ESB Chairman Ellvena Graham OBE officially opened an exemplar all-electric building as the new home for ESB’s archive on Wednesday 29th January, 2020.
Located on St Margaret’s Road in Finglas, Dublin the A+ building preserves and makes accessible over 90 years of historical records documenting ESB’s unique contribution to the social, cultural and economic development of the Irish state.
The establishment of the archive research facility underlines ESB’s longstanding commitment to preserving the rich stories since its foundation in 1927.
Our new purpose built archive, is the first building of its kind in Ireland to adhere to the newest international standards for conservation of cultural heritage, BS EN 16893. The low passive sustainable design ensures that the archive repository is maintained at the correct temperatures and relative humidity throughout the year to ensure the permanent preservation of all record formats.
Designed by an in-house cross-functional ESB team, the building provides the highest levels of energy efficiency, including an array of roof mounted solar panels. Electricity, through use of heat pumps, is the primary source of energy for heating and cooling systems. It is the first commercial building in Ireland to achieve BER A1, ‘Net-zero’ energy consumption and ‘net zero’ carbon footprint.
Historical Importance
ESB Chairman Ellvena Graham OBE says that the new archive represents a commitment to not only safeguard the company’s heritage but spur ESB’s ambitions in the coming decades: “It is my great pleasure to officially open this facility which preserves and makes accessible the historical records of ESB since its foundation. ESB’s history is inextricably linked with the development of modern Ireland. It is a story that contains lessons and insights that remain relevant to the world we live in today and the decisions that are facing us. It is also a story which is not just of interest to ESB, but to everyone with an interest in the story of economic and social progress.”
For more information on ESB Archive, click here.
The archive welcomes researchers and is open by appointment.
Please email esbarchives@esb.ie