1. environmental research institute cork portfolio

2. environmental research institute cork
Client
University College Cork
Size
3,000 m2
Construction period
Jan 2004 - April 2005

3. eri cork
The building has won the following awards
1. 2007 Irish Concrete Society - Winner of Sustainability Award
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7. This building is University College Cork’s (UCC) inter-disciplinary Environment Research Institute
(ERI) whose focus is on translation of fundamental knowledge in Environment, Engineering and
Management into practical solutions for the protection and sustainability of natural resources.
The ERI is the first naturally ventilated laboratory building in Ireland. Funding by the HEA
was supported by Sustainable Energy Ireland. The low energy building optimises solar power,
cross ventilation, daylight and draws heat from a local aquifer. The building is the subject of an
ongoing environmental performance study and achieved a very excellent BREEAM rating.
The ERI is a bespoke building bringing together different faculties of research in UCC. The
building is designed for minimal impact on the environment; the floor slabs have embedded
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pipework for cooling in the summer months, and heating in the winter, using groundwater at 11
constant temperature of 15 degrees Celsius. This is heated in winter using solar cells on the roof
combined with a heat recovery system from the laboratory equipment, avoiding the need for a
boiler. The building is fully naturally ventilated through it’s alignment to the prevailing wind,
and the fabric of the building has embodies sensor technology to provide research data on the
building’s performance.
The building embodies the fragility of its location, the flood plain of the River Lee. It is
composed of robust parts which anchor themselves to this specific place, absorbing the flood
waters within the concrete structure, and fragile elements of timber and glass that respond to the
human occupation of the building, breathing in rhythm with the external environment, and the
changing laboratory experiments which are conducted within it.

8. offfices east
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entrance hall

9. reception
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floorlevel 1

10. 1
reception
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3 day ventilation
4 natural ventilation
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1 westfacade
2 ground floor plan

11. dUblin
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dUblin 6 | ireland
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environmental research institute cork
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