Parramatta Council, NSW, Australia

Introduction

When The City of Parramatta Council acquired the iconic building at 9 Wentworth Street, Parramatta, it was aiming far higher than simply creating new offices for its team. This was a commitment to crafting a new home incorporating best practice workplace design, innovative use of existing space and serious sustainability objectives.

The full strip out and fitout of over 7,500 square metres of office space across this multistorey building included superb examples of workplace design, featuring brilliant use of space for collaboration and social connection.

aquacell and Parramatta Council

At the core of the Council’s sustainability objectives were some important water recycling requirements outlined by its NABERS water and energy targets. Specifically, this included solar panelling and a blackwater treatment plant.

Enter Aquacell – who were engaged to design, manufacture and install the clever water recycling solution, part of which was to treat and recycle 10 kilolitres of blackwater per day. This recycled water would be reused on site for toilet flushing and cooling tower requirements.

To retrofit water recycling requirements into an existing building required a significant degree of planning from the Aquacell team. Often retrofits of this scale are complex and success is a product of careful project management and high levels of communication throughout.

 

    the aquacell solution

    Having been brought into the project by the hydraulic consultant to assess feasibility, the team designed an Aquacell S10 system that neatly fits into what used to be carparking space. The system utilises a membrane bioreactor with Ozone treatment for removal of colours and UV. Chlorination provides additional disinfection. The process not only maximises the volume of recycled water – it fulfils the Council’s key requirement of optimising output from a constrained area.

    The Aquacell system played a key role in attaining a 5 star NABERS water rating for the Council’s new offices. With the system manufactured nearby in North Rocks and the membranes manufactured in Windsor, this is more than a first-in-class sustainability solution, it’s a local manufacturing success story for Western Sydney.