{"id":18813,"date":"2023-04-14T14:05:11","date_gmt":"2023-04-14T14:05:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thekccgroup.com\/?post_type=knowledge-base&p=18813"},"modified":"2023-05-15T08:40:26","modified_gmt":"2023-05-15T08:40:26","slug":"behind-the-scenes-at-esb","status":"publish","type":"knowledge-base","link":"https:\/\/thekccgroup.com\/knowledge-base\/behind-the-scenes-at-esb\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind the scenes at the prestigious ESB project"},"content":{"rendered":"

Behind the scenes at ESB<\/h1>\n

Brandon Panther, Specification Manager at KCC Group and Eric De Vos, Contracts Director for KCC Group take you behind the scenes of one the biggest projects KCC Group have recently completed – the redevelopment of the ESB headquarters in Central Dublin, Fitzwilliam Street.<\/p>\n

Many in the architecture and design world, particularly in Ireland, eagerly followed progress on the restoration and redevelopment of the former ESB buildings on Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin. The extensive project involved the retention and refurbishment of a number of protected Georgian structures and the construction of a new seven-storey office block designed by prestigious Architecture firms Grafton Architects & O\u2019Mahony Pike Architects.<\/p>\n

Site works for \u201cProject Fitzwilliam\u201d as it was titled by ESB, began in 2017 following a design competition for the prestigious building. The new 45,000 sqm development was designed to be a near zero energy-rated building and one of the most sustainable and efficient office developments in Dublin city. The project was carefully and respectfully designed in sympathy with the surrounding Georgian streetscape. We worked extremely closely with the design team and ESB to create a bespoke glazing solution for the main facade in tune with the original style and era of the city street and enabling the reinstatement of the traditional Georgian streetscape, creating the longest uninterrupted Georgian Streetscape in Europe.<\/p>\n

The specification for the Fitzwilliam Street fa\u00e7ade was extremely detailed and the design, development and approval process between the design team and KCC took approximately two years and included numerous collaborative workshops between all key stakeholders. In collaboration with the design team from Grafton Architects, KCC designed and developed a proposal for a completely bespoke, thermally-broken\u00a0MHB steel window system<\/a>\u00a0with our partners in Holland.<\/p>\n

Together with the design team from Grafton, PJ Hegarty, the ESB and MHB we designed and developed a window prototype, which was then tested and certified in order for us to implement it into the fa\u00e7ade on the Fitzwilliam place elevation of the building.<\/p>\n

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This was also in conjunction with Buildings Design Associates, who were the main fa\u00e7ade consultants on the project.<\/p>\n

“Further to the fa\u00e7ade element of the project, we worked closely with Walls Construction to provide internal lift lobby fire-rated screens, steel glazed doors with automation across the ground floor into the courtyard areas, bespoke pocket sliding doorsets for employee restrooms, concealed frame riser doorsets and all operating hardware across the whole project. Additionally, we were part of the refurbishment of a neighbouring Georgian building along Merrion Street, which was converted into luxury apartments, providing slim profile glazed steel doorsets, also from MHB.”<\/p>\n

Reasons for appointing KCC Group.<\/h2>\n

“The reason we were appointed was that we were able to meet all the design criteria as set out by Grafton as well as the specification from the ESB.<\/p>\n

Grafton had the aesthetic requirement of matching the Georgian streetscape along Fitzwilliam Place, and the ESB had various requirements in terms of thermal properties and acoustics for performance of the fa\u00e7ade.<\/p>\n

The intention was to create the most energy efficient commercial building in Ireland as a statement from ESB.<\/p>\n

We put forward various proposals to them with test reports on the thermal capabilities and acoustic capabilities for example and after a number of trips to and from MHB with the team in ESB and Grafton Architects, we found a solution which ticked all of the boxes in terms of specification and in terms of what they needed.”<\/p>\n

Bespoke solutions designed for the ESB.<\/h2>\n

“There wasn’t a system on the market that could actually meet the stringent requirements of this project and that was why Grafton were happy to work with KCC because we were able to come up with an entirely bespoke solution for what they wanted, unique to this project.<\/p>\n

The main facade windows feature a one third, two third split with a step in, so it returns into the building by roughly about 250 millimetres. Every single element was so carefully considered and designed – even the vent system was a completely bespoke design, manufactured specifically for this project. In that flat horizontal return, there’s a vent that’s been built so that you can open manually, and that’s to allow air circulation. But the intention was that you can have that open even in inclement weather. So that you won’t have wind, rain or anything else coming through.”<\/p>\n\n\t\t