Armatherm™ is one of the leading suppliers of structural thermal break materials for the construction industry. Our goal is to provide architects, engineers and contractors with the knowledge and materials to effectively address thermal bridging issues. Armatherm™ thermal break materials have low thermal conductivity, high strength, and have been designed and tested to carry the loads, whilst reducing the cold bridge within a building envelope.
ARMATHERM™ MASONRY SHELF ANGLE
Material Type: ARMATHERM™ FRR
ARMATHERM™ BALCONY CANOPY
THERMAL BRIDGING SOLUTION
Material Type: ARMATHERM™ Z GIRT
ARMATHERM™ COLUMN BASE
Material Type: ARMATHERM™ 500
ARMATHERM™ PARAPET ROOF PENETRATION
THERMAL BRIDGING SOLUTION
Call +44 (0) 1274 591115 for all enquiries
Material Type: ARMATHERM™ 500 info@armatherm.com armatherm.co.uk
ARMATHERM™ FOUNDATION WALL
Material Type: ARMATHERM™ Z GIRT
ARMATHERM™ CLADDING
THERMAL BRIDGING SOLUTION
Material Type: ARMATHERM™ Z GIRT
Call +353 1 697 1509 for all enquiries
armatherm.com/ie
5 Government aims to stimulate recruitment and address gender balance with Construction Action Plan
7 Murphy Ireland’s new steel fabrication facility in Newbridge doubles the capacity of its steel manufacturing business
9 Housing minister opens new Focus development providing 20 homes in Phibsboro
9 LMETB opens Ireland’s first electrical apprenticeship college
11 JJ Rhatigan & Company earns coveted spot among Deloitte’s BestManaged Companies
11 Aledo Donabate submits LRD application for 1,020 homes and nature park in north Dublin
13 Housing Minister opens Quintain Ireland’s The Crossings urban village in Adamstown
15 Ian Cahill announced as the incoming finance director of John Paul Construction
15 EDC appoints two new associate directors
16 LDA chief sets out plans to ramp up housing delivery – John Coleman, CEO, Land Development Agency
20 Setting the foundations for a zero carbon future – Eugene O’Shea, CEO, Walls Construction
24 Quintain Ireland aims to deliver 1,500 units a year by 2027 – Michael Hynes, Co-Founder, Quintain Ireland
31 Construct Innovate – Providing solutions to transform the way we build –Colm McHugh, Centre Manager, Construct Innovate
34 Ballyogan Square – John Sisk & Son
38 Frameform LGSF system for Springwood apartment block project
41 Taking the next step towards zero energy buildings – Audrey Nugent, Director of Global Advocacy, WorldGBC, discusses what might be expected in the latest revisions of the EPBD
45 Better Homes 2023: Redefining housing for climate challenges
28 Developers and contractors taking note of Expert Commercial turnkey electrical appliance service
47 Elliott Group celebrates milestone handover of The Crossings in Adamstown
47 Summit Publishing House publishes Nael G Bunni’s ’Insights on Construction Contracts and Insurance’
49 Making build-to-rent schemes more viable and affordable for developers and renters – Jenny Prunty, Divisional Director, HWBC
51 Irish Housing 2022-2023 – Looking at 12 months in the residential sector –Construction Information Services
54 All the latest products and services news
PUBLISHER
Foundation Media Ltd
1 Northumberland Place, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin.
Tel: +353 (0)1 677 3157
EDITOR
Robbie Cousins
robbie@foundationmedia.ie
DESIGN
Joanne Birmingham
CONTRIBUTORS
Irene Rondini
PRINTER
WG Baird Ltd
ADVERTISING SALES
Joe Connolly
joe@foundationmedai.ie
Tel: +353 (0)86 396 6158
ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
To advertise in Irish Construction News or on www.constructionnews.ie, or to request a ratecard or details of promotional opportunities, contact Joe Connolly at joe@foundationmedia.ie
CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: @constructionnews.ie
Linkedin: Constructionnews.ie
Facebook: Constructionnews.ie
SIGN UP FOR OUR E-NEWSLETTER
To get the latest news, articles and offers related to the Irish construction industry to your inbox sign up to our free e-newsletter at www.constructionnews.ie
While every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this publication is correct, the publisher cannot not accept responsibility for any errors, omissions or discrepancies. Views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher.
The contents of this publication are copyright. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means mechanical, electronic (including photocopying) or digital without the prior consent of the publisher.
According to the ‘Housing for All Q2 2023 Progress Report’, 6,716 residential units were completed in the first quarter of 2023, with construction work commencing on almost 13,000 homes up to the end of May. There is a robust pipeline of projects, with more than 11,000 homes receiving planning permission in the first quarter.
The report states that the Land Development Agency (LDA) anticipates delivering over 700 Cost Rental homes under Project Tosaigh this year. This will be further supported by forthcoming measures, including a new viability measure targeted at stimulating the supply of Cost Rental homes by private market operators.
In this Special Housing Issue of Irish Construction News, we look at the stories behind these figures, speaking with some of the key players and thought leaders working to address our housing crisis.
LDA CEO John Coleman discusses how the state housing delivery agency has evolved its operations and expects to substantially increase its output in the coming years, working in partnership with developers and bringing more SME contractors on board to deliver housing schemes across the country directly.
As The Crossings urban village in Adamstown is officially opened, Quintain Ireland co-founder Michael Hynes discusses the progress being made on its four landbanks, in Adamstown, Portmarnock, Cherrywood and Clonburris, and how the developer will achieve an annual output of 1,500 units by 2027 as well as the changes he believes are needed for the sector to be able to deliver more homes.
Walls Construction CEO Eugene O’Shea discusses the contractor’s impressive record of delivering large-scale residential developments across the Dublin region and
how his company’s innovative approach to reducing its carbon footprint is also paying dividends for clients.
Colm McHugh, Centre Manager, Construct Innovate, reveals the early research programmes that the construction technology centre is working on and why it is critical for companies of all sizes to consider Construct Innovate membership and the benefits that it could bring.
Audrey Nugent, Director of Global Advocacy, World Green Building Council, talks about the latest revisions expected to the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and what these mean for construction in Ireland.
In Projects, John Sisk & Son delivers the A1-rated passive-house standard Ballyogan Square for Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. Frameform LGSF provides an offsite solution on a Naas apartment block for its client, Springwood.
In Sector Focus, Construction Information Services analyses housing delivery figures for the past 12 months, and Jenny Prunty of HWBC looks at the latest developments in the build-to-rent market. We also discover how Expert Commercial has shaken up the electrical goods fit-out market with its service mix for residential developments.
Please take a moment to scan the QR code below and sign up for our free e-newsletter. And, if there are any issues or stories you would like to see featured in Irish Construction News, email me at robbie@foundationmedia.ie
Regards
Robbie CousinsConstruction is in our DNA
Elliott Group maintains a longstanding tradition of construction expertise, employing cutting-edge construction techniques and state-of-the-art technologies to empower a committed and skilled team.
Our foundation is deeply rooted in construction, cultivating a culture centered around safety, teamwork, and unwavering commitment to superior quality.
The government’s ‘Careers in Construction Action Plan’ is a comprehensive strategy designed to boost employment in the construction sector. It sets out a series of actions to minimise barriers, promote career opportunities and make construction jobs more attractive to women.
The steps include reforms in training and education, more flexible working arrangements and promotional campaigns.
The action plan recognises the need for the construction industry to attract and retain a larger and broader workforce. This is essential for meeting the growing demand for construction projects. Insufficient recruitment, education, apprenticeships and retention levels have been identified as issues that need to be addressed.
One of the core aspects of the plan is reforming the education and training systems in place for people pursuing careers in construction. This may involve updating curricula, expanding vocational training programmes and ensuring that students have access to the skills and knowledge needed for a successful career in construction.
The plan acknowledges the importance of flexible working arrangements. The construction industry often involves physically demanding work, so offering flexibility can make it more appealing. This is significant in attracting a diverse workforce.
To make construction jobs more attractive and appealing to a broader range of people, the action plan includes promotional campaigns to showcase diverse career opportunities within the sector and highlight the benefits of working in the industry.
The plan emphasises the importance of diversity and inclusion, particularly with regard to making construction careers more accessible to women. Encouraging gender diversity in the industry can help address labour shortages and bring fresh perspectives to the sector.
The plan aims to minimise barriers that may discourage individuals from pursuing
careers in construction. These barriers could include stereotypes, lack of information about career prospects, or misconceptions about the industry.
Successful implementation of the action plan will require collaboration between government bodies, educational institutions, industry stakeholders, and community organisations. This cooperation would help ensure the proposed reforms and initiatives are effectively implemented.
Speaking at the plan’s launch, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris said, “These actions involve fundamental changes to our education sector’s skills offering and include steps to tackle gender bias in the
sector. Careers in construction are so varied now, involving everything from off-site manufacturing, planning and design to all of the on-site roles.”
The government has also launched a new mobile retrofit training unit.
Laois Offaly Education and Training Board and the National Construction Training Campus at Mount Lucas have developed the Mobile Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB) Training Unit.
It will travel to construction sites and schools across the country to allow people to avail of construction training courses.
Minister Harris commented, “To date, this year, over 1,500 people have availed of training in retrofitting. However, it is really important we continue to adapt models of delivery to ensure it is as easy as possible to get the training.
“The development of this mobile NZEB training rig is an important and exciting advancement for our construction skills and training offering. The rig can be brought to construction sites and schools around the country, which will greatly increase accessibility to the courses on offer.
“The rig is powered by solar PV panels and includes a working heat pump and ventilation system, making it entirely self-sufficient and showcasing excellent technologies,” Minister Harris concluded. The mobile unit is designed to provide upskilling opportunities for workers in construction and to promote future careers in the industry among students.
The Careers in Construction Action Plan initiative will attempt to revitalise the construction sector by addressing key recruitment challenges and fostering employment growth.
Government
to stimulate
Murphy Ireland recently officially opened its new 2,200-sq metre steel fabrication facility in Newbridge Co Kildare, doubling the capacity of the company’s steel business and creating up to 30 additional jobs over the next five years.
The new facility is fully operational, enabling Murphy to process in excess of 100 tonnes of structural steel per week.
For over 50 years, Murphy Ireland has built a reputation for quality and excellence, offering industry-leading services in transportation, infrastructure, energy, structural steel, pipe fabrication, piling and fully integrated turnkey solutions to both the municipal and industrial, water and wastewater sectors encompassing all aspects of design, construction, operation and maintenance.
The new steel fabrication facility has two 15-tonne overhead gantry cranes, two five-tonne wall travelling cranes, and an additional five-tonne gantry crane. All are complemented by a dedicated plate processing machine and auto-saw-drill line.
The facility also extends beyond the workshop’s internal storage capacity, boasting an impressive 7,000 sq metres of external hardstanding storage space to accommodate projects of various scales.
Minister of State and TD for Kildare
South Martin Heydon said, “I am delighted to see Murphy Ireland’s new steel fabrication facility open and fully operational. This investment in Newbridge is just the latest example of Murphy’s unwavering dedication to not only creating employment in this area since 1968 but across Ireland, the UK and more recently in Canada. As one of the biggest civil engineering companies in Ireland, Murphy has an important role to play in helping us to deliver Project Ireland 2040, which seeks to construct an improved Ireland for all and to build a more resilient and sustainable future. This is a very positive move for Murphy, Kildare and the entire country.”
John B Murphy, CEO, Murphy, said, “Our steel capability, like many of our services, was developed in response to our clients’ needs, thanks to the passion for direct delivery and in-house expertise, which is key to the Murphy operating philosophy. It is great to see our new steel fabrication facility opening today, which will double our steel capacity and create up to 30 more jobs here.
“Today, this facility employs 35 people, 10% of whom are apprentices. While we are investing for the future, we are also investing in the required future talent to see this facility through, not just for the next five years, but far beyond that. We are proud to invest in Newbridge and to open this facility today, which is a testament to our confidence in the team here and the construction industry here and in the UK. Investing in facilities like this is important for the work we will do in supporting this country and other countries to deliver net carbon zero by 2050, and we are proud to be
playing our part.”
John G Murphy, Managing Director, Murphy Ireland, commented, “For over five decades, our steel division has supported our work throughout Ireland and the UK, evolving from mainly specialist gas pipeline works to include bridges, portal frames and bespoke modular builds. Our new stateof-the-art steel fabrication facility will be a game-changer for our already unparalleled, expert team of structural engineers, draftsmen, welding inspectors, welding engineers, workshop managers, project managers, welders and fabricators. Murphy is passionate about direct delivery to our clients, and this investment is a testament to our commitment to further our capacity and expertise in structural steel, allowing us to support our clients at every stage of their projects.”
Headquartered in Newbridge, Co Kildare, Murphy Ireland has over 725 skilled engineers, managers, operatives, and apprentices working across Ireland.
The opening of Murphy Ireland’s new steel fabrication facility in Newbridge will create 30 new jobs over the next five years.Front row (L-r): John G Murphy, Managing Director, Murphy Ireland; Allan Shine, CEO, Kildare Chamber of Commerce; John B Murphy, CEO, Murphy; and Hubert Fitzpatrick, Director General, CIF; pictured with members of the Murphy Steel team at the opening of Murphy Ireland’s new steel fabrication facility in Newbridge. Martin Heydon, Minister of State and TD for Kildare South, is shown around Murphy Ireland’s new steel fabrication facility in Newbridge, Co Kildare, by steel workshop supervisor Mick Melia; John G Murphy, Managing Director, Murphy Ireland; and Ronan O’Sullivan, Operations Manager, Murphy Steel.
Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien has officially opened Focus Housing Association’s new 20-unit development at Connaught Street, providing homes for families and individuals in Phibsboro, Dublin.
The transformation of the Connaught Street site from a disused tyre yard into a much-needed apartment complex is a testament to Focus Housing Association’s commitment to revitalising communities.
Pat Dennigan, CEO, Focus Ireland, said, “The 20 homes we are delivering in partnership with Dublin City Council, Housing Finance Agency plc, The Housing Agency and the Department of Housing, means 20 more households (families and individuals) have a place to call home.
It is rewarding to see the most basic and fundamental need of their own roof over their head met as this development provides homes and has ended homelessness for some of the new tenants.”
Minister O’Brien commented, “I am always heartened to see new developments like these, making efficient use of what was once a disused site and which allow households to live within walking distance of all the amenities they need. I commend Dublin City Council and Focus Ireland for their hard work in delivering these top-
quality homes in the heart of Dublin and for their continued efforts in assisting us to achieve the objectives of Housing for All.”
Sr Stanislaus Kennedy, Founder and Life President, Focus Ireland, said, “These residences here at Connaught Street underscore the substantial impact of Focus Housing Association, offering sanctuaries for over 1,400 households dispersed across the length and breadth of Ireland. While witnessing tenants take possession of
their keys and embark on a new chapter is indeed heartening, we must also confront the broader crisis that looms. It pains me to acknowledge that the present state of homelessness in Ireland is unprecedented, eclipsing any prior instances since the inception of Focus Ireland nearly four decades ago in 1985.”
The scheme developer was Derrin Homes and the architect was McGrane & Partners Architects.
Demand for apprenticeships in Ireland is exceptionally high, and Drogheda College Donore FET campus will deliver training for over 300 electrical apprentices annually. The €4.2m investment will also create up to 20 new permanent jobs in the region.
At the opening ceremony, the Minister was joined by Martin O’Brien, Chief Executive, LMETB; Sadie Ward McDermott, Director, FET; Philip Sheridan, Manager, Drogheda College; Alanah Kirk, Assistant Manager, Drogheda College; David McDonnell, Principal, Drogheda Institute of Further Education (DIFE), other senior members of the LMETB board and invited guests
Martin O’Brien said, “LMETB is extremely proud to be the first ETB to establish an innovative FET centre uniquely dedicated at this time to the delivery of electrical apprenticeship training in Ireland. LMETB acknowledges and thanks Minister Simon Harris and his officials from his department and SOLAS management for their support and investment in this unique concept. Drogheda College will be of enormous benefit to the young people of Louth and Meath and surrounding counties in addition to stimulating business development further in this region.”
Drogheda College is Ireland’s first Further Education and Training (FET) centre specialising in the delivery of electrical apprenticeship programmes. Established by the Louth Meath Education and Training Board (LMETB) and funded under the auspices of the Department of Further and Higher Education (DFHERIS), the innovative Drogheda College Donore FET campus was officially opened by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris on 28 August.
The establishment of Drogheda College came about when SOLAS sought expressions of interest to develop stand-alone large-scale electrical apprenticeship training centres. In 2022, the LMETB was the first education and training board to be successful in its bid to establish such a centre.
Drogheda College is housed in a 2,170-sq-metre, two-storey stand-alone building with rapid access to the M1 corridor and close to local facilities in Drogheda. It will deliver eight separate electrical programmes through a team of instructing staff.
We create harmonious communities in locations that enable people to live their best lives, by ensuring residents can live a greener, more sustainable life as a priority within all Quintain developments.
All of our neighbourhoods are ideally located on public transport routes, from the LUAS, train and bus lines to dedicated pedestrian and cycling routes our designs interconnect homes and amenities which is key to the success of the new towns we are creating. By balancing heritage, the natural environment and the public realms with modern mixed use developments and green infrastructure, our home owners will enjoy high quality, inclusive environments with great leisure and recreational amenities.
Building contractor JJ Rhatigan & Company (JJR), headquartered in Galway, has been recognised as one of Deloitte’s Best Managed Companies for 2023. This accolade comes during a period of steady growth for the company, which is currently working on 24 projects across Ireland and the UK with an aggregate value nearing €1.04bn.
A steadfast presence in the construction sector since its foundation by John J Rhatigan in 1952, JJR has continuously showcased its commitment to quality, safety, innovation, and sustainability.
JJR’s impressive delivery in recent years includes the delivery of more than 3,800 private and social homes, 17,000 school places, 20 healthcare facilities, 145,000 sq metres of office and commercial space, 2,500 student accommodation bedrooms, 1,400 hotel bedrooms, and 14 third-level campus facilities.
This track record is a testament to the construction leader’s collaborative approach and dedication to delivering high-calibre projects. The team at JJR is focused on curbing the environmental footprint of its projects and operations. This is achieved by leveraging the latest technologies and constantly striving to enhance sustainable
practices, which was a key consideration for the judges in this year’s competition.
Showcasing excellence across Ireland’s construction sector, JJR’s robust performance metrics and KPIs attest to its unwavering commitment to health and safety, programme delivery, quality, budget management, and fostering collaborative relationships. JJR is pioneering the use of digital workflows with Building Information Modelling (BIM) to enhance collaboration and decision-making.
According to Ger Ronayne, CEO, JJR, “Being distinguished as a Deloitte Best
Managed Company is a testament to the relentless dedication and passion of our team. It’s more than an accolade; it’s an affirmation that our direction, steeped in continuous refinement and innovation, is the right one. While we’ve achieved significant milestones, our focus is on ensuring the continued, sustainable growth of the business. Every accolade and every milestone is a stepping stone to the next. This recognition marks a pivotal chapter in JJR’s journey, one that pushes us towards a future that is purpose-driven and progressive.”
Aledo Donabate Ltd has submitted a Large Scale Residential Development (LRD) planning application to Fingal County Council for a housing development comprising 1,020 residential units, a 32-acre nature park, crèches and links to the Broadmeadow Greenway.
Set to replace the SHD application granted by An Bord Pleanála in November 2022, the new proposal represents a significant reduction in the number of apartments in favour of houses with their own back garden.
The 529 houses proposed in this plan have increased the number of units by 160 compared to the original plan. Own-door duplex and triplex units now stand at 356, an increase of four. Apartment numbers have been reduced from 592 units to just 84, a drop of 508 units. The overall plan proposes a reduction of over 345 units in total compared to the original SHD application. The proposed construction period will be over 10 years.
The applicant has consulted with the local Donabate community, including community groups, interested parties and local politicians. Furthermore, a series of public meetings to showcase the development were held in September.
Kevin Traynor, Project Director, Aledo Donabate Ltd, said, “We believe that the newly designed application goes a long way to provide critical housing supply and delivering homes to first-time buyers and people wishing to downsize and continue to enjoy living in the area. The new housing scheme will meet all the needs of social housing obligations in the region.”
The area committed to a nature park remains at 13 hectares with links to the recently commenced Broadmeadow Estuary. In partnership with Fingal County Council, the area will be maintained to be a world-class natural habitat, stimulate education and encourage recreation without disturbing the natural habitat.”
The site in Corballis, Donabate, is being developed by Aledo Donabate Ltd, part of the Cannon Kirk Group, in conjunction with Lioncor. Part of the site has already been granted permission to build 54 units and some retail to the rear of Smyths Bridge Public House. Construction on this phase of the project will commence in the coming weeks.
Quintain Ireland has developed The Crossings as the central core of its €500m Adamstown development, of which €200m was invested in the new urban village.
The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD, joined Quintain Ireland to officially open The Crossings at Adamstown, a new urban village at the heart of this rapidly growing Dublin suburb.
To mark the event, the minister attended a family fun day organised by Quintain.
Minister O’Brien enjoyed a tour of The Crossings and its new retail centre featuring Tesco and Aldi, unveiled a specially commissioned plaque and helped Irish international cricketers Hannah and Louise Little to cut a ribbon on a children’s play train, which is a key feature of the newlycompleted public plaza.
The Crossings is a carefully planned new urban village centre, which Quintain has developed to form the central core of the Adamstown Strategic Development Zone.
It serves as a leading example of how to successfully plan, design and ultimately deliver a new kind of modern urban village centre in a rapidly expanding suburban area, providing the amenities and open spaces needed to bring a community to life.
The Crossings is a class-leading social, community and retail hub, providing a mix of shops, over 900 apartments, a public plaza and urban park. The public realm at The Crossings has been designed to allow and encourage residents and visitors to relax, unwind and spend more time outside. They can dine outdoors, attend events or just
enjoy a stroll and soak up the atmosphere.
The urban park is spread over two acres and incorporates a host of amenities, including a 14-metre play train – the first of its kind in Ireland – together with soft play trails, biodiversity corridors, a large plaza space and outdoor seating.
The village centre also features a major retail facility of over 9,000 sq metres in which Tesco and Aldi already have outlets. McCabes Pharmacy, Kerrigans Craft Butchers and Grafton Barber are among others arriving soon.
Michael Hynes, Co-Founder, Quintain Ireland, said, “We are delighted to welcome Minister Darragh O’Brien to The Crossings
and wish to thank the minister for officially opening Ireland’s newest urban village. The Crossings is a new and exciting urban village centre, which we have developed to become the central core of Adamstown.”
Minister O’Brien said, “We all know there is an urgent need for new housing throughout the country, particularly in Dublin. The government’s Housing for All plan is focused on increasing the supply of housing and ensuring greater access to that supply, but quality housing is not just about building homes; it’s about creating new, wellserved and sustainable communities. And The Crossings is a great example of how to do just that.”
The board of John Paul Construction is pleased to announce the appointment of Ian Cahill as a director.
Ian Cahill brings a wealth of expertise to the business, with more than 20 years of experience in corporate strategy, reporting, capital markets and analytics for both private and listed businesses. Prior to his appointment at John Paul Construction, he held the position of head of finance at Cairn Homes plc.
Ian Cahill will assume the role of finance director in January 2024, following the retirement of the current finance director, Conor O’Donnell, after 33 years in the role.
Speaking about Ian Cahill’s appointment, Liam Kenny, Managing Director, John Paul Construction, commented, “We are delighted to welcome Ian to the team at John Paul Construction and look forward to his contribution to the company’s continued growth and success.”
Engineering consultancy EDC has appointed two new associate directors to its management team. The new associate directors, Bernie Burchill and Martin O’Sullivan, will be pivotal in advancing the company’s ambitious expansion plans to enhance its footprint in Cork, Dublin, Limerick, and Galway while strengthening its project management and organisational culture.
Martin O’Sullivan joined EDC as an electrical associate director in July of this year. With over 10 years of experience
across electrical disciplines, O’Sullivan started as an electrician in the Irish Naval Service, transitioning to engineering and working with Dornan Engineering. While serving in the Irish Naval Service, he honed his dedication to detail and ‘right firsttime’ ethos as the ship’s gunner, a weapons specialist responsible for maintaining and operating all weapons on board. Additionally, he served as a naval diver, trained in search patterns to assist with locating underwater items and facilitating recovery. He holds a Certificate L7 Building
Information Modelling and a BEng in Electrical Engineering from CIT.
Martin O’Sullivan commented, “I am delighted to join the leadership team at EDC and look forward to leading projects which will deliver innovative and sustainable solutions for our diverse range of clients across Ireland and internationally.”
Bernie Burchill is an accomplished HR leader with over 20 years of experience across a wide range of sectors. She joined EDC as people and organisational development manager in 2017, having previously worked in BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc and MSD. Burchill becomes EDC’s first non-engineering associate director, demonstrating EDC’s continuous recognition of its people, the value it places on diversity within the leadership team, and the opportunities and support for career advancement in all areas of the business.
Celebrating 20 years in business in 2023, EDC boasts an impressive portfolio of over 1,500 successful projects across Ireland, the UK, and Africa. Over the past two years, in particular, EDC has experienced impressive growth, expanding its team to 100 people across six offices in Cork, Dublin, Limerick, London, Istanbul, and, earlier this year, Galway.
The Land Development Agency (LDA) was formed in late 2018 to manage and optimise land in state ownership with a specific emphasis on delivering affordable and social homes.
The agency was placed on a statutory footing in 2021, which set out its core objectives and powers in law as well as its primary function ‘to develop and manage relevant public land and, where applicable, other lands for the provision of housing for the public good’.
It has been delivering homes through two channels to date – by direct delivery on state-owned lands and through the forward purchase of as-yet unbuilt developer-built homes through Project Tosaigh.
In June of this year, a third pipeline was added when the agency announced that it would be seeking to acquire privately owned
sites with planning consent that could be utilised for quick delivery of public housing.
This comes at a good time for the sector, as investment funds, which have been driving activity in the private rental sector (PRS), have cooled their activity somewhat, freeing up contractor capacity for the agency to directly engage and build its projects.
In March, the LDA presented the government with a document that listed all available state-owned lands. This report estimated that in the 10 main urban centres of Ireland, including the main cities, about 67,000 homes could be delivered on lands over the short, medium and long term.
LDA CEO John Coleman says the agency aims to deliver at least 10,000 units in the next five years.
He explains, “We have planning permission for more than 3,500 homes
Land Development Agency
CEO John Coleman tells ROBBIE COUSINS that the state residential development agency now has the right strategies in place to increase housing delivery and will be well placed to pick up fall-off in building activity in other sectors.
on state-owned lands with many projects already under construction, including 597 homes on our Shanganagh site in south Dublin; 265 at St Kevin’s Hospital in Cork; more than 800 homes in Balbriggan, Co Dublin, and 543 at St Teresa’s Gardens in Dublin’s south inner city in partnership with Dublin City Council.
“We are well placed to pick up the slack should there be any drop off in the private development of housing and commercial development. This means we can provide another strong pipeline of work for contractors large and small with our plans for the rest of the decade.”
John Coleman says that the complexity of acquiring land has hindered some of its work to date, but the agency is now picking up momentum and will continue to do so.
“We have been acquiring lands owned by other land-owning state bodies. We are now also entering into what are essentially joint ventures with housebuilders through Project Tosaigh, which are commercial arrangements that underwrite apartment delivery, which would not have otherwise happened.
“We are also involved in longer-term strategic state land assembly projects, which operate on a larger scale and may require significant infrastructure. We need to start unlocking these landbanks, as it will take time. One example is Colbert Station in Limerick, where about 50 hectares of state land is shared by the HSE, Irish Rail and the local authority. We are stitching these plots together to form a much larger, more cohesive master plan development. We’ve released a master plan for Colbert, and we will prepare the first planning applications later this year, which brings a sense of reality to these major projects.”
John Coleman says the agency aims to deliver 10,000 homes over the coming five years.
“We’re aiming to deliver at least 10,000 affordable homes over the next five years, as well as unlocking more state lands for development. Our overarching delivery target is roughly 50/50 between direct delivery on state lands and through Project Tosaigh.”
With additional finances, it is estimated the agency could ensure a pipeline of nearly 2,000 affordable homes a year from 2026.
He adds, “We are in discussions with the government about reviewing our business plan at the moment. So, it’s possible that might change or even increase from the level of output we are aiming for.”
“The study of available landbanks we presented to the government in March was a useful exercise because, for the first time,
we have a clear picture of what state land has potential for housing. It should be noted not all lands are available because there are future plans or existing operational uses for facilities that are not easily relocated, such as hospitals, bus depots or ports, etc.”
Local authorities are the main bodies that hold land for housing purposes, and they have been the key target for partnerships with the LDA, as local authorities want land in their ownership to be developed for social and affordable housing.
John Coleman explains, “Most state bodies that own land have been working well with us, and they are pragmatic in so far as they are trying to maintain their own services, such as transport, but they are also trying to facilitate development. Dun LaoghaireRathdown Council and the Shanganagh project of nearly 600 homes is a prime example of how collaboration between local authorities and the LDA can deliver.
“While it will take time, we will continue to add to our landbank from state bodies. Even when we get access, bringing it through design, the planning system, and procurement will take time. But this does not mean it shouldn’t be done. These schemes are starting to deliver. We are working away on continuing to grow our project pipeline of state lands and not taking our eye off it.”
Coleman is acutely aware of the shortterm urgency of delivering new social homes.
“We are very much focused in terms of the resources that we have on developing sites that we already have access to. On the direct delivery sites, of the 5,000 we have put into planning, about two-thirds have planning consent. These projects are in development or can be developed in the coming months.”
As the LDA can’t get planning consented state land fast enough to deliver on its
objectives, it is undertaking an increasing amount of developer-led delivery.
“We want to and will increase the direct delivery element of work in the coming years. To that end, we need the raw material of land. Coleman comments. “The land market has changed and is not quite as strong as it was. Given increased interest rates, there’s not as much money chasing land. The institutional private rental sector has, it would appear, temporarily paused. So, it is not a bad time to see if we could acquire land with planning consent or near planning consent in the market to accelerate our direct delivery programme. So, we’ve gone to the market. We’ve received expressions of interest, and we’re reviewing these at the moment. But we’ll only proceed if we can get value.”
He elaborates, “To give you a sense of what value might look like in our eyes, we’re closing out a deal with NAMA at the moment to acquire land with sites for 2,500 homes in Clongriffin. It’s been reported that the landbank has a value of around €45m. This would mean a price of about €20,000 per unit of land value. If it costs over €400,000 to deliver an apartment, the land isn’t a massive piece of the pie. If we can get similar good value in the market in a way that helps us keep the delivery costs down and rental costs down as a result, I think we will look to make additional acquisitions if we can get that value.
“Our objective with Clongriffin would be to appoint a builder to develop the first couple of blocks, comprising about 500 homes, as soon as possible. We aim for that to happen next year.”
Only one of LDA’s seven direct delivery schemes to date has been brought to judicial review.
Coleman says, “The development of the
former Dundrum Central Mental Hospital site is currently pending. We’re waiting to see what the court says about that when it’s heard in October.
“We fend off judicial reviews by having advanced consultation and working out any concerns people in the immediate neighbourhood and community might have. We invest a lot of time in this part of the planning process, and we can’t complain too much as we’ve got seven reasonably large planning applications lodged to date, and six of these have proceeded without judicial review.
“For Dundrum, we consulted extensively with the local community. We always want to speak with people who have concerns instead of dealing with issues through the courts. I think it’s in no one’s interest to burn up legal fees this way. Often, there are pragmatic solutions available. The reality is that judicial reviews are always a risk. We wish that risk wasn’t so prevalent.
Capacity has been an issue for everyone, including the LDA, which currently employs around 100 people and plans to double or even triple this number.
John Coleman comments, “From our perspective, if capacity is freed up in the market, we can work with more contractors. There are many good contractors in this country that we’d love to work with. So, if
there’s any freeing up of capacity to work on our sites, we’re very much all for that.”
He adds, “While skills shortages affect us indirectly if contractors have a lack of capacity to take on work in busier times, it also affects us directly. We need to hire staff too. We’ve just over 100 staff at the moment. We plan to at least double and potentially triple that number in the next few years.
“The LDA is a dynamic organisation. We are in the early stages of a very exciting development programme in the next 10 years. We are offering the right people with the right skills and experience an opportunity to be part of reshaping housing delivery in this country.”
Despite being highly capitalised, inflation has impacted the LDA’s original programme, but it has also enabled it to show its ability to adapt to meet new circumstances.
“Inflation has had a profound impact on us. When the LDA was formed in 2018, the cost of delivering a house was about 25% less. The economics around affordable rental delivery for apartments was always very tight. It’s very difficult to cover costs while producing affordable prices for occupiers. Rising inflation has fundamentally changed the economics behind cost rental, which now needs support. Thankfully, the government has been able to step in and provide support by way of the Secure Tenancy Affordable
Rental or STAR scheme. This government support has meant that we’re well capitalised, and I don’t see inflation as a factor that will slow down our delivery programme.
“Furthermore, If there is a fall-off in private sector delivery, this is when you want the state to step up and do more, and that is what is happening at the moment.”
John Coleman comments that at its outset, the LDA would have been seen by some developers as a competitor. But, how it has evolved means that the relationship with developers is much more collaborative, and its new developer framework will bring that relationship to a new level.
“There are a couple of ways that we can work with developers. Firstly, we can underwrite their scheme by agreeing to purchase from them at a fixed price in the future. That often means they can get finance and deliver the schemes with their exit risk removed.
“Finance has become more expensive and harder to get. The way we have worked with developers to date has not involved a procurement process because we have been purchasing completed properties, which are not subject to public procurement.
“We will now deal with this in a more efficient way by procuring a panel of developers,” he explains. “We’re prequalifying a panel at the moment and will have that panel procured by December. The intention is then to call off deals from that panel. For instance, we go to the panel and say we want 1,000, 2,000 or 3,000 homes in specific locations of a particular specification in the following timeframes, with an understanding of what’s possible from the panel by engaging in advance on a collaborative basis.
“This would be a much freer way for us to deal with developers as we can offer stage and milestone payments. I think that will be of interest to the developer sector, and it would reduce their financing needs.
“We’re also open, through the framework, to looking at developers building on sites we may have if that’s the most efficient way. This would make for a very fruitful and collaborative relationship.”
The LDA wants to work with contractors of all sizes on its direct development sites. The agency doesn’t have a contractor framework at the moment; it procures on a project-byproject basis. But John Coleman says it is open to changing the dynamic.
“We are working very well in collaboration with some excellent contractors, for instance, Walls Construction on Shanganagh. We view ourselves very much as being in partnership with contractors. From a funding perspective, it makes perfect sense. The LDA
is fully funded, so contractors can have full confidence in our resolve to proceed with the deal, given the chronic need for housing.”
He adds, “If it makes sense, especially as our bank of developable land builds, we may form a contractors panel in the future. But only when and if the time is right.”
While the LDA hasn’t publicly released the results of the latest two procurements it has completed for the Saint Kevin’s Hospital in Cork and Devoy Barracks in Naas, it will be contracting SME contractors who are right for the jobs.
John Coleman says that the scale of the project dictates the size of the contractor that works on it, and the agency is very much open to working with SME contractors.
“We’ve always consulted with the market in advance about our procurement for contractors to understand what we want. When we have more projects on site, we will not only have tier-one contractors but a broad range of SME contractors as well. It’s a matter of horses for courses on our projects, and we will have a wide variety of projects.”
The LDA currently has three direct delivery projects on site, totalling about 1,000 homes, the largest of which is Shanganagh.
“Shanganagh is progressing very well. We will have the first 280 homes delivered next year. The scale of Shanganagh is staggering. At 597 homes in one go, it is the biggest social housing project in the country. We’re very happy with how this has gone to date, and we have an excellent collaborative relationship with all stakeholders.”
John Coleman reiterates that the key
challenges that lie ahead for the LDA are getting access to well-designed consented land and securing the capacity to deliver.
“At the moment, we are either bringing projects through the planning process or acquiring land on the market. It’s important to understand, however, that not all land that has planning consent is equal. One site might be much better designed or have better services than another. This has a significant bearing on delivery costs and buildability.
“We are also watching the capacity in the market to provide housing through developers or directly with contractors. And, as we build up our direct contracting work, we will need to bring on more people within LDA, which presents a scaling challenge.”
Finally, looking to the future, John Coleman stresses that the LDA wants to work with anyone who will help it deliver homes quickly, and he cites modular and modern methods of construction (MMC) as having the potential to be a major contributor to this in the coming years.
“We want to work closely with anyone who can help us get on site and build quickly and efficiently. We are looking at MMC at the moment. This will be important in the coming years. We are carrying out a lot of work on standardisation of design at the moment, and this would facilitate the use of MMC. Modular and MMC will be important, particularly if they can speed up delivery. But for the moment, our focus is on cementing relationships with developers and contractors and expanding our landbanks across the country to ensure continuity of supply,” John Coleman concludes.
“We’re aiming to deliver at least 10,000 affordable homes over the next five years, as well as unlocking more state lands for development. Our overarching delivery target is roughly 50/50 between direct delivery on state lands and through Project Tosaigh.”
Walls Construction CEO and IGBC #BuildingLife Ambassador Eugene O’Shea discusses the contractor’s expanding portfolio of work and the steps it is taking to reduce the carbon footprint of its projects, particularly in data-centre construction.
Walls Construction CEO Eugene O’Shea led the team that completed an investor-backed management buy-out of the company in 2015. He has since overseen the company’s expansion into new sectors and the introduction of modern and sustainable construction practices and processes, and, under his leadership, the company is on target to achieve a turnover of over €550m
this year.
The contractor’s turnover of €473m in 2022 placed it sixth in the Irish Construction News Top Contractors Listing 2023. The business employs over 450 staff and operates across a diverse range of sectors, including large residential schemes, commercial offices, data centres, education, industrial, leisure, life sciences and pharma.
Eugene O’Shea opens by saying that Walls achieved its targets in 2022, having emerged from the Covid pandemic with a solid portfolio of cross-sector work on its books, a strengthened senior management team, and a new vision for the company’s future.
“Looking back, Walls has achieved the targets it set for itself for 2022,” says O’Shea.
“Firstly, the business successfully re-emerged from the pandemic with a strong demand for our services, while Covid elevated the importance of crucial emerging issues such as the future of work, ESG planning and digital transformation. We also navigated the risks associated with increased energy prices, other inflationary pressures, and disruption to our international supply chain.
“During 2022, we strengthened our senior management team with several new appointments and an expanded organisation structure resulting in a broadened span of control providing checks and balances as befitting a business with an annual turnover over €500m.”
In the past 12 months, Walls set targets to increase its activity in sectors such as data centres, life sciences and education whilst maintaining its standing in the commercial office sector.
Eugene O’Shea notes that it has achieved all of these targets, with a major data centre complex under construction for a private client in Dublin, as well as the new Centre for Future Learning building on the UCD campus, which will add to the impressive portfolio of work Walls has completed at Belfield.
In the past year, Walls has also completed several significant commercial office developments, including the award-winning Cadenza building on Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin, for Irish Life, whilst the 7,000-sqmetre Glencar House project in Ballsbridge for Kileen Group is nearing completion.
College Square is a mixed development for
the Marlet Property Group currently under construction, and it will provide more than 50,000 sq metres of grade-A office space in an unrivalled city centre location.
Eugene O’Shea is keen to emphasise that fit-out is an integral part of Walls’ business.
“Having completed the ESB complex on Fitzwilliam Street, an extension to the Central Bank of Ireland building on North Wall Quay, and the An Post offices in the Exo Building in Dublin 1, our fit-out division is currently fitting out the Google buildings at its Boland’s Mills urban centre.”
Walls is one of the largest residential contractors in the country, based on the number of homes it has either delivered in recent years or currently has under construction. “In the past year alone, we completed major residential projects that have added over 2,000 high-quality apartments to the Dublin rental market, while we have 3,000 further residences currently under construction,” O’Shea says.
Its recently completed residential developments include Santa Sabina in Sutton and Clay Farm in Leopardstown for Park Developments; Hamilton Gardens for the Royalton Group, consisting of 484 residential units on Carnlough Road in Cabra, Dublin 7; and Two Oaks, providing almost 500 homes at Scholarstown Road, Dublin 16 for Ardstone Homes Limited.
Current residential construction projects include the significant Grand Canal Harbour development in Dublin 8 and Claremont in Howth village, both for the Marlet Property Group.
“We are set to maintain this level of residential construction for the foreseeable
future, with construction underway at Shanganagh in Shankill, Co Dublin and other locations. Backed by the Land Development Agency (LDA) in partnership with Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, the Shanganagh development will provide 597 social and affordable homes.”
Walls embarked on a focused ESG strategy at the end of 2021, which includes a sustainability policy and an environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) action plan for 2022 to 2025, which aligns with UN Sustainability Development Goals.
“Our ESG action plan focuses on some key areas in which we know we can make a positive impact with respect to our responsibilities under ESG,” he comments. “These include looking at how we manage waste, water, carbon, the natural environment, social engagement and contribution, and corporate governance.”
He adds, “Actions are taking place across all our construction projects and at a corporate level to make good on sustainability commitments and to educate all Walls personnel and our supply chain partners. Our 2022 ESG report summarises how we did this in 2022 and what we achieved so far, setting the foundation for more work in the coming years.
Eugene O’Shea is an ambassador for the Irish Green Building Council’s #BuildingLife campaign. To date, the campaign has produced a science-based and industry-backed national decarbonisation
roadmap for the built environment, and its ambassadors, who are key figures from across the construction sector, are pushing for the industry to move to a more sustainable footing.
He comments, “We are keen to work with industry leaders and expert groups or associations to get on board with sustainable construction techniques and practices, and we have started working with various leading specialists to enhance our knowledge and get involved in sustainable construction solutions and initiatives.
“The construction industry as a whole should be endeavouring to examine elements of the circular economy and design best practice in terms of the life cycle perspective of a project, with project design specifications that take account of sustainable construction techniques and material selection that aligns with the circular economy concept,” states O’Shea.
The new EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) legislation, scheduled for national implementation in May 2024, will require companies, as well as their suppliers, to provide audited reports on their environmental and social impacts and sustainability practices for construction to be prepared for the future and future requirements.
“Getting on a more sustainable footing includes carbon management, green procurement, material optimisation, off-site construction techniques, as well as considering material flexibility and deconstruction in the future. It means working with all parties to address all aspects of sustainability in the life cycle of a building. Walls is fully committed to doing all that we can at an industry level and within our own operations to achieve this.”
Eugene O’Shea expands further on Walls ESG commitments by adding, “Our
ESG strategy and objectives include considerate neighbour policies and plans, social contribution and value and various governance actions, including communications, employee wellness, inclusion, and fairness, in tandem with a range of health and safety policies and initiatives.”
Walls has also invested significantly in various sponsorships and other support initiatives. It has worked with the charity DePaul since July 2022, helping to upgrade and refurbish its various facilities, and providing financial support, advice, management and access to contractors.
In December 2022, Walls Construction began a partnership with TU Dublin for Design+Construct, Ireland’s first Centre of Excellence for Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) education and research.
Earlier this year, Walls announced its
membership of European Movement Ireland (EM Ireland). This is an independent, notfor-profit, membership-based organisation working to develop the connection between Ireland and Europe.
Being a corporate member of EM Ireland enables Walls to gain access to programmes, expert insights, networking, and team development. The membership also grants access to EM Ireland’s researchers and staff for organisational training and events, as well as guidance and facilitation on interactions with local authorities, large multi-national companies and government bodies across the EU.
Eugene O’Shea stresses that it is vital that the sector embraces the rapidly evolving technological advantages associated with modern methods of construction (MMC), which are essential for enhancing not just efficiency and productivity but also sustainability and all-round quality.
“The ‘Journey to Our Digital Transformation’ is an in-house document developed to review how the company has progressed with these technologies and what future opportunities are available, including the training and development of staff members. Developments in areas such as BIM-aided project planning, while also reducing health and safety risks, are improving overall quality and delivery timelines. We can now quickly and easily gather data on a project in a way that would simply not have been possible previously, resulting in real-time performance feedback.”
Walls’ sustainability innovations on its data centre projects have reduced its environmental impact through the reuse of materials, the introduction of waste management initiatives, carbon reduction strategies and general environmental good practice.
“As the building contractor on a major data centre project currently under construction, we have adopted various energy-saving initiatives during the project as part of our overall ESG strategy. These include the use of hybrid generators that require much less fuel and replacing traditional diesel fuel with HVO – a bio low-carbon equivalent fuel. We also installed high specification energy efficient office accommodation and welfare facilities with water and energy saving mechanisms.”
He adds, “The project adheres to the waste management objectives of the company – with a particular focus on reusing materials to eliminate waste. It has successfully reused a significant amount of existing resource material within the build process that otherwise would have been removed off site as waste material. A key example was our ability to reuse subsoil in a soil stabilisation process, to reuse material in the construction of berms and to reuse concrete and stone to create access roadways. This waste management approach has been replicated on other projects we have under construction.”
Eugene O’Shea says that Walls has been very active with various employee recruitment initiatives to attract the right people to secure the company’s future.
“From graduate recruitment programmes to attendance at overseas recruitment fairs and other events, Walls has had a strong attendance on the ground at key recruitment
events. We have significantly increased our social media presence in the past 18 months, with a deliberate focus on quality over quantity, leading to a corresponding increase in the number of direct job applications received.
“However, skills shortages continue to exist, both in Walls and throughout the sector, and we have vacancies across all disciplines, including engineering, quantity surveying, building services and site management,” O’Shea adds.
Speaking about diversity, he explains that Walls works with the Irish Centre for Diversity for guidance and support to enhance its equality, diversity, and inclusion (ED&I) policies and processes in the company.
“Following the achievement of our ‘Bronze’ award in 2022, this year, to broaden our knowledge, we’ve held leadership training for our senior teams focusing on ED&I. This includes ‘Lunch n Learn’ sessions covering topics like Inclusive Language, Unconscious Bias, and Creating a Culture of Dignity and Respect at Work. Feedback was excellent, and further sessions are planned for the final quarter of 2023. As our goal is to progress to a ‘Silver’ award, we have also completed a staff survey asking for their feedback on how they think we are doing. The Irish Centre for Diversity will use this feedback to help us continue our ED&I journey.”
Increased building materials costs have significantly impacted the sector over the past two years, and Walls, in the same way as other contractors, has had to be prudent in how it manages its projects.
“We have managed the inflationary challenges of the past couple of years well and have remained competitive. Our
subcontractor partners and supply chain have been real contributors to this by being proactive in managing and minimising inflation costs throughout.
“Also, employers have taken a pragmatic view of inflation and recognise the requirement to make provision in contracts. However, on the positive side, there has been a definite reduction in the rate of inflation this year to more manageable and normal levels.”
Eugene O’Shea continues by saying that while government funding through programmes such as Housing for All has facilitated improved housing delivery, whether through the LDA, Respond, or other bodies, a more practical approach to planning is needed if Housing for All goals are to be achieved.
“There are still significant barriers in the way of the Housing for All roll-out, including planning, the increased cost of funding and, in cases, at the site level, the availability of power supply, not to mention delays between deciding to construct and commencement on site being too long.
“Outside of this, skills and resource shortages remain our number one concern.”
Walls’ projected turnover of over €550m for 2023 represents an increase of more than 15% on its 2022 turnover, and €600m is in the contractor’s sights for 2024.
“Our pipeline until 2025 is strong, with both contracted work and potential projects for existing clients,” he notes. “We continue to benefit from the fact that the large-scale nature of many PRS projects means they entail multiple years of turnover, which gives the business a high degree of mediumterm commercial visibility, which has been traditionally absent in the construction sector,” Eugene O’Shea concludes.
Michael Hynes, co-founder of Quintain Ireland, speaks with ROBBIE COUSINS about the opening of The Crossings Town Centre in Adamstown, which has been 20 years in the making, and sets out how the company is maintaining its position as Ireland’s third-largest home builder.
Michael Hynes co-founded Quintain Developments Ireland in 2019 and co-led the growth and development of the group since its inception. He is responsible for delivering on the group’s vision to create Ireland’s leading and most sustainable homebuilder and has worked extensively in property development throughout his career, working on projects ranging from single houses to mixed-use neighbourhoods with more than 5,000 homes.
Hynes champions Quintain’s operating culture and values, which are based on customer focus, individual design, exceptional placemaking with a commitment to delivery for all stakeholders.
In his position as director of Hudson Advisors, Hynes played a critical role in acquiring these land holdings in Adamstown, Clonburris, Portmarnock, and later, Cherrywood, all of which now fall under the Quintain Ireland umbrella.
Three of the landbanks, Adamstown, Clonburris and Cherrywood, are designated Strategic Development Zones (SDZs), meaning their development is of strategic national economic and social importance. The SDZ designation enables the fast-track delivery of new residential and non-residential development once planning is approved and any contrary provisions in the local authority’s development plan are superseded. The Portmarnock landbank is subject to the local area plan of Fingal County Council.
He has been spearheading the transformation of these sites into what he describes as “15-minute sustainable communities” and modern Irish towns.
A chartered surveyor, Michael Hynes has over two decades of experience in high-level asset management and property development in Ireland. He says Quintain Ireland stands out in the Irish property development landscape because of the sheer scale of its projects.
He explains, “While other developers typically work on numerous smaller sites, we focus on a select number of substantial sites. These are envisioned not merely as developments but as entirely new towns. Their planning prioritises diversity, inclusivity, and resilience, with various housing types and a balanced social mix. We adhere to the principles of the 15-minute community where residents can conveniently accomplish most daily tasks within a 15-minute walk or bike ride from their homes.”
Michael Hynes says that Quintain Ireland is performing well and is the third-largest residential developer by sales completions in the country. It is on target to grow its output over the coming years.
“In 2022, we completed and closed 600 units, comprising apartments, houses and duplexes, making us the third largest housebuilder by unit sales completions in 2022.
“In 2023, we’re on track to complete around 750 units. So, we’re increasing year on year and maintaining that position as the country’s third-largest housebuilder.
“We currently have four landbanks with the capacity to deliver 8,500 residential units. Unlike some other large housebuilders, we have a small number of large sites rather than a large number of small sites. These sites include a landbank in Portmarnock, which will deliver a further 700 residential units and Cherrywood, with a
capacity for 2,700 units. Our largest landbank, in Adamstown, will ultimately deliver 4,700 units. We hope to get our fourth site, in Clonburris, up and running towards the middle or end of next year based on infrastructure delivery.”
ADAMSTOWN TOWN CENTRE
Adamstown was designated the country’s first SDZ in 2003, and there were very ambitious plans for its development.
Quintain Ireland has just celebrated the official opening of The Crossings urban village centre at Adamstown by housing minister Darragh O’Brien with a huge family day including a funfair, performance artists and food village for the residents of the area. This type of event emphasises the Quintain partners’ commitment to creating sustainable and integrated communities where people can carry out all of their daily activities.
Michael Hynes comments, “Our mission is to create exceptional and affordable places to live, which are at the forefront of design, placemaking and sustainability. This involves the delivery of a high number of homes, but we are acutely aware that we need to build communities too, and, so, we strive to deliver quality amenities and quality open spaces alongside quality housing.”
Quintain is investing €500m in Adamstown, and €200m of this total figure has been invested in The Crossings.
Hynes adds, “The launch of The Crossings is one of the proudest moments in Quintain’s history. Adamstown predates Quintain and has been 20-plus years in the making. The Adamstown SDZ was the first in the country in 2003. The first house was built in 2004, and 1,150 homes by the then-developer followed. Between the downturn in 2007 and 2013, no building took place. Unfortunately, the promised construction of a town centre got caught up in this fallout. But 20 years on, we have now completed The Crossings town centre, which includes 267 apartments, 20 retail units and a two-acre urban park.”
The retail units already have a butcher, pharmacy, baker, convenience store, hairdresser, and even a veterinary clinic in place.
“Off the plaza, we have an ultra-modern retail building, designed by Henry J Lyons, which houses two large Tesco and Aldi retail units, with a multi-storey car park above them.
“Over 60 per cent of the retail units in The Crossings were leased before completion and are open, being fitted out or about to execute on lease terms, with food and beverage facilities to follow.
The centrepiece of Adamstown Town Centre is the two-acre urban plaza with formal grass areas containing seating and kids’ play areas, including a feature 14-metre children’s train, the largest of its kind in Ireland.
“We think it is a really exciting centrepiece for the town centre and it has been designed and laid out to attract visitors. We don’t just want people to shop there; we want them to use the space to live, relax, work and play.”
He adds, “It has taken 1,000 people working over 20 years to reach this point. These include local authority planners, politicians, design teams, construction workers and financiers. Some, sadly, are no longer with us. Everyone should be proud of the modern space we have created together. On a personal note, I am particularly delighted for the Quintain team, which has also put such hard work into this.”
While the town centre provides the commercial and retail backbone, the two-acre urban plaza park is supplemented by other green spaces. Overall, there are 40 acres of parkland across
Adamstown. There are also schools, community centres and sports pitches.
“The town centre is centralised similarly to urban village centres such as Sandymount to ensure people use it and don’t just go there and shop then leave straight away.
“The SDZ was set up on the concept of the 15-minute city. So, living, working, playing, relaxing, wellness, and permeability are all part of the design. Adamstown train station is generally reachable on foot within 20 minutes from anywhere in the town and is a 10-minute cycle, with the town centre being five minutes away by car.”
All homes are nearly zero energy buildings with A1 and A2 BERs and HPI certification. Some of the apartment blocks have BREEAM certification.
Developers Cairn and Tierra are also developing sites within the Adamstown SDZ.
“We have gone above and beyond the standard high regulations in Ireland to bring properties and places of the future to life today.
“Since the purchase of the landbank in 2016, 2,950 residential units have been added, and between 10,000 and 12,000 people are now living in Adamstown. While we are about halfway through our delivery plan, nearly all of the infrastructure is in place at a cost of €150m, including the train station, 40 acres of parks, SUDS, pumping stations, substations and all road and cycle networks throughout Adamstown.
“Other than a couple more schools, a library and an enterprise centre yet to be built, we are nearly there on infrastructure. We sold sites to the Department of Education. But there is a backlog in delivering schools. So, they’re a couple of years behind. We plan to complete the rest of the development in the coming four years.”
Over the past few months, Quintain has had to address changing market conditions brought about by rising interest rates and increasing costs.
Michael Hynes explains, “The two parts of the business are homes for homeowners, or houses and duplexes, and high-density
apartments for investors or state agencies/approved housing bodies in the rental market. There is still massive demand for homes for homeowners. Only last weekend, we had a 46-unit fully-sold launch at our Aderrig scheme in Adamstown. Interest rates are starting to stabilise house price growth, but this also brings cost challenges for us.
“From a demand perspective, houses are still affordable. Wages are increasing with high-paying jobs still being produced, particularly in Dublin.
“Demand remains strong for sub-€500,000 homes. Between €500k and €750k demand is strong, but price inflation has softened a little. The interest rate hikes generally impact the luxury homes sector first, and while prices are softening here most, there continues to be new high-paying jobs created across Dublin resulting in this higher price bracket being less impacted than usual in the face of the current increasing interest rate environment.
“From a high-density development perspective, apartments that are built to sell generally aren’t viable because of the values you need to achieve to cover costs and maintain a small margin. Most apartments built these days are for rental because that’s the only viable route.
“Interest rate increases started to pause private institution purchasing towards the end of 2022, and this has been the case across 2023. The institutions want to see price corrections in yields, and rents need to increase to achieve that. It should be noted that the private PRS buyer has essentially paused across Europe.
“However, the difference between Ireland and elsewhere in Europe is that the government is now driving residential construction, whether through LDA with its recent €8bn injection or the €2bn it has allocated to local authorities and affordable housing bodies to deliver social, affordable and cost-rental housing at scale.
“So, while there might be a pause on the private rental side, the government has stepped in and will help to keep sites moving forward delivering for the most part social, affordable and cost rental homes.”
Quintain is in the process of completing its first deal for housing with the Land Development Agency (LDA). Michael Hynes believes now that the agency has clear objectives and is delivering directly and through developer partnerships, it will start to ramp up its output.
“The LDA has moved to a point where it can directly deliver housing on state-owned land and work alongside developers to deliver residential units on their land.
“We’ve had our first interactions with the LDA at the start of this year. We’re about to agree on heads of terms for a large 440 apartments across three blocks. Once it gets sign-off on those heads of terms from its board, we plan to move forward to construction commencing at the end of the year.”
He adds, “We have found the LDA to be proactive in its thinking about all the right things. It is going to be very important to keep
sites moving while the private PRS market is on pause.”
Michael Hynes says that recruitment remains a key challenge. However, when it comes to gender balance, Quintain has managed to buck the trend, achieving an exceptional gender balance in its staff composition without resorting to box-ticking exercises. However, he believes the education system is still not doing enough to present construction as a viable and rewarding career choice for girls as well as boys.
“Quintain’s 60 or so staff breaks down 60% male and 40% female. Our gender balance is very good. We didn’t achieve this as a diversity tick-box exercise. We picked the best people for the job from those we interviewed, and 40% of those happened to be female.
“We are proud of this statistic. But, we must acknowledge that we are a male-dominated industry, and that’s not because men are being chosen over women. It’s happening because of the career choices made by students in school. Careers in construction are not being presented in the same way that careers in tech, science or business are being presented. This needs to be fixed at grassroots level. Career guidance counsellors and teachers must do more to show young girls the rewarding and equal opportunities in construction.”
This year, Quintain Ireland started the process of addressing its carbon footprint. This requires input from all parts of the business, including its supply chain and project partner teams.
“We’re currently measuring the carbon footprint of our business, a process we started at the beginning of this year. We are looking at the materials and processes we use. We’ve sent questionnaires to our supply chain, design teams and other stakeholders so they can inform us about their carbon footprint, and we are looking at our staff and their practices in terms of how they travel to and from our offices and sites and carry out their daily work.
“Once we have completed this, we will review every aspect of our business through a carbon lens and start to reduce our carbon footprint.”
“This programme is something we have wholeheartedly embraced. But we are starting from a position where we already produce A1 and A2 buildings under Irish building regulations, a far higher sustainability standard than many other European countries.”
Digital construction technologies and lean practices are very much part of Quintain’s operations. Michael Hynes explains that the company uses timber frame, concrete block, and in-situ and precast concrete, depending on the building type being constructed.
“We build with the most efficient and appropriate material for the particular housing mix and employ BIM and other digital technologies as well as lean practices.
“About 90% of our low-rise housing is timber frame. For taller duplex buildings, we generally have a structural blockwork ground
floor with timber frame above.
“We’re looking at timber frame for all three storeys of our duplexes at the moment and working the design through with our timber frame manufacturers to address the fireproofing element between the ground-floor apartment and two-storey house above.
“Once we go above four storeys, we are into precast and in-situ concrete.
“Timber frame is a two-dimensional modular form of construction. While some industry commentators have indicated that the cost of going to full 3D modular would cost 50% more than traditional building methods, our research indicates it is closer to 10 to 15% more expensive than timber frame, but regardless, house buyers can’t afford these extra costs. However, that said, we are open to using any viable building method.”
Michael Hynes says that the construction sector in Ireland has undergone massive change in the past 10 or so years and that building standards in Ireland are one of the highest in the world. This is something he notes that we should be proud of, but it also puts us at a disadvantage in terms of costs compared to many other European countries.
“Construction costs are a major issue in Ireland. Viability is a serious concern with the interest rates increasing and the rate of increase in sales and rental prices slowing down.
“Building regulations in Ireland are more stringent than most other places in the world, including leading cities like London and Paris. Take the aspect of size as an example. Our research has shown that a two-bed apartment gross in Ireland is about 100 sq metres on average, whereas a two-bedroom apartment across Europe has a gross area of about 80 sq metres. That extra 20 square metres adds €60,000 to €70,000 to the cost of building.
“We live in a high-expectation society in Ireland. Some media and politicians create high expectations of what people think they should be getting. Because there were some smaller so-called ‘shoebox’ units developed during the early 2000s, people think that reducing the size of apartments would bring us back to that. But this is absolutely not the case. Our sizes are well above what they were back then, and we are building well above European standards.
“If people want larger, high-spec units than the rest of Europe, they must pay for them. But, building smaller units to a high standard would make these more affordable. Unfortunately, with a general election on the horizon, the housing minister, despite all the good work he has done, is running out of time to address this issue. I also think public opinion will not be swayed by the cogent arguments the sector has been presenting.”
Michael Hynes concludes by saying that of the 8,500 units Quintain currently has planned across its four sites, 1,000 are on site. Of the 7,500 units left, it has planning for 6,000 units.
“We have a robust short-term pipeline and landbanks for the next three to five years. Our goal is to output 1,500 units a year by 2027 and continue to be one of the larger developers in Ireland.
“A vital issue for us to address is acquiring our beyond-five- or 10-year landbanks. Land acquisition has been slow over the past few years because of the lack of good land getting to the market, primarily because of Covid and the war in Ukraine. People weren’t under debt pressure, so they didn’t have to sell.
“But now, with the vacant site levy and land taxes about come in, this has prompted non-natural landholders – be that religious orders, families or organisations – to deal with this issue. Otherwise, the assets they are sitting on will devalue through taxation.
“We see opportunities to acquire prime land we didn’t have over the past few years. That said, we want to find the right land acquisition opportunities to ensure we maintain our quality landbanks. We like to have between 8,000 to 10,000 units at various
stages of short-, medium- and long-term development.”
“Outside of that, I don’t think the PRS market will return to scale until after next year. When interest rates settle, the investor market will start to function as much as the social, affordable and cost-rental market is moving now. But we can’t and should not be relying on the government for the long term.
“Our ambition at Quintain is to keep our landbanks at a level that will enable us to construct 1,500 units per annum and maintain the best-in-class people that we have to deliver quality suburbs like The Crossings in Adamstown,” Michael Hynes concludes.
Expert Electrical is Ireland’s largest electrical retailer with a network of 67 stores. Expert Stores are locally owned and run, and through the Expert Ireland Group, they can offer customers the best products from the leading brands. Expert Electrical is also part of Expert International, the most significant world network of consumer electrical stores with more than 4,000 locations in 22 countries.
In 2019, Expert brought its extensive expertise and buying power to the residential development and real estate management market with the launch of the Expert Electrical Commercial Division, which has established a strong foothold, working with clients that include Glenveagh, Elliott Group, Dwyer Nolan and many more.
Expert’s success can be attributed to its unique skills, buying power and the service levels it provides to customers.
Tony Pender, Business to Business Director, Expert Ireland, has over 25 years of experience in the business. He comments, “From the outset, we listened very carefully to what customers were saying about their service requirements, and we responded by ensuring each customer has a bespoke service to meet their electrical goods needs.”
Expert can provide all household appliances, from washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, fridge freezers, ovens, hubs, and microwaves to audio-visual equipment. It carries all leading brands, including, but not limited to, Siemens, Neff, Smeg, Whirlpool, Miele, AEG, Electrolux, Nordmende and De Dietrich.
Expert has access to 100,000 sq feet of warehousing space and a nationwide distribution fleet through its warehouse and logistics partner, Caulfield Distribution.
Appliances packs can be tailored to suit every project, from value-driven to design line with the latest energy-efficient models, with a tailor-made delivery service with a planned installation programme – in other words, a second-to-none complete service.
Expert’s installation team will install, test and commission all appliances before removing all packaging to be recycled, reused, or disposed of sustainably. If requested, certification can be provided for customers.
Expert Commercial provides the following services to clients:
• Large stock of A-rated and core range appliances
• Pre site visits
• Full installation, service integrated and free-standing
• Full package removal and certified recycling programme
• Tailor-made kitchen packs.
• Warranties & guarantee certificate on completion of project
• Full after-sales service department.
However complex a project is - Expert’s planners will discuss requirements and agree on a logistical plan. This ensures customers’ get the exact brands they order - delivered, installed, and commissioned where and when they are needed.
Tony Pender comments, “Our team can assist with specifications, preliminary budget costing, technical information, tender pricing and, of course, appliance selection”.
“We offer unbiased advice in selecting the correct products for your project. Because of our scale, we have massive buying power, ensuring customers get the appliances they want at the most competitive prices. There is no one else in the industry that can offer this turnkey service – starting at the very beginning all the way to the end.”
Expert also has a strategic partnership with automation specialist The Smarter Home. This means it can offer the latest smart technologies for apartment blocks, including but not limited to access security, lighting control, and smart blinds/curtains.
Expert not only has thousands of electrical goods in stock, but its highly trained trade team works directly with clients to ensure that they get the correct products at the right price for their needs - no matter what size of development.
From property managers considering an update of apartment goods to contractors requiring large orders fulfilled, Expert has the expertise and capacity to deliver.
Tony Pender concludes by stating, “We value relationships. Our customers choose us because they feel comfortable and trust us. We listen to what they say, work to
address their pain points and identify the right products and service offering. This helps them accomplish their goals. I feel this has been a key part of our success.”
Call Expert today on 0872079194 or email tpender@expert.ie
INCLUDES:
• Connection of new appliances to existing pipework and/or electric supply.
• Fitting and levelling of the appliance.
• Integrated Appliances & plinths where relevant.
• Disposal and recycling of packaging with completion cert.
• Full warranty with after-sales service pack.
“The success of the partnership between Glenveagh Homes and Expert Commercial is directly related to Expert’s Business to Business Director Tony Pender his hands-on, personal approach, together with his attention to detail, is second to none.”
Shane O Neill, Head of Purchasing, Glenveagh
“Expert provided a thorough and professional service, which included engaging directly with the client to confirm all technical and data information required.”
Hugh Grimes, Project Manager, Elliott Group.Expert remove all packaging from site after installation.
Commercial Latent Defects Insurance - 10/12
Year Structural Warranty
• €250m+ capacity
• Structural Defects
• Ingress of Water
• Loss of Rental Income
Residental Latent Defects Insurance - 10/12
Year Structural Warranty
• €200m+ capacty
• Structural IDI for Apartment Blocks with associated PDH or Duplex Units
• Minimum SI €20m
• Ratio of PDH to Apartment Blocks Values must be < 25% of the Total Sum Insured
Machinery Inherent Defects Insurance - 10/12
Year M&E Warranty
• Damage caused by defects which result from poor design, materials and workmanship, which manifest in the machinery
• Limits of up to €15m “Any one loss”
• Loss of Rental Incomemax indemnity period 36 months
NOTE OCIP ‘Wrap Up’ Insurance includes cover for developers, main contractors, subcontractors of all tiers, the professional team for onsite activities, funders and local authorities (as required) as joint insured’s - avoiding the need to check that all parties carry their own cover and protecting the developer’s interest at the same time.
Construction Projects Insurance - OCIP ‘Wrap Up’ Insurance (Contractors ‘All Risks’. Delay in Start Up, Public Liability and NonNegligence Insurance)
• €250m+ capacty
• Contractors ‘All Risk’/ Erection ‘All Risks’
• Delay in Start Up / Advanced Loss of Profits Insurance
• Public/Products Liability - limits of up to €75m available
• Non-Negligence - limit of up to €75m available
360 Degree Underwriting, in partnership with its A-rated Insurer partners, offers the above insurance solutions to developers and builders of:
• Apartment and office blocks
• Mixed-use commercial developments
• Warehousing/logistics centres
• Pharmaceutical developments
• Data centres
• Mixed PDH/apartment block residential schemes
• Hotels
• Hospitals
To learn more about 360 Degree Underwriting, visit www.360uw.ie or scan the QR code
Alternatively, contact your broker or get in touch directly and the 360 team can put you in touch with an approved construction broker to manage your placement.
Colm McHugh, Centre Manager, Construct Innovate, speaks with ROBBIE COUSINS about how the Centre is bringing together the Irish construction sector and academia to identify and address the real barriers stopping the sector, particularly SMEs, from modernising and becoming more efficient.
Construct Innovate, Ireland’s national research centre for construction technology and innovation, is part of Enterprise Ireland’s industry-led Technology Centre programme. Launched in December 2022 with an initial funding of €5m over five years, it is hosted at the University of Galway. The Centre leverages the capabilities, facilities and expertise available across its consortium partners, the University of Galway, Trinity College Dublin (TCD), University College Dublin (UCD), University College Cork (UCC), TU Dublin and the Irish Green Building Council (IGBC), as well as providing access to a broader network of European universities and research clusters.
The Centre’s brief focuses on devising solutions for key industry challenges, particularly in residential construction in its first three years of operation. It will be at the forefront of initiatives to meet the demands of the country’s major building and investment programmes, Project Ireland 2040, the National Development Plan 2021-2030, Housing for All, and the Climate Action Plan 2023 (CAP23).
Colm McHugh was appointed Construct Innovate centre manager earlier this year. A chartered mechanical engineer with a Masters in Renewable Energy and additional studies in energy-efficient construction, he has over 17 years of national and international experience as an engineering consultant, main contractor, and equipment supplier.
McHugh is well-placed to bridge the gap between industry and academia as he has a deep understanding of the needs of stakeholders at all levels. His leadership and operational experience will be critical in ensuring Construct Innovate supports the transition towards a modernised and sustainable construction and built environment sector capable of delivering Project Ireland 2040 and the NDP.
Discussing the objectives of the Centre, he explains that Construct Innovate will be the interface between academia and industry in the search for solutions to overcome the challenges around productivity, modernisation and sustainability that the industry has.
“Construct Innovate is a conduit between industry, academia, state bodies and policymakers, Colm McHugh says. “We are bringing together stakeholders to address the challenges they face and facilitate the transition of the sector to become a modern, productive and sustainable industry that can deliver the actions outlined in the NDP and Project Ireland 2040, one of which includes accommodating another one million people living on our island by 2040. Most critically, we will help the construction sector meet its targets outlined in CAP23.
“This is ultimately what we all want to achieve, but it will not happen if we maintain the status quo.”
He adds that his role as centre manager is to execute the strategy set out for the Centre.
“The co-directors of Construct Innovate – Professor Jamie Goggins and Dr Magdalena Hajdukiewicz – who led the tender bid for the Centre, brought me on board to develop the value proposition of the Centre and to facilitate industry and academia in engaging in a research journey together. To date, construction has been
seen as a very traditional sector of the economy. Other sectors –manufacturing, pharma, food and health, and medical, etc – have all evolved, modernised and increased productivity as a result of having a solid research foundation.
“If construction is to become the modern, efficient and sustainable sector its stakeholders want it to be, research will play a fundamental part. To support this, Construct Innovate needs to engage with companies across the supply chain to show them what can be gained from getting involved in research as a collective.”
The research and innovation focus of Construct Innovate is towards tackling five main challenges or pillars, These are:
• Productivity, affordability & cost
• Quality & safety
• Sustainability
• Skills & training, and
• Collaboration
Digital adoption, sustainability and modern methods of construction (MMC) have been identified as key focus areas to achieve progress and improvement across all pillars.
Colm McHugh explains that success for the Centre will only be realised if it has ongoing active engagement with members and industry stakeholders in research on innovation projects.
“One of the USPs of the Centre is that it is an industry-led centre working to solve the real problems of the industry. What we address is not determined by government policy. We’re also not prescriptive in the topics we focus on. At our core, we’re relying on industry members to tell us exactly what they want. We want industry members to bring their problems to us so that we can determine how best to tackle those challenges through research.
“One of the first ways we brought the industry and academia together was an Academic Industry Meeting Day (AIMDay).
“On 30 May last, we had our first AIMDay in Galway when over 90 attendees from industry and academia came together to discuss and workshop challenging questions and tease out potential research projects that can then be funded through the Centre.”
“An example of one issue that arose on the day is ‘Overheating in Irish Dwellings’.
This problem was brought to the Centre by industry members on the day. There was a discussion between a number of construction company representatives, developers, insulation suppliers and academics, all with appropriate expertise in that area. The academics are now focused on researching the challenge and will report back to the group with their initial findings before taking their research further.
He adds, “Other examples of challenging topics that are now getting the focus of the Centre are ‘MMC’, ‘Mass Timber Construction’, ‘Innovative Material and Technology Adoption’ and ‘Whole Life-Cycle Carbon Accounting’, to name a few. To be honest, the potential areas for research by the Centre are vast. We will rely on industry to bring us the most pertinent challenges.”
Construct Innovate has over 40 industry members and aims to
increase this to 60 members in the next few months.
“Membership is for all stakeholders interested in developing expertise in sustainable construction and built environment technology,” Colm McHugh comments. “Our current researchperforming organisation (RPO) members are the University of Galway, TCD, UCD, UCC, TU Dublin and the IGBC. These organisations bring research expertise and academic rigour to the work, ensuring objectivity, transparency, and peer review.
“Industry members are either patron or associate members.
“Patron members sit at our Thought Leader Circle Table and can influence where Construct Innovate focus our research efforts.
“All members actively engage with each other and contribute their input on research topics. This can be done by joining working groups, scoping project proposals, forming funded research consortia and participating in research. Members sign up to the bylaws of the Centre, which involves making an active commitment to be engaged in the Centre’s work.”
Colm McHugh continues, “Many of the members will be getting involved in research for the first time, and by showing organisations the value of research, especially where they may have no history of research in the past, we hope to be able to tackle the individual and collective problems of the industry and help individual businesses to prosper along the way.
“The membership model is very reasonably priced. We don’t see it as a revenue-generating stream. It’s more about getting an active commitment from companies to be involved in the Centre. In addition, companies that are members of IGBC or join up to IGBC can become members of Construct Innovate for free – so organisations can get even more bang for their buck.”-
Another benefit of membership is the opportunity to engage with other people/organisations with similar interests and concerns.
“Valuable research output applied to industry needs is the most significant benefit to our members. But Construct Innovate is also a platform for communication. Networking between industry members, state and semi-bodies, and academia is and will be an important part of why we are here.”
He continues, “Much of the research that we will undertake will be open source, and we want as many eyes as possible on the valuable research outputs. A good analogy is ‘A rising tide lifts all boats’. In order to tackle the challenges, we want everyone to know about it.”
There are also opportunities for companies to be supported in conducting their own research, which they may not have done before.
“There are funding avenues that members can explore, and they can take their research journey alone, as a consortium, or as part of a
bigger research project.”
Solo research projects may suit companies that have a specific problem within the company they want to address. They can fund this themselves or access some of the funding available through the Centre.
Construct Innovate members also have access to the Centre’s international network of research-performing organisations at EU partner institutions and international research bodies. Construct Innovate will be targeting Horizon Europe funding for pathway accelerator projects. Horizon Europe is the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation, with a budget of €95.5bn.
Commenting further on the drivers of success for the Centre, Colm McHugh explains that in addition to engaging with members, the Centre will have a consistent stream of valuable research outputs being delivered on an ongoing basis.
“We want members, academic and industrial, to continually engage with what the Centre is doing. This is only going to happen if they get valuable outputs on a regular basis. So, we will have a consistent stream of valuable research outputs coming from the Centre.
“The only way to do this is to take on research projects of different sizes. If the industry has to wait a year or more for projects to land with a big splash, they’d have disengaged by the time that happens. So, we also have short-term projects with small, meaningful gains.”
Construct Innovate wants to engage with companies of all sizes across the construction industry.
Colm McHugh continues, “There are 57,000 companies involved in the Irish construction industry; 94% of these are SMEs employing less than six people. One of the challenges for the Centre is to address the fragmented nature of the construction sector. Having many small
companies involved in one sector and trying to engage with them is an enormous challenge. By comparison, the pharmaceutical industry has fewer but bigger companies.
“The larger construction companies will need less support. Some are already conducting their own research and have the capability to fund this. We absolutely still want to talk to these companies, but the companies that need the most help are the SMEs, which are also working at full capacity. Large construction companies often have strong supply chains formed by SMEs and want to understand and address the challenges this sector is facing.
“We have to make it worth it for SMEs to engage with us. They don’t have the extra resources of larger firms. They don’t have the human capital to get involved in research. And in many cases, they don’t have a huge understanding of what value research can bring to their organisations.
‘For example, digitalisation and innovation are really big words or topics, but they don’t have to be that complicated in reality. Part of the challenge is breaking down these big terms for small companies so they can understand that innovation might just require a slight tweak in how they do business, or digitalisation could be as simple as adding one piece of software that digitises, for example, signatures on documents. It doesn’t have to mean a complete reinvention of a workflow.
“Construct Innovate has to engage with and be relevant for small- and medium-sized companies as well as the big players to demonstrate the value all can get from research.”
Colm McHugh is very excited about the work that lies ahead, particularly working collaboratively across the construction landscape to develop innovative solutions for the very real problems the sector faces.
“I understand how the construction industry works. I’m bringing my experience and understanding of real-world construction and engineering challenges to facilitate the best-placed people to come up with workable solutions to address these challenges.
“There’s a huge opportunity for Construct Innovate to have a meaningful impact, and that is why I want to be here. If we get this right, it will transform Irish construction and bring it to a completely new level,” he concludes.
To learn more about the work of Construct Innovate or to enquire about membership, phone 091 524411, email info@ constructinnovate.ie, visit www.constructinnovate.ie or scan the QR code
John Sisk & Son’s design and build of Ballyogan Square for Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is an exemplar in quality passive house standard development, setting industry-leading levels of sustainability. The 67-unit scheme also exceeded the local authority’s sustainability requirements.
John Sisk & Son undertook the design and build of the Ballyogan Square housing development for Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council (DLRCC) on a brownfield site located between the M50 and existing residential communities.
The scheme comprises 67 quality housing units that meet passive house standard. The residential mix consists of eight three-bed and 59 two-bed units, with a total internal area of 6,110 sq metres, on a 26,200 sq-metre site.
Located in an established residential area near a school and civic centre, the project team engaged with the local community to minimise disruption. The development offers seven different house types, each with a private rear garden and a central green space with
a walkway to the local Luas stop at Ballyogan Wood.
The overall project programme duration was two years. This timeline included design and construction phases. The project design phase commenced in July 2021 with a three-month programme. The construction phase began in October 2021 and was completed in July 2023.
Ballyogan Square was funded by DLRCC to help meet its commitments to the Housing For All plan. It was the first DLRCC’s direct construction project to be completed since 2021. The development received Part 8 planning approval and used a ‘Public
Works Contract for Building Works Designed by the Contractor’ form of contract.
DLRCC emphasises sustainability and quality in its projects, which played a significant role in the local authority selecting Sisk for the project. The contractor is committed through its ‘Building today, Caring for tomorrow 2030 Sustainability Roadmap’ to delivering high-quality, sustainable housing with minimal waste, which aligns with DLRCC’s housing and sustainability objectives.
Sisk took a collaborative approach to working with DLRCC and the client team with early engagement and clear lines of communication delivering the best outcomes for all stakeholders. The project was completed on time and within budget.
Sisk put a quality compliance sample in place using benchmark inspections to agree complex details and finalise architectural features.
There were various challenges to be overcome, but Sisk’s proactive approach ensured that the project completion was delivered as efficiently as possible.
According to Sisk’s Ballyogan Square project manager, Barry Kelly, one challenge that arose early on was the redesign of a site boundary retaining wall redesign following additional site investigations by Sisk.
He explains, “We identified a problem and working in unison with all stakeholders, we overcame this by prescribing a kingpost-piled solution. This was an innovative way to overcome the issue with precast panels and steel piles utilised to provide suitable retaining in both the temporary works phase and the permanent works phase. This required the Sisk project team to coordinate between the temporary works designers, piling designers and permanent works designers, ensuring all objectives were met.”
Fieldview, a cloud-based quality system, allowed live tracking of works and eliminated snags and defects as permanent works were in progress.
The Ballyogan Square development is highly sustainable and incorporates various strategies to produce a residential development with industry-leading standards – A1 BER, Passive House Standard, and best-in-class air tightness. While the works requirements specified that houses achieve an A2 BER, Sisk even went beyond an A1 BER standard, achieving a passive-house standard for all homes.
Sisk engaged building energy consultant Passivate to analyse construction details and carry out thermal modelling and bridging calculations. Passivate’s expertise, along with that of the whole design team, enabled the contractor to achieve a passive house standard of construction.
Sustainability was an essential requirement for the Sisk team, guiding the design strategy from the beginning. The use of the VisionBuilt 2D panelised (LGS) frame for the structures was a significant element. The LGS frame was produced offsite in VisionBuilt’s factory in Galway, which significantly reduced waste produced and provided life cycle benefits of using a local workforce.
A fundamental element of achieving the Passive House standard was the air tightness levels. The Sisk project team was required to achieve an air tightness measurement of 0.6AC/H. This is a massive improvement from the Part L Building Regulation requirements and requires significant detail and care.
The Sisk team upskilled and trained various subcontractors to provide it with the required knowledge to achieve this challenging air tightness level.
The use of the Nilan Compact P mechanical ventilation system complemented the design as it is one of the few compact systems in the world that is passive-house certified due to its high efficiency. The system provides the houses with ventilation, heat recovery, and production of domestic hot water.
Solar PV panels were also installed on all houses to provide a renewable energy source.
The scheme includes a dedicated walkway linking the development and the surrounding areas with a direct footpath to the local Ballyogan Luas stop.
The landscaping design led by Mitchell + Associates focused on native species and planting with appropriate scale promoting biodiversity.
The planting complements the buildings and softens the
streetscape, pulling the scheme together as one.
Additional sustainable drainage methods (SUDS), including swales and permeable paving, were used by Sisk to maximise drainage on the scheme, along with further benefits to biodiversity and the environment.
The Sisk project team set out to deliver a high-quality, sustainable development that would have a lasting impact on the community and residents, and the completed project has achieved these aims.
The drive to provide highly sustainable houses led to Sisk going over and above the work requirements. The extremely high-quality workmanship comes across and is there for all to see.
A collaborative process was used to fine-tune the design from the planning and design phase. Input from the entire design team allowed the contractor to model and plan each house type.
Three-dimensional modelling and coordination allowed a streamlined mechanical ventilation system – ensuring no clashes with steel elements on the structure.
Project manager Barry Kelly comments on the coverall completed project, “The VisionBuilt LGS system chosen for the scheme was ideal. It helped us achieve the <0.6AC/H result that we wanted. All stakeholders worked really well together because we had an open and clear communication system. This also meant that we could efficiently address snags as they arose, which in turn enabled us to deliver within the allotted timeframe.
“Ballyogan Square fits well into the existing community and has resulted in a biodiversity net gain for the area.”
Recently shortlisted for an Irish Construction Industry award, Ballyogan Square is a testament to the effort and dedication the Sisk site team and subcontractors put into producing a superb complete project. This process was enabled by the Sisk Quality Team and the tools, such as Fieldview monitoring software, that they put in place.
The Ballyogan Square development’s legacy will be borne out by the residents and community that enjoys these highly sustainable houses and biodiverse-rich spaces for years to come. The development ties into the local community and enhances it, providing improved links to local transport and shared biodiverserich green spaces.
Client: Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council
Architect: JNP Architects
Engineer: DBFL Consulting Engineers
M&E Engineers: EDC Engineering Design Consultants
Energy Consultants: Passivate
Landscape Architect: Mitchell + Associates
Fire Safety Engineers: FCC Fire Cert. Limited
Structural Frame Provider: VisionBuilt
Well-known Kildare-based developer Springwood Ltd opted for a light gauge steel frame system by Frameform Steel Systems for its latest nine-unit, three-storey apartment development in Naas.
Springwood Ltd, a prominent property development company led by managing director Sean McKenna, has established a strong partnership with IJM Timber Engineering for its timber frame house construction projects.
Sean McKenna’s commitment to efficient and timely construction led him to explore innovative solutions for Springwood’s latest venture: a small apartment block of nine apartments.
To maintain the same level of efficiency and programme clarity that he experienced
with timber frame construction, Sean McKenna chose Frameform Steel Systems’ Light Gauge Steel Frame (LGSF) system for this project for several reasons.
The client’s primary objective in choosing LGSF was to deliver a high-quality, energyefficient apartment block while maintaining an efficient construction programme.
Springwood faced several challenges typical of multi-unit residential construction projects, which led the client to choose LGSF.
The structural design of the three-storey apartment block specified concrete floors at all levels. The LGSF system could easily facilitate this.
The project needed to have efficient scheduling as coordinating multiple trades and services for the construction of a threestorey multi-occupancy building within an existing residential community required meticulous scheduling. The building also required high levels of energy efficiency in line with building regulations. Achieving high energy efficiency and airtightness in a multi-unit building is quite easily done using LGSF systems.
Finally, in order to ensure all elements were compliant with quality standards
throughout the construction process, all Frameform systems are fully certified by the NSAI.
Frameform Steel Systems’ LGSF system offers an ideal solution to satisfy all of Springwood’s requirements.
Frameform’s expertise extended to the design and specification of the concrete slab, including mesh and rebar. This comprehensive approach ensured these structural elements of the building were integrated seamlessly with the steel frame.
Frameform provided a clear and welldefined construction programme. This allowed Springwood to easily schedule follow-on trades and services, minimising delays and optimising project timelines.
The Frameform LGSF system included pre-insulated external walls with factoryfitted airtightness membranes, ensuring excellent energy efficiency and meeting modern building standards.
Frameform maintained rigorous inspection and certification processes throughout the project. It provides full ancillary certification for the complete
structure of the building. This commitment to quality assurance ensured that the construction met all required standards and regulations.
The collaboration between Springwood and Frameform Steel Systems resulted in a successful and efficient construction project.
Springwood managing director Sean McKenna commented, “We are delighted with our recently completed apartment building, which we procured from Frameform Steel Systems in Dundalk. We have had an ongoing relationship with IJM for many years for our timber frame structures, and it was a no-brainer to get on board with their partner company, Frameform Steel Systems, for our apartment building in Naas. This efficiency and programming suit the way we run our business.
“From signing the order, we had the ground floor on site within six weeks and the entire building structure in-situ seven weeks after that. We found the site very clean, with minimal waste, which promotes a safer and more sustainable working environment. The absence of excess materials and debris minimised the risk of accidents and injuries, ensuring the safety of all on-site personnel.”
IJM’s Peter McCaughey commented, “I can recall doing business with the McKenna
family as far back as the early 90’s when our commercial director Ray Hughes’ father Seamus would have been selling timber frame houses to Sean McKenna’s father in SL&T McKenna, one of the first home builders in Kildare to build timber frame houses.”
Springwood’s apartment block project, in partnership with Frameform Steel Systems, exemplifies the benefits of efficient construction scheduling, energy efficiency, and structural integrity. By adopting Frameform’s LGSF system, Springwood
successfully replicated the efficiency and programme clarity they had experienced with IJM’s timber frame construction, reinforcing their commitment to: Reliability built on time.
Client: Springwood Developments
LGSF provider: Frameform Steel Systems
Project Type: Apartment block – 967 sq metres
Location: The Orchard, Naas, Co Kildare
Project duration: Six months
As EU trialogue discussions on the latest revisions to the EPBD complete their final phase, Audrey Nugent, Director of Global Advocacy, World Green Building Council, speaks with ROBBIE COUSINS about what fundamental changes and timelines can expected.
Climate change, removing fossil fuels and achieving energy independence, not to mention the soaring price of heating and energy poverty, are all issues for which building policies can provide solutions. Individual EU governments are fully aware of the need to decarbonise our buildings and the need, now more than ever, to protect millions of people living in leaky and wasteful buildings against soaring energy bills.
To this end, Europe’s architects, engineers and construction sectors need a clear zero-emission building (ZEB) standard to align the design and construction of future builds with the goal of climate neutrality.
The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) has been the cornerstone of EU regulation on sustainable building, leading to the introduction of building energy rating (BER) and nearly zero-energy building (NZEB) standards in Ireland. Currently, negotiations at EU level on revisions to the EPBD are nearing completion. Fundamental changes anticipated as part of the revisions under discussion include:
• The introduction of mandatory whole-life carbon measurement requirements
• A transition from nearly zero-emission buildings to net zero buildings
• The introduction of minimum energy performance standards, and
• The introduction of building renovation passports or roadmaps.
Trialogue discussions between the three EU bodies –Commission, Parliament and Council – on the revisions have now entered the final phase. The trialogue process begins with the Commission putting forward its proposals. The Council and Parliament then review these and put forward their position.
Local politics has, as always, meant that everyone involved in the negotiations has been walking a political tightrope, and they all know that time is running out as far as the climate catastrophe and global heating are concerned. It should also be noted that once agreements have been reached at an EU level, the legislation must still be transposed at an individual member-state level. So, the clock is ticking.
As Director of Global Advocacy with the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC), Audrey Nugent leads WorldGBC’s advocacy and policy work, and she also collaborates with Green Building Councils around the world to champion public policies that drive the systemic change needed in the built environment.
In Europe, amongst others, she works with representatives from the EU Commission to ensure that the EU adopts legislation that delivers a decarbonised, circular and well-designed built environment. She is passionate about delivering a holistic and integrated approach to reduce the carbon impact of the built environment, and she has been working closely with MEPs, including Ireland’s Ciaran Cuffe and Sean Kelly, to revise environmental policy at an EU level.
She explains that from a WorldGBC’s perspective, the priorities for revising the EPBD are:
1. Minimum energy performance standard (MEPSs) – Support the introduction of an MEPS that can drive a ‘Renovation Wave’, which should be introduced promptly on a pathway to full decarbonisation by 2050.
2. Energy performance certificates (EPCs) – These should be harmonised, with performance classes rescaled with the aim of a zero-emission building stock by 2050. EPCs should also include whole-life carbon metrics.
3. Zero emission buildings (ZEBs) – The WorldGBC supports the introduction of a ZEB definition as a much-needed upgrade to NZEB. The definition should be upgraded by 2030 to take into
account embodied and operational carbon.
4. Whole-life carbon reporting – Whole-life carbon (WLC) reporting should be introduced for all new buildings by 2026 to allow the establishment of whole-life-carbon benchmarks and limits this decade.
Audrey Nugent comments that the revisions to the EPBD could lead to the harmonisation of EPCs, establish a new standard zeroemission building definition, and introduce building renovation passports (BRPs) and WLC reporting.
“All of these things will substantially impact the Irish construction industry and will result in further changes to minimum energy performance standards for buildings. But there are different perspectives amongst EU policymakers on the timelines for changes to be introduced, as well as some critical criteria also to be agreed, and a number of significant compromises will have to be made to get the changes over the line.”
She adds, “This will have implications for new builds and the renovation of existing buildings to get them to a certain level before they can be sold or rented. To date, the focus has been very much on new builds, but the revisions will bring what can be done about making existing building stock more energy efficient into focus. The EU trialogues around this have been tricky, particularly concerning what the MEPS framework will look like.
In March of this year, the EU Parliament adopted measures to improve the energy efficiency of buildings across the EU. The proposals aim to ensure that all new buildings produce zero emissions from 2028 onwards and ensure minimum energy ratings for existing residential buildings from 2030.
As a first step in the trialogue, the EU Commission proposed that existing public and other non-residential buildings must have at least an EPC of class F by 2027 and class E by 2030. It further proposed that all existing residential buildings must have at least an EPC of class F by 2030 and class E by 2033. The Parliament responded by proposing a more ambitious timeline. Among the
changes proposed by Parliament is that the energy rating of existing residential buildings will have to meet a minimum class E rating by 2030 and gradually improve from there onwards.
Audrey Nugent explains that the Parliament proposed publicowned and non-residential buildings should achieve at least an EPC class E by the start of 2027, and at least class D by the beginning of 2030. However, the Parliament’s goal of achieving these ratings for residential buildings may be a point where compromise will have to be found.
“The WorldGBC supports the introduction of MEPS, but the ambition of EPC classes and dates should be strengthened if the Commission wishes to deliver on the goal of creating a Renovation Wave.
“Under the proposed Commission revisions, we see the goal of residential buildings achieving class E after 2033 as disappointingly unambitious, especially given the European Commission’s drive to tackle energy poverty. We would also like to see the Commission commit to assessing the feasibility of adding WLC metrics to MEPS.”
The Renovation Wave to which Nugent refers is the EU’s dual ambition of energy gains and economic growth. In 2020, the EU Commission published the strategy ‘A Renovation Wave for Europe – Greening our buildings, creating jobs, improving lives’ to boost renovation in the EU.
She adds, “An improved EPC framework would help move our building stock towards being climate neutral. Measures would include calculating how you could reduce the WLC emissions of a building, the expected energy savings and health and comfort benefits.
“This could also be part of a digital building logbook, which could be built up into a repository of information that could, in turn, be used for national climate action plan revisions.
Speaking about the anticipated introduction of mandatory WLC calculations, Audrey Nugent explains the WorldGBC’s perspective, “The reason we call for WLC calculations to be considered at the building level is so one lower embodied carbon product is not necessarily being prioritised over another if it is not right for the particular design. When considering WLC, you should not be making a decision on specific products; you are assessing how the building is designed, how much material it actually uses, the types of materials that are used and what works best together, as well as how they contribute to the building’s operation and how they are treated once, if it is the case, the building is deconstructed.
“It’s an overall assessment of how the building performs over a life span of 50 years. So, you are not at the outset saying you need to be using one particular building material; you are looking at what type of building it is and carrying out a WLC assessment of how it will be used and what it will look like.
“This doesn’t mean there will be a huge shift in the types of products being used immediately. The idea is to activate thinking about the whole life of the building and the design and construction considerations that should go into it.
“For now, it might mean looking at the size of the buildings, for instance, the square footage, what type of material is most efficient for the building when it is designed, and how it is foreseen to be used.
“We are already seeing more innovative use of materials emerging as a requirement as people start to carry out WLC assessments. Practitioners are learning from the jigsaw of what works to get an overall lower WLC value.
“Within the context of the EPBD and what is being proposed for the mandatory WLC reporting requirement for all new buildings, the Commission has put forward 2030 as the year for this to be in place, and 2027 for all new buildings above a certain floor area. But, again, the Parliament has a more ambitious timeline
of the reporting requirement for all new buildings to be in place in place by 2027. The Parliament goes one step further, and its position would require member states to set WLC targets for all new buildings from 2030 onwards, which will inevitably be one of the topics related to WLC under discussion during trialogue discussions.”
Some EU states have made advances on WLC reporting, with Finland, the Netherlands, and France front runners, and Denmark has just introduced its own WLC legislation.
From an Irish perspective, EU parliamentarians Ciaran Cuffe and Sean Kelly, as rapporteur and co-rapporteur on the Industry, Research & Energy (ITRE) Committee, are responsible for the revision of the EPBD. So there’s a sense of leadership from Irish politicians on this, and they have not been found lagging.”
The requirement for renovation has always been a tough nut to crack. It is complex, and there are multiple challenges, whether policy implementation, financing, awareness raising, and the upfront costs and, of course, returns on investment.
With this in mind, the key challenge is to get a pan-EU renovation wave off the ground.
Audrey Nugent comments, “While Ireland’s renovation rate is still very low, at EU level, some of the mechanisms Ireland has in place, such as its community models and one-stop-shop concepts, are seen as having good potential to scale.
“The Commission has proposed that BRPs should set out a roadmap for all buildings to be ZEB standard by 2050. This would cover criteria such as what the benefits look like in terms of energy savings and greenhouse gas emission reductions. It would also
“For individual member states to get to a stage where they are compliant with the minimum energy performance standard, this would require an acceleration of the rate of renovation across the EU, as most of the EU’s building stock was constructed before the introduction of the EPBD, and the MEPS will be more relevant to older buildings than new builds.”
include a list of indicators such as WLC measurements, indoor air quality and other forms of relevant data.”
The Commission has proposed an ambitious timeline for member states to introduce BRPs by 2024.
“From the work we have done on national renovation strategies, and within this context what we have learned that to be effective, the EU bodies need to bring together a diverse community of stakeholders to make this work because it will not work if governments try to run these alone as has been the case in the past.
“The Council is looking to push out the deadline for BRP introduction to the end of 2025, with the passports voluntary at that time. Again, we have to see what happens in the final trialogue.”
The WorldGBC has made a series of recommendations within its WLC roadmap on what a BRP should look like and what would need to be in it. The Irish Green Building Council has carried out a lot of work developing what a model BRP could look like.
“We have proposed that there should be an individual climate action roadmap for each building that would incorporate a BRP, and that it’s not just for existing buildings, but future buildings as well. An outline within the roadmap would set out how progressively tightening minimum energy performance standards for that building would reduce WLC emissions and set out expected energy savings and health and comfort benefits.
“By making the passport digital, as part of an overall digital building log book, this would act as a repository of all material and information related to the building, which, in turn, could be linked to national climate action plans. So, there’s a link between individual buildings and national climate action plans that member states are working on.
With regard to the MEPS, the WorldGBC believes that the EU can’t expect people to comply unless there is a clear trajectory and introduction time and support in terms of what the introduction of MEPSs would mean for various sectors.
Nugent explains, “For individual member states to get to a stage where they are compliant with the MEPS, this would require an acceleration of the rate of renovation across the EU, as most of the EU’s building stock was constructed before the introduction of the EPBD, and the MEPS will be more relevant to older buildings than new builds.
“The Commission has put forward that public-owned and non-
residential buildings would need an EPC of class F by 2027 and at least class E by 2030. This means just moving the worst-performing buildings up to what is still a fairly low-performing standard. For residential buildings, the Commission has the less ambitious timeline of Class F by 2030 and Class E by 2033.
“The Parliament, as I have already said, has a more ambitious position; they want a higher class of performance to be achieved by those same dates, so rather than F and E, they want an E and D standard by 2030 and 2033, respectively. Again, we await to see the outcome when the agreements from the trialogue are published.”
In terms of the ZEB standard and the definition of what this will be, it is still being thrashed out in the negotiations.
“The timeline for ZEB introduction, which is under negotiation, is that all new buildings will have to meet the ZEB standard by either 2027 or 2030. We hope that because of their familiarity with NZEB, member states and stakeholders would have a better understanding of how to comply with the ZEB standard.”
Fossil fuel phase-out is another critical area under discussion in the current trialogue.
The Commission has put forward that from January 2027, as part of the multi-annual financial framework, no incentives should be given for fossil fuel heating systems. The Council has proposed that this be the case from January 2025, and the Parliament’s position is that it should be January 2024. The Parliament went one step further and put forward a measure that member states should ensure that fossil fuel boilers cannot be installed in new buildings once the EPBD revision comes into effect. However, at the same time, the Parliament introduced a loophole to exclude hybrid boilers from this measure, which means that hybrid boilers which can partly use fossil fuels could be installed.
Audrey Nugent comments, “The EU Commission has put forward a legal basis for the phase-out of fossil fuel boiler bans, but no EU-level phase-out. When the Parliament was going through its vote on fossil fuel phase-out, one of the concessions they had to give to get it through was a loophole that hybrid heating systems or boilers that are also certified to run on renewable fuels might not need to be considered fossil fuel heating systems. There is a concern that this is a significant loophole, and we are watching to see how this evolves.”
Audrey Nugent concludes by saying despite the stumbling blocks, the agreed revisions in the EPBD will move the construction sector closer to being carbon neutral.
“The final trialogue started on 31 August. We’re hopeful that the outcomes from this will be published in Q1 2024. There would then be a period of about 18 months to transpose the agreements into individual states’ legislation. This might mean the revisions will be in place at some point in 2025. And, depending on what’s agreed in the trialogue, if more ambitious people get their way, some of the provisions might be coming down the line in two years’ time. But there’s going to be a fair deal of compromise needed yet to get this over the line.”
She closes by adding it should be noted that the EPBD is just one area of legislation to be addressed.
“There are a lot of other initiatives coming out of the Commission with regard to buildings. There is also a piece of work around better understanding the existing building stock across member states and updates on the Waste Framework Directive as well as new construction products legislation.
“Overall, there is a comprehensive range of improvements coming down the line that construction professionals will want to keep an eye on,” Audrey Nugent concludes.
Summer 2023 is likely to be the hottest ever recorded on Earth. It has been marked by floods and devastating wildfires across Europe. Could this become the norm? IRENE RONDINI, Communications & Marketing Lead, Irish Green Building Council, outlines the programme for Better Homes 2023.
The latest data on our carbon emissions and climate projections for 2050 leave little doubt: We cannot keep designing, building, and renovating the way we have always done it.
This year, the Irish Green Building Council’s annual residential conference Better Homes 2023 explores how we can balance the demand for comfortable, climate-proof housing while staying within our carbon budget.
Building upon the findings of the ‘Building a Zero Carbon Ireland” roadmap, Better Homes 2023’ will discuss how we can meet the needs of a growing population without blowing Ireland’s carbon budget.
The panellists will first discuss the type of homes being built: Do they consider Ireland’s changing demographics? Are they suitable for smaller households and an ageing population?
A second panel will then consider strategies for maximising the use of our existing stock, including vacant commercial buildings and underused space above shops. Recent studies from the Collaborative Town Centre Health Check show commercial vacancy rates of up to 45% on the ground floor in many Irish towns, with upper floors reaching an astonishing 80%. While worrying, this also presents a fantastic opportunity to reduce our emissions while bringing back life in our town centres through high-quality energy renovations.
EPA projections (and recent storms) show that Ireland is increasingly experiencing extreme weather, potentially leading to devastating effects on homes and communities. As the CEO of AXA, one of the world’s largest insurers, said in 2015: ‘A 2°C world might be insurable; a 4°C world certainly would not be’.
Against this background, panellists will examine how we can construct climate-safe homes that not only withstand these challenges but also safeguard the health and well-being of users.
These topics will be extensively discussed at Better Homes 2023 on Friday, 01 December at the Gibson Hotel, Dublin. Join over 200 building and construction professionals, policymakers, and researchers at Better Homes 2023 and reimagine our approach to housing with us.
To learn more, phone 01 681 5862, email info@igbc.ie or visit www.igbc.ie
Firestone roofing, wall and lining systems are becoming Elevate. Our name may be changing, but the same people, products and standards you trust will remain.
Go to HolcimElevate.com for more information.
The Elliott Group was delighted to hand over Blocks B and E of The Crossings development to Quintain Ireland. This marks a significant step forward in the creation of a thriving and complete community on the outskirts of Dublin.
The Crossings, a residential and commercial urban village, has added 279 residential units and 20 ground-floor retail units to its impressive portfolio. With buildings ranging from four to nine storeys, this development has been a testament to Elliott Group’s commitment to excellence in construction.
Throughout the project, Elliott Group has celebrated numerous milestones, reflecting the dedication and professionalism of its management team and the strong partnerships it has forged not only with its valued client, Quintain Ireland, but also with its valued subcontractors and supply chain. It is these partnerships that have played a pivotal role in ensuring the high-quality delivery of Blocks B and E.
Darragh Elliott, Managing Director, Elliott Group, remarked, “We take immense pride in our team’s consistent efforts in surpassing expectations. This handover signifies not only the completion of two remarkable blocks but also an enduring and successful
collaboration, underpinned by our shared commitment to excellence.”
The project’s residential component consists of 279 units, including a mix of apartments, duplexes, and ground-floor retail spaces. Elliott Group’s meticulous attention to detail, combined with a focus on infrastructure, ensures that The Crossings offers a superior living experience for its
From the formative years of his career and his decision to leave his native Iraq through to his remarkable achievements in the complex world of alternative Dispute resolution (ADR) and his work on the various FIDIC conditions of contract, this dialogue with Tayseer Treky and Misbah Kamal offers the reader a rare glimpse into the mind of the man who has influenced so many facets of the construction and insurance world.
In addition to an autobiographical narrative and views on the insurance market, with a particular focus on Iraq in the 1960s and special reference to international construction and engineering, the dialogue covers complex and challenging issues in construction insurance and associated problems.
Co-author of this dialogue, Tayseer
Treky comments, “We have benefited tremendously from the writing of this dialogue and acquired some of Dr Bunni’s intellectual habits like attention to detail, punctuality and precision of expression. To us, he is an inspiring example.”
Insights on Construction Contracts and Insurance, Dr Nael G Bunni in Dialogue with Tayseer Treky and Misbah Kamal, in a limited edition hardback book, is available now to buy at www.naelbunni.com
future residents.
With the completion of The Plaza, residential and commercial units and the beautifully landscaped surroundings, Elliott Group looks forward to contributing to future phases of The Crossings development and continuing to work with the local community.
JENNY PRUNTY, Divisional Director, HWBC, writes that the level of affordable accommodation for private renters across Ireland will not shift in the right direction without more investment coming into the sector.
Over the past 12 to 18 months, the delivery of housing stock has continued to be impacted by the country’s complex planning system, with increasing construction costs and rising interest rates bringing more challenges to bear on the market.
Traditionally, build-to-rent (BTR) schemes have been transacted with investors off-market, sometimes prior to site works ever commencing. But, due to increasing interest rates and returns on sustainable and affordable rents with a 2% cap, developers are finding they have to build out and stabilise schemes before generating interest at levels that they can trade.
In this situation, developers are essentially acting out an investor’s first two to three-year business plan or strategy before the investor commits.
With Eurostat finding 68% of people aged between 25 and 29 years of age in Ireland are still living at home, we rely solely on developers and investors to provide private rental accommodation, which, unfortunately, in some cases, can only be offered at terms that have made the schemes viable. And that’s if the developer has been fortunate enough to secure construction finance to elevate the project to that point.
Within the investment market, the residential sector has been the dominant performer, outweighing investment turnover for offices, retail and logistics. However, the trend changed for the first time in five years in Q2 2023, and this most likely mirrors projections over the coming 12 months.
As investment into the BTR market is significantly lower than in previous years, exit strategies are becoming more difficult to withstand. The level of affordable accommodation for private renters across Ireland will not shift in the right direction without more investment coming into the sector.
The government’s temporary development contribution waiver scheme is some help towards lowering costs for some developers, but this single waiver is not sufficient to outweigh the rate of inflation. Imposing a residential zoned land tax (RZLT) with tight restrictions outside of a landowner’s control will further impact the viability of future residential development.
The idea of converting office space to residential is being mooted, particularly with older office blocks in Dublin city centre. The government should incentivise these redevelopments so that the buildings can be acquired at levels that would maximise returns and increase output.
As a result of planning restrictions and system backlogs, it is expected that certain landholders will come under pressure in the coming months, and land values will most likely fall, in turn assisting scheme viability, deliverability and affordability for both developers and renters.
Recent market activity has been driven almost entirely by approved housing bodies (AHBs), which have a much lower cost of capital than
most commercial investors. Their involvement has proven crucial in unlocking units that would not otherwise have been delivered, but a note of caution must always be sounded when governmentfunded purchasers are dominant in the market to this extent. For the immediate future, the combination of higher interest rates and capped rental growth will see many commercial investors stay out of the market until pricing adjusts. At some point, market pricing must be allowed to assert itself.
There has been a marked uptick in sales from distressed situations as lenders seek to recover loans. Sites without planning are under particular stress as investors shy away from spending an indeterminate time in the planning process. Sites with planning permission have seen more demand, albeit current pricing still reflects increased debt and construction costs.
HWBC is Ireland’s leading independent property firm. Its team of over 30 property professionals has more than 300 years of expertise in the industry with a track record of creating solutions for clients that focus on delivering long-term value. HWBC prides itself on ensuring clients receive senior director support on any project on which it is engaged.
2023, Guaranteed Irish celebrates its annual Construction Month, dedicated to supporting and promoting member companies in the construction and housing industries. This is achieved through the unique Guaranteed Irish House website, the ultimate destination for building a house or retrofitting any type of building in Ireland.
Launched in 2019, by Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O'Brien TD, this initiative is backed by renowned organizations such as RIAI, Engineers Ireland, CIF, and more. It provides architects, engineers, quantity surveyors, and interior designers with a
“Quality, robust, sustainable construction products that result in good quality housing for citizens is essential. When using locally produced raw building materials we are not only benefitting local jobs and the local economy but also furthering our climate action aims. Ultimately, homes which are built to the highest standards and which are safe and healthy to live in is the top priority.”
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O'Brien TD
The Guaranteed Irish House listing covers the entire supply chain, including homegrown or international brands based in Ireland. This ensures shorter lead times, local expertise, and reduced travel distances. Encompassing everything from external structures, aggregates, roofs, and walls, to commercial service solutions for building maintenance, energy e ciency, and platform also provides an extensive finishing touches under the Furnishing and Garden categories. Every company listed on the platform holds the prestigious Guaranteed Irish Mark, which
represents trust for both businesses and consumers nationwide. All members are committed to sustaining jobs, contributing to their local communities, and supporting Irish provenance.
By consciously choosing to source from Guaranteed Irish House members, specifiers and homeowners actively promote local jobs in their communities throughout Ireland, reduce the travel miles of their materials, while building a sustainable local economy for the future. So, if you are an architect, look out for the .
GuaranteedIrishHouse.ie Brid O’Connell, CEO, Guaranteed Irish with Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien TD, at the Guaranteed Irish House Launch
ADAM DARGAN, SHARON O’ROURKE and JOSH WILER of Construction Information Services (CIS) report on residential activity across the Irish market in the 12 months up to the end of August 2023 and contend that it is pivotal to ensure timely completions, with only 18,630 units reaching the finish line in these 12 months.
Ireland’s housing sector has seen continued investment in the past 12 months, as well as ambitious planning applications, healthy on-the-ground activity and the completion of thousands of units across the country.
Even with the many challenges it faced – primarily the bottleneck of planning – the Irish residential construction sector has not been idle. The heartbeat of residential construction has been felt most robustly in the region of Leinster, which surged ahead as a beacon of housing growth. This was evident with an influx of planning applications and the unveiling of thousands of brand-new residential units.
The Large Scale Residential Development (LRD) planning application route has replaced the now defunct Strategic Housing Development (SHD) route and will hopefully prove to be a much better solution to housing shortages going forward, allowing for the growth of a more sustainable supply of housing for an ever-growing
population.
In July 2023, CIS reported that 50% of counties in the Republic of Ireland now have at least one LRD proposed. CIS data indicates a higher concentration of LRD schemes in counties with urban centres, such as Cork and Dublin. As expected, there are regional disparities across Ireland, with rural or less densely populated counties having fewer LRD schemes. The local authorities of Dublin accounted for circa 70% of all LRD schemes as of July 2023, equating to a total of 12,337 residential units.
LRDs are poised to act as an important catalyst for addressing the housing crisis, bringing benefits such as increased supply, affordability, economic growth, soundly planned diverse communities and robust infrastructure.
In the past 12 months, 64,260 residential units have been submitted for planning, with the largest region, Leinster, having 44,660 units and the smallest region, Ulster (ROI), having just 2,550 units. The highest aggregate value of total projects peaked at €15.05bn. It is vital that the delivery of these units is realised over the coming years to achieve government Housing for All targets.
One of the largest projects to receive planning approval in the past 12 months was the €300m St Vincent Hospital LRD in Fairview, Dublin. The development consists of the construction of a new hospital building, providing mental health services, provision of nine residential blocks and community facilities, as well as public open space. The proposed building heights range from two to 13 storeys with a total of 811 residential units, including 494 standard-design apartments and 317 build-to-rent (BTR) apartments.
As of August 2023, the largest project lodged for planning in the past 12 months was the €350m Goulding Site LRD in Cork city. The development consists of the demolition of the existing on-site buildings and structures and site clearance to facilitate the construction of 1,325 residential units, including apartments and duplexes within 10 buildings. As of August 2023, this project has been approved planning.
A total of 8,380 new projects commenced over the past 12 months, comprising close to 34,000 units, with the largest region, Leinster, seeing over 23,000 units commence and the smallest region, Ulster (ROI), almost 1,000 units.
Over the past 12 months, 52,420 units were granted planning permission. With the largest region, Leinster, having over 38,440 units and the smallest region, Ulster (ROI), having 1,760 units. There has been a consistent number of projects being granted permission comparing Q3 2022 and Q3 2023 current trajectory.
One of the largest projects to commence on site in the past 12 months was the €400m former O’Devaney Gardens site in Dublin. The development consists of 1,047 residential units and all associated ancillary accommodation, site and development works. The total gross floor space (GFA) of the overall development is 102,940 sq metres, of which 100,646 sq metres are for residential and 2,294 sq metres for non-residential uses.
Over the past 12 months, 18,630 residential units have been completed, with the largest region, Leinster, having 12,450 units delivered and the smallest region, Ulster (ROI), seeing the delivery of 814 units. These units would derive from completed developments and units completed within ongoing developments. The mix comprises scheme housing, apartment developments and mixed residential projects.
One of the largest projects to be completed within the past 12 months was a €92m Cairn Homes apartment development in Marino in Dublin. The development, with a total gross floor area of 36,556
sq metres (excluding basements), consists of 385 residential units, comprising 377 apartments and eight five-bedroom two-and-a-halfstorey terraced houses.
While Leinster takes the lion’s share in this resurgence, areas like Ulster hint at the need for more balanced regional development. The sheer financial magnitude of projects, peaking at €15.05bn, signals confidence in the sector, attracting both domestic and foreign investments. The Goulding site LRD project stands as a testament to this sentiment.
Still, while planning permissions and project commencements paint a positive picture, it is pivotal to ensure timely completions, with only 18,630 units reaching the finish line over the past 12 months. This disparity underscores the challenges the sector may face, from supply chain disruptions, labour shortages and regulatory bottlenecks. As Ireland strides into the future, the focus should not only be on the volume of houses but also on sustainability, affordability and holistic urban planning. Embracing a multipronged approach, which marries volume with value, will be crucial to orchestrating a housing landscape that is innovative and inclusive.
Information is correct as of 31 August 2023. For more details on residential project information and analysis, visit www. cisireland.com, email research@cisireland.com, or call 01 299 9200 to speak with the Construction Information Services research, sales and insights teams.
CIS recently released a full report dedicated to Large Residential Developments (LRDs). If you would like a copy, please contact research@cisireland.com.
Leading plumbing and drainage manufacturer Wavin has launched Tigris K5/M5, a new range of 16mm to 40mm press-fit fittings designed to effectively detect faults in unpressed fittings. This new launch builds on the success and reliability delivered by its predecessor, Tigris K1/M1.
The fitting’s unique design with the Acoustic Alert is the first to enable testing with air and water, and the range comes with various marketleading benefits to streamline the overall pressure testing process whilst ensuring accuracy and maintaining a hygienic pipe system.
The 80-decibel Whistle – acoustic alert is designed to easily identify unpressed fittings using an air pressure test. This feature ensures that installers can reliably and efficiently detect unpressed fittings in the loudest of environments.
K5 fittings incorporate a new transparent section as part of the body to give installers a quick visual check of the pipe insertion. This In4Sure 360° feature is a key benefit to ensuring a secure and leak-free installation.
Additionally, the Optiflow feature ensures a 50% greater flow rate when compared with K1/M1. Designed to deliver optimal flow performance through the fittings, this is especially relevant for smaller pipe diameters and will ensure a higher total system performance.
Tigris K5/M5 fittings have a Multi-Press profile feature and are compatible with U, Up, H, TH and B profiles. The Multi-Press profile feature ensures installers do not require investment in any additional
tooling.
Michael O’Donohoe, Wavin Country Director, Ireland, commented, “The development of the new Tigris K5/M5 fittings with the Acoustic Alert and the In4Sure 360° feature is set to optimise the installation and pressure testing of this system across the industry and provide a variety of real-time benefits for installers. The wider diameter and increased flow rate make the fittings particularly beneficial for high-rise projects and larger developments, where there’s increased demand on the pumping system to supply water to upper levels.
“Using air in pressure testing is widely considered the most hygienic option, and this should be as accessible as possible to the industry. Designed to focus on the needs of installers, these market-leading features are set to ensure that the pressure testing process is as easy, accurate and costefficient as possible.”
The Tigris K5 /M5 plumbing system, manufactured in accordance with ISO 21003 and WRAS approved, is suitable for Hot and cold-water installations as well as heating systems. Whatever the application, Wavin Tigris K5/M5 offers the fittings and multi-layer pipes in diameters from 16-40mm needed to do a great job every time. The Tigris K5 fitting has a PPSU body, and the Tigris M5 has a brass body.
For more information about Wavin’s latest Tigris range, visit wavin.ie or email projects.ie@wavin.com
*Acoustic Alert feature does NOT replace the pressure test.
Armatherm™ is one of the leading suppliers of structural thermal break materials for the construction industry. Its goal is to provide architects, structural engineers and building design professionals with effective solutions to prevent thermal bridging.
Thermal bridging has been recognised as a significant factor in building envelope heat loss. Armatherm thermal break materials have low thermal conductivity and high strength and have been designed and tested to prevent thermal bridging. The company’s thermal bridging solutions can be used anywhere a penetration or transition exists in a building envelope creating a thermal bridge.
Armatherm structural thermal break materials minimise heat loss at balcony, canopy, parapet, masonry shelf angle and cladding connections.
To learn more, visit www.armatherm.com
Flat roofing systems specialist QBM has announced the appointment of Des Stapleton as roofing and technical consultant. In this role, he will provide expert guidance to commercial property owners and managers on designing, installing, maintaining, repairing, and replacing flat roofing system roofs and support the business’s ambitious growth strategy within Ireland.
Des Stapleton brings over 30 years of construction and roofing industry expertise to this new role. Before joining QBM, he held various management-level positions in the supply chain industry for roofing materials, along with commercial and technical sales roles with major suppliers. Most recently, he worked with well-known clients in Ireland as an independent roofing consultant.
This newly created role at QBM will see Stapleton develop and oversee QBM’s customer relationship management, increase awareness of the QBM brand within Ireland, and support and assist QBM’s existing and new client base with the correct roofing system for their project, alongside working with the senior leadership team to enter new markets and introduce new products to QBM’s target audience.
His arrival follows a series of senior appointments at QBM over the past 12
months, including Fabian Emig as general office and export manager, William Burgoyne as technical sales & training manager and Noreena Hannigan as finance & operations manager.
Commenting on Des Stapleton’s appointment, David Butler, Managing Director, QBM, said, “Des will be hugely beneficial to our business; his wealth of industry experience and longevity in the
industry will enable us to reach a wider audience and increase our market share in Ireland. We are excited to have Des on board and the wealth of expertise he can bring to the Irish division of our business.”
Based in Baldoyle, Dublin 13, QBM supplies flat roofing materials and systems to trade professionals all over Ireland. It provides several flat roofing installations and flat roofing repair solutions for the public.
Kingspan has reported a trading profit of €435.5m for the first half of this year. This is a modest increase compared to the same period last year. This result was driven by revenue of €4.1bn, a 2% decrease from the first half of 2022. Profit after tax reached €324m, showing marginal growth despite what the company termed a “somewhat challenging” trading environment.
The company notes varying trading conditions across different markets. The Americas, particularly the US, performed exceptionally well, while Europe experienced mixed results, impacted by weaker newbuild activity and rising interest rates affecting the refurbishment market.
Insulation sales dropped by 5%, driven by sluggish residential markets, with insulated panels sales down by 10%, particularly in central and eastern Europe.
Gene Murtagh, CEO, Kingspan, said he was satisfied with the strong performance amid these challenges and highlighted that acquisitions contributed significantly to the company’s growth.
Gene Murtagh said, “We are pleased with a strong first-half performance in a testing
environment. Performance outcomes varied by product and by market against a backdrop of higher interest rates and a degree of price deflation.
“This year, the harsh reality of climate change has become an everyday reality for many, intensifying the urgency to deliver meaningful and increasingly smart decarbonisation solutions. Kingspan’s
Innovation and Planet Passionate strategies have the firm aim of addressing this challenge through driving progressively sustainable building envelope solutions. These strategies are deeply embedded across Kingspan, delivering a reduction of direct GHG emissions by over 50% in the first half and reinforcing a common goal for our people globally.
“Our expanding spectrum of insulation solutions continues to progress apace. Since period end, we agreed to acquire 51% of Steico, the world leader in wood-based insulation, adding to a growing bio-based portfolio including hemp and wood-wool acoustic insulation. Along with our portfolio of lower embodied carbon (LEC) products, the first of which launched this year, we are now firmly established as a leader in the growing market for lower embodied carbon construction products.
“As we look to the remainder of the year, we expect continuing strategic momentum supported by a strong development pipeline, an increasingly stable supply chain and pricing environment, and a global decarbonisation drive,” Gene Murtagh concluded.
Paving and building products supplier AG has reinforced its position as a market leader in sustainable construction by reducing its carbon footprint by 53.7%.
The firm already has one of the lowest carbon footprints in the industry and is committed to reducing the environmental impact of its operations to an absolute minimum.
Last year, AG signed the Business in the Community’s Climate Action Pledge whereby companies commit to reducing their scope 1 and scope 2 emissions by at least 30% and also to begin reducing scope 3. As part of the pledge, Business in the Community sets science-based targets and will chart AG’s decarbonisation journey.
An initial analysis of AG’s manufacturing activities showed a reduction in emissions from its baseline of 2019 to 2022 by 53.7%despite an increase in production volumes as the company faced unprecedented demand for its products, reinforcing its commitment to a greener future in construction.
AG has invested £5m into its operations, enabling the firm to modernise its plant, equipment, and technology. By shutting down old, inefficient factories and reducing the amount of mobile plant machinery,
AG has reduced its fuel consumption even further.
The creation of a pioneering carbon calculator has also allowed AG to calculate its overall carbon impact, as well as the carbon impact per product, driving the firm’s sustainability agenda through the introduction of more environmentally friendly products into the business.
As well as this, the specialist building products business previously switched to 100% renewable energy supply and has also introduced electric and hybrid cars into
their fleet. This was led by AG CEO Stephen Acheson with support from the firm’s CSR team, which was set up with the aim of reducing the company’s carbon footprint as part of an energy strategy developed with a commitment to producing low-carbon products.
Rodney Davidson, Commercial Director, AG, comments, “For many years, we have worked tirelessly to reduce our energy usage. These results further demonstrate our commitment to making long-lasting and impactful changes.”
•
•
DataCentres Ireland combines a dedicated exhibition and multi-streamed conference to address every aspect of planning, designing and operating your Datacentre, Server/Comms room and Digital storage solution – Whether internally, outsourced or in the Cloud.
DataCentres Ireland is the largest and most complete event in the country. It is where you will meet the key decision makers as well as those directly involved in the day to day operations.
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
Multi Stream Conference
25 Hours of Conference Content
International & Local Experts
60+ Speakers & Panellists
100+ Exhibitors
Networking Reception
Entry to ALL aspects of DataCentres Ireland is FREE
• Market Overview
• Power Sessions
• Connectivity
• Regional Developments
• Open Compute Project
• Heat Networks and the Data Centre
• Renewable Energy
• Standby Generation
• Updating Legacy Data Centres
Ticket & Registration Sponsor
