5CUBE Energy Pavilion

Architects: de Siún Scullion Architects
Text: Edit Pálinkás
Photos: Ros Kavanagh

5CUBE is a semi-permanent pavilion in Hanover Quay, Dublin Docklands, physically representing the volume of oil consumed every five minutes in Ireland. It is the result of the Imagine Energy design competition run by the EU funded ACE For Energy project which seeks to promote the uptake of renewable energy through various initiatives throughout Europe. The concept behind the pavilion was to develop an easily replicable symbol of oil consumption, which could be scaled up or down, and would confront the public with current rate of fossil fuel depletion. As well as visualizing the volume of oil being consumed, there are also two mirrored bands on opposite sides of the box. On the east side, where the sun rises, a strip 50cm high represents (in BOE, Barrels of Oil Equivalent) how much energy came from renewable energy sources in that same five minutes. Opposite on the west, another larger mirrored strip represents Ireland’s targeted volume of energy from renewable energy sources for 2020. The 5CUBE has been designed so that it can be easily dismantled and relocated in any location; no foundations are needed due to internal ballasting solution using sand-filled boxes.

Architects: de Siún Scullion Architects
Design team: Declan Scullion, Mícheál de Siún
Structural design: Cora
Structural engineers: Casey O’Rourke Associates
Electrical engineers: IN2 Engineering Design Partnership
Glass cladding: Sto Ltd
Mirror finish stainless steel: CDS Architectural Metalwork
Photovoltaic panels manufactured by: Trinasolar
Photovoltaic panels fitted by: William Farrel Ltd
Main contractor: Townlink Construction Ltd