Glass façades are an increasingly popular solution to modern design needs, as well as promoting natural light and ventilation. Tomàs Kelly at Davis Langdon PKS and Duggan Systems in Limerick look at the current cost drivers

New IT Building, UCC
Client: University College Cork
Architect: Scott Tallon Walker
Quantity Surveyor: Davis Langdon PKS
Main contractor: Rohcon Ltd
Structural Engineer: Arup Consulting Engineers
Services Engineer: PM Group
Façades Contractor: Duggan Systems

The site for the new IT building at University College Cork lies to the north west of the main campus, located at the old greyhound racetrack in the southwest of Cork city. The area of the site is approximately 5.5 acres. A principle objective in the design of the building was the portrayal of a strong modern image of a progressive, growing, and top class university.

The building expresses the modern, high-tech requirements of the brief such as the requirement for a flexible and adaptable building, easily accommodating change in response to the rapidly evolving nature of the computer science and microelectronics industries.

COST DRIVERS
The key selection criteria and their associated variants are all interrelated and in turn can impact considerably on cost, itself a key selection criteria.

Architectural Intent
Architectural intent in response to client brief represents the catalyst for any project. Creativity, raising the bar, exploring new technologies are all to be encouraged during initial design development. This creates an environment where new products and building techniques are identified for the benefit of the project. There is inevitably a commercial angle to every project and as such architectural intent and cost must align to ensure viability of the project. Achieving cost targets also envelops the other three criteria, as below.

Performance
The primary function of the building envelope is to protect building occupants from the elements, in no particular order; water tightness, minimal air leakage, solar gain and sun glare control. The base chassis system solution is driven in the first instance by the necessity to accommodate building idiosyncratic wind loads. The single largest performance driver and one which can effect cost and architectural intent is approved Part L of the Building Regulations, which links the performance of building envelope and services to reduce harmful CO2 emissions.

Managing the fine balance of providing a building with suitable natural light whilst controlling solar gain and heat loss represents a significant challenge to the design team. Other key performance criteria includes acoustics, both reducing noise from outside to in and flanking, between floors and through framing profiles.

This is an extract from an article in the Irish Construction Industry Magazine - Click Here to Subscribe