"warm air heaters"

A significant Melbourne landmark, Victoria’s Shrine of Remembrance has undergone a major redevelopment by local firm ARM Architecture. Completed in late 2014, the redesign accommodates new requirements of the memorial that have evolved in recent years, while respecting the original design by Hudson and Wardrop, thus ensuring the memorial’s use by future generations.  Built between 1928 and 1934 to honour those who served in the First World War, the Shrine was inspired by the tomb of King Mausolus, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. In the late 1990s, the Shrine of Remembrance Trustees embarked on a bold plan for the site. Access to the upper levels of the Shrine was problematic, especially for veteran visitors, and public visitation was increasing as younger generations came to understand the legacy of their forebears. Accordingly, the Shrine’s collections were expanding with donations of artefacts from families and a growing need for education facilities and an improved visitor experience became evident.  In 2001, ARM Architecture were commissioned to develop a master plan to develop the Shrine. Following the original 1920s design, ARM proposed four symmetrical zig-zag shaped courtyards, allowing access to the undercroft spaces under the existing structure which now house gallery areas, an auditorium, dedicated education rooms, an archive and offices. Stage 1 of the project saw the Visitor Centre and two of the courtyards completed on the north side of the structure in 2003. Stage 2 expanded the undercroft with the addition of the Education Centre and Galleries of Remembrance, and the final two courtyards. ARM Design Architect Jeremy Stewart explains “It was important that each of the courtyards had a distinct feel”. The open air Student Entry Courtyard offers a separate entrance to the Shrine for school groups, with a large sculptural poppy, the flower of wartime remembrance, suspended overhead. With the colour red notorious for fading on external structures, Interpon Powder Coatings recommended a system that would be colourfast. In a high traffic space that closes for only two days each year, with the additional solemnity of the memorial environment, choosing a product that would last the distance and require minimal maintenance was essential to this project. Interpon’s D2015 Gold Global Warranty offers the Shrine Trustees this assurance. Working with Locker Group, HDM Metal, an experienced fabricator and Interpon Approved Applicators AAF Vic and Powdercoating Services ACT as exclusive warrantors provided further reassurance of the product quality.  The giant overheard poppy features Interpon D2015 Ultriva™ R15 Crimson Matt YG215A and its support structure Interpon D2015 Ultriva™ Ebony YN201A. On the south west diagonal, the Terrace Courtyard features a lush green referencing South East Asian inspired garden. Amidst the greenery, laser cut aluminium panels coated in Interpon D2015 Ultriva™ R14 Waratah Matt YG222A list the names of Victorian towns, providing a reference point for visitors. The zig-zag shape of the terrace courtyards infer irregular exposure to the sun, further emphasising the need for a product of premium quality. “Interpon are interested in and open to ideas”, says Stewart, making this a win-win collaboration for the architects of this redevelopment of Victoria’s premier place of remembrance.  

To protect the priceless infrastructure and mission-critical IT information in Australia’s first custom built, high-tech data centre, Polaris, Project Manager Thiess turned to the leading manufacturer of specialist building products, Construction Specialties.Integral to the $121 million construction was the regulation of airflow to safeguard the computer hardware; Construction Specialties’ customised performance louvres were the only product in Australia able to meet this construction challenge.Boasting 14,000m2 of floor space on 5 storeys with 7000m2 of raised floor over three data centre levels, the project, based in Springfield, Queensland, is the largest of its kind in Australia and will be Queensland’s only Tier 3+ data collection point.So important were the Construction Specialties performance louvres to the development, much of the building design was driven by the positioning, material specifications and design of the louvres.Lawrence Issa, Project Manager for Construction Specialties, and project partners Darryl Wright and Steve Emery of Project Sales worked closely with the Polaris construction team from project inception to completion to devise the most effective weatherproofing and airflow option for the building which also matched the intended aesthetic.“In-depth collaboration with the Polaris team led to the selection of our Architectural Line Louvres, of which two types were used – our RS7305a and LSM louvre models,” Lawrence said. “Unlike other louvres on the market, this range prevents up to 99% water penetration and maximises airflow, while also complementing the building facade as the horizontal louvre frames selected are hidden from view.“Our performance louvres cover 345m2 of the exterior building and are specifically customised in terms of size, shape and colour for the data centre,” Lawrence said.Miguel Thievent, Senior Project Engineer at Thiess, remarks that the CS Louvres perform to the highest standard, which was essential in meeting the building specifications.“It was vital we didn’t compromise on weather proofing and airflow,” Miguel said. “For example, we have six generators integral to maintaining the whole IT system in case of power failure which would not run if the airflow was affected or they were damaged by rain.“The Construction Specialties performance louvres were the only ones on the market that could guarantee damage would not occur as a result of bad weather conditions,” Miguel said.Construction Specialties’ performance louvres are at the leading edge of louvre design and are tested under real world conditions to meet the maximum standards demanded.Construction Specialties offers a broad selection of louvres under 3 main categories:Storm Resistant/Performance Louvres – The main objective of Performance Louvres is to allow the passage of air, whilst providing the area beyond the room with protection from rain penetration.Standard Louvres – A standard louvre will provide the maxiumum airflow required, but with minimal rain defence.Screening Louvres – Screening louvres, are low cost solutions that hide plant or other equipment from view.CS Louvre systems are available in a comprehensive range of finishes and colours, ensuring there is a Construction Specialties Louvre system to suit most aesthetic and performance needs.Louvre panels are factory assembled in a controlled and quality assured environment and provided to site in a fully finished modular form; thus, allowing for trouble-free and fast installation.A comprehensive range of accessories including insect/bird mesh and blanking panels in various materials and finishes is available to complete the application.

The new Student Center at Columbia College Chicago, located at 754 South Wabash Avenue in Chicago, opened its doors in the fall of 2019. This brand-new building offers five spectacular stories of spaces for students including music and film-screening rooms, dining options, a fitness centre, a reflection room for meditation and prayer, and event spaces for meetings, performances, and receptions. Columbia College Chicago has a closed campus. In order to enter any building on campus students and staff must have a Columbia ID or visitors must have a valid appointment. The main entrance at the Student Centre is the Tourniket manual revolving door that leads to a public foyer that includes a coffee shop and lounge. Since the speed gates are just past the security desk at the boundary of this area, they serve as a visual and physical indicator of where the public area terminates. Next to the Speedlane Open speed gates, which are notable because they do not have any closing barriers, guards watch as people pass through them to ensure that everyone is scanning their IDs and that the IDs are valid, in which case the speed gate shows a green light. In a situation where a red light shows and the gate alarms, the guard will check the person’s credentials and can try to troubleshoot the ID card. “The decision was really about what creates the least barrier to those entering and exiting the building,” said Dutil. “We don't really want our students to feel like they are overly policed or that our buildings are not accessible to them. So the design of the Open speed gates provided the best solution in terms of controlling access without being obtrusive." Swift Passage While Maintaining Accountability Before the Student Center was built, students entering any campus building would just show their ID to the security officer as they walked past. The administration realised that while this does provide some level of security, it is not foolproof – particularly when many people are entering at the same time for a class. The College’s head of security made the suggestion to install a system that would allow for swift passage of authorised people while maintaining accountability around who enters and exits the building. As anticipated, there was a brief learning curve for the students using the new system. “This was the first system like this on our campus,” said Dutil. “And the first few days that the new Centre was open were also the first few days of school. There were a lot of people new to the campus who required a bit of coaching from guards and our student staff in terms of where to place your card, and to not walk through before you place your card.” Coming Out Ahead of Swinging Doors Dutil confirms that the access systems placed at Boon Edam speed gates are actually outperforming those placed at swing doors across the campus for convenience and adoption. Across the campus, there is a card reader at every swing door entrance of a building where you present your card and a light turns red or green. But oftentimes the card reader is missed, or depending on the placement of the lights and placement of the guard, it can be kind of hit or miss with students walking right by it. “But with the Open speed gates, they're very visible and although they're not a total barrier to entry, they are something that's right in front of you. Because it's very noticable and not easily overlooked, the students have learned pretty quickly to get their ID out. In fact, this was meant to be a test run for the campus to ensure it would be viable and worthwhile for other buildings as well.” Advanced Features Add Value and Flexibility The speed gates have delivered additional benefits beyond basic campus security, according to Dutil. “One of the nice things about a system like this is that we can count visitors to the Student Centre because we get the data of everybody that scans in. So on a busy day for us it's about 2500 people throughout the day. That can range depending on what's going on and what time of year it is. On weekends we're very slow, since there are no classes – maybe 900 to 1200.” “We are a rental venue as well, so we have times where the building is open to non-Columbia College Chicago people for events or other functions. There's a really convenient touch panel right at the security desk called the BoonTouch, where the officer can turn off the turnstiles during those times and then attendees can move through freely without any alarms going off at all.” A New Revolving Door Adds Comfort and Peace of Mind Finally, the Tourniket manual revolving door delivers one additional benefit to the Student Centre, located in a city known for harsh weather. “Revolving doors are always preferred at a building like this that gets a lot of traffic going in and out. We have cold, drafty weather that blows right into our main space at that first floor entry. The revolving door helps to keep the building warm and saves energy and utility costs as well,” said Dutil. “Students feel safe and comfortable entering the building at night,” he concludes. “Our building has a lot of nooks and crannies, and someone can end up alone in a space. And so I think knowing that the only people that are in that building are the ones that are supposed to be there is helpful. Overall, our students appreciate the effort to try to keep them safer.”