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CASE STUDY
ADVANCE M&E DESIGN DELIVERED BOTH MEP AND PASSIVE HOUSE DESIGN TO ENSURE THE ENERGY- EFFICIENT INTERNATIONAL BUILDING STANDARD’S FIVE CORE PRINCIPALS WERE ACHIEVED… NI’s first Passive House apartment development
Fairmont Apartments is Northern Ireland’s first apartment development certified to the Passivhaus standard of energy-efficient living. The development comprises 21 luxury apartments constructed with a Victorian aesthetic in keeping with the area. Initially employed as the MEP consultant engineer for the project by main contractor JPM Contracts Ltd, Advance M&E Design Limited’s role was subsequently extended to include Passive House designer. The Banbridge firm delivered both MEP design and professional input to the other design team members to ensure the five core principals of Passive House design were achieved: continuous insulation, high performance windows, air tightness, thermal bridge-free construction and adequate ventilation with heat recovery. Alan McKee, MEP Engineer, says, “The brief to meet the Passive House standard was introduced to the design team after the planning stage. This timing posed an inherent risk to the scheme’s viability, as Passive House buildings traditionally
rely on simplified geometries and specific orientations to optimise massing compactness and solar energy gains. “In addition to the complex architectural design (from a Passive House perspective), the entire design and construction team had limited prior experience with Passive House principles. “However, with structured guidance, the targets were successfully met at each stage. A key challenge involved managing and adapting the typically traditional processes of subcontractors and suppliers to ensure the strict building fabric targets were met.” A Passive House Planning Package was introduced early by Advance M&E Design as an essential tool to model energy performance, verify viability and map out a fabric-first approach. This strategy successfully mitigated thermal bridging and ensured the airtightness targets were identified early on. “Acting as both MEP consulting engineer and Passive House designer, we understood the nuances of the brief from appointment to the team,” says Alan. We
recognised the value of an integrated ventilation, heating and domestic hot water system, the importance of air tightness in the building fabric and services installations, but with careful attention to control thermal comfort and mitigation of the risk of overheating. “Ventilation supply and extract with heat recovery was delivered via Passive House-certified Nilan Compact P Exhaust Air Heat Pumps. These units were selected for their compact footprint, ease of installation, official certification and their ability to provide active cooling for enhanced summer comfort.”
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
17A Rathfriland Street, Banbridge, Co Down BT32 3LA T: +44 (0)28 4003 2990 E: info@advancemandedesign.com www.advancemandedesign.com
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www.nibuilder.co.uk
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