Buncrana Primary Care Centre, Co. Donegal

Background

The new multi-million euro Buncrana Primary Care Centre development was an exceptional project to be involved with. This high-profile project was funded by the HSE, with the aim of bringing many healthcare services together in one new state-of-the-art centre.

Construction was led by local company McCallion Group and the 56,500sq ft. facility, which is spread across three storeys, boasts underground car parking which can house 126 staff.

The centre is an excellent asset to the local community, ensuring the vital health services people need to avail of on a regular basis are available in one central location.

For the client, the key requirement was to build a modern, aesthetically pleasing, energy efficient facility that achieved a target U-value of 0.15W/m ² K.

After extensive planning, focusing on matching an appropriate insulation system with a complementary finish, K Systems provided a full technical specification and a comprehensive delivery plan.

Our Service

Our dedicated team of technical specialists were on hand to fully support throughout the duration of this project, ensuring the highest levels of construction were achieved.

The K Systems Technical Manager, Gerry McErlean regularly visited the project to inspect progress and offer hands-on-guidance and technical support. Local installer GD Plastering worked very closely with Gerry to ensure a high standard of work was achieved and great attention to detail is evident throughout this project.

Due to the size and scale of the Care Centre, Gerry recommended that the TC render finish was spray applied to ensure a consistent finish and aid the speed of application. GD Plastering took this advice on board and invested in a spray machine, resulting in a uniform finish, faster completion and reduced labour.

Technical Project Details

After numerous design meetings taking into consideration client requirements, budget and timeframes, the K Systems E EWI system was specified. This high-performance, light-weight and cost effective system based on expanded polystyrene (EPS) insulating panels offers a great fire rating of B-s1,d0 and is available in a range of finishes.

The mixed substrate of reinforced concrete and lightweight block had alignment issues. We specified the use of multiple thicknesses of insulation boards, that were fixed adhesively and mechanically to overcome these alignment issues. Our specification included bespoke technical detailing, such as compression joint detailing on every floor and our site inspection teams were on-site when required to offer a range of support and guidance.

For the finish, thin coat silicone render (Silicone TC) was specified. Providing a variety of benefits, K Systems thin coat render offers silicone and polymer-modified technology to provide long term weather protection, alongside excellent breathability and water repellency properties. With the unpredictable Irish weather, this durable finish will withstand the elements and offers an eye catching, clean design, creating a modern and crisp aesthetic.

Available in a wide range of colours, K Systems silicone render is the most flexible on the market, making cracking over its lifetime less likely. Its ease of application made it an ideal choice for a project of this scale and size and its hydrophobic properties provide a low-maintenance finish for years to come.

We delivered a long-lasting, safe, eye-catching design for the Buncrana Primary Care Centre that brings exceptional thermal comfort to the property. The target U-value was achieved, allowing energy savings and reduced costs for the client throughout the lifetime of the Centre.