net positive carbon by 2030.
She recently completed her two-year term as national president of the Property Council of Australia from 2017 to 2019.
L-R: GBCA CEO, Davina Rooney, Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz.
GBCA CEO, Davina Rooney welcomed the appointment of Lloyd- Hurwitz, and paid trib- ute to outgoing chair Rod Fehring, chief ex-
ecutive of Frasers Property Australia.
“When Fehring started his term at the GBCA we had around 1500 projects certified. This has grown to more than 2350 over the two-year peri-
od,” Rooney said.
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