Works Depot staff who’ve been working in portable buildings and other Council locations across Orange are looking forward to moving back into their new office.
The new building is in its final stage of fit-out before staff move back in the coming months.
In the early hours of a Monday morning in June 2019, fire took hold in main office of Orange City Council’s Works Depot in McLachlan Street. The works depot is the place where the Council keeps all is large scale road building machinery, as well as the base for many staff including water, parks and road crews.
Now, two years later, a brand new office has taken shape.
It’s about the same size as the old building but that’s where the similarities end.
The underlying design aim was to deliver a cost effective, smart, high-performance building that’s energy efficient, automated and workable for staff.
There’s a software-based Building Management System (BMS) which is essentially the building’s brain. It lets staff remotely monitor and adjust air conditioning, record and regulate energy usage as well as control access and security.
There are also thermostatically controlled, de-stratification fans to silently circulate the building’s air. There are double glazed widows for high levels of thermal and sound insulation. There’s a clerestory roof line and windows to maximise natural light.
Lighting is all by high quality, low energy consumption LEDs.
And there’s enough solar panels on the roof to meet the building’s day time electrical use
