Client Montane Developments
Location Dublin, Ireland
Architect Meitheal Architects
Making a major contribution to the Castleforbes regeneration masterplan
About the project
Castleforbes Hotel is a major new hospitality development located on the corner of East Road and Sheriff Street, forming part of the wider Castleforbes regeneration masterplan that is aligned with Dublin City Council’s Climate Action Plan 2024–2028 and the EU’s Near Zero Energy Building (NZEB) directive. The ten-storey, 219-bed hotel will deliver modern guest accommodation together with a ground-floor restaurant, bar, wellness suite and extensive back-of-house facilities, all designed to international hotel brand standards.
IN2 Engineering Design Partnership has been appointed as the Mechanical, Electrical and Public Health (MEP) consultant for the project, responsible for the complete design and coordination of building services through BIM LOD300. Working closely with the design Meitheal Architects, DBFL, the client and Montane Developments, IN2 is delivering a fully electric building services strategy that eliminates fossil fuels and supports the project’s sustainability and energy performance objectives.
The mechanical design incorporates high-temperature propane air source heat pumps (ASHPs) for heating and domestic hot water generation, supported by hybrid VRF systems to provide efficient heating and cooling throughout the guestrooms and public areas. The ventilation strategy combines high-efficiency heat recovery systems serving guestrooms and back-of-house spaces with dedicated extract systems for kitchens and ancillary areas.
IN2’s scope spans all RIBA stages from concept through to tender, including BIM coordination to maintain spatial efficiency and integration of building services within the architectural design. The design process has also included dynamic simulation modelling (DSM) and daylight and sunlight analysis to verify solar gain, comfort performance and compliance with planning and building regulation requirements. The resulting design achieves an EPC of 0.62 and CPC of 0.42, representing reductions of 38% and 63% respectively below the Part L 2022 energy and carbon targets.
