Oct 21, 2013 | Practice news
Week Five Its hard to believe we are 5 weeks into a 51 week program. Foundation and demolition are ongoing. We have had to change to a sleeveless pile given the gravelly ground conditions and use piles to the rear as well as the front. We originally intended to use...
Oct 2, 2013 | Advice for Clients, Ask the Expert!, Property Development, Sustainable/Passive
How to hire an Environmental Architect This is based on a presentation I have prepared to give to people at their place of work during lunchtime. These people by nature of the business, were particularly interested in low-energy buildings and so the presentation is...
Jul 18, 2013 | Advice for Clients, Practice news
RIAI Environmental CPD Accreditation As of today I am accredited in ‘Environmental’ services by the RIAI having completed the required learning in this area. I recently completed Joe LIttle’s RIAI Building Fabric Design Course and Assessment. ( I...
Jul 8, 2013 | Ask the Expert!, Hotel architecture, Sustainable/Passive
Why are hotel bedrooms so hot? As an eco-architect it is a source of immense frustration when on the rare occasions that we get to stay in a top class hotel, everything is perfect down to the last detail except the ability to get a good night’s sleep. Why?...
Jul 2, 2013 | Advice for Clients, News for architects, Sustainable/Passive
We are the pioneers.. No drugs were used in the inspiration for this piece and alcohol had yet to be consumed! I was lucky enough to spend a night in Killarney on the shores of the lakes recently and had some time to day-dream. Day-dreaming is something we rarely get...
May 10, 2013 | Advice for Clients, Practice news
Project Supervisor Design Process (PSDP) PSDP accreditation from the RIAI. Paul McNally is an accredited PSDP having completed the required training to act in this capacity. This is an additional service to the role of architect, the main function being to co-ordinate...
Apr 8, 2013 | Advice for Clients
The Passive House payback myth This is a topic that has been niggling away at the back of my mind for years, and I have the seed of an analogy in mind that hopefully I can develop in this blog to clarify how I feel about this and should prove useful to clients and...
Feb 21, 2013 | Advice for Clients
Detailing a Passivhaus Ever wonder why there is such a gap between getting your planning permission and the job starting on site? I though you might benefit from seeing how I am spending my time these days. We have gotten permission to build Irelands first PassivHaus...
Aug 18, 2012 | Advice for Clients
What is a Passive House? A Passive house is a house which is so energy efficient, it not does require a conventional heating system. A true passive house, or PassivHaus in German is a building, and not necessarily a house – it can be a pharmacy, a school,...
Aug 17, 2012 | Advice for Clients
How to Brief your Architect Once you have found the right architect, take some time to prepare a clear brief. The Brief Know how much you intend to spend. Your architect will be able to give you budget costs, as a cost per square metre (or foot) for the proposed...
