Projects

Lockerbie School

Kalkallo VIC

Overview

Core was engaged to conduct an NCC 2022 Specification 43 Part C Thermal Simulation for the new Lockerbie Secondary School, located in Kalkallo, VIC. Part of Victoria’s significant school development initiative, this secondary school project aims to provide modern, high-quality educational facilities to support the community’s growing population.

Our role involved assessing the building's resilience under bushfire conditions, with a focus on maintaining safe internal air and surface tempratures.

Objectives & Challenges

The primary objective was to ensure the school's compliance with the National Construction Code (NCC) 2022 requirements for bushfire protection in Class 9 buildings, particularly under Specifications S43C9a and S43C9b.

This involved validating that the building could maintain safe temperature levels both with and without HVAC operation, despite proximity to bushfire-prone areas. Key challenges included achieving temperature thresholds for internal air (maximum of 25°C with HVAC) and internal surface temperatures (under 60°C without HVAC) as outlined in the NCC.

Our Approach

Our team used the Computational Fluic Dynamics (CFD) to model two scenarios simulating bushfire impact:

1. With HVAC Operation (S43C9a) – Required the HVAC system to fully recycle internal air, preventing smoke ingress and maintaining temperatures at or below 25°C for a minimum of four hours.
2. Without HVAC Operation (S43C9b) – Relied on the building envelope alone to keep internal air temperatures below 39°C and internal surface temperatures under 60°C, thus enhancing passive fire resistance.

Results & Impact

This project validated the school's Internal Tenability, meeting stringent NCC tenability requirements. The CFD analysis underscores our commitment to high-quality engineering solutions that support community safety and facility longevity.