CS01 Rochestown Home for Elderly in Dun Loaghaire

The existing building is a single two-storey block of 34 apartments built during the early 1970’s. There are modest common facilities, including a kitchen and dining room. The floors, walls (external and internal) and roof comprise poured concrete construction with little or no insulation incorporated. The external walls are pebble dash finished. This building has small to moderate size window openings and relatively low floor to ceiling height which will compromise ventilation ducting for the retrofitting proposal. Ventilation is mostly natural, using opening window sections but also some room-based fans. The building is on an east-west axis in terms of solar gains with heavy shading to the northwest and quite open to the southeast. There is an existing plant room on the roof of the two storey building with a boiler house separate to the building.

Modernisation proposal:

The proposed development comprises the addition of another whole floor on top of the existing building as well as minor extensions to accommodate vertical circulation. Due to increased accommodation size the resulting number of apartments will remain at 34. The retrofitting of the existing structure involves external wall insulation and Passive House certified windows and doors, as well as the new top level comprising walls of aerated concrete block structure with external insulation and lightweight metal deck roof with the same windows and doors. A MVHR unit will be installed in each apartment as well as for each community areas and circulation areas. A central micro CHP (Combined Heat and Power) with gas condenser boiler will be the source of heat to all radiators installed throughout the building. This CHP will also be the source of heat to the domestic hot water tank. We are aiming to install, in the near future, solar hot water panels to back up the hot water generation and further decrease the primary energy demand of this building.

Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Architects Department are the designers of the project.

Efficiency improvement:

Current situation:

The Tender process started last July 2014 and the refurbishment on site works started on the 10^th November 2014. The programme of works for the first retrofit step is due to be completed in the eraly part of 2016.

Challenges of the project:

At design stage the main challenge of this project in relation to the EnerPHit Standard was the ventilation strategy for the entire project. Several options were considered, from centralised ventilation system, to partially centralised and decentralised to completely decentralised.

Construction photos (click to view gallery):