EU Funded Research

RTD/ Research Partners in H2020 Proposals

SOLEARTH (ARCHITECTURE) LTD – YOUR HORIZON 2020 PARTNER

DETAILS

Country:     Ireland
PIC;       Solearth Ltd; 952478406
LEAR;         Brian O Brien
Category:     SME  or RTD

PROGRAMMES OF INTEREST

Eco Innovation
Energy Efficient Buildings, NMP, Energy and ENV;
Others Concerning Building Demonstrations/ Testbed Installations
Sustainability and Low Energy Building solutions

CAPACITY

Solearth are professional architects with a difference. For over 15 years we have dedicated our practise to becoming experts in sustainable design at a deep and rigorous level. We base our design on science as well as art and are recognised for having created Irelands most noted low energy and sustainable buildings and communities. We work with some of Europes most knowledgeable consultants and researchers.

Solearth have the following capacity;

•    Understanding and interpreting of ecological and sustainable innovations in products, process and building components
•    Professional Sustainable Architecture (of new, existing and historic buildings)
•    Performance Simulation and Modelling
•    Research; Methodology Development.
•    Communication Design and Dissemination.
•    Languages; English Native, German and French; various staff members

Our architects, designers and researchers work at both a theoretical and practical level, refining design and technical concepts and models and implementing them in real projects and built buildings. We use modelling and simulation software to optimise solutions and stay at the cutting edge of international best practise. We are connected to Dublin Institute of Technology / Dublin School of Architecture as lecturers and researchers and can draw in researchers and academics as well as other energy and building physics consultants as required.

The role of an architect is to lead projects where a team of collaborators (consultants, contractors, regulators etc) are involved in realising a unique building over a 2-3 year period. Architects have much experience in driving these collaborations ensuring obstacles ore overcome, budgets and regulations complied with and excellence acheived. These skills can also be of major benefit on FP7 projects where large teams of experts speaking different languages, and having different skills and interests must work together to achieve the project outcomes.

FP EXPERIENCE

Solearth are currently involved in 2 FP7 projects and have just completed one. Of these, two are under the Research for the Benefit of SMEs programme where we operate as SME partner, and administrator plus RTD partner respectively, and one related to building integration of wind generators on which we are RTD partners is under the ENERGY programme. Previously Brian O Brien, partner at Solearth has worked on FP5 projects while in other organisations and has recently been an evaluator in Brussels on the last  EEB (NMP) call. He wrote Solearths recent DA project proposal which is now in process.

SERVICES

•    Representation of End User.
        o   interpretation of innovations
        o   championing of end user needs among researchers
•    Architecture;
o    Design and Planning;
o    Technical Solution Appraisal
o    Visioning and Presentation
•    Performance Simulation and Modelling
•    Historical and Design Research;
o    Prior and State of the Art.
o    Methodology; Methodology Development
•    Exploitation
o    Evaluation and Prioritisation of Solution Possibilities,
•    Decision Support System Development
•    Communication Design
•    Website; Structure and Content,
o    Dissemination and Public Participation.
•    Construction and Demonstration
o    Permits, Tendering and Bids, Construction /Contract Administration

WHY INCLUDE SOLEARTH IN YOUR CONSORTIUM ?

Solearth bring a wealth of experience in innovative design and construction of sustainable buildings (new build and renovation), research, simulation of building performance and methodology preparation.
As designers of ecological buildings we can contribute to scientifis research and add value by contextualising and interpreting it
As architects, we are constantly called upon to evaluate and prioritise innovation, and risk from a practical use (and end user’s) point of view – to speak the users language.
Solearth are located in Ireland (and are native English speakers).
Solearth know what end users of buidlngs (and their many component parts) want and expect
Solearth  enjoys an excellen reputation and are already registered in the FP7 system (PICT above).
Solearth are experienced at administering projects of multi million Euro budgets.

CURRICULUM;

Brian O Brien

Brian O Brien is a registered architect and partner at Solearth Ecological Architecture in Dublin.  He is an honours graduate of the Dublin School of Architecture (DIT) and the University of California at Berkeley, where he specialised in sustainability / energy efficiency in architecture. He has worked with renowned pioneers Sim Van der Ryn and Pliny Fisk in the US and Edward Cullinan Architects in London as well as in Central America
He is an experienced researcher and lectures in DIT Dublin. Brian has published many articles and papers and is acknowledged as being a thought leader in green design in Ireland, UK and the US. Brian has been the architect for step change green projects like The Daintree Building, the Emerald Project and The Village in Ireland and believes that science must be the foundation of sustainable construction. He believes sustainability should enhance living and that, properly designed, our buildings can make being in tune with nature cost effective and delightful. In keeping with this ethos, he introduced the Living Building Challenge to Ireland in 2010 and currently is chair of the Living Building Institute of Ireland. Along with the Energy Research Group UCD he has for many years been a  lecturer in the professional CPD programme for architects on sustainability

Brian is a regular speaker at conferences on sustainability in the built environment in Ireland and abroad. He has won awards for his buildings, teaching and championing of green design. and recently received a prestigious Hero of Living Buildings Award from the Living Futures Institute in the USA.

He represents Solearth on Climawin and ClimawinDA, European Commission FP7research projects involving many European agencies and universities to develop a low energy active window suitable for all of Europes climate zones and on SWIP a large consortium seeking to improve the integration of wind turbine on urban and suburban buildngs.

Mike Haslam

Mike is a partner at Solearth Ecological Architecture. He is a graduate of Universities of Edinburg and Bath UK and is registered architect and member of the RIAI, RIBA, AECB, RSUA and Easca. Mike has extensive experience in the UK, where he worked with prestigious practices; Fielden Clegg Bradley and Edward Cullinan architects, and in Germany where he worked for Boge Lindner-Boge and Urban Projekt,  His projects include the holistically designed Castle Espie visitor’s centre in Ulster which has won multiple awards, a green prototype factory in Co. Wicklow, and the transformation of the Airfield Estate in Dublin, currently under construction.

He has published many papers on architecture and green design in Ireland and the UK. He lectures in the Dublin School of Architecture, Dublin Institute of Technology and has been a guest lecturer at University of Bath, University College Dublin, Technische Hochschule Aachen and University of West of England. Along with the Energy Research Group UCD, he has for many years been a lecturer in the professional CPD programme for architects on sustainability and served on the RIAIs  Sustainability Task Force. His research has included applications of round-wood structure at Rehan Electronics and Hooke Park, development of theory on Slow Architecture and Building Health (bau-biologie),.

Mike is a fluent German Speaker.