© 2006, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. (www.ashrae.org). Published in ASHRAE Journal Vol.

48, Oct. 2006. For personal use

only. Additional reproduction, distribution, or transmission in either print or digital form is not permitted without ASHRAE’s prior written permission.

Sydney Opera House

HVAC Modeling Before CAD

By Paul G. Yunnie, Member ASHRAE 1.8 m (6 ft) high, the model is made of clear and colored plastic,
which was an unusual cutting edge material for the time. The model

A model of Sydney Opera House was built to aid the design highlights the ducting in white acrylic. All internal rooms, theatres,
and installation of services in one of the world’s most stages, corridors, green rooms and plant rooms are detailed in
iconic buildings. However, the model has a story as colored acrylic. Thus, the engineers, without the availability of
intriguing as the building itself. modern techniques, could envision the duct layout and transform
Much of what is written about the construction of the that to the actual building. The model was adjusted as the building
Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia, concentrates on design evolved and work ceased on it in 1973, although the model
the architecture and the disputes surrounding its design and was incomplete, with the Bennelong Restaurant missing.
construction. Little has been written about the building’s air The original intention, following the completion of the contract,
conditioning and mechanical services. was for the model to be used by maintenance staff to enable them
The statistics alone give some to understand the intricate duct and
idea of the enormity of the problem plant layout. However, the Australian
facing the designers from Steensen government borrowed the model
Varming and the installation team first for the15th Milan Triennale
from Haden Engineering. Exhibition in 1973 and then for the
• The opera house uses 13 km Australian Pavilion at Expo ’74 in
(8 miles) of water piping and Spokane, Wash.
more than 32 km (20 miles) At the end of that event, the model
of air ducting. The pipes and was packed into 22 storage crates
ducting weigh more than and shipped back to Australia. There
1,000 tons. it seemed that it had “disappeared”
• More than 100 individual fan until, in 1997, a letter was received
systems are in 27 different at Sydney Opera House, which
plant rooms. One is located located the model languishing in a
41 m (135 ft) above sea level custom agency warehouse.
on a “floating” floor to isolate The ownership was transferred
it from noise and vibration. Model highlights ducting in white acrylic. back to Sydney Opera House Trust
• The system circulates 470,000 in 2002. In 2005 the model was sent
L/s (1 million cfm) of filtered, temperature and humidity- to Porter Models in Sydney where the Building Development
controlled air through 900 separate and enclosed spaces. Group of Sydney Opera House commissioned its renovation and
• The refrigeration plant generates 380 L/s (6,000 gpm) of completion. The model was displayed, for the first time in more
temperature-controlled water circulated through the piping than 30 years, at the ARBS Exhibition in Sydney, this August.
system to the various air-conditioning plant rooms. The total It is now on display at The University of Sydney’s Faculty of
refrigeration cooling capacity is 5,275 kW (1,500 tons). Architecture until mid-December of this year.
• Insulated ducting that is comprised of sound-deadening
material weighing up to 69 kg/m² (14 lb/ft2) is used where Bibliography
Goldstein, H.G. 1973. “Air conditioning the Sydney Opera House.”
necessary. The soundproofing consisted of three layers of AIRAH Journal, Jan.
galvanized iron with rubber between each sheet. Haden Engineering. 1972. Song of a City.
The principal problem facing the engineers was the ducting. Sydney Opera House. 2006. “Arthouse—Lambert’s acrylic ‘ser-
The vexing question posed by the building’s intricate design vices’ model.” Toolbox newsletter, August.
was how to show the ducting and pipe routes in days before Paul G. Yunnie works with Haden Engineering in Sydney,
computer-aided design (CAD). To assist engineers in laying Australia, where he is writing the company’s history. He has
out the design so that the installers could then follow, a three- twice chaired the ASHRAE Historic Committee and was vice
dimensional model was commissioned in 1966 from Bill chair of CIBSE’s Heritage Group.
Lambert of H.F. Lambert Industrial Models. A similar article appeared in the Australian magazine Climate
Measuring 4.5 m (15 ft) long by 3 m (10 ft) wide and more than Control News.
76 ASHRAE Journal ashrae.org October 2006