Client
Kerry County Council
Location
Rathass, Tralee, County Kerry
The project was delivered in partnership between Kerry County Council and Western Buildings Ltd. Kerry County Council delivered Phase 1 – substructure to ground floor level and Western Buildings Ltd delivered phase 2 – superstructure, completion and fitout. The building can accommodate 40-48 Kerry County Council employees which include offices and associated welfare facilities in two-storey development.
The knowledge and expertise within the Facilities Management Unit in relation to Climate Action Targets of the organisation and the requirement to future proof the building, lead to the delivery of a Net Zero Energy Building. A fabric first approach to the building design was adopted by the Kerry County Council.
Western Building Systems Ltd expertise in modular construction, lead to a panelised system being used for the superstructure to achieve the low U-values, air tightness, thermal bridge free design and sound requirements required by the performance specification.
The KORE’s Insulated Foundation System was used to achieve the 0.15W/m2K U-value specified for the ground floor in the building. The Kore insulated foundation system offered many benefits over the traditional raft or strip foundations. The foundation system virtually eliminating the critical wall-to-floor cold bridge while reducing the amount of concrete required by approximately 40%. The system provided excellent thermal performance and achieved a U-values of 0.09W/m2K for the building. The system provided on-site benefits in the speed of construction to allow the project timeframes to be achieved.
The external walls are constructed using 140mm thick wall panels with frametherm insulation between the studs and finished externally with a Kingspan 54mm insulated KS1000MR wall panel complete with matching corner posts, trims, fascia and surrounds to achieve the specified U-value of 0.15 W/m2K. The roof of the building is finished and insulated with a 120mm Kingspan insulated KS1000RW cladding which achieved the specified U-Value of 0.15 W/m2K. The windows and doors in the building are triple glazed thermally broken aluminium with an installed U-Value of 0.85 W/m2K.
A complete airtightness membrane wrapped the building to ensure the building achieved the specified airtightness of 0.6 ACH or better when tested at 50 pascals. During construction there was a high-level collaboration and attention to detail by all parties to ensure the airtightness requirements were achieved. On the completion, the final air tightness result achieved for the building was an air permeability rate of 0.17m3/(hr.m2) @ 50 pascals.
The building features a number of renewable energy systems, ventilation of the building is achieved using a number of Mechanical Heat Recovery Ventilation Units, the building is heated/cooled using air to air multi-systems with simultaneous heating and cooling, both systems are managed centrally where time schedules and other parameters can be set and monitored. A 50kWp Photovoltaic (PV) solar system was added to the project to make the building a Net Zero Energy Building, any excess energy produced is used by other existing buildings on the campus. The solar PV system was installed in May 2024 and has produced over 30,000kWh of electricity in the period May to October 2024. The electricity usage, which includes end user equipment usage, in the building for the same period is just over 16,000kWh. A number of energy meters have been installed to monitor and record energy consumption and production from the building. The electrical installation has been designed and installed with the intruder alarm system enabled to isolate power to non-essential sockets once the alarm is set.
This project demonstrated construction excellence by delivering a 684sq.m two storey office building in a 8 month construction period on site. The modular prefabricated components reduced the amount of on site construction time required. This allowed the project to be delivered in a safer manner with no reported incidents or accidents throughout the construction phase.
This project reflects Western’s dedication to creating energy-efficient, eco-friendly structures that contribute to achieving net-zero emissions, aligning with global efforts to combat climate change.