Baile Glas Eco Village

Baile Glas, Ireland’s first social and affordable Eco Village completed in 2006, is a demonstration project still ahead of its time in 2011 delivering energy efficient housing in rural Co. Cork. Working with residents around ‘green living’ principles, and cultivating an awareness of the sustainable design features of the new homes has meant energy savings of 71%, a result over and above expectation.

The Baile Glas project was delivered through partnership between the Blackwater Resource Development Agency and Cork County Council. A sustainable design for a new residential community was designed by MCO with our partners PRP ZEDfactor. The design approach is sensitive to the rural context, set out to engender a sense of community, and provided a creative solution to “green” houses that brought new energy technologies to local construction industry and suppliers.

MCO worked with clients, partners and residents to get the most out of their new homes, using less energy and saving money. We re-visited the project in 2009 (as part of our 4d Academy research) and found that the houses use 71% less energy than average, which exceeds expectations of 60% energy savings. RTÉ News featured a family with a total energy bill of €1.08 average per day per year. This shows what can be achieved when sustainable design and ‘green living’ principles are jointly embraced by communities. Positive feedback from occupants indicates that the houses are perceived as bright, warm and draught-free, with a heating system that is easy to use and maintain.

Image credits (top to bottom):
Ros Kavanagh (Images 1,3 and 4).

4D Applications

• Concept
• Mapping
• Design Development
• Procurement
• Evaluation
• Strategy