Facade cladding works at Project House, Floriana, Malta
Facade works at Project House building in Floriana, Malta had two objectives, that of giving the head office of the local Public Works Department, a modern, corporate look corresponding with its surroundings whilst upgrading its energy performance ie. respecting its context while keeping pace with the times.
National
Malta
{Empty}
Mainly urban
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
Yes
RRF
No
Yes
2022-06-30
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): Ministry for Public Works and Planning Type of organisation: Public Works Department (ie. a Government department) First name of representative: Anne Last name of representative: Casha Gender: Female Nationality: Malta Function: Architect Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: 'Project House', Project Design and Engineering Directorate, Public Works Department, Triq Francesco Buonamici Town: Floriana Postal code: FRN 1700 Country: Malta Direct Tel:+356 2292 0227 E-mail:anne.casha@gov.mt Website:https://publicworksdepartment.gov.mt/en/Pages/default.aspx
The works carried out on the facades of Project House building in Floriana had two objectives, that of giving the head office of the local Public Works Department, a modern, corporate look which corresponds with its context whilst upgrading its energy performance.
A cladding system with a ventilated cavity was adopted for the external walls of the office block such that coupled with other passive and active measures, the thermal comfort of the users of the building could be achieved at lower running costs thus contributing towards a cleaner environment for the benefit of the people.
The material chosen for the cladding was local hardstone to blend in within the surroundings. Size of the cladding units was dictated by the limit load of the supporting structure. Original design was given due consideration thus the main concept of the elevations including dimensions of apertures and balconies, recessed façade elements, shape of cylindrical stairwells and atrium skylight were retained. The detailing solutions based on science and technology, applied through the whole of the design, define the quality architecture in this project.
Aesthetics
Energy Performance
Sustainability
Thermal comfort
Well being
In this project, our environmental design approach was to work on passive measures namely achieving a lower u-value for the external fabric of the building including the roof, such that coupled with efficient services and sustainable resources (photovoltaics), less non renewable energy would be required to achieve thermal comfort for the occupants. Since Malta forms part of a mediterranean archipelago with relatively mild winters and long hot summers, then the main focus was to improve situation in summer since it is usually more of a discomfort issue.
Being a small island with lack of natural resources, Malta has to import most of its materials used in the projects. But in this case, the chosen façade cladding material was the locally sourced hardstone, a natural untreated material, hence less carbon emissions associated with transport and processing.
Tender was procured using Green Public Procurement. Besides, most of the non-hazardous construction and demolition waste from this project was re-used,recycled or backfilled thus giving life cycle concept its due importance.
In this context, project can be exemplary because other buildings can adopt similar renovation measures to upgrade their energy performance and increase their sustainability in their operations.
A cladding system was adopted so that the building takes on a modern, corporate look. Local stone was chosen so that the appearance of the building would be more amalgamated with the surrounding buildings, all having stone facades. The façade cladding arrangement was designed in a contemporary fashion, with various textures giving the facade different colour shades of stone to be visually more interesting. The surface was not given any treatment so that it could weather naturally over time to obtain a homogenous patina.
Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPVs) were installed on the upper parts of the southeast and southwest facades ie. elevations receiving most sunlight, for maximum effectiveness. These facades are not visible from Marsamxett harbour down below, hence no adverse impacts on the underlying historical bastions system. The mounted BIPVs are of the transparent glass module types such that stone cladding is visible through the glass between the cells. Viewing from Triq il-Mall in Floriana, the dark colour of the cells amalgamates with the dark green of nearby trees.
The well being of the occupants was at the forefront of our decisions. Apart from making thermal comfort more affordable, a case in point was the specification of adequately high visible light transmission of all double glazing with solar control low-e coating (including atrium skylight) to achieve sufficient daylighting in internal spaces for the wellbeing of the users. Same goes with external louvres being manually adjustable to leave some control to the occupants since generally they are more comfortable when they feel ‘in control’. In broader terms, the overall renovation works has uplifted the occupants' morale and they feel more empowered.
In this context, the project shows that it is possible to adhere to the context and keep up with the times while tending to the people's needs at the workplace.
One of the important aims of this project was for a government department to be able to afford thermal comfort for the occupants of the building through sustainable methods ie. at lower running costs and less carbon emissions, a step forward towards having a cleaner environment for the benefit of the people. This was made possible through EU funding namely RRP funds. Such initiative was further driven by Article 5 of Directive 2012/27/EU: ‘Exemplary Role of Public Bodies' Buildings’.
Such renovation possibility has been met with great enthusiasm and a lot of local effort is being made in this regard on our part.
The project’s inclusivity goals are exemplary in the sense that other government departments, public sector and private companies can benefit from the adoption of one or more of this project's measures, made more affordable through local grants and other schemes. Raising awareness through Publicity of this project is being carried out to raise awareness so that our country would be able to reach its sustainability goals in the building sector.
Prior to starting work on the project, a committee was formed with professionals in the field, all of whom work in the building, thus knowing the place well and what was needed for improvement. We discussed various alternatives and came out with the most practical and feasible solutions.
Since the works were going to be undertaken while the building was occupied we had to consult with the various directorates in the building to plan the best way forward. We agreed that phasing was key. Replacement of windows was phased and windows boarded until replaced. Users of offices with balconies had to work in an another office or work remotely. Roof insulation had to be installed in summer when it does not rain and temperatures are high, and that meant that offices would be without air conditioning since all plant was on the roof. Thus roof works were carried out in phases and employees given a possibility to work remotely.
Since users were adviced beforehand of the dates of works affecting their offices, they could plan ahead and cooperate more with the project team. We listened to their opinions and a number of their suggestions were taken on board. This made the occupants feel that their opinions matter and they are not just a number at the workplace.
The Policy Development & Programme Implementation Directorate within our Ministry (ie. Ministry for Public Works and Planning) proposed the implementation of such a project thanks to EU funding programmes available and guided us through required procedures.
The local Building Construction Authority (former Building Regulations Office) and its guidelines were consulted regarding energy performance requirements and compliance.
The local Planning Authority and Superintendent of Cultural Heritage (SCA) were involved at planning stage. SCA was consulted since the location of the project is in an urban conservation area (UCA).
Prior to preparation of tender, various suppliers and manufacturers were consulted to see what is available on the market, pricing, methodology of work etc.
Contractor took on implementation of project and he employed specialists in the fields incorporated in the contract.
A more professional approach was adopted through engagement of these stakeholders resulting in more sustainable and feasible solutions.
For the purpose of this tender/ design proposals, a committee was formed with professionals in the field namely structural engineer, architect, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, draughtsman and quantity surveyor. Each one of us gave our input with regards to limitations to implement certain measures (space available for services, occupation of building during works, logistics etc.) and best solutions put forward in the particular case of our building in question.
During the implementation of the project, the successful contractor employed amongst others, a surveyor to take an accurate survey of the facade as existing, a facade engineer which provided details for the supporting structure of the cladding works and the cladding material itself, a fire engineer to certify fire safety of cladding system, electrical engineer to take care of the photovoltaic panel system on the roof and building integrated photovoltaic panels on the facade and IT engineer to take care of Building Management System (BMS) execution. A project manager was also employed by the contractor such that project would be implemented on time. Testing laboratories were involved in the testing of the cladding material used, in our case local hardstone.
The added value of this process was undoubtedly a better project in terms of quality, detailing, functionality and implementation.
Following replacement of conventional air-conditioners with energy efficient equivalent, and installation of 34.29kWp Photovoltaic System in November 2017, the EPC rating of Block A at March 2018 was 101 – C. Post refurbishment and façade works, the EPC rating now improved to 23 – A.
Energy Savings (post refurbishment):
Total PV system: 84.81kWp
Total Energy generated: 111,696kWh /year
Total Energy Consumed in Project House in 2018 (pre-Refurbishment) : 220,226kWh/year
Total Energy Consumed in project House in 2022 (post Refurbishment) without the PV system i.e. considering the energy efficiency measures only : 142,082kWh/year
Total Non-Renewable Energy consumed in Project House (post Refurbishment): 30,386KWh/year
Energy Savings post refurbishment: 86% of the total energy (i.e. energy consumption went down to 14% of the energy consumption of 2018
Instead of looking solely at the energy performance of the finished building, it was important to consider also the building materials themselves ie. their life cycle and carbon content as well (through choice of materials over others). Green public procurement and Recovery and Resilience Facility requirements help us achieve such aims.
Since works in the public sector are procured through the publishing and award of a tender, green public procurement (GPP) was applied. GPP is defined as “Public procurement for a better environment”. Moreover, since project was funded through EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), it had to fulfil the “Do No Significant Harm (DNSH)” requirement (ie. no procedures do any substantial damage to the environment) and successful contractor was required to guarantee that at least 70% (by weight) of non toxic construction and demolition waste (excluding naturally occurring materials) generated onsite during the works was prepared for re-use, recycling and other material recovery.
The energy performance upgrade of the building was specifically one of the aims of the project, an endeavor not much considered before especially for local public buildings. The external building fabric was tackled as a whole and special attention was taken in detailing to minimize thermal bridges. Apart from wall insulation, a less common measure was adopted ie, a cladding system with ventilated cavity using local material (hardstone from Gozo). This cavity brought about the necessity of fire safety precautions thus the requirement for fire rated insulation boards and a fire barrier system consisting of horizontal and vertical barriers. Research in this field was essential since it is not much in use locally. Double glazed apertures were procured with aluminium frames having thermal break ie. a continuous barrier between the inside and outside parts of the frames, that reduces to a great extent the amount of heat transferred through the frames. The atrium skylight being semi-circular in section with curved double glazing, posed another challenge for its manufacture. The same goes with external louvres which were specified with manual operation instead of sensors to reduce future maintenance. Locally, fixed external louvres are the norm. Also, this project was the first to install BIPVs on the facades of a public building in Malta. BIPV panels provided an eco-friendly and innovative aspect to the overall look of the building. The installation of BMS (Building Management System) gave a more rounded design and effectively formed the link between architecture, services and management
Being a fully detached building, insulation of Project House's walls had quite a significant impact on its energy performance. External insulation was opted for, since it is widely proven to be more effective than internal insulation. A gap was left between the insulation and the cladding to form a ventilated cavity, reducing the direct solar impact on the building. The walls do not heat up as much as other constructions during the Summer, thanks to the convective movement of the air in the cavity which constantly cools the construction. The open joints between the cladding panels allow cooler air to enter from below, continue to rise and the hot air to escape from above. A system of fire barriers was installed in the cavity for safety in case of fire. Insulation was installed on the roof and surface was finished with heat reflective coating for optimum results.
All external apertures in the building were replaced by aluminium framed ones with thermal break and double glazing for lower u-values. External, tiltable louvres were installed in front of apertures facing the southeast and southwest, to block out the solar radiation. Windows overlooking the northeast and northwest as well as the atrium skylight and curtain walls have low-e coatings on outer panes to reduce solar heat gain, and are specified with relatively high visual transmission values to ensure maximum natural light in the building.
A Building Management System (BMS) was implemented with its main feature being to operate as an energy management system of all the electrical, mechanical and HVAC systems resulting in holistic energy savings.
Existing split type air-conditioning systems were replaced with centralised VRF air-conditioning systems having high energy efficiency rating (EER) and coefficient of performance (COP).All lighting was replaced with new more efficient LED lighting. Photovoltaic systems on the roof and facades were used to tap renewable energy.
All measures can be replicated to other public/ private buildings in some way or another.
Wall insulation can be placed on the internal side of the external walls if facade has significance but detailing has to be such that it does not allow interstitial condensation to occur.
Roof insulation depends on the load that the existing roof can withstand. Older local buildings are typically roofed over with stone slabs supported on timber/ steel beams which do not withstand more loading than the existing. But heat reflective coating can still be applied to the roof's surface and horizontal or slightly inclined PV panels (not showing from the facade) supported on the load bearing walls, create a 'ventilated cavity' apart from tapping a renewable resource.
Aluminium framed double glazed apertures can be used for other modern buildings but timber framed double glazed apertures can be adopted for older buildings.
Cladding and BIPVs depends on the nature of the building - certainly not suggested for historical buildings.
As regards efficient services adopted, VRF's air conditioning systems, LED lighting and BMS can be used elsewhere.
Through this project, we addressed global challenges related to climate change by renovating the main building of our country's Public Works Department specifically to upgrade its energy performance and to be a local key model in this aspect. The issue of affordability of thermal comfort and well being of the users was tackled, with less carbon emissions and through the use of more sustainable solutions. Green public procurement was adopted as well as local materials (mainly hardstone cladding) where possible. Besides, our most abundant resource ie. solar energy was availed of to the utmost, by installing photovoltaic systems on the roof as well on the facade.
We also considered the life cycle of materials where a good percentage of the demolition waste was sent to recycling facilities.
