Client John Sisk & Son Group
Location Midleton, Ireland
Architect Cullen Payne Architects
Designing pathway projects for the future of decarbonisation in Healthcare
About the project
IN2 were awarded the role of providing full M&E, Environmental and Sustainability design services for the HSE’s Public Private Partnership contract for numerous community care units.
Among the seven projects in this significant initiative is the Community Nursing Unit (CNU) in Midleton, which has 50 beds and 2 storeys. IN2 conducted extensive energy, thermal, natural ventilation, daylight, and comfort analyses for the project. Delivery within a live healthcare environment posed many challenges and required careful sequencing and resilience planning. In order to ensure an optimal internal environment, IN2’s strategy maximised natural light and enhanced thermal comfort whilst minimising heat losses and excessive solar heat gain.
Dynamic Simulation Modelling (DSM) was undertaken for the proposed CNU which assessed Building Comfort and Daylight, amongst others. Findings determined that triple glazing would replace the existing double glazing, thereby reducing overheating risk. Building Comfort analysis was also undertaken, assessing the adherence to overheating risk criteria and comfort categorisation. Results identified rooms in Works Requirements (WR) where natural ventilation should be utilised; Comfort Analysis indicated that air conditioning was not mandatory in this instance. All bedrooms were found to be compliant to Comfort criteria based on a naturally ventilated environmental strategy. Where rooms were not compliant for natural ventilation, and a passive design solution was not feasible, localised comfort cooling has been provided as an enhancement to day and dining room spaces, amongst others.
Daylight analysis was also undertaken for the CNU using Radiance software - an advanced suite of raytracing-based lighting simulation tools. Building geometry was exported directly from Revit models received from Cullen Payne Architects, with results being re-imported into the BIM model, ensuring environmental performance results can be integrated to each room’s information data. Following this analysis, IN2 oversaw window updates across the site, with some windows in areas of reduced daylight benefitting from the addition of an opaque panel to ensure daylight compliance.
This project is not just about constructing a building; it's about cultivating an environment where older adults can thrive and maintain their independence. IN2 takes pride in being part of this transformative initiative and has delivered exceptional M&E design services to make this vision a reality.
