Honorable Mention
Elm Park Low Development, Dublin, Ireland
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Elm Park Low Development

Bucholz McEvoy Architects + Transsolar Energietechnik, Dublin/Stuttgart

Location Dublin, Ireland

Completed 2008


 
Zumtobel
Elm Park is a new, low energy, high-density, mixed-use project on the outskirts of Dublin. The architects have created a compact, 100,000 square metre "miniature city" in a landscaped, eight-hectare green space with thousands of shrubs and over 500 trees. This project is a new type of urban development in Dublin, one which is firmly stitched into its natural environment, while fine-tuned to the energy conserving/generating and functional potential of its components.

The complex consists of six main blocks with individual characters containing a private hospital, hotel, offices, restaurant, crèche, conference centre, apartments and housing for senior citizens, as well as a leisure centre, swimming pool, conference centre, crêche cafés and sandwich bars. The buildings are lifted off ground level, releasing space for use as a continuous public garden. They are thin to allow for natural light and ventilation and are oriented on a north-south axis to give clear east and west elevations for maximum daylight and good views. The car park and all site services are underground, yet naturally lit.

Minimising energy use is achieved by minimising energy consumption through the design of the built environment - by means of orientation, building height, width and employing the buildings' structure and façades as part of the ventilation strategy by harnessing the energy of the prevailing winds. The office buildings are climate-controlled without the use of mechanical ventilation or air conditioning. A shared energy management strategy means that energy can be moved around according to demand: it can be used primarily during the day by offices and in the evenings by residences, with excess energy stored in the site swimming pool. A combined heat and power plant turns heat energy into power to supply office needs. A wood pellet boiler supplies hot water for heating both apartments and offices.