Quadrant House

In 2022 GV8 was engaged by Linders Property to assess the daylight sunlight levels associated with a proposed development in Chapelizod. The proposed development relates principally to the delivery of 106 apartments, organised over five storeys, within two separate blocks. The development also includes a gym at basement level as well as a concierge amenity space and shared workspace at ground floor.

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Located on a strategic site relative to Dublin’s city centre one of the key challenges faced was the need to fully utilize the sites potential whilst also respecting the needs of the existing residences to the north (on Mullingar Terrace) and the proposed new residences to the south (Springvale).  

Having been engaged at a very early stage in this project’s development GV8 was able to provide the design team with performance reports for a number of different massing options on the site. Working collaboratively with the client, design team, and local authority, a final massing was identified that struck an optimal balance between the need to deliver much needed housing and the need to protect the amenity of neighbouring properties.

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Key Services Provided Included:

• Vertical Sky Component (VSC) testing to assess loss of skylight access to neighbouring accommodation.

• Annual Probable Sunlight Hours (APSH) testing to assess the loss of sunlight to neighbouring accommodation.

• Sun on Ground (SOG) testing to assess the loss of sunlight to neighbouring recreation spaces.

• Production of supplementary shadow casting imagery.

• Preparation of supplementary ‘No Balcony’ testing to investigate the significance of identified departures.

• Spatial Daylight Autonomy (sDA) testing of all accommodation within the proposed development

• Supplementary Average Daylight Factor (ADF) testing

• Sunlight access testing for all units within the proposed development

• Sun on Ground (SOG) testing of all proposed recreation spaces

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Having reviewed GV8’s assessment of light levels within the proposed development the local authority concluded that:

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“Overall, it is considered that the proposed development substantially conforms to daylight and sunlight guidelines. Where performance targets have not been met, compensatory elements measures such as ancillary amenities, that 51% of the apartments exceed minimum space requirements by more than 10% and the areas of communal open space proposed, provide for appropriate mitigation therefore the shortfalls in performance targets can be accommodated in order to provide for a suitable level of residential development on the site.”

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Having reviewed GV8’s assessment of impact to neighbouring properties the local authority concluded that:

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“Overall, having regard to results of the assessment, it considered that the proposal would conform to guidelines. The majority i.e. 39 of 54 rooms tested conform and those non-conforming windows fall within tolerable bounds.”

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Dublin City Council granted permission for this development in August 2023.

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