Exitoso - General - Londonderry, Northern Ireland
Date: 29 May 2008
Fountain House, the geo-thermally heated and cooled building built at 61 Spencer Road, Londonderry, by local company Exitoso, has received a Commendation in the "Sustainability" section of the 2008 Northern Ireland awards of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors RICS.
"We are very excited to win this award", said Exitoso Managing Director Mark Stanley. "We used geo-thermal energy because it is both financially efficient and environmentally-friendly. It provides heating, cooling and domestic hot water from a single system. Because we are not using fossil fuels such as oil, gas or coal, there is minimal carbon footprint. Because geo-thermal energy is free and renewable, its running costs are very much lower than traditional energy supplies. And because the underfloor heating system is lighter and less intrusive, we have more floor space and wall space.
"We certainly expect to use this and other sustainable energy resources in future developments. We are looking, for example, at various ways in which our Foyle Waterfront development will carbon-neutral".
The annual RICS Awards ceremony was held in Belfast's Waterfront Hall. Eleven buildings across Northern Ireland were short-listed for consideration. The Fountain House commendation was received by Kevin Doherty of Exitoso. Kevin, himself an RICS trainee, had hosted the Awards site inspection of Fountain House, 61 Spencer Road.
"We were delighted to receive this Commendation", he said. "Sustainable development is obviously the way forward - as was stressed at the Awards ceremony in Belfast by David Duly, vice-president of RICS Northern Ireland. Our job as a development company is to produce buildings that are both cost effective and environmentally friendly. Fountain House does just that - as visitors to Café Zest and the O2 shop can confirm".
Gavin McConnell, of Nutherm, also attended the Awards ceremony at the Waterfront Hall ceremony. He spoke enthusiastically of the commercial and environmental opportunities for geo-thermal energy. Nutherm Ltd installed the geo-thermal system for Fountain House, after Exitoso representatives had visited the German manufacturer's headquarters.
Donegal and Derry-based company Nutherm has already installed some 50 geothermal systems (mostly residential) in Northern Ireland; and 700 geothermal systems (mostly residential) in the Republic of Ireland. It is currently working on systems for, among others, Edge Hill University in Liverpool; a large Garden Centre on the Island of Guernsey; and many residential and commercial developments in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Britain.
Waterkotte, the German company for which Nutherm is agent here, installs about 5,000 geothermal systems every year in Germany. With the energetic work of Nutherm Ltd in Ireland and Britain, Nutherm is now becoming the largest customer of Waterkotte, which itself is the oldest and largest manufacturer of geo-thermal systems in Europe.
The architects of Fountain House were WDR & RT Taggart and it was built by Liam O'Neill Ltd. Delap & Waller were the consulting engineers and Quantec of Coleraine were the quantity surveyors.
"We have been told that this is the first commercial building in Northern Ireland to use a geo-thermal heating and cooling system", adds Exitoso CEO Mark Stanley. "Indeed because of Number 61 Spencer Road, Exitoso was asked by the government to participate in a round-table meeting as part of a review of EU geo-thermal policy.
"The objective was to identify the barriers to the uptake of geo-thermal energy in Northern Ireland and other parts of the EU. In general terms initial price and annual maintenance remain key factors in popularizing the use of geothermal energy. Ways in which Government could encourage business and private residents to use this would, of course, be by tax allowances; and by grants for initial set up and annual maintenance. The environmental benefits are plain to see".
Fountain House, 61 Spencer Road, Londonderry
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