Meta EMEA’s building on Grand Canal Square in Dublin reflects their workplace philosophies by incorporating sustainable design and architecture.
Reflecting workplace culture through design
Two Tate raised access floor systems were used, over a 25,000 sq m area, which helped the building achieve LEED Gold. A PSA:2021 medium grade RMG raised access flooring system was used in office spaces and PSA:2021 heavy grade FDEB_H access flooring system was installed in server rooms.
Dublin is fast becoming one of the leading technology, engineering, and sustainable energy hubs in Europe, which made it the obvious choice for Meta to expand their campus. For this project to meet the client’s needs, the design solutions had to be modern, versatile, and functional but most of all, support Meta's sustainable workplace mission to promote environmental responsibility.
LEED Gold certification
This massive €395m refurbishment project of the former AIB Bankcentre site in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 was designed from the outset to achieve LEED Gold. The building achieved this accomplishment with a strong focus on the well-being of building occupants, resource efficiency, climate resilience, and supporting biodiversity by integrating sustainability into the design of the workplace.
Helping the building achieve LEED Gold was the use of two Tate raised access floor systems — RMG and FDEB, totalling more than 25,000 sq. m. RMG is a PSA:2021 medium grade system that is suitable for general office use. FDEB_H is a PSA:2021 heavy grade access floor and was used in server rooms within the building.
Both our access floor systems used in this project incorporate sustainable practices that contribute to technological innovation, power saving, health protection and living conditions with respect to the environment. In addition, with up to 80% recycled materials in our panels, and the high level of eco-friendly materials used means that all of our systems can be recycled at the end of their life cycle.
As a result of this, our raised access floors help to earn LEED points in two of the credit system evaluation methods: BD+C (building design and construction) and ID+C (interior design and construction). They add value so that the project could obtain credits in energy and atmosphere (EA), materials and resources (MR), and indoors environmental quality (EQ).
High Pressure Laminate (HPL) was also used in this project on top of the full-depth edge banded FDEB_H system. HPL is sustainable, as well as being durable, impact and dent resistant, which makes it the ideal choice for heavy grade access flooring systems. The laminate is bonded to the top face of the panels before being trimmed and edged providing a hard wearing, resilient finish.
Sustainable by design
Meta’s workplace design standards demand that carbon is reduced, energy and water use is efficient as it can be, they use safe and healthy materials, and provide flexible workspaces optimised for ergonomics, lighting, and acoustics. Meta’s objectives mirror those of Tate, which is to lower the environmental impact of construction practices through the procurement of low-carbon building materials and responsible waste stream management, aiming to reduce, reuse and recycle material wherever possible.
Able to evolve with the business
The numerous open spaces, studio lights, wood accents and colourful furniture reflect the rogue, free-spirited nature that Meta exhibits. As a social network that is constantly adapting and evolving, their workspace had to reflect this too. As part of this benchmark sustainable development, Tate raised access flooring systems were the leading choice for the flooring solutions in this project. Access to the underfloor void was specified from the planning stage, as was the ability to reconfigure desks and other components to suit the environment, both of which can be achieved with a Tate access floor.
Working with unrivalled partners
Our long-term installation partners, Jan Janssens, supported us throughout this project and delivered their usual unmatched installation standards. This confirmed that we met the specific requirements of the PSA:2021 specification to ensure the highest quality and safety. Playing a crucial role in such a critical development for Dublin was very rewarding, especially when seeing the results come to fruition.
All project images – MDO Architects
