As part of major refurbishment works for Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council, VELUX Modular Skylights were installed to bring natural light into Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown’s County Hall and new Civic Hub. The VELUX Modular Skylight system was specified as the only skylight system on the market which could provide a large-scale, cost-competitive solution for bringing in natural light effectively.
VELUX Modular Skylights shine a light on democracy in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown
The Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown project was delivered by Moston Construction as part of a wider specification to modernise the council building and create a new public space for the delivery of important council services. With this goal came the requirement for creating a sense of vibrancy and openness which could support public engagement and customer service for those in the locality. The creation of natural light and ventilation was deemed crucial to achieving this goal, with the VELUX Modular Skylight system offering the perfect combination of these factors.
Creating vibrant spaces and openness with natural light
Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council’s ambitions for the new Civic Hub were to design a new venue for public engagement and to bring democracy physically closer to its citizens. To deliver upon this promise, the council designed the new hub as a one-stop-shop for council services related to living, working, visiting, and doing business in the county. It consequently fell to Moston Construction, Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council’s Architects’ Department and VELUX Commercial to create a space where this ambition could actually work.
Not only has natural light been directly linked to greater workplace performance and reduced stress, but research has also shown the contributions it can make to a happy, healthy, and calmer self. To create a public space that would become a cornerstone of local democracy, it was therefore essential that the Civic Hub could create a positive and engaging atmosphere for people in the local area to enjoy. It was also vital that those working in the space would be able to feel at one with the community, thus “bringing the outside in” proved to be a key aspect of the project.
When assessing their options, Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council’s Architects’ Department identified the VELUX Modular Skylight system as “the only suitable product” for bringing natural light into such a large space. Through working closely between the architecture department and Moston Construction, VELUX Commercial operated in both a consultative and supplier role to support the greater ambitions of the project. This consultative relationship was necessitated by the requirement for a very specific length of skylight whilst ensuring the system would integrate with the council’s environmental strategies.
Using Modular Skylights to create natural light, ventilation, and energy savings The installation of the VELUX Modular Skylight system has been a resounding success. Combining rapid installation with unrivalled functionality, the skylights help to create a beautiful aesthetic within the building as has been the case with other projects using VELUX Modular Skylights.
The installation of the VELUX Modular Skylight system has been a resounding success. Combining rapid installation with unrivalled functionality, the skylights help to create a beautiful aesthetic within the building as has been the case with other projects using the VELUX Modular Skylights.
Pamela O’Connor provided the following feedback on the experience with VELUX Commercial: “VELUX Modular Skylights are the only product that’s suitable for what we’ve been doing here and the only ones we could find on the market that could give us the length of skylight that we required. VELUX Commercial as a company have been really very good. We were very reassured by their interest in the whole project and by their interaction and rapid response to any of our queries. The quicker we get this job done the better, and I think that was another reason why we picked VELUX Commercial, because we knew that the good product would arrive, and be assembled very quickly. Daylight is critically important in a building, so we’ve been really looking forward to getting our new VELUX Modular Skylight system.”