Three Schools A Hat Trick
Lawler Consulting are currently working on three new school projects in their hometown of Kilkenny. The specialist Mechanical and Electrical design consultancy joins JJ Rhatigan & Co. the main contractor on all three school projects to provide mechanical, electrical, sustainability and BIM design services for :-
CBS Secondary School, 10564 M² design and build
The new design and build development sees a replacement three story school located on a separate site complete with associated parking and play areas. New external works around the school is to set to include landscaped car parks, entrance area, boundary screening, grass area for future pitch, fenced ball-courts and bike parking. It will have electric bike charging facilities and 10% of car spaces with operational EV charging going above and beyond the Part L requirements by promoting active travel and sustainable transport.
Presentation Secondary School, 10272 M² design and build
New replacement school on existing site will see the construction of a two courtyard building with associated parking and outdoor terrace spaces. The local school received funding for the project which will cater for 1,000 students and will include special classes for students with additional needs, six science labs and a brand-new state of the art gym.
St. Canice’s Primary School, 4334 M² design and build
Project involves the demolition of the existing school and construction of a new L-shaped two storey school with 24 classrooms, general purpose hall, a single storey special needs unit, library, and staff rooms complete with associated parking and hard play areas allowing for school use to continue throughout.
Mechanical & Electrical
The expert team at Lawler Consulting will provide a fully compliant design of M&E services for all three schools that cater to all Technical Guidance Document (TGD) requirements, building regulations, and other relevant standards. All M&E designs will be completed with the aim of reducing running costs and carbon emissions.
- A Rainwater Harvesting system will be used to produce grey water for water closets (WCs) across all the buildings which in turn can save up to 3,500m3 of water per year.
- Low water content radiators will be used in the school projects whcih are independently tested and confirmed to conserve up to 16% more energy compared to traditional radiators.
- PV systems will be used to offset 10% of the building’s total power consumption across the school projects.
Soft Landings
The Soft Landings building delivery process will run through all the projects, from inception to completion and beyond, to ensure all decisions made during the project are based on improving operational performance and occupant satisfaction. This approach therefore empowers project teams to meet energy and environmental goals while catering to occupant needs. Clients and designers benefit from performance feedback to refine design briefs and client requirements, ensuring optimal building functionality therefore meeting all thee school’s expectations.
Unlike traditional projects, Soft Landings fosters ongoing designer and constructor involvement post-completion. The focus is not just on defect resolution but on providing quality support to clients and occupants during initial operation and beyond. The aftercare aspect involves system optimisation, debugging, and enhancing occupant understanding of their work environment.
Decarbonisation of Heating and Cooling
The installation of heat pumps will improve energy efficiency and further reduce greenhouse gas emissions helping the schools meet their net zero commitments.
Smart Building Controls
Full Automatic Lighting Controls will be installed by using daylight harvesting sensors and absence controls in each of the occupiable spaces and corridors that have access to natural lighting. Lighting levels in these spaces will therefore adjust automatically to keep the adequate level of lighting. The daylight harvesting sensors will ensure lights do not operate when daylight levels are adequate.
Energy Monitoring System
A Building Energy System (BES) will be incorporated to ensure proper control of the mechanical and electrical systems in all the schools, and to keep the schools informed of its energy monitoring status. This will help to ensure the most effective use of energy. These systems will also be accessible from any classroom in the building. The BES will measure the performance of mains water, rainwater, hot water, fuel, and electricity usage, including PV. The BES can also be used in projects for the SEAI’s Energy in Education Campaign to lower school energy expenses, or to teach pupils about energy consumption using the system’s interactive screen.
Lastly, an advanced IP CCTV system that is fully compliant with the latest GDRP rules and regulations will be installed in the schools and will have enhanced picture quality over the conventional analog.
BIM Modelling
All mechanical and electrical services will be designed using Revit to communicate and coordinate design intent in a single model prior to construction and to identify any conflicts with architectural & steel models. This method saves a great deal of time and prevents any needless reworks during each of the project’s construction phases. Precast concrete will be used for this project’s MMC (Modern Method of Construction), which alone can cut the estimated delivery time of a project by up to 30%. Additionally, incorporating all of these services in a virtual model enabled the offsite construction team to incorporate all the required service runs and openings in the walls they built. This also allows for significant time savings to be made.
IESVE Virtual Environment
The IESVE Virtual Environment thermal performance software suite will be used for Thermal dynamic modelling simulations, analysis & recommendations for the projects. These simulation models allow the project team to determine the optimum design solutions for the following;
- The MCC precast concrete system – has additional thermal performance qualities that will allow for a gradual release of heat for either heating or cooling. By doing so, overheating is reduced and an additional passive cooling effect is achieved.
- Overheating and natural ventilation simulation – will provide recommendations on how to maximise natural ventilation to avoid overheating in spaces and eliminate the need for mechanical space cooling.
- Heat loss simulation – will help us with determining the optimal heating system to precisely offset these losses.
- Natural daylight and glare simulation – will provide recommendations to the architect on how to maximise daylight in the drafted spaces at the design stage. This will serve to reduce the running hours of lighting systems and reduce costs further.
- Dialux – used to run internal and external lighting design simulations, resulting in a highly energy-efficient design with highly effectual LED light fittings.
Together with our sister company, Lawler Sustainability, Our mission at Lawler Consulting is to make our buildings more energy-efficient, cost-effective to operate, and sustainable.
If you are interested in our energy reduction solutions, please contact us direct here.
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