One Ballsbridge

This mixed-use development encompasses a total area of 500,000 sq. ft. and is located on a 2.2 acre site at the most sought-after address in Ireland. The project comprises 180,000 sq. ft. of high-end CAT-A and CAT-B office fit-outs across three separate buildings including 22,776 sq. ft. of retail space at street level and 89 luxurious 2, 3 and 4-bed residential apartments on the upper floors. The whole development, which spans between Pembroke Road and Shelbourne Road, sits above two levels of below ground car park.

Challenges

One of the primary challenges on the project was working with the above-ground structure which already existed on site whilst both levels of basement were being excavated. Utilising existing core and riser layouts and minimising alteration works for routing of M&E services was an intricate but successful task. To prevent multiple penetrations of the residential façade with unsightly flues and ventilation ducts, we designed a central district heating system with heat interface units for each apartment and mechanical extract ventilation from each apartment to a central core where it was routed above and discharged at roof level. This gives the development a clean, stain-free façade on all elevations.

Successes

Each office block achieved a B1 Rating and LEED Gold certification. Such is the quality and high standard of finish on the project, that it attracted a number of high calibre tenants prior to official project completion. More recently, we were delighted to have been involved in the CAT-B fit-out on Building 2 – the last commercial space of the whole development to be leased.

Metec Solutions

Working closely with the Mechanical, Electrical and Sprinkler contractors to develop a BIM model in Revit ensured all services were clash resolvable prior to works commencing on site. As such, costs and time delays incurred typically on a development of this scale due to coordination issues were successfully mitigated in advance.

Electrical Services

• New dedicated MV sub-station
• Transformers and Switch Rooms
• New diverse routes for incoming telecommunication services
• Each office block fed independently with sub-letting arrangements on a floor-by-floor basis for flexibility
• High-end low energy decorative lighting, emergency lighting, protective and general services within the apartments
• New goods lifts servicing back-of-house areas
• Passenger lifts based on lift traffic analysis calculations
• High-end finishes within each bedroom
• Shell and Core services to each of the 11 No. retail units with dedicated individual metering

Mechanical Services

Each office block is served by a separate independent central HVAC plant and equipment comprising multiple high-efficiency gas fired boilers and a mixture of air-cooled and water-cooled chillers. The systems provide metered LTHW and CHW services to each floor plate via 4-pipe fan coil unit arrangements. The residential apartments are served via central district heating system consisting of CHP units and high-efficiency gas fired boilers.

The system supplies LTHW to the heat interface units (HIU’s) within each apartment. Each HIU contains twin heat exchangers to cater for both heating and instantaneous hot water demand. The apartments contain underfloor heating and continuous extract mechanical ventilation. Retail units are served with a dedicated metered water supply and soils and wastes connections.

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