Students were asked to prepare designs for a small, privately operated music school for a site in Waterford City Centre. The proposed site incorporated a late Georgian era house which is included on the Record of Protected Structures.

The selected site was made up of mainly older buildings of intrinsic architectural quality. They were in poor condition and their architectural potential was not fully realised. In keeping with the theme for the semester – The Old And The New – students were introduced to themes relating to the theory and practice of building conservation

Students were required to examine their proposals through the lens of sustainability and energy efficiency. This required them to complete a series of exercises as they progressed through the semester to demonstrate their understanding of the consequences of their proposals from a broader sustainable perspective.

Exercise 1 : “Environmental Assessment Methods for Communities”

Choose an urban block in Waterford City and

  1. Generate an Energy Demand Benchmark for the area according to CIBSE guidelines
  2. Identify and discuss potentials within and around the block to improve its environmental and energy performance. Develop ideas for a “Masterplan” (list of planning parameters was provided)
  3. Discuss the ideas for a “Masterplan” against selected audit criteria according to BREEAM for communities
  4. Based on your findings, research and explore International Studies of masterplans for sustainable neighbourhoods
  5. Summarise your conclusions with regard to any next “site analysis” for a design project

Exercise 2: “Minimising the Carbon Footprint”

Evaluating Materials against their Carbon Footprint (cradle to gate)

  1. Research 2 different suitable construction methods of both walls/facades and roof details.
  2. Chose ONE construction method and create a baseline of the CO­2 equivalent performance of your selected wall/facade and roof construction in MESH.
  3. Review your choice of materials according to MESH, to improve the CO2 equivalent performance of your wall/facade and roof construction.
  4. Present the your investigation within your final studio 5 presentation, in line with your overall presentation layout and as part of documenting your design process.