High performance, long-lasting sustainability and energy efficiency: the Central Bank campus in Dublin unites these three aspects. Located in North Wall Quay in Dublin Ireland, the modern building provides a state-of-the-art workplace, facilitating open communication and promoting teamwork at every level. Germany-based technology expert Wilo has equipped the new campus with green pumps, and thus contributes to the building’s environmental efficiency.

The Dublin Docklands is spread over 520 hectares north and south of the Liffey. High employment prospect possibilities have attracted people and businesses since the late 18th century. What used to be a landscape of ship funnels, cranes, pubs and stables, has been transformed into a gleaming, modern business hub due to urban regeneration over the past years. North Wall Quay is located on the northern side of Dublin, including the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC). Since 2017, the new headquarters of the Central Bank of Ireland have been located here. The sculptural profile of the new building reflects the maritime setting and new civic identity of the Dockland area. The building is wrapped in a glass skin, which is shielded from glare and solar heat gain by an outer layer of anodized aluminium triangular mesh panels. Those panels contribute significantly to the overall energy performance by reducing the impact of solar heat and thus also reducing the energy needed for heating and cooling. The façade is broken down into a number of elements: a double glazed unitised inner skin, an outer solar shading skin, the unique glazing system and a rain screen cladding. North Wall Quay is the first office building in Ireland to achieve the Building Research Establishment's Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) ‘Outstanding’ rating at design stage. The building energy rating (BER) is targeted to A2, which equates to a 72 % improvement in energy consumption over previous building regulation baselines. Effective insulation also reduces the energy consumption, the environmental impact is held on a low level by using energy from renewable sources. Annual energy savings according to the BER A2 rating is 209 tonnes of CO2.

The Dockland Campus

The building provides a modern workplace facilitating open communication, promoting teamwork and interaction at every level. The heart of North Wall Quay is the atrium, featuring collaboration spaces. More than 1,400 people work at the eight floor building. Central Bank set a number of objectives for the design of the building: apart from establishing a productive workplace, it was of outmost importance to ensure the environmental sustainability.