The new 2,300-square-metre DeValera Library & Súil Art Gallery in Ennis, County Clare, Ireland, designed for Clare County Council, was formally opened by An Taoiseach Simon Harris TD on 15 November 2024. Designed by Keith Williams Architects, the project extends the town’s cultural infrastructure by adding a county library and a contemporary art gallery alongside the Glór Theatre, completed in 2001.
The buildings connect through a new double-height, colonnaded portico and shared main entrance, while the architectural and environmental approach prioritises natural ventilation, a high-performance envelope, and adaptable internal arrangements.
Led by Keith Williams Architects’ project director Richard Brown, the DeValera Library & Súil Art Gallery is the firm’s 6th completed project in Ireland.
Keith Williams, the firm’s founder and director of design, stated,
“By placing the DeValera Library and the Súil Art Gallery immediately abutting Glór, a new cultural nexus has been created, uniting the 3 primary colours of the arts – the visual, the literary and performing arts – all in a single complex.
“A long while in gestation, I am very proud of the beautiful new public building that we have created, which offers outstanding facilities to the people of Ennis and the region. Our team in the studio has worked for over 8 years on this project, so it is wonderful to see it finally realised and to garner such great review from both our client and the public.”
Material durability
The building is clad in pale polished reconstructed stone integrated with pre-cast concrete panels. Metalwork and glazing systems are bronze coloured powder coated aluminium, and Irish limestone paves the immediate surrounding ground surfaces.
The building’s exterior fabric was designed so that its elements can be retrieved and recycled at the end of their useful life. This approach supports future material recovery rather than treating the building fabric as permanently fixed or disposable.
Connecting three cultural facilities
The main library occupies two floors and is wrapped in an undulating curved cast-stone façade that follows the geometry of the site. A large window in the principal elevation opens the library interior and its main staircase towards the town and Monastery Park opposite. At dusk, the illuminated interior becomes visible from the surrounding public realm.
The county library service is accommodated in a simple bar of adaptable office space above the library. On the opposite side of the entrance, the Súil Art Gallery is paired with an adjoining sculpture court. Unlike the library, the gallery requires climate control to provide suitable conditions for displaying artworks, although it shares the same construction principles and sustainability detailing as the main building.
The complex is primarily built on a largely brownfield site, formerly occupied mainly by a car park. Existing major trees and bushes were retained where possible, while new trees were planted adjacent to Glór to maintain tree planting numbers. Bat and bird boxes were also introduced to increase nesting opportunities.
A high-performance envelope and natural ventilation
The DeValera Library is almost entirely naturally ventilated and was designed to achieve Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB) standards. A “fabric first” approach informed the design, with high levels of insulation, airtightness and carefully integrated building systems intended to reduce operational energy demand while maintaining a stable internal environment.
The building envelope incorporates low thermal transmittance U-values and solar g-values. Detailed thermal modelling and design analysis were used to optimise passive cooling and limit solar gain. Concrete soffits provide thermal mass, helping stabilise internal temperatures and provide nighttime cooling, or “coolth”.
The gallery’s climate-controlled environment uses the same underlying construction and sustainability strategies, adapted to the environmental requirements of art conservation.
Daylight, comfort and adaptable interiors
High levels of natural daylight and views towards green spaces form part of the project’s approach to comfort and wellbeing. Tall ceilings and clear sightlines are used throughout public areas, while sensory units and a flexible arrangement of services beneath adaptable raised floors support different patterns of use over time.
The building includes 24 bicycle spaces and a range of seating, meeting and lecture rooms. These spaces support the library’s role not only as a technical resource but also as a social hub, with facilities for young people to study outside the home and spaces intended to serve users across different age groups. A Changing Places WC facility provides additional accessibility for severely impaired users, reinforcing the building’s intended role as a public facility for the wider community.
Reducing embodied carbon through concrete specification
The structure combines a reinforced concrete frame with a steel superstructure for the county library offices block. The substructure consists of mass concrete and piled foundations, determined through analysis of the ground conditions.
Embodied carbon was addressed through the specification of sustainable aggregates and concrete mixes incorporating GGBS, reducing the Ordinary Portland Cement content. Exposed concrete elements were carefully detailed as part of the architectural interiors, while their thermal inertia also contributes to passive environmental control and energy management.
The project’s anticipated minimum design life of 60 years provides a long period over which the embodied carbon associated with its construction remains in use. The design team expects the public building to endure considerably longer, extending this period of carbon retention. Regionally based suppliers and fabricators were also used to minimise emissions associated with material transport.
Energy-efficient building systems
The building’s energy strategy combines passive measures with efficient mechanical and electrical systems. Air-source heat pumps provide the primary heating source, while CO₂ sensors connected to the building management system automate environmental control according to occupancy and indoor conditions.
Low-energy lighting, intelligent lighting controls, daylight sensors and movement-activated sensors reduce unnecessary electricity use. Water consumption is managed through sensor taps with water-saving fittings and automated WC systems. Sustainable drainage includes an attenuation tank system.
The sustainability approach is closely integrated with the building’s public function: natural ventilation is prioritised where appropriate, the gallery’s environmental requirements are accommodated through a separate controlled approach, and the structure, envelope and services are designed to support a long operational life. The result is a civic complex that combines cultural programming with measurable energy, material and adaptability considerations.
