/ CLIMATE
Our aim is to create architecture and urbanism that
has a positive effect on the environment around us.
MOLA Architecture are committed to promoting environmental, social, economic and ecological sustainability as a fundamental principle of our practice. We recognise the role that the construction industry, and in particular the architectural profession, can play to reduce global CO2 emissions.
Our aim is to create architecture and urbanism that has a positive effect on the environment around us.
Together with our clients and design teams we want to deliver buildings with reduced embodied carbon and improved operational performance.
MOLA Architecture is an active member of the Irish Green Building Council and a member of Irish Architects Declare Climate & Biodiversity Emergency.
We have completed numerous projects to BREEAM, LEED and Passive House standards. The following projects exemplify MOLA’s ongoing involvement in sustainable design over the past decade or more. They underline our commitment to integrating an environmentally aware approach to every project we encounter.
MOLA as a company has renewed this commitment through a recent in-house lecture series and CPD campaign, and through participation in the Irish Green Building Council and the Architects Declare movement. Promoting sustainability holistically is a core component in the design of our buildings through the reduction of embodied and operational carbon, the avoidance of waste, the management of water consumption, and by making a measurable positive impact on socio-economic issues.
/ Our Achievements
- Ireland’s first certified LEED Platinum Interior Fit-Out in 2015 for Google Dockmill Offices, Dublin
- Ireland’s first certified LEED GOLD Mixed Use Development in 2017- Offices and Apartments at 1 Windmill Lane, Dublin
- Ireland’s first certified EnerPHit Retrofit House– Zion Road, Rathgar, Dublin
- LEEDv4 Platinum certification for Office Fit-Out Google Quattro, Krakow, Poland
- LEEDv4 Platinum certification for Office Fit-Out Google Rynek, Krakow, Poland
- LEEDv4 Gold certification for Google Office Fit-Out, The HUB, Warsaw, Poland
- Focus Ireland HQ office fit-out- Winner Excellence in Sustainability 2021- at the Fit-Out Awards 35% saving on Embodied Carbon
- LEEDv4 Gold certification for 2 Windmill Lane Office Retrofit- Winner of 2020 Irish Construction Excellence Award for best Refurbishment project
- Ardcairn Student Accommodation- achieved BREEAM- Very Good in 2019
- Athlone Town Centre 103,000sqm mixed-use development- won 2015 Sustainability Award in 2015
- Ireland’s first BER A-rated development, The Green Building in Temple Bar in 1995
- BREEAM Very Good certification for the Department of Defence HQ, Newbridge, completed in 2010
Speakers at the ‘MOLA Declares’ lecture series:
Meehan Green
Topic: Sustainable Design
BDP
Topic: Case Study Wren Hotel
Cora
Topic: Embodied Carbon in Structure
ARUP
Topic: Economic argument for sustainable design
/ Knowledge & Research
At MOLA we are committed to the continual education of our staff, in particular on the principles of sustainable design. Our CPD programme is focused on sustainable design practices such as embodied carbon and life cycle analysis.
In October 2020, we held a series of on-line lectures entitled ‘MOLA Declares…our commitment to a Sustainable Future’. We invited a number of esteemed speakers from different disciplines of the construction industry to present on a range of sustainable topics.
Our in-house sustainability working group are continually researching the latest technologies, soft-ware, and materials to ensure that we offer the best service to our Clients.
We use One Click LCA in our office, which is used to calculate Life Cycle Assessment, Life Cycle Costing, Carbon footprint and other environmental impacts of our buildings.
/ The Future
MOLA are currently working on a number of projects with specific low carbon requirements. The aim for our projects is to ensure that sustainability principles are an integral part of our architectural process.
In August 2020, MOLA were appointed by Hammerson plc, as Architects for the design of an urban block on Henry and Moore Streets as part of the regeneration project for the extensive Dublin Central site on and adjacent to O’Connell Street. Hammerson’s Sustainability targets for Dublin Central are very ambitious and challenging to achieve. They focus on four key material impacts in which they aim to be “Net Positive”: Carbon emissions, water, resource use and socio-economic impacts. MOLA are working closely with Sustainability Consultants Meehan Green, BDP and overall Sustainability Co-ordinators Architype to deliver on this ambition.
MOLA recommends that Post Occupancy Evaluations (POE) are carried out on our buildings. These studies can provide detailed findings on the ‘’in use’’ energy performance of the building as well as the satisfaction of the occupants. As well as providing a means of benchmarking against the original Building Design Performance Specification , a POE can highlight lessons that can be used to improve design and procurement on future projects . An independent 3rd party POE carried out on the 1WML complex determined that the building was ‘’carefully and successfully designed to minimise the buildings environmental impact’’ and made recommendations on refinement of building use practices which could further improve overall energy efficiencies for both Landlord and Tenants.
Our sustainability agenda also applies to our own operations. We carry out regular internal audits to identify opportunities for improvement and benchmark our performance.
We monitor our internal environment to help provide a productive and healthy working space for our staff.