Wollongong City Council HVAC & Fire Damper Upgrades
Two council projects for Wollongong City Council: a full plantroom and HVAC upgrade at the Integral Building, and fire damper rectifications across the Administration Building delivered on night shifts.
Building Integrity, Elevating Environments.
Government projects bring their own challenges. Many stakeholders are involved, from council senior management to consultants and safety and quality teams, and every tender brief has detailed requirements. We have worked hard on quality management and commissioning, and we developed an app-based system to record details, manage commissioning, and prepare handover documentation so we can meet each brief. Axis Align is the incumbent contractor for two local councils in our area, Wollongong and Camden. These are two recent projects for Wollongong City Council.
Challenges Addressed
• Ageing plant: The Integral Building's plant room DX compressor and switchboard had reached the end of their useful life.
• Fire safety compliance: Fire dampers throughout the Administration Building needed upgrading to bring the building up to a compliant passive fire standard for its annual fire safety certification.
• Working in occupied buildings: Council buildings stay in use, so the fire damper works were carried out over several months on night shifts.
• Stakeholder and documentation requirements: Council projects need clear records of safety, quality and commissioning for handover.
Project Scope
Integral Building HVAC Upgrade
Strip-out: Removal of the aged plantroom DX compressor and switchboard.
Design and installation: New Temperzone inverter systems and ventilation systems.
Electrical: New switchboards to serve the upgraded plant.
Controls: A new Building Management System.
Administration Building Fire Damper Rectifications
Fire damper upgrades: Upgrade of all fire dampers to bring the building to a compliant passive fire standard.
Principal contractor: Axis Align acted as principal contractor, managing the safety and quality of the installation.
Night works: Works scheduled overnight across several months to avoid disrupting council staff and the public.
Our Holistic-Solution Methodology
For council clients, good documentation matters as much as good installation. Our approach ensured:
End-to-End Delivery: Design, installation, controls and commissioning handled by one team.
Quality and Commissioning Records: Our app-based system captures commissioning and handover documentation against the tender brief.
Optimal Energy Efficiency: Inverter technology and BMS control replacing ageing DX plant.
Client Impact
Modernised Plant: Inverter HVAC, ventilation, switchboards and BMS at the Integral Building.
Compliant Fire Dampers: The Administration Building brought up to a compliant passive fire standard for certification.
Minimal Disruption: Night shift scheduling kept the building operating as normal during the day.
Clear Handover: Commissioning and handover documentation prepared to meet council requirements.
Why Axis Align
This project reflects our brand pillars:
Customer-Centric Care: Working around the hours and stakeholders of a public building.
Holistic-Solution Methodology: HVAC, BMS and fire safety capability under one contractor.
Optimal Energy Efficiency: Inverter plant with central controls.
Proactive not Reactive: Fire safety rectifications completed ahead of certification.
Need a bespoke residential HVAC solution?
While our focus is large-scale commercial work, we occasionally take on unique residential or specialty builds that demand the same engineering rigour. Talk to us about your custom project.
