Irish Library and Cultural Centre Is Schueco Double Award Winner

Date: 22 June 2015

Dun Laoghaire Lexicon Library and Cultural Centre, Dublin, has won both the Overall Excellence Award and the Sustainability Award in the 2015 Schueco Excellence Awards.

Organised by Schueco UK in conjunction with RIBA Journal, these awards, now in their second year, aim to recognise the very best in the design and installation of Schueco systems.The winning €29.5m, 6,327 m2 building, designed by Cork practice, Carr Cotter Naessens Architects, was described by the judging panel as ‘a beautifully made, beautifully crafted building that looks like it’ll be here for a long time.An excellent piece of architecture’.

The Library and Cultural Centre makes extensive use of Schueco systems. It includes FW 50+ SG structural glazing and a variety of Schueco AWS windows including AWS 70.HI motorised inward-opening vents. Steel sections utilise the Schueco Jansen VISS façade system.

Mainly naturally ventilated with the help of exposed thermal mass, solar shading and high floor-to-ceiling heights, mechanical ventilation operates only in the art gallery and auditorium. There is a heat transfer system for heating and cooling and the concrete frame contains up to 50% recovered material, reducing the amount of Portland cement required in its construction.

A key overall design priority of the client, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, was longevity so the architects built in a minimum design life of 60 years for components and 100 years for the building structure.

Officially opened in April, the Dun Laoghaire Lexicon Library and Cultural Centre is now fully operational. Main contractor for the project was John Sisk and Sons, while Billings Design Associates were the consultants for the main façade.

The winners in the other award categories were: the Turnmill office building, Clerkenwell (Best Commercial Building); Library of Birmingham (Best Cultural Building); JW3 Community Centre, north London (Best Education Building); Dorset Shepherds Bush Hotel, London (Best Refurbishment Project); Calvin Street, Shoreditch (Best Residential Development); Reid Building, Glasgow (Best Steel Project) and The National Graphene Institute, Manchester (Lakesmere Group – Best Specialist Contractor).

The 2015 judging panel comprised: Hugh Pearman (chairman; editor of RIBA Journal and architecture critic for The Sunday Times); Paul Monaghan (director of Allford Hall Monaghan Morris); Joanna Bacon (managing partner of Allies and Morrison) and José Hernàndes-Gil (associate at Duggan Morris).

For further information on any aspect of the 2015 Schueco Excellence Awards, please email mkinfobox@schueco.com.

Schüco – System solutions for windows, doors and façades

Together with its worldwide network of partners, architects, specifiers and investors, Schüco creates sustainable building envelopes that focus on people and their needs in harmony with nature and technology. Windows, doors and façade solutions from Schüco meet the highest requirements in terms of design, comfort and security, whilst simultaneously reducing CO2 emissions through energy efficiency, thereby conserving natural resources. The company and its Metal and PVC-U divisions deliver tailored products for newbuilds and renovations, designed to meet individual user needs in all climate zones. Everyone involved is supported with a comprehensive range of services at every stage of the construction process. With 4800 employees and 12,000 partner companies, Schüco is active in more than 80 countries and achieved a turnover of 1.425 billion euros in 2014. For more information, visit www.schueco.com