Ardee Ambulance Base is part of the National Ambulance Service and is situated at Saint Brigid's Hospital in Ardee, County Louth. The base sits amongst the mature trees on the northern edge of St. Joesph’s campus and offers pleasant views through a recessed window plane to the historic landscape. The intention has been to promote wellbeing and give staff the opportunity for reflection.
Ardee Ambulance Base was handed over to the HSE in July 2022, during the subsequent winter months, there were a number of occurrences where the installed heating system did not operate in a manner satisfactory to the building occupants. IN2 have undertaken design validation of the central plant to confirm that it is of a suitable capacity and is fit for purpose.
The investigations completed by IN2 and the mechanical sub-contractor uncovered a number of items which required recommissioning and adjustment to bring the operational building in line with the specified design criteria.
A dynamic simulation model was created for the building to enable energy analysis, accounting for climate, site location, building materials and constructions, fenestration and shading, HVAC systems, occupant profiles and behaviour.
A natural gas boiler was modelled for all heating with renewable contribution provided by photovoltaic panels (PV). In addition, an air source heat was also installed on this building which worked towards the full NZEB compliance. An air source heat pump works by transferring heat absorbed from the outside air to an indoor space. This works via the wet central heating systems to heat radiators and provides domestic hot water.
The finding and recommendations provided by IN2 ensured the building was fit for purpose and its occupants, while also ensuring compliance with the NZEB directive.
