From the moment Sisk moved into its glittering new home in Dublin’s Citywest Business Campus, it was clear that the company’s freshly retrofitted head office would serve as a prime example of walking the walk.
Having sought out an existing building to retrofit rather than simply investing in a new build, Ireland’s leading building contractor then set about creating a new headquarters that lived and breathed the company’s own sustainability values.
“We looked for a building where we could demonstrate our skills and in particular our ability to upgrade to a higher BER,” says Derek Gormley, Preconstruction Director, Sisk, Ireland and Europe. “It’s something we can showcase to our clients and to the industry as we sell ourselves as a tier one building contractor.”
The retrofit was carried out by more than 150 Sisk own staff and supply chain partners, with an emphasis on carbon savings that saw the building’s energy rating (BER) increase to A3, up from D2.
“We looked at every aspect of the building in terms of how we could implement our own sustainability policies,” says Derek Gormley. “We re-used flooring and ceiling systems, re-used the glazing systems, we installed 18 EV charging points, we have solar panels on the roof as well as an external air source heat pump.
Heating and cooling
“The heating and cooling of the building was a very important consideration in terms of offering a more comfortable working environment for staff and clients alike,” he says. “From a sustainability point of view, the Daikin VRV 5 was a good solution for us.”
Daikin’s revolutionary VRV 5 is a proprietary air conditioning technology that can supply multiple rooms with space heating and cooling. When the Sisk retrofit project came up for tender, design consultants Axiseng knew that the choice of HVAC solution had both practical and sustainability implications.
“There were challenges in terms of specifying a heating and cooling system,” admits Richard Vaughan, Senior Associate with Axiseng. “Roof height was a challenge, riser space and on-floor coordination were challenges in terms of the installation, and we needed to look at a solution that fitted at roof level from a planning perspective.
“One of the main considerations in specifying the Daikin VRV 5 system was the need for a low carbon, high efficiency solution that would help us to achieve an A rating,” Richard says. “We also needed a heat recovery solution for one of the spaces in the building and again the VRV 5 offers that flexibility.”
Enter Daikin, a premium HVAC specialist well known to both Sisk and Axiseng, who work together on numerous large-scale developments.
“We knew from projects around Europe and different tests we had carried out that the Daikin VRV 5 technology would be ideal for the needs of the Sisk building,” says Liam Kirwan, Daikin Ireland’s DX Manager. “By moving to R 32 refrigerant, we’d be reducing CO2 levels and enhancing the energy of the building all while providing a comfortable environment for staff.
“VRV was actually invented by Daikin, the technology is synonymous with the company,” Liam adds. “The name stands for variable refrigerant volume, and it is a multi-stage system that can provide multiple rooms and zones with heating and cooling.
VRV 5 the “gold standard”
“The VRV 5 is the gold standard of the air conditioning industry and that’s mainly because of the technology and the fact that the R 32 refrigerant is around one-third of the GWP (global warming potential) compared to the previous industry standard, meaning it is far better for the environment.
“The Daikin system also incorporates powerful safety measures,” Liam explains. “These include leak detection, which is factory-fitted on every single fan coil, and isolation valves built into the BC box as standard. Those are USPs in this industry.”
When it came to installing the VRV 5 system in Sisk HQ, Daikin turned to one of its most trusted installer partners, Kelly RAC, a specialist air conditioning contractor based in Ennis, Co. Clare, but operating around Ireland and also at a European level.
Like all large-scale developments, the retrofit of the new Sisk head office including installation of the VRV 5 required a tailored approach that saw Kelly RAC work closely with the other stakeholders.
“Our starting point was that we wanted to deliver a flawless installation,” says Gavin O’Leary, Technical Sales Manager with Kelly RAC. “That meant integrating the VRV 5 into the overall building design, which in itself was a challenge because of all the exposed surfaces but a challenge that we overcame.
“With this building, you have all different orientations and that’s one of the beauties of the VRV 5 system,” Gavin says. “You have south facing windows that could be primarily running in cooling mode and north facing offices where you might need predominantly heating, and both of those indoor units can be running simultaneously on the same system.
Best system on the market
“For us, the Daikin VRV 5 is the best air conditioning system on the market today in terms of quality, performance, efficiency and controllability,” he adds. “From an installation point of view, a key benefit is that the VRV comes straight out of the box, it has all the safety devices built in whereas with other systems you might have to fit third party leak detection systems.”
For most of the 200 or so occupants of the new Sisk building, the technicalities behind the VRV 5 are not an immediate priority – what matters is the level of comfort the system delivers. And having had time to settle into their new home, the team are enjoying their surroundings.
“The comfort levels are there,” says Derek Gormley. “Within individual meeting rooms, in office spaces, there is a comfortable environment in the building and that has had a positive impact in terms of people using the facilities, engaging with our wellbeing initiatives, and the overall occupancy levels.
“From a sustainability point of view, this building represents us as a company, as a tier one contractor, and where we see ourselves going forward,” Derek says. “It’s important to have a headquarters that really demonstrates the brand and shows the industry what we can deliver. It meets all our needs.”
