Reshaping the way you read about engineering

Explore detailed solutions for energy efficiency and sustainability in EU buildings under the revised EPBD. Learn how to enhance green building practices today.

Discover how performance modelling revolutionises building design for better efficiency, sustainability, and occupant comfort. Learn more about Metec's innovative approach.

Given the high energy demand of data centres, optimising energy efficiency is a critical component of LEED certification.

For 17 years Metec Consulting Engineers has been delivering green building accredited projects across Ireland and Europe. We’ve helped shape the landscape of sustainable building performance throughout that journey.

As we bid farewell to 2023, Metec reflects on a year filled with remarkable achievements, sustainability milestones, and the continued growth of our diverse and talented team. Join us in recapping the highlights that define our commitment to excellence in engineering consultancy.

In the second of our articles on “The Human in the Building”, the Metec team expands on the relationship between people and the building in which they work, and how that relationship has changed in recent times.

In the first of three articles on “The Human in the Building”, Metec takes a closer look at the challenges around encouraging office workers to return to the office and how building design might provide solutions.

In the last of our three articles on “The Human in the Building”, the Metec team reveals how applying the right design thinking in a commercial building can help property owners as well as businesses to achieve their ESG objectives.

It’s fair to say that no industry escaped the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, but since the impact of the crisis was most felt in healthcare, the life sciences industry may well have been the one hit hardest of all – not because it was shut down, but because it was put under pressure to perform.

What can an engineering consultancy like Metec bring to promoting and improving safety in construction? A whole lot, as it turns out.

Healthcare can reduce its climate footprint and promote sustainability through energy-efficient designs and renewable solutions.

Today’s buildings need to be engineered at the junction of flexibility and sustainability. Sustainability in construction and building services is not just about being environmentally conscious or “doing our bit” to reduce carbon emissions. Commercial buildings designed or refurbished with sustainability in mind can improve the engagement, productivity, and health and safety of the people who will ultimately work in them.

Okay, that headline might seem a little bit obvious, but the reality is that in the same way every engineering project is different, every engineering team brings something special and unique to the table. Finding the right engineering team could mean the difference between an average result and an amazing outcome for your project. But what are the right ingredients for the right engineering team?

How a company protects the environment – and the conservation measures it takes to reduce its energy consumption, pollution, and ecological footprint – matters a lot to consumers and investors. So the very building your business calls home, and how that building performs in terms of energy efficiency and environmental responsibility, can be a major contributor to achieving your ESG goals.

The life science industry in Ireland directly employs over 50,000 people across medical devices, pharma and biotechnology. All but one of the world’s 25 largest biotech and pharma companies have a significant presence here, and many of the world’s most prescribed drugs are manufactured in this country. One of the most pressing challenges for life science companies, though, is attracting and retaining high-quality talent, with demand for skills at an all-time high across the entire industry. And one of the ways in which this can be achieved is by providing these sought-after professionals with an environment that inspires them every day and enables them to innovate, fuelling breakthrough discoveries, growth, and ultimate success for the company.

Our mission at Metec, with each and every project, is to design a built environment for a better future, not just in Ireland but right across Europe where our presence is ever growing. While our design work has a strong focus on sustainability, energy saving and building performance, we have a social, ethical, and indeed regulatory responsibility to consider all of the implications of our design decisions for the environment. This is where Environmental Impact Assessment comes into play.

BIM developments are more sustainable developments. The ability to visualise and identify issues in a 3D collaborative environment, facilitates a more efficient, less wasteful construction, as problems are resolved before they ever reach site. Most importantly, increasing cost certainty and reducing delays and risk. This is just one of the potential advantages of BIM

World Environment Day takes place every year on the 5th of June with the objective to inspire millions of people all over the world to protect and restore our planet. World Environment Day is a global platform for inspiring positive change. People from more than 150 countries participate in this United Nations international day, which celebrates environmental action and the power of governments, businesses and individuals to create a more sustainable world.

How passive design modelling empowers you to make the right choices on your building project Are you looking to achieve maximum energy efficiency in your building project? When your ultimate objective is to create a building that performs to the highest standards in terms of energy efficiency and sustainability, there are some critical decisions you will need to make. The earlier you make these choices in the construction process, the better the finished building. And you can not do this any more effectively than at the design stage.

Today we welcome Tritech Engineering’s Joe Delaney, with a guest article about the relationship between our companies and our collaboration on the Indeed Capital Dock project.

With so many people returning to the office over the last 18 months following the pandemic, there’s a collective focus now on improving and maintaining health and wellbeing in the workplace. That, coupled with a cost of living crisis, which you could understandably call a “cost of operation crisis” for everyone managing a business, has seen a growing move towards bettering sustainability in the workplace of the future. From reducing waste to increasing energy efficiency, businesses are looking more and more for ways to minimise their impact on the environment. One major area where sustainability can have a significant impact is office design.

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals are key drivers of decision making for all industries in today’s social, physical, and economic environment. The circular economy as opposed to the linear economy is being promoted as the way forward. This means throwing out the old “take, make and waste” model to pave the way for the “take, make and use again” approach.

Women in Construction Week is globally celebrated annually in March to recognise the achievements of women and how far they have come economically, culturally and politically. Groups, companies and organisations, large and small come together to show women just how valuable they are in today’s society. Coinciding with International Women’s Day, this is an opportunity to acknowledge how far we still have left to go in terms of tackling bias, stereotypes, discrimination and equity.

When sustainability assessments are expanded in scope, in line with ESG goals, the benefits can be extremely far reaching.

"The only way you can predict the future is to build it." - Alan Kay The square footage of green and smart real estate has been growing exponentially, yet still it seems we are just scratching the surface when it comes to their future potential. So where is the wind blowing in 2023 and beyond?

As 2022 begins to recede in our rear-view mirror, we take a look back at our challenges, changes, and memorable moments. From projects to people, from awards to activities, we’ve crammed a whole lot in on our latest trip around the sun!

Reducing the running costs and improving the energy efficiency are the main reasons why Metec’s expert energy modelling and simulation services should be considered in the design process of a building.

Sustainable building is no longer just jargon - it’s a series of mandated benchmarks to be complied with - but commercially it’s also something you can’t afford to miss out on.

A smart building uses systems to automatically control and monitor various areas of the building’s functions. Let’s take a look at some of the things these smart buildings can do, and what benefits they can bring to you and your business.

The Metec Sustainability Team explains the main differences between the standards and what they say about your real estate investment.

BIM stands for “Building Information Modelling”. BIM allows us to create, collect, and manage data from a construction project throughout the entire process.