Integrated Design Studio

About the project

This project is one of a series of Integrated Design Studios (IDS’s) to be carried out under i-Hub.

Integrated design aims to empower architecture with engineering and technical performance, to produce “towards zero energy” facilities that will reduce operating costs and assist to combat climate change.

The IDS’s will generate improvements in integrated design processes as well as yielding design ideas for the building typologies they are concerned with. Renewable energy technologies will be a key focus.

Project title Integrated Design Studio (IDS) 04 – Ambulance Victoria
Project number IDS-04
Project location Melbourne
Lead partner University of Melbourne
Project partners AIRAH, Atelier 10, Ewers Architecture
Project participants Ambulance Victoria
Start date 07/2020
End date 05/2021
ARENA/i-Hub funding $74,646
Total project cost $203,007


Need

Ambulance Victoria maintains over 300 facilities across Victoria. As a part of this it is perpetually replacing old stock with new, improved buildings. In line with the Victorian Climate Change Act (2017), Ambulance Victoria (AV) is required to reach zero-net carbon by 2050.

Ambulance Victoria see a bright future powered by renewable energy. Solutions will be innovative and adaptable to each of Victoria’s climatic zones and the future electrification of fleet. They will also be socially responsible. The integrated design studios will be explore avenues in design to help achieve this.


Action

Integrated Design Studios (of which this is one), will be hosted by the Melbourne School of Design (at the University of Melbourne), and provide an environment where integrated design processes can be tested and refined on different building typologies (in this case data centres).

The IDS’s will involve academics, industry consultants, and clients assisted by masters level students to explore integrated design on data centres.

Output will include findings on how to best enable integrated design as well as student produced collateral on design ideas for case study emergency response centres (ambulance stations).


Outcome

This project is expected to contribute to the development of a robust integrated design process able to be extended to industry to change the way design traditionally occurs on projects improving carbon performance.

It will produce design ideas specific to Ambulance Victoria which however will be able to be adapted to similar institutions that utilise roll out of many localised community facilities. The use of renewables technologies will be a key focus.


Additional impact

Integrated Design by its nature is an inclusive process that will produce designs that better serve society as a whole. As well as improved technical (energy) performance, design outcomes are expected to also provide increased community and societal benefits.

Findings from the IDS’s are intended to be shared across wider industry of design and more specifically data centre design.


Project reports

IDS04 Design Studio Outcomes Report v2.0 (including Appendices)
IDS04 Sub-project Knowledge Sharing Report v2.0 – Final
IDS04 Lessons Learnt Report v2.0


Evaluation Framework

All sub-projects within i-Hub are evaluated as part of the ongoing i-Hub project management process. Evaluation is completed by the project manager and reviewed by the Activity Leaders Group and i-Hub Steering Committee. Please click here to read the Evaluation Framework.


Created 05/10/2020