“House Amongst Ruins” - A New Rural A-rated "Nearly Zero Energy" (nZEB) House

A newly built A-rated "Nearly Zero Energy" (nZEB) rural house built amongst the ruins of a historic farm near Loughcrew in Co. Meath.

This three-bedroom home is built on the footprint of the derelict main building at “South Farm”, the new house reuses salvaged local limestone to clad the main elevations. The unique nature of the site and its changing ground levels has allowed us to build a three-storey house that is screened by the surrounding ruins and landscape, appearing as two stories from the rear and single storey from another side.

Outdoor spaces are formed between the new house and the surrounding stone walls to provide sheltered courtyards of differing character that all receive sunlight at various times throughout the day.

Living spaces are located on the uppermost floor to avail of the spectacular views in all directions and benefit from maximum natural light. The vaulted roof is supported by twelve custom scissor trusses creating a dramatic volume of space. Large sliding doors open onto a viewing balcony to the front and a sheltered dining patio that receives the afternoon sun to the rear. A few steps lead down to ground level. Remarkably, all three floors can be accessed from ground level on three different sides of the house.

Carefully positioned window openings of various sizes provide framed views out over the Loughcrew landscape in all directions. The staircase winds around a central void with a dramatic light feature.

Every room, landing and hall has been designed to capture a view of the surrounding countryside; moving through the house there is a constant variety of light conditions and connection to the landscape.

Each of the three bedrooms has its own distinct character with the ground floor ‘cave-like’ room opening onto the front courtyard and the master bedroom viewing towards the beautiful surrounding stone walls and the carefully restored neighbouring house.

The previously abandoned house to the northwest has been stripped of dashed cement render and a unsightly porch addition and completed with a reclaimed slate roof and new windows to provide additional accommodation.

The ‘nZEB’ A rating has been achieved ahead on incoming new building regulations using a “fabric first” approach to sustainability with super levels of insulation to walls, floor, roof and high-performance triple-glazed windows. Renewable heating is provided by an air-to-water heat pump that feeds into underfloor heating throughout. Heat losses are minimised by an air-tight building envelope and use of a mechanical ventilation system (MVHR) that recovers heat from stale air to preheat fresh incoming air. (links).

The historic brick limekiln immediately adjacent to the house has been retained and sensitively restored. It is visible from the main living spaces, the study and the front balcony. Lit from below at night it creates a dramatic feature tying the new house into the existing built forms and landscape.

Custom joinery has been designed and manufactured for all rooms.

Materials used include salvaged limestone, natural Bangor blue slate, lime render and low-carbon concrete. Cut Ross Limestone features such as window cills and cappings have all been sourced from a local quarry. Detailing has been kept simple with many local material and skilled craftsmen being used.

Both sides of the original single stone arched entrance were carefully dismantled and the stones numbered and stored to be reused to form two new arched openings.

The project has been sensitively designed as an exemplar rural house - Refer to Meath County Council’s ‘Rural Design Guide’ which positively encourages the application of good siting and design principals to new single house development in the countryside. Single house developments constructed in the countryside of an excellent standard, will compliment the landscape of the County of which they will form a part and will contribute in a positive manner to the built heritage of the County.

What is the nZEB standard?

The European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive Recast 2010 (EPBD) requires all new buildings to be nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEB) by 31st December 2020 and all buildings acquired by public bodies by 31st December 2018.

This means that any buildings completed after these dates should achieve the standard irrespective of when they were started. This is quite different to the transitional arrangements for previous building regulations revisions.

‘Nearly Zero – Energy Buildings’ means a building that has a very high energy performance, Annex 1 of the Directive and in which “the nearly zero or very low amount of energy required should be covered to a very significant extent by energy from renewable sources, including energy from renewable sources produced on-site or nearby“.

Video by Army of ID

SPACIOUS - Registered architects and designers

T: 01-5585205 | M: 089-2447264

George's Street Studios, First Floor, 53/54 George's Street Lower, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin.

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New Building Regulations energy rules for home renovations and extensions, 2019.

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“A follows D” - A recent major renovation and extension by Spacious Architects that brought an existing D rated house up to a BER A standard.

House owners planning to undertake major renovations or extensions will be required to ensure that the whole dwelling will meet the higher energy rating (BER) of B2 upon completion under new building regulations.

The new rules will come into effect from November 2019, and will also require all new homes to become nearly zero energy buildings (NZEB). That will require them to have a BER of A2, - twice as energy efficient as the current minimum required rating for new builds of A3.

Where more that 25 per cent of the surface of the building is undergoing renovation or an extension there will be a requirement that the whole building should achieve an energy efficiency of B2 or cost optimal level.

On November 1, amendments to Part L and Part F of the building regulations (relating to energy efficiency and ventilations) for new residential dwellings and dwellings getting major renovations come into effect. The Government said the rules will be subject to transition arrangements to allow flexibility to developers.

Requirements for major renovation of domestic buildings

For existing buildings, it is proposed that major renovation is typically activated under the following circumstances, where the work affects greater than 25% surface area of the existing dwelling:

• External Wall Renovation, external or internal insulation

• External Wall & Window Renovation

• External Wall & Roof Renovation

• External Wall & Floor Renovation

• New Extension

The cost optimal level is a primary energy performance of less than 125 kWh/m2/yr (B2 BER) when calculated using DEAP or upgrade of roof insulation and heating system. The Cost Optimal Study was updated in 2018.

Painting, replastering, rendering, reslating, cavity wall insulation are not considered major renovation works.

Energy upgrade works to the house pictured above included:

• Air to water heat pump

• Underfloor heating

• Super levels of insulation to floors, walls and roof

• Triple glazed windows and rooflights

• Airtightness membranes and tapes throughout

• Demand controlled ventilation system

Client Comments:

“We could not recommend Paul from Spacious Architects highly enough. Paul designed and project managed the renovation of our house in Dun Laoghaire from start to finish. The house was completely transformed and extended from 140m2 with a poor C2 energy rating, to 210m2 with a deep energy retrofit, to bring it up to an A3 BER.

We chose Paul over other architects at the outset as he was easy to deal with and he took the time to really understand what we wanted to achieve with the works. Our main aims were to have a house that was energy efficient and had living spaces that were bright, contemporary, spacious, functional and properly connected to our outdoor spaces. Paul achieved all of this and more. Energy wise the house is amazingly warm and comfortable with an air-to-water heat pump and underfloor heating. The airtightness was brought up to current standards for new builds and a demand controlled ventilation system was installed.

The spaces are beautifully designed with unique features (e.g the porch retains original brickwork walls that have been painted and lit with concealed lighting and there is custom designed bespoke joinery throughout). Our main living space at the back of the house is south-facing and on the same level as the patio and garden making them all feel like one space on a sunny day when the large sliding doors are open. The overall design and functionality of the house was very well thought out.

In terms of delivering the project, Paul was highly involved throughout. He was regularly onsite to ensure builders were delivering to spec. His high attention to detail ensured no corners were cut. On several occasions Paul asked the builders to redo aspects of work that he was not 100% happy with.

In short, Paul delivered on everything that was asked of him. He takes ideas on board and puts thought into them to develop them further. He is well versed in interior design and complex energy requirements to ensure projects look well while also being functional and highly efficient. And he holds everyone involved to account right through to completion of the jobs. We are very happy with the finished product and would recommend Paul to anyone.” Colin & Cathy McBride.

Our Latest nZEB new build house has just been completed - See it here.
Link: Irish Times article

Irish Times feature - As Green as a Period House can be.

SPACIOUS - Registered architects and designers

T: 01-5585205 | M: 089-2447264

George's Street Studios, First Floor, 53/54 George's Street Lower, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin.

hello@spacious.ie | www.spacious.ie | Instagram

Coffee grounds Fire logs

Fire logs made from coffee grounds - Perfect for your multi-fuel stove at this time of year!

Bio-bean collects waste coffee grounds at every scale, from independent cafés to major coffee chains and from universities to property groups and instant coffee factories. Bio-bean is founded on the premise that there is no such thing as waste, just resources in the wrong place. Spent coffee grounds are highly calorific and contain valuable compounds, making them an ideal feedstock from which to produce clean fuels – like their wonderfuel Coffee Logs.

SPACIOUS

Registered architects and designers

T: 01-5585205
M: 089-2447264

24A Mellifont Avenue, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. A96 V9K4

hello@spacious.ie

www.spacious.ie

Instagram

Biomass pellets from waste coffee grounds have a high calorific value

New Suburban Dublin House Extension Project

Suburban House Extension & Alterations, South Dublin.  

The brief for this project was to extend an existing semi-detached house to the side and rear to create an enlarged open-plan kitchen, dining and lounge area to be the heart of the house with an enhanced relationship wiht the rear garden.  

A study that could be transformed into an additional spare bedroom for visitors along with a new utility room and downstairs shower room was also included.  The design is flooded with light from sliding glazed doors and large frameless roof lights.  The side and rear extension roofs are carefully designed to fit between tall separating brick walls.  

The project included the design of the kitchen and a range of other custom joinery units such as a study wall-mounted desk, a hidden fold-down bed, a corner storage unit with a dog bed built-in below and floor to ceiling wardrobes.