Riverside Plaza is a single level Sub Regional shopping centre located in Queanbeyan, approximately 16 kilometres south-east of Canberra’s CBD. The centre is anchored by Target and Coles and includes more than 40 specialty stores with office suites located on the first floor.
The Centre, with gross lettable area of 21,410 square metres consists of two levels of retail tenancies and office tenancies.
The existing mechanical heating and cooling services are comprised of a mix of air-cooled refrigerant direct expansion (DX) rooftop-packaged with electric duct heating (EDH) and split-ducted units, water-cooled refrigerant DX fan-coil units (FCU) with electric duct heating (EDH) and chilled and heating hot water (CHW/HHW) fan-coil units.
In close consultation with owner Vicinity Centres, Airmaster determined that the mall and minor tenancy air conditioning required upgrading.
Firstly, the majority of the existing systems were reaching the end of their economic life cycle, and thus in need of replacement. Additionally, with the majority of the tenancy heating provided by electric duct heaters (resulting in unreliability and high operating costs) an upgrade of these systems was required in order to maintain a more comfortable environment.
Airmaster lifted in new Actron Tri Capacity Air Cooled Packaged Units that achieve performance and efficiencies through smart engineering.
Tri-Capacity compressor configuration is designed to better match the thermal load of a typical commercial building, delivering 3 stages: 33%, 67% and 100% of system capacity. Not only does it deliver improved seasonal energy efficiency through fewer adjustments, it also results in less cyclic degradation and more finely tuned occupant comfort.
Engineering better outcomes
Tri-Capacity offers superior comfort, a crucial factor for the success of businesses keen to draw customers in through the doors. It delivers more control and less temperature swings than a 50%-100% capacity option, which also can create wear and tear through compressors cycling on and off more frequently.
Tri-Capacity is designed and manufactured in Australia. Australia’s climate puts demands on air conditioning not found in other parts of the world, particularly in summer. From the componentry, to the magnets, coils and high performance outdoor fans, the material choice is high quality, reliable, and made to last for the long term.