THE CONVENTION CENTRE DUBLIN RECOGNISED AS FIRST CARBON NEUTRAL INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTRE
We often write in Green for Earthy Peachy and we also often write in Green for Ireland, so now we are pleased to do it on both accounts! The Convention Centre, Dublin (CCD), announced it is the first carbon neutral international convention centre as the net impact of the building’s construction on the environment is zero. This iconic landmark, which is still in construction, can be considered carbon neutral due to the use of low carbon cement throughout the building and through offsetting all unavoidable carbon emissions by investing in carbon credits in accordance with the Voluntary Carbon Standards (VCS). Validation and verification of the venue was conducted by UN accredited auditors SGS.
“Even during the design phase, we placed a huge importance on sustainability as we had an opportunity to do our part in acting responsibly towards the environment,” said Nick Waight, Chief Executive Officer, The Convention Centre, Dublin. Our strong commitment to sustainability has given us a unique advantage over other major international convention centres and we will be promoting this aspect as we market the venue to our international clients. In addition, Ireland is also earning a good reputation in environmental sustainability, which will help us to boost Ireland’s share of business tourists as organisations seek to become more eco-aware.”
The Convention Centre, Dublin, has also committed to long-term environmental sustainability in accordance with the International Standards Organisation (ISO) 14001 and will be seeking accreditation as soon as the building becomes operational on September 1, 2010. The ISO 14001 environmental management standards, also employed at the International Convention Centre, Birmingham, exist to help organisations minimise how their operations negatively affect the environment. At the CCD, this will include recycling and a focus on reducing overall energy consumption by using a sustainable energy supplier and integrating sustainable systems at the venue, such as an integrated building automated system (IBAS) – an advanced building management system. For example, the CCD has installed a thermal wheel heat recovery system and an ice storage thermal unit (ISTU), which chills water overnight to form large ice blocks that melt during the day to provide air conditioning for the entire building. In addition, international visitors will have an opportunity to offset their carbon emissions from air travel with a carbon calculator on the CCD website.
Designed by Pritzker award-winning Irish architect Kevin Roche, the building is situated at Spencer Dock on the banks of the River Liffey. At a cost of €380 million, Ireland’s newest purpose-built international conference and event venue is configured to accommodate conferences from 8 to 8,000 participants in 22 purpose-built meeting rooms. It includes a 2,000-seater auditorium, 4,500 square metres of exhibition space and banqueting facilities for up to 3,000 guests. The centre combines flexible and elegant conference halls and meeting spaces with an experienced management team and an extensive range of support services. Offering the latest technology, this sophisticated venue will include advanced audio-visual equipment and lighting systems as well as Wi-Fi enabled halls and meeting rooms. The venue will employ 250 full-time staff when operational.
