St Brigid’s National School in Limerick demonstrates how Modern Methods of Construction can support the efficient delivery of permanent education buildings on constrained sites. The project comprises a 1,200 sqm, two-storey permanent modular school delivered by Vision Built using Category 1 volumetric MMC, in partnership with Rogerson Redden and the wider client design team, contractor design team and supply chain.

Limited space for welfare and material storage made traditional construction high risk. Offsite manufacture allowed groundworks to proceed in parallel, with the full weathered building delivered and installed over a four-day period, significantly reducing disruption to the live school environment.

Following the client’s schedule of accommodation, Vision Built worked with the design team to rationalise the layout for volumetric delivery, supported by a structured pre-construction phase including logistics planning and route analysis. The ground floor includes SEN accommodation, with specific design considerations integrated to meet the school’s operational requirements.

The building was delivered as an enhanced permanent modular solution under the Dept of Education and Youth modular framework, incorporating upgraded rainscreen & brickslip facades, three-metre ceiling heights, roof PV array, roof access hatch, parapets and MVHR ventilation. Lifecycle assessment identified steel as a major contributor to embodied carbon, leading to the replacement of approximately 70% of hot-rolled steel with recycled-content alternatives, reducing overall embodied carbon by an estimated 40%. Operational carbon is further reduced through provision for 30 photovoltaic panels, generating approximately 12 kW of power. Betterment beyond nZEB (Near Zero Energy Building), this relocatable permanent building achieved ZEB (Zero Emissions Building) aligned performance criteria per EPBD 2024 (EU Directive), which is a 1st for an education building in Ireland.

Construction commenced in January 2025, with handover achieved ahead of the September academic year, delivering the project in approximately nine months compared with an estimated 18 months using traditional methods. As with all Vision Built Category 1 volumetric buildings, the school is fully relocatable, supporting future reuse in the circular economy and long-term carbon value.