Sustainability was a core objective throughout the winning project in this category, guiding every aspect of the design and construction. Uisce Éireann’s National Water Laboratory  designed by RPS Group has received an outstanding design rating in the BREEAM sustainability assessment. This large state-of-the-art laboratory can carry out over a million tests annually and will deliver many benefits to the country including improving water quality data, regulatory compliance, increased transparency for the public and economic growth. Complexities of the project were the high heat gains and air change requirements needed in a laboratory and these were addressed by innovative solutions which included hybrid heat pumps, energy recovery systems, and intelligent air volume controls to effectively manage these demands.