SUSTAINABILITY
We have successfully supported both public and private clients on carbon-reduced development since the early 2000’s, advising on several high-profile projects to deliver cleaner, greener, more efficient buildings. This includes Ireland’s first carbon-neutral public housing project, Ireland’s first WELL v2 commercial office and the first office building to achieve BREEAM Outstanding certification.
We are currently working with a private client on the retrofitting and redevelopment of an existing office building to Passivhaus standards – the first of its kind in Ireland. Fundamental to achieving best-in-class sustainability targets on this project, is the design and installation of a secondary veil structure to envelop the existing building. CLT modifications and WELL certification are additional considerations to meet planning and sustainability targets.
Cogent are providing advice on ensuring the design brief and commercial requirements are aligned. The learnings from this development are already proving invaluable to the treatment of ageing office stock.
EXPERTISE
Our in-house consultants are on hand to advise on the following:
- Sustainable & Healthy Buildings (LEED, BREEAM, WELL Buildings, Passivhaus)
- Building Performance, Operations & Maintenance
- Healthy & Sustainable Materials
- Energy Analysis & Optimization
- Smart Buildings
SERVICES
Our bespoke services are designed to enable our clients to make informed choices regarding ESG and carbon reduction strategies:
- Lifecycle Costing
- Cost in Use
- Whole Life Cost
- Cost Assessment of Embodied Carbon Report
- Cost Assessment for LEED/BREEAM/WELL Certification
INNOVATION
Working with leaders in the technology and business sectors allows us to remain at the forefront of innovative technologies, in particular smart buildings and ultimately efficient buildings. It is thanks to our collaboration with these early adopters and our procurement of specialist smart building consultants, that we are in a position to offer up to date expertise and advice to clients striving for smart, efficient buildings.
We are currently working with a number of blue-chip clients on their commercial headquarters and planning the integration of smart technology to streamline user journeys and maximise building efficiencies. The ultimate objective being to achieve a carbon neutral building now and into the future.
Alternative Methods Construction
Cogent are in the vanguard of alternative methods of procurement and construction and this dovetails with advances in technology, including Building Information Modelling (BIM) and 3-D Printing, further advancing both construction and design capabilities.
Our ongoing work with local authorities and approved housing bodies, tasked with meeting social and affordable housing quotas, has provided us with valuable insight into the pros and cons of several modular construction elements, including timber frame, ICF (insulated concrete form), pre-cast concrete, external facades and pre-fabricated pods.
We have achieved significant programme efficiencies through an effective procurement strategy and management of off-site manufacture and installation. This ensures earlier completion dates and reduces the dependency on the direct labour market.
Project Examples: