One Albert Quay, a new building situated within the urban landscape of Cork, has utilised Pilkington Suncool to deliver a sustainable landmark dubbed the ‘smartest building in Ireland’.
Located next to the City Hall overlooking the River Lee, One Albert Quay has been designed to meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standard for energy and environmental impact of construction and operation.
Due to the full height structural glazed façades which form the building envelope, a glazing system which would provide insulation during the winter whilst controlling the levels of solar energy entering the building during the summer was necessary to achieve the client’s environmental targets.
Pilkington Suncool technology
To achieve the required u-value of 1.0 W/m2k, two panes of glass were incorporated utilising a toughed and laminated inner pane of two 8mm thick sheets and a 10mm thick outer pane, between a 16mm argon-filled gap.
The outer pane used Pilkington Suncool 50/25 solar control glass to reduce the transmission of energy from the sun to 25 percent, achieving the necessary u-value of 1.0 W/m2K while allowing 50 per cent transmission of daylight.
As a result, the glazing delivers an impressive level of shading that keeps overheating to a minimum without compromising the bright and unobstructed views. A total of 6,000m2 of glazed units were specified for the scheme.
