Pictured at the launch of the WISER LIFE project [left to right] Sarah Miller, CEO The Discovery Centre, Deputy Lord Mayor Cllr Noeleen Reilly, Chief Executive Dublin City Council, Owen Keegan, Ciaran Murray Chairman, The Discovery Centre and Helen McNamara, SEO Dublin City Council.
Ground breaking developments have been a feature of Ballymun since the regeneration programme started in 1997. Monday March 14th 2016 saw the official launch of the Wiser Life project, a re-purposing of the iconic Ballymun Boiler House as a centre for excellence in education for sustainable development.
The educational value will not only be in the programmes but in the very fabric of the building itself, transforming it into into a 3-D textbook, which will highlight best practice in reuse and resource efficiency. This new approach to educational space design demonstrates the ability to incorporate active learning through building design, construction, operation and occupation.
The building will be constructed using recycled materials, with energy and water systems designed to conserve precious resources and demonstrate the latest research with regard to environmental sustainability. The centre will deliver targeted environmental workshops and education programmes for all ages and provide green services and products created on-site by waste reuse eco-enterprises.
The project has been funded by the EU LIFE+ Programme, The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, Dublin City Council and The Rediscovery Centre. ABK Architects, who have considerable experience in sustainable development, was awarded the design contract and Purcell Construction awarded the construction contract. The project is due for completion in October 2016.
You can follow progress on the initiative here. For further information go to the WISER LIFE website at www.wiserlife.eu or follow them on Facebook, twitter or Linkedin.
The WISER LIFE brochure is available here to download.