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Refurbishment & Extension of a 1930’s house in Blackrock, Dublin

Key Information

This semi-detached house over 90 years old, belongs to a young family who fell in love with the unique structural elements of this charming property built-in 1930.

Having in mind the reuse and reimagining of the existing building, the embodied energy was one of the key priorities when comes to carbon-neutral retrofit, part of sustainable development. They were also aware of the home’s shortcomings and embarked on a substantial refurbishment and extension project as a result.

Ventilation strategy – Controlled Home Ventilation

An old building regulates and moves moisture in a less controlled way compared to a newly constructed heavily-insulated extension. In addition to making the house uncomfortable and cold, it loses huge amounts of energy and is an inefficient form of ventilation.

It means ventilation and building materials need to be thought about carefully, because if a building cannot work as designed, or has had no mitigating measures included, then damp or condensation problems could occur.

A smart decentralised system and using extractor fans had to be considered, as a more reliable way of ensuring adequate ventilation. Exhaust air units of the LUNOS Silvento ec-series supplied by Partel are installed in the functional rooms for ensuring a safer and cleaner indoor air quality for the homeowner.

The humidity control fans transport the exhaust moist air from kitchens and bathrooms either directly into the open air or via exhaust air shafts. The resulting slight negative pressure “pulls” fresh, filtered air through the external wall air diffusers into the living areas.

LUNOS Silvento ec fan – Kitchen
LUNOS Silvento ec fan – Kitchen

Energy Rating

Home energy upgrades undertaken on the existing house as part of the work have improved the Building Energy Rating of the extended home from G to C1, reducing the energy demand by 65%.

Read more information about this retrofit project, Here.

Images of the house before and after renovation

Project Details

Project Type: Refurbishment and Extension
Practice: Diarmuid Brophy Architects
Location: Blackrock, Ireland
Building: Single-family house
Completion: 2021

Photography by Richard Hatch ©.

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