Deep Retrofit of the Enterprise Centre, North Mall Campus under the Energy Efficient and Decarbonisation Pathfinder Programme

UCC plan to carry out a deep retrofit of the 2915 sqm Enterprise Centre building under the HEA’s EEDPP (Energy Efficient and Decarbonisation Pathfinder Program).

The Enterprise Building, constructed in 1980, was originally used by the IDA as an enterprise / industrial centre for small to medium size enterprises. Located at the Distillery Fields, North Mall, the building was purchased by UCC in 1998 and was initially used as a teaching school for nursing. Since 2004, it has been home to the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences (BEES) and Applied Psychology. The building was extended in 2018 with the inclusion of some new offices and a staff canteen.

The building archetype would be classed as a mixed-use type. The 2-storey building accommodates small to medium sized classrooms, teaching and post graduate labs, single and multi-occupancy offices as well as a cafeteria.

The Retrofit Pathway selected for this building was ‘Deep Retrofit with Geothermal Water Source Heat Pump with Borehole’. The requirements of this pathway include the following targets that must be achieved:

• BER A
• 50% emissions reduction
• <55 W/m2 head demand
• At least 90% of annual space heating from RES-H.
• Geothermal Heat Pump
• Renewable Electricity Optional
• Lighting Upgrades
• Ensure that adequate ventilation is provided to all regularly used spaces, in compliance with building regulations and current H&S best practice standards.

The project was presented to the HEA and SEAI and was successful in receiving funding under the pathfinder project from the HEA.

The project will encompass energy efficient design and a low carbon building materials specification.