In 2017, the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government signed into Irish Law the requirement to meet Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB) as part of Building Regulations (Part L Amendment) Regulations 2017. In order to comply with the Statutory requirements set out in the updated regulations, and to achieve enhanced energy performance and necessary carbon reduction, the design of the New Maternity Hospital (NMH) required significant amendments to the buildings fabric and mechanical & electrical systems. These included;
- The introduction of two-stage air source heat pumps (ASHPs) to meet the primary heating needs of the building
- A move away from reliance on gas fired boilers
- The decoupling of the existing boiler plant serving the remainder of the SVUH campus
- The decoupling of the electrical distribution serving the remainder of the SVUH campus
- An increase in the number & capacity of the electrical transformers & standby generators
- An increase in the size of service risers and ducts to accommodate the increased size of the air handling plant.
The introduction of these design amendments to comply with the updated building regulations resulted in changes to both the internal layout & the external envelope of the proposed new NMH building.
The new NMH to SVUH project was granted Planning Permission by An Bord Pleanála (ABP) in 2017. As noted above, that same year, an update to Part L of the Building Regulations was introduced by Government. Transitional arrangements were put in place for projects already at design or construction stage. The new NMH project fell within this category of projects which had achieved planning grant before the end of 2018. However, due to the delays the updated regulations now apply in full.
The redesign required to comply with the updated regulations has now been fully incorporated. From a planning perspective it is proposed to address these amendments via a submission to An Bord Pleanála for approval under Section 146b of the Planning Regulations. It is normal for a project of this size and complexity to go through design development and refinement post planning grant. This can be for a number of reasons, including response to evolving clinical operational policies, internal environmental requirements, co-ordination and buildability issues. Or as is the case here, compliance with updated building regulations. The redesign required to comply with the new regulations is now complete & ready for submission to An Bord Pleanála.
The cost of compliance with the updated regulation, Part L 2017, is estimated at €18.3M exclusive of VAT.
