{"id":7564,"date":"2020-04-02T09:24:41","date_gmt":"2020-04-02T09:24:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thekccgroup.com\/?p=7564"},"modified":"2020-04-20T09:23:51","modified_gmt":"2020-04-20T09:23:51","slug":"kcc-proud-to-be-part-of-iconic-esb-headquarter-restoration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thekccgroup.com\/news\/kcc-proud-to-be-part-of-iconic-esb-headquarter-restoration\/","title":{"rendered":"KCC proud to be part of iconic ESB Headquarter Restoration"},"content":{"rendered":"
Many in the architecture and design world, particularly in Ireland, have been eagerly following progress on the restoration and redevelopment of the existing ESB buildings on Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin. The project encompasses 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 is titled by ESB, began in 2017 following a design competition for the prestigious building. The new 45,000 sqm development will provide a near zero energy-rated building as one of the most sustainable and efficient office developments in Dublin city. The project has been carefully and respectfully designed in sympathy with the surrounding Georgian streetscape.<\/p>\n
We’ve been working closely with the Architects, Design teams, Contractor and Client to deliver the following solutions for this iconic project –<\/p>\n
Project Fitzwilliam as it is known by ESB themselves, is a highly-anticipated project in the Irish Architectural world, led by Grafton Architects, O\u2019Mahony Pike Architects and Contractor PJ Hegarty, in addition to several other key collaborators. The project is even more notable due to the historical significance of the area and the controversy around the 1960s creation of the ESB Headquarters we\u2019ve known for the past fifty plus years. Designed by architects Sam Stephenson\u00a0and\u00a0Arthur Gibney\u00a0in the 1960s, the project created serious controversy from the offset after a collection of original Georgian houses had to be demolished to make room for it. This \u2018modernist\u2019 encroachment on the city\u2019s \u201cGeorgian Mile\u201d was, for conservationists, one of the greatest crimes ever committed against Dublin\u2019s historic core.<\/p>\n
The more recent restoration of the Fitzwilliam street fa\u00e7ade, as designed by Grafton Architects & O\u2019Mahony Architects, is in keeping with the original style and era of the City street and reinstating 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 MHB steel window system<\/a> with our partners in Holland.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Given the importance and high specification of the bespoke fa\u00e7ade system, there was a requirement to design and fabricate full-size prototype units which were then tested rigorously by approved testing bodies in Holland for thermal modelling, acoustic testing, wind\/pressure and water testing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The initial concept had to be developed into a full prototype window for inspection, testing and approval. As these units were entirely bespoke and purpose-built for this project, extensive testing was undertaken at various test facilities in Europe to ensure that the high specification outlined by the client to provide a slim profile, thermally-broken window system capable of achieving up to 4 metres in height, was being met for the fa\u00e7ade of the building, the desired objective being to re-instate the Georgian aesthetic of the building in sympathy with the surrounding, historical streetscape.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/p>\n We subsequently built two full-size prototypes in Kill, Co Kildare in a mock-up version of what the end result would look like in situ on Fitzwilliam Street, where the design team were not only able to view and inspect the proposed windows in-situ but also surrounded by the various types of brick & brick coursing proposed for the project in accordance with the aesthetic requirements of the Georgian streetscape.<\/p>\n Further to the bespoke MHB steel glazing system on this project we were commissioned to design, fabricate and install internal Schuco Jansen doors and fire-rated screens<\/a> on the new office space of the project. These screens were designed not only for their minimalist aesthetic and ability to allow maximum light into the space, but more importantly to comply with the fire strategy of the building, providing up to 90 minute fire-rating to lift lobbies and entrance lobbies on each floor for the protection of building occupants.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\nInternal Fire-rated screens for new offices<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Restoration of Georgian Houses along Mount Street Upper<\/strong><\/h4>\n