Deerpark Tallaght wins Eco Award

The Architectural Services Department of South Dublin County Council and Durkan New Homes have won the inaugural LAMA (Local Authority Members Association) best eco-friendly building 2007, for the Eco-House, Deerpark, Tallaght.

Century Homes commissioned John Goulding - architect and a director of the Christina Noble Childrens Foundation - to design a prototype timber-frame house which could be erected in the interior of the Ideal Homes fair in the RDS in 2004, to demonstrate the ecological benefits of timber frame technology.

After the exhibition, it was considered wasteful to dispose of this prototype and South Dublin County Council made an offer to adapt the prototype into a real dwelling for the use of the Christina Noble Childrens Foundation.

With Durkan New Homes Ltd. offering their construction skills, South Dublin County Council provided a site and full architectural services to ensure the project was realised. Under the direction of Durkan New Homes Ltd., materials and labour for the house were supplied free of charge by several sub-contractors and suppliers - given the foundation's charitable status.

The main ecological benefits of the house are -

* The house is sited to maximise passive solar gain. The living spaces, reception rooms, sun-room and conservatory are positioned to the south and south-west - with storage, circulation and bathrooms to the north of the house.The house has been designed to allow it to expand or contract, should the needs of the occupants change.
* The timber frame super-structure is sourced from sustainably managed forests and the pre-cast concrete sub-structure uses less energy in its production, less raw materials and generates less site waste and disposal.
* Most of the materials used are recyclable and manufactured from renewable resources and all toxic - or non-biodegradable materials - have been kept to a minimum.
* The landscape design of the garden takes advantage of the orientation of the house - the native planting minimises the impact of prevailing winds from the west and encourages bio-diversity and wildlife colonisation of the site. The garden also includes a compost area for domestic waste, a vegetable garden, herb garden and orchard - which will actively require the involvement of the residents - a specific wish of the Christina Noble Childrens Foundation.
* The house has been made far more airtight and insulated to a far higher standard than is required under current legislation and than built in the current private housing market.A part of the house has been insulated with sheeps wool.
* The house has been fitted with technologies such as a heat recovery system, water-air heat transfer system, roof-fixed solar panels, energy-efficient lighting, thermal/UV light filtered glass on the south elevation, wood pellet-fired central heating & stove and a rainwater-recycling system to flush toilets.

This house, therefore, has been designed and constructed to have minimum impact on the environment. It is energy-efficient, its materials come from renewable sources or are recyclable and it is a 'healthier' house. The Eco-House is practical to build and live in - as well as being cost-effective and environmentally sound.