CPA sought planning permission for offices for the Department of Justice and for Tipperary Town Council in February 2010, following success in a recent design/build competition.

This new campus will draw together offices of state and the new seat of local government. The buildings will sit to each side of a civic space, linked to the Rosanna Road, a main artery in Tipperary Town.

Working conditions, air quality and energy use were the touchstones of the design. Offices are shallow, naturally ventilated and open to gardens and landscaped spaces: ventilation is controlled locally but overridden when temperature or CO2 levels rise above comfort levels: offices are automatically flushed and cooled at night: the buildings are airtight and the fabric is highly insulated; and artificial lighting is controlled by movement and luminance sensors.

Most offices face east or west to benefit from desirable solar gain: south facing spaces are shaded with brise-soleil.

The offices have been future proofed against rises in ambient temperatures with the addition of vertical shafts in each building. These will be used to provide cooled air to each workspace should venting, through windows, become inadequate.

Construction is planned for late 2010 with completion in December 2011.