Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 73.80
Liaison Corey Peterson
Submission Date June 2, 2022

STARS v2.2

University of Tasmania
OP-4: Building Operations and Maintenance

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.97 / 5.00 Sustainability Team
UTAS
Infrastructure Services and Development
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total floor area of existing building space:
420,914 Square meters

Floor area of existing building space operated and maintained in accordance with a sustainable management policy/program and/or a green building rating system:
Existing floor area
Certified at the highest achievable level under a multi-attribute, Green Building Council (GBC) rating system focused on the operations and maintenance of existing buildings (e.g., LEED O+M Platinum) 0 Square meters
Certified at the 2nd highest level under a 4- or 5-tier, multi-attribute, GBC rating system focused on the operations and maintenance of existing buildings (e.g., LEED O+M Gold) 0 Square meters
Certified at mid-level under a 3- or 5-tier, multi-attribute, GBC rating system focused on the operations and maintenance of existing buildings (e.g., BREEAM-In Use Very Good) 0 Square meters
Certified at a step above minimum level under a 4 -or 5–tier, multi-attribute, GBC rating system focused on the operations and maintenance of existing buildings (e.g., LEED O+M Silver) 0 Square meters
Certified at minimum level under a multi-attribute, GBC rating system focused on the operations and maintenance of existing buildings (e.g., BREEAM In-Use Pass or LEED O+M Certified) 0 Square meters
Certified at any level under a non-GBC rating system or single-attribute rating system focused on the operations and maintenance of existing buildings 0 Square meters
Operated and maintained in accordance with a multi-attribute, sustainable management policy/program, but not certified under an O+M rating system 415,413 Square meters
Operated and maintained in accordance with a single-attribute, sustainable management policy/program, but not certified under an O+M rating system
 0 Square meters
Total 415,413 Square meters

Percentage of existing building space certified under a green building rating system rating system focused on the operations and maintenance of existing buildings:
0

A brief description of the sustainable operations and maintenance policy/program and/or O+M rating system(s) used:

The following outlines the sustainable operations and maintenance policy/ procedures at UTAS.
The portfolio is maintained in accordance with a multi attribute, sustainable management policy/program, but not certified under and O&M rating system. These facilities are managed with energy, water and waste benchmarking, IPM practices, and green cleaning practices.
The operations and maintenance of the UTAS property portfolio aligns to the Facilities, Infrastructure and Asset Management Policy (https://www.utas.edu.au/policy/policies), which indicates that “The University’s infrastructure will be designed and developed with an emphasis on meeting the University’s sustainability objectives, including reducing the carbon footprint and mitigating climate change impacts” and “University assets will be managed to ensure their full potential and value are realised across their life cycle”.
The 2021 Asset Management Procedure (https://www.utas.edu.au/policy/procedures) and the 2015 Strategic Asset Management Framework (currently being updated), provide more detail around how the portfolio is managed. Specifically, the Procedure indicates that assets will be maintained in a manner that “optimises the asset life cycle to provide efficient, effective and safe use of resources”. Likewise, the Framework points out that a key performance objective of the Infrastructure Asset Management Strategy is the continual improvement of maintenance performance against Environmentally Sustainable Design principles
Our building portfolio is managed via a computer maintenance management system (CMMS). This includes, space management, project management, property management, utilities and energy management, maintenance management (including condition and functionality), asset management, security management and work health and safety.
The University has developed a Contractors and Building Users Sustainability Guide (attached). The Guide is a dynamic document and subject to updates as technology and practices in sustainability evolve. This comprehensive document includes expected actions around energy efficiency, water efficiency and quality, indoor environment quality, sustainable transport, resources and waste reduction and biodiversity/natural environment. It is included in the UTAS Contractors Toolbox sessions and available on the Infrastructure Services and Development website. The University also has a suite of technical requirements and specification guidelines for our consultants and contractor to use in all refurbishments, new construction and maintenance activities.

Programs
The following gives a broad level overview of some of the activities we are undertaking in maintaining and operating the university estate.
Indoor air quality management
The University has implemented an enterprise-wide building management system (BMS) to assist with monitoring temperatures and CO2 levels and enables controlling indoor air quality based on global schedules. It is monitored daily by facilities engineering staff to ensure systems are functioning optimally.
This has seen a noticeable improvement energy use as systems are paired to usage and maintained as needed.
Building metering
The University has been installing smart meters into buildings over time, which are connected to an organisation-wide system called Power Monitoring Expert (PME). This enables real-time monitoring of building electricity use (and for hydronically-heated buildings on Sandy Bay Campus, natural gas usage). The data is regularly used by Facilities Managers, senior executive teams and Business Intelligence staff, as well as assisting with annual reports (e.g., NGER, TEFMA, carbon neutral certification).
Tertiary Education Facilities Management Association (TEFMA) benchmarking
The university has participated in the annual TEFMA operational and environmental benchmarking process for the last 20 years. This is a data-rich and valuable resource covering many sustainability metrics and allows universities to collaborate on varied topics. The TEFMA Ecologically Sustainable Development checklist 2014 was embedded into the University energy efficiency activities and facilities maturity assessments.
Contractors and Consultants - Contractors & consultants - Infrastructure Services & Development | University of Tasmania (utas.edu.au)
The university provides a wealth of information to our consultants and contractors on how we wish them to partner with us in managing the University estate. The provided documents cover a wide range of topics, including design, O&M, sustainability, and work health and safety.
Green cleaning
The university installed a Z-Water device in 2021 at the Sandy Bay campus as a pilot project. The project was successful, and another unit will be installed at the Newnham Campus in 2022. Z Water is a purified pH12.5 ionized alkaline water made with advance technology that is chemical free and requires no rinsing after use. Z Water has no colour compounds, no odours, non-sticky, and no foam during use. Z Water is the perfect cleaning agent on areas that are sensitive to conventional cleaning chemicals.
Waste Management
For the last ten years the University has been rolling out infrastructure to increase separation and reduce waste to landfill. Recycling streams include cardboard and comingle, battery and fluoro-tubes, and e-waste among others. The University has also implemented re-use schemes for e-waste and furniture. In 2021, compostable collection as implemented across all campuses. Diversion rates have risen from less than 10% to over 20%.
To realise an economically and environmentally sustainable waste management system, waste servicing was put out to competitive tender in 2013. This has seen an efficiency in resource recovery through the increased types of services available by a single provider.
Grounds management
A strategic approach to pest and disease management involves evaluating pest and disease issues that arise, and then applying the most appropriate solution from the full toolbox of options.
UTAS recognises integrated pest and disease management (IPDM) as a management option because it is most effective at controlling the pest or disease without any bias toward or against chemical pesticides or other management options.
Integrated environmental weed management (IEWM) is the combination of social, economic, and technical approaches that leads to successful weed management at all scales. It is the consideration and activation of the full range of weed control approaches in developing a weed control strategy that will be adopted and resourced by UTAS.


Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainable operations and maintenance program is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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