Energy Award for UCC’s Western Gateway Building
19.01.2012
UCC’s Western Gateway Building (WGB) was among the winners at the recent Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland Awards. The WGB was selected as the winning entry under the Renewable Energy Systems category. In addition, the Project Management Group, the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering designers of the WGB won the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) Sustainable Design and Research Award 2011 for a research paper on the design of the mechanical systems in the WGB.

The renewable energy project is centred on a 1 MW Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) which provides heating & cooling for the WGB. According to the judges: “ The project had excellent design, utilising waste heat from computer room combined together with a ground source heat pump to provide a combination of heating and cooling to the WGB. This strategy, combined with a modern controls package, utilises the most efficient combination based on demand and supply. It has achieved energy savings of 30% when compared to other buildings on the campus.”

Commenting on the awards, Niall McAuliffe, Capital Projects Officer, said: “Sustainable design in its broadest sense is a core value of the Buildings and Estates Office, and it is gratifying to have this recognised by the SEAI in Ireland’s most prestigious energy awards.”

The WGB is the largest building on the UCC Complex providing research and teaching accommodation for a range of academic departments such as Computer Science, Biochemistry, Mathematics, Pharmacology, Physiology, ICT and Cancer Research.

Picture: Brendan Halligan, Chairman, SEAI, Michael Keohane, PM Group, Niall McAuliffe, UCC, Pat Rabbitte TD Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Sheila Kenny, UCC, Brid Horan Executive Director, ESB Electric Ireland, Paul Prendergast, UCC

<<Previous Item Next Item>>

« Back to 2012 Press Releases