The design for the new Waterways Ireland Headquarters building, currently being constructed on Sligo Road in Enniskillen by Tracey Bros Ltd, has been awarded an 'Excellent BREEAM' environmental rating by the Building Research Establishment (BRE).
The independent assessment of the design has ranked the building as achieving the highest 'Excellent' score of any building in Northern Ireland and one that represents a holistic approach to delivering environmental sustainability.
The commission to build the winning scheme, which was designed by Mullarkey Pedersen Architects, Derry, was secured by Tracey Bros Ltd, Design and Build Department in March last year following the launch of a European Journal-advertised competition in September 2005.
The prestigious state-of-the-art landmark building is programmed for occupation by Waterways Ireland in Autumn of this year.
According to a Department spokesman, the project demonstrates the government's 'Achieving Excellence in Construction Northern Ireland' initiative which promotes design quality and sustainability whilst achieving best value for money.
Waterways Ireland new flagship building in Enniskillen will be its All-Ireland headquarters, with other office bases in Carrick-on-Shannon, Scarriff and Dublin.
BREEAM is the BRE Environmental Assessment Method that measures the environmental performance of a building throughout its life and seeks to improve this performance by demonstrating improvements over building regulations; using industry best practice and working towards government and global emission targets for Carbon Reduction.
It assesses issues such as energy, transport, pollution, water use, health and well being, management, land use and ecology, to provide an overall measure of sustainability for the project. To date, only two schemes in Northern Ireland have managed to achieve an 'Excellent' rating, with the Enniskillen scheme scoring the highest marks and placing the town at the forefront of sustainable design.
"The award winning scheme', said a spokesman, " has demonstrated that complex buildings can be constructed sustainably and use materials that, where commensurate with whole life cost considerations, have an environmental 'A' rating.
"It demonstrates the use of materials which are responsibly sourced, where available in Northern Ireland, with due consideration being given to locally sourced and recycled materials. It further acknowledges the aim to achieve a low carbon design using passive means and with renewable energy sources, such as wood pellets for heating, and the aim to avoid the use of refrigerants and insulants which have a Global Warming Potential".
He said the brief also takes note of measures to avoid pollution to the local environment, whether through water run off or light.
The building has been commended for its design, with high levels of floor, wall and roof insulation to aid thermal comfort during the heating cycle. These levels exceed standard Building Regulation requirements.
During the cooling season, the design has incorporated a night time cooling strategy, which enables the building to 'cool itself' by passive means, avoiding the necessity for any mechanical air control. Solar panels on the roof provide 80% of the hot water demand.
The BREEAM Award provides formal accreditation to the sustainable design of the new flagship building – 'development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs'.
