‘Green’ mine site accommodation

The study identified key energy and environmental opportunities which could be integrated into a current design to improve the energy and environmental performance of mine villages both in construction and operation.
Results to date indicate a reduction of per head water use of 50 per cent and energy use of 30 per cent.
When St Barbara identified that the Leonora Village it had inherited in 2005 required significant expansions, it took the opportunity to develop an environmentally sustainable mining village.
Firstly, SKM was engaged to undertake a study of sustainable design features, and then work with architect Ian Hooke and construction company Ausco to incorporate as many recommendations possible of that study into a custom design.
Suzanne Moseley, environment client portfolio manager, SKM, told the Australian Journal of Mining, “The ability to develop a mine accommodation design that applies ESD principles is determined by the strategic thinking that is undertaken in the early stages of the concept design.
“The majority of mine site village buildings are pre-fabricated, and it is important that the design that is provided/explained to the company constructing the pre-fabricated buildings to ensure that the design is achieved.”
Passive design to reduce artificial heating and cooling was a key element to the St Barbara design and includes: cement pad for thermal insulation; parasol roof design for improved cooling; wide shaded verandahs; addition roof and wall insulation.
Moseley said, “The remoteness of the mine site does impact on the transportation cost of facilities hence minimising the volume that is required to be transported to the site improves cost efficiencies.
“In applying sustainability to any design it is important to take a life of mine approach which includes understanding the cost benefit of applying specific Ecologically Sustainable Design (ESD) principles to the specific design.”
She said that the natural environment in which a large number of Australian mining operations are located also impacts on the design aspects of any mine accommodation village.
Laura Raby, ecological sustainable development physicist, SKM, said that many mining companies had been embedding sustainability principles into mine camp design for decades, and their experience in this area could be shared with other miners new to these concepts.
“Mining companies which are already taking these issues very seriously implement accommodation solutions that deliver value to the business and improved standards of living for their mine site employees.
“Furthermore, while working on a sustainability philosophy for design and site master planning, considering all three sustainability pillars – social, environmental and economic – is vital,” she said.

Energy Management
Raby said that, in particular, energy management could provide tangible results and deliver a quick pay-back.
“The choice of building materials can have a significant impact on internal thermal conditions and therefore influence air-conditioning demand and operational costs,” she said.
“Wherever possible, the use of high thermal mass materials should be considered, since they not only provide thermal benefits but also acoustic comforts. Consider also computer modelling, a useful tool to assess the impact of alternative building materials in relation to thermal conditions.”
Just as importantly, consideration can also be given to energy supply and demand. Significant improvements can be achieved by considering the impact of air-conditioning systems, hot water systems and artificial lighting systems as well as the inclusion of on-site renewable energy generation through solar, wind or geo-thermal sources.
“SKM has applied integrated software packages in the past to simulate thermal performance and energy consumption in order to identify the appropriate materials for the specific environment,” said Moseley.
Measuring anticipated energy demand supports the decision-making process. Computer modelling using statistical local weather data provides information to optimise design decisions while predicting current and future demands.
Raby said that mine site employees also had a role to play in minimising energy consumption.
“Communicating energy efficiencies to employees helps them to understand the role they play in conserving energy and contributing to a better mine site living experience,” she said.
“Real-time energy data can be collected and presented in a graphical format to highlight energy consumptions, as communications is a powerful tool in driving behaviour change.”
Water heating was identified as a main source of energy consumption at Leonora Village, and as such electric boosted solar hot water systems were installed.

Water Management
Like energy, water is an essential service which needs to be used intelligently, and is often in short supply. Water efficient fittings and appliances are now commonplace in areas where water has been in short supply for some years.
Techniques such as rainwater and stormwater harvesting, grey-water reuse and on-site water treatment are commonly used to boost the available water supply and reduce the reliance on dams and bore water systems. However, most importantly, behaviour change is critical for water conservation. Again, sub-metering is a technique that is used to monitor water consumption trends and compare against set water targets.
“The increased productivity level of mineworkers who are accommodated in comfortable, energy efficient environments has been shown to impact on the bottom line,” Raby said.
Reductions in water consumption have been achieved at Leonora Village by improved appliances and the ever popular shower timer. Greywater systems are used to water the one recreational lawn area and the native gardens.
Whilst initial results are looking good, ongoing monitoring will be undertaken at the Leonora project, to improve calculations of returns on investment. This project has also provided the opportunity for SKM and Ausco to develop expertise in sustainable design which they will be carrying forward to other projects.