With 200 car parks in an existing building, Stradbroke Towers needed a creative solution to be EV ready.
Retrofitting an existing building to be EV ready is a complex process; it depends on the building’s existing electrical infrastructure and capacity, and whether structural changes to the building are required. It also requires careful consideration of the present and future needs of Residents, Strata or Body Coporates, Apartment Management Companies.
Stradbroke Towers in Brisbane was looking for a reliable, intuitive, and scalable EV system that would allow them to future proof their building. Importantly, the system needed to be within their budget so they didn’t over capitalise and it ensured a fair and equitable solution for all the owners
Retrofitting the building to be EV ready with a Dynamic LMS
To meet those goals, EVIAM collaborated with the Body Corporate Committee to design and develop an overall solution incorporating a Dynamic Energy Load Management System (LMS) to interface with the building’s energy use and demand. This would allow the Body Corporate greater control over the energy usage of EVs plus the availability to scale up as needed. As it happened, our design now replicates the recent NCC Building Code requirements.
To make a Dynamic LMS viable, the EV Infrastructure Project at Stradbroke Towers involved a complex retrofit of the existing building’s electrical infrastructure; a controlled whole-of-building electrical shutdown; commissioning; handover and maintenance of the EV Capable site to Body Corporate.
Minimising disruption to the residents
As experienced and qualified Project Managers, EVIAM undertook a rigorous planning and risk assessment of the project prior to commencing on site. One critical task of the project was the shutdown phase and we worked with Energex and our supply chain to mitigate risk critical to the project’s success. The end result was zero issues and full energisation of the building 2 hours ahead of schedule.
A key challenge was the procurement of materials following the last major flood event in Brisbane. Stakeholder engagement was highly valued by all parties to maintain information regarding progress and manage expectations and although this presented some uncontrolled delays, overall the Client was extremely satisfied with the end result and quality that EVIAM delivered.
Ready for a electric future
We navigated this complex process with efficiency and ease, minimising disruptions and shut downs to residents. Overall, the process took __ weeks. To date, there has been a 12% take up of EV Charger installations at Stradbroke Apartments as owners realise the benefits and additional value to their asset an EV ready residence supports.
