Graham HQ
Project Background
GRAHAM commissioned BDP to design a sustainable new headquarters that demonstrates their commitment to sustainable construction for all their clients. The requirement was for a building that demonstrated that sustainable construction could be achieved within normal cost limits and that naturally ventilated offices could offer internal conditions that were superior to those found in air conditioned offices.
The Challenge
Naturally ventilated offices are often known for producing buildings that have a poor internal environment or for being complex and difficult for the users to understand. The challenge was to produce a new generation of natural ventilated office that uses a hybrid of user and automated control to produce a level of comfort that is greater than that found in any existing office building.
Approach
As a workplace office building it was imporant to offer a healthy environment. The levels of comfort offered by the advanced hybrid natural ventilation system make the building an essential case study for anyone who doubts the ability of naturally ventilated office buildings to produce a quality internal environment in Ireland. The use of the building not only as a functional office, but as a demonstration of the potential of sustainable office design was one of the key goals set by GRAHAM when procuring the building.