The Green Building, a mixed-use development in Dublin's Temple Bar district, is emblematic of the pioneering spirit. Designed by engineer Tim Cooper with Murray O'Laoire Architects, it is an innovative mixed use development of offices, apartments and shop units laid out around a six storey central courtyard designed as a semi-external atrium space with a glazed openable roof. The atrium's roof is oriented southwards and designed to naturally ventilate and light the building. The building consists of shops at ground levels with offices at first floor level and eight apartments on the upper three levels. Completed in 1994 it went on to win the RIAI regional award for Dublin in 1995 as well as receiving a commendation for excellence in construction and an overall commendation.
The Green Building makes use of a number of renewable energy sources including photovoltaic solar arrays for electricity, evacuated tube solar panels for hot water, a geothermal heat pump and wind turbines – though the latter have since been switched off.
Additionally, the design of the building and its fabric has been done in such a way as to reduce energy use.
Tim Cooper explains his inspiration for the building was actually not a modern building at all: "It's based on the Museum Building in TCD, a 150 year old building," he says.
Cooper came to know the Museum Building while working at the college: "I had worked in energy management at Trinity College Dublin since 1976, during the oil crisis.
"I've long been interested in energy and energy conservation [and] I tried to establish where the energy was going and created an energy audit. I discovered what was the most energy efficient building in the college – the Museum Building," he says.
According to Cooper, the Museum Building is an example of a structure built with amazing foresight: "If you look at it, it's got chimneys – except they're not chimneys, they're ventilation. The ornamental stone contains holes – the building actually has heat-recovery ventilation, something which many people are only beginning to get around to thinking about now," he says, clearly enthused by the designer's work.
Planning to develop the ideas he gleaned from the Museum Building, Cooper set about devising a strategy for a new energy efficient building. Though not quite stonewalled, Cooper found that his ideas were considered fanciful.
The atrium provides natural ventilation and lighting for the building
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