Construction Management Ireland Yearbook 2022

It’s always good to catch up. And it’s just what we are all about in this special edition of Construction management Ireland; catching up and looking to the future.

And what better time to do so than at the turn of the year when we recap on the past twelve months and look forward to the year 2023?

It’s been another interesting period in the industry. Naturally. Hardly a year goes by that this doesn’t seem like an understatement to say!

The year 2022 has been marked by a return to something approaching ‘normality’ in the wider economy and society in general. What that ‘normality’ is however, is shifting constantly –but part of it is surely a return to face-to-face events for starters. And we’ve more than a few of these in our pages this time out.

The concept of ‘normality’ puts us in mind of an industry colleague who commented – with reference to the pandemic – on how facing challenges is what people in this industry do. Constantly. They figure out solutions and ways to move ahead. And that is what we are here to celebrate.

Once again, the industry put its best foot forward in 2022 with more remarkable achievements.

As always, many stories and articles in this issue mark a ‘snapshot in time’. We hope to jog some memories and celebrate achievements, recognize some more of the everyday heroes who make this industry what it is. Who keep us moving forward, constantly.

We mix this with up-to-the-minute news and we find out the latest from some of our top companies who share aspects of their journeys with us.

Elsewhere we focus on training and careers, on safety and on Lean construction.

We look to the Irish Green Building Council for an update – and as usual we ‘talk tech’ and legal issues too. We look at market trends and we celebrate a cross-section of industry players – from new apprentices to thought leaders and CEOs.

In addition, we carry our usual review of products and services. As always, it’s a wide-ranging mixture. But as we like to say, there is one central thread holding it all together. We put the professional ‘centre stage’ at Construction Management Ireland

We hope you enjoy this issue,

Ireland’s first civil engineering apprenticeship’s aims to bridge shortfall in engineers

With a minimum of 3,000 new civil engineers needed to ensure the successful delivery of Project Ireland 2040, the National Development Plan and Climate Action Plan 2019, the Civil Engineering Apprenticeship Consortium with Atlantic Technological University (ATU) announced a new apprenticeship aimed at Civil Engineering.

Atlantic Technological University (ATU) along with the Civil Engineering Apprenticeship Consortium of key industry stakeholders and employers, has announced the development of a suite of academic qualifications in Civil Engineering, which will be delivered by apprenticeship to address the shortfall in the industry for qualified civil engineers.

Supported The development of these programmes is being supported and funded by the National Apprenticeship O ce in a bid to attract new entrants into the profession and satisfy a growing demand for learning through apprenticeship.

ATU, acting as the co-ordinating provider, are working alongside educational providers and TUs across Ireland, industry partners, and Engineers Ireland to develop a full suite of programmes from Level 6,

ABOVE: Members of the Civil Engineering Apprenticeship Consortium and the Programme Development Committee at ATU Sligo

Higher Certificate, to Level 9, Masters.

This collaborative approach will ensure the new programmes will leverage o best practice and have national reach.

Phases

It is envisaged that these programmes will be rolled out in two phases.

Phase one will include the Higher Certificate (Level 6) and the BEng degree (Level 7) in Civil Engineering and is forecasted to have its first intake in September 2023, subject to validation.

Phase two will include the BEng (hons) Level 8 as well as an MEng (Level 9) in Civil Engineering with a forecasted intake in September 2024.

The Civil Engineering Apprenticeship Consortium was formed by ATU Sligo and is made up of key national organisations

and stakeholders such as Engineers Ireland, the Construction Industry Federation (CIF), Irish Water, the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA), The Association of Consulting Engineers of Ireland (ACEI) and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII).

Chair

Chairing the consortium is John Murphy, CEO of Murphy International and former president of the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA).

On the announcement of the funding Mr Murphy said that ‘this strategically important initiative will help address the huge deficit in civil engineering talent and support key initiatives such as the National Development Plan, which is essential to the objectives under Housing for All.

‘Training and education, upskilling and continuous professional development are key to the health of the sector and this professional apprenticeship will provide a means of tackling the skills shortage being observed.’

Eamonn Stapleton, President of the Civil Engineering Contractors Association and member of the Consortium believes ‘this is an excellent and much needed route to becoming a professionally accredited, internationally recognised Civil Engineer.

‘It will provide a way to

‘earn and learn’ and help attract more young people into the industry, while also providing a new career path for current employees within the industry.’

Growing

Úna Parsons, Head of College, ATU Sligo adds, ‘professional apprenticeships are a growing alternative to the traditional route to a third-level education qualification and are necessary to attract the scale and diversity of candidates needed into industries such as civil engineering and construction.

‘We are thrilled the government recognises the value of these schemes and its support will help employers and job entrants alike.

‘ATU have many years of experience in traditional and professional apprenticeship programmes.

Ideal ‘In addition, they have been successfully delivering online learning and training in Ireland for over twenty years, which makes us an ideal partner and coordinating provider.

‘This partnership will build on ATU’s strong track-record of collaboration already in place with the civil engineering and construction sector.’

For further information about civil engineering apprenticeship contact the consortium secretary, Dr. Emma Britton at emma.britton@atu.ie

Suir Engineering acquired by private equity group Duke Street

It’s been announced that Suir Engineering, one of the country’s leading providers of mechanical, electrical and instrumentation engineering services, is to be acquired by private equity group Duke Street.

Waterford Suir, which employs 1,300 people and is headquartered in Waterford was a jointly owned subsidiary of Dalkia and EDF Energy.

The company said the transaction, which includes investment by the senior management team, will enable it to enhance the services it offers to clients,

remains subject to obtaining applicable regulatory approvals.

Strong

Duke Street, one of Britain’s best known private equity groups, has a strong track record of investing in industrial service companies.

Over the last twentyfive years it has invested over €2.5bn in more than fifty companies, achieving investment returns in excess of 25% over that period.

pipeline of projects across Europe in all of its highly attractive end-sectors.

‘We have been impressed with Suir’s growth strategy and we look forward to actively supporting the existing management team in delivering their ambitious plans.’

Transformative Michael Kennedy, managing director, Suir Engineering, said he believed the partnership with Duke Street would be transformative for the company, enabling it to grow steadily while continuing to provide the best service possible to its Irish and international clients.

‘We at Suir are looking forward to partnering with Duke Street who share our vision, values, and ambition.

‘Together, we will accelerate Suir’s growth by investing in people and expanding the business proposition to include more international work in key client sectors such as technology, renewables, and life sciences.

‘We believe this will consolidate our position as a leader in the provision of mechanical, electrical and instrumentation engineering services that are expertly delivered by our very experienced team.’

while operations will continue as normal from its main base in Waterford and its other offices in Dublin, Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Frankfurt.

Suir, which has nearly four decades of engineering expertise in its core sectors of Pharma, Energy & Utilities, Food & Beverage and Data Centres, has an annual turnover of around €300m.

The completion of the transaction

Paul Adams, partner at Duke Street, said Suir’s reputation as a provider of innovative engineering solutions on projects across Europe was second to none.

‘We are delighted to acquire Suir Engineering, a market-leading business that is a great fit for our investment program.

‘The Duke Street team has previous successful experience in industrial services as well as Suir’s underlying sectors.

‘The company has a highly skilled workforce, an extremely strong safety record and a healthy

Chadwicks lends its support to Clare family on DIY SOS

Chadwicks is delighted to provide support to the MulveySydney family from Ennis in the third series of DIY SOS: The Big Build Ireland.

As the exclusive building materials supplier to the show, Chadwicks will provide a wide range of materials to facilitate another significant refurbishment for a wonderful family.

Suir says investment will enable it to enhance its service offering and deliver on its ambitious plans

DIY SOS: The Big Build Series 3 will air on RTÉ in March 2023.

Ardmac awarded Engineers Ireland’s CPD Accredited Employer Standard

Recognition

Commenting on achieving the CPD Accredited Employer Standard, Michael Quinn, director of engineering at Ardmac, said:

International construction company Ardmac has been awarded the muchsought-after CPD Accredited Employer Standard by Engineers Ireland in recognition of their continuing professional development (CPD) strategy.

Global Headquartered in Dublin, and with offices in Cork, Craigavon, Manchester, Brussels and Switzerland, Ardmac is a leading global provider of cleanrooms, data centres, electric vehicle battery facilities, fit out and modular solutions.

For forty-five years, the company has provided high quality spaces to fast moving and evolving markets in Ireland, the UK and Europe.

Ardmac believes in setting new standards for industry and driving innovation.

The company deploys innovative technology throughout the business to empower its people, drive performance and maximise value for customers.

Central Ardmac’s design and engineering team have been central to company performance.

In response to the growing demand from clients for turn-key solutions, the company has developed a multidisciplinary design and engineering team with more than twenty-five engineers, six of whom hold Chartered Engineer status.

The company also supports and nurtures future engineering talent through participation in Engineers Ireland’s STEPS programme, by providing Transition Year work experience and third year placements, and through its graduate programme.

‘Achieving the Engineers Ireland CPD Accredited Employer Standard is a welcome recognition of the effective learning and development supports that already exist in Ardmac for the engineering team and all employees.

‘In line with the company’s vision to be the contractor of choice for our clients and the employer of choice for great people, we recognise the absolute necessity to create an environment of continuous learning and development.

‘We really look forward to further strengthening our links with Engineers Ireland and using the CPD framework to help our people to realise their individual potentials and to maximise the overall team performance,’ Mr Quinn added.

Delighted

Congratulating Ardmac, Dee Kehoe, CPD director at Engineers Ireland, said:

‘Engineers Ireland is delighted to award Ardmac with the CPD Accredited Employer Standard.

‘This Irish-owned company has positioned itself as a dynamic and innovative employer, ensuring that people development is at the core of its impressive strategic growth.

‘We congratulate the team at Ardmac on the achievement of this prestigious standard.’

Strategic

The Engineers Ireland CPD Accredited Employer Standard is a strategic framework which enables engineers and engineering employers to raise competency levels and deliver tangible business benefits by investing in engineers through continuing professional development.

For more information, visit: www.ardmac.com

Pictured at the World Skills National Final in Dublin at the Plastering and DryWall competition area, sponsored by Gyproc, is Neil Dodd (Competitor); Jason Horrex (Technical Academy Manager Gyproc); Finn O’Loingsigh (Competitor); Tomas Reidy (Chief Examiner for Plastering & DryWall competition); Aidan Wood (Competitor); James Sheehan (Competitor Winner)

At the World Skills National Final in Dublin at the Plastering and DryWall competition area, sponsored by Gyproc, is Jason Horrex, Technical Academy Manager Gyproc; James Sheehan, Competition Winner and Tomas Reidy, Chief Examiner for Plastering & DryWall competition.

James Sheehan is 22 and from Waterford and works for Moore’s Plastering who are based in Kilkenny. He completed Phase 2 of his plastering apprenticeship in Waterford ETB, more recently his Phase 4 in Munster Technical University (MTU) and is waiting to called for his Phase 6 at time of writing.

Success for James at World Skills National final

Considerate Constructors Scheme rebrands with fresh, new look

The Considerate Constructors Scheme – the organisation which supports raising standards and building trust in the construction industry – has rebranded.

Change

The new brand reflects the change in how the scheme presents itself, with its strategy centred around raising standards, building trust.

It provides a fresh, updated look which communicates what the scheme is and how it can help the industry and public.

The transition into the new brand for the 4,500+ construction sites, organisations and suppliers registered with the scheme is taking place over a 12-month period, from November 2022-November 2023.

This means newly branded scheme banners and posters were starting to be

seen on registered activity across the UK and Ireland from November 2022.

Transition

Some registered sites will start to display scheme brand in transition posters in public/workforce facing parts of the exterior of the site, to help build familiarity

are delighted to begin the transition to our new scheme brand as a marker of the scheme’s evolution into the organisation it is today.

‘The scheme’s new, simple and fresh brand significantly improves the way in which we communicate about ourselves to all our stakeholders.’

and exciting routes for those registered with us to drive a positive culture across their construction sites and organisations, through an additional suite of modules being developed and offered, including The Construction Site Leadership and Culture module.

‘We look forward to continuing our work to help the industry accelerate their performance in driving positive behaviours and raising their standards even further.’

Commenting on the launch of the new brand, Considerate Constructors Scheme non executive chairman Amit Oberoi says:

‘I am delighted to see our new branding begin the process of being rolled out.

and recognition between the ‘old’ and ‘new’ brand.

Considerate Constructors Scheme chief executive Amanda Long says: ‘We

Culture

Amanda adds: ‘The culture of continuous improvement reflected in our new brand is reinforced with new

About the Considerate Constructors Scheme

The Considerate Constructors Scheme is a not-for-profit, independently managed organisation that helps making meaningful impact that supports raising standards in construction and working to build trust.

To help constructors improve their behaviours and the impact of construction activity the Scheme has the Code of Considerate Practice which focuses on three key areas:

• Respecting the community

• Caring for the environment

• Valuing the workforce

The Scheme is voluntary. Those registered with the Scheme make a commitment to conform to the Code and work to raise their standards above and beyond it.

The Scheme has a dedicated Public Support team to help if anyone has a concern or feedback about construction activity.

Specify

Clients of construction projects can specify that their construction projects are registered with the Scheme and commit to the Code.

The Scheme’s Construction Map helps the public, industry and clients of construction projects to see who is

‘Rebranding is vital to demonstrate and communicate how we, as an organisation, can help to make a difference to the industry and the communities and environment impacted by construction activity through continuous improvement.’

currently registered, www.constructionmap.info.

The Best Practice Hub is the Scheme’s online platform used by over 30,000 people across the industry to learn from one another in how to achieve real best practice that makes a positive difference to the communities, environment and workforce, www.ccsbestpractice.org.uk.

Visit www.ccscheme.org.uk to find out more.

LinkedIn: Considerate Constructors Scheme Twitter: @CCScheme @ ccsbestpractice Instagram: ccscheme

SURETY BONDS

The economic impact of climate change is now clear

for all to see.

by Colm McGrath, MD, (below) Surety Bonds

Inflation seems to be peaking in Ireland and Europe and decelerating in the US due to aggressive interest rate hikes and a sharp drop in petrol prices.

Prices of many key commodities oil, wheat and copper have fallen in recent weeks due to weaker global demand.

If this is the case then lower prices should start to have a positive impact on the ordinary consumer early to mid-2023.

E ect

While inflation has had a drastic e ect on the European economy there are multiple factors which will have a negative impact and may see a recession kicking in over the winter months.

The war in Ukraine is an obvious problem, President Putin has cut o the supply of gas to Europe in retaliation for harsh sanctions against Russia.

The lack of gas could see many manufacturing plants cut output or shutdown during this period, rationing of energy across all sectors and power outages could become the norm during this period.

Impact

Even more disturbing is the impact climate change is having on already distraught economies across Europe.

The Rhine, a major trade artery for German, Dutch and Swiss economies was virtually impassable during the summer, this has had a huge impact as vessels carrying diesel and coal had either had to reduce their loads or are unable to deliver to ports most in need.

This hampered the preparation for winter; the summer months are usually used to build reserves.

Half of Europe’s territory su ered from droughts, the Danube which flows through much of Central and Southeastern Europe to the Black Sea was like the Rhine only flowing at a trickle.

Provide Italy’s rice fields ran dry as the PO was too low to provide the quantity of water provided, so much so they started taking water from Lake Garda until that started running low.

France found it di cult to cool its nuclear power stations as the Rhone and Garonne are too warm.

EN MORE DISTURBING IS THE IMPACT CLIMAT E CHANGE IS HAVING ON ALRE ADY DISTRAUGHT ECONOMIE S ACROSS EUROPE.’

The argument that transport up and down the Rhine and Danube can be replaced with other forms of transport is a moot point as rail networks are already congested, road usage is not even open for discussion as there are already shortages of truck drivers and replacing one barge would take legions of trucks which

would clog up already over utilised road networks.

This problem is only going to get worse as Alpine glaciers shrink and a reduction in rainfall lead to regular droughts, driving up costs of fuel, grain, wine and other commodities in the long-term.

Getting used to As much as I hate saying it we are going to have to start getting used to higher prices at the till.

We can no longer stick our heads in the sand when it comes to climate change, now that it is impacting us all, not just third world countries, we must realise the economic and health impacts are too destructive to be ignored.

The likelihood that we will have to face the current climate issues year after year is more likely, along with these issues is the cost no matter how hard we try to adapt that cost is going to have to be borne by the consumer.

The economic cost of climate change is accelerating with a dramatic price we are all going to have to pay.

‘EV

The Construction industry has had to deal with many challenges over the past few years. Economic challenges in the form of Brexit, COVID-19 and most recently the war in Ukraine have led to economic uncertainty, rising interest rates, higher energy costs, material price inflation, supply chain struggles and labour shortages which have impacted us all considerably in one way or another over the period.

Resilient

The industry has proven resilient however, but there are signs of strain. Blue chip companies are reconsidering their expansion plans, residential developers are considering delaying projects due to the current cost of building homes and commercial and industrial developers are less likely than ever to speculatively build.

We will get through it however, but we will all need to be a bit more dynamic in the coming years.

Along with these economic challenges we still struggle with labour and skills shortages which continue to be impactful.

Support

It goes without saying that we must support new candidates, provide opportunities for upskilling of existing sta , encourage sta retention, and promote equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) policies within our businesses.

We must make the industry a great place to work for all. We must provide an environment in which the construction industry is a sustainable career choice for all.

Providing appropriate pay and conditions, providing training and career progression opportunities must be the norm.

Diverse and inclusive

When it comes to equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) it is important that our industry commits to providing diverse and inclusive environments, evaluate the relevant policies, procedures, and

cultures to ensure everyone feels valued and to ensure everyone can fulfil their full potential.

A strong, diverse and inclusive industry will create a more innovative built environment.

2023 will surely bring with it challenges. However, the economy is still projected to grow by 3.9%, (at time of writing) and with this growth will come opportunity.

Succeed

Dynamic, innovative, collaborative, and diverse organisations will seek out and nurture these opportunities and will inevitably succeed.

May the upcoming year be filled with opportunity and success for those who seek it.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

Nollaig Shona agus Athbhliain foai Mhaise Duit.

Kindest regards Derek

‘A STRONG, DIVERSE INCLUSIVE INDUSTRY WILL CREATE A MORE INNOVATIVE BUILT ENVIRONMENT.’

A message from the Dublin-Hub chair, CIOB, Derek Cassidy, FCIOB

Training for the future at

Designer Group continues to push the boundaries and chart new territory in their sectors of operation, demonstrated through their various successes in winning industry awards and various accolades. Major recent successes include Designer Group’s own electrical apprentice, Brian Riordan, being selected as overall winner in the Apprentice of The Year 2022 awards. They were also proud winners of Training Facility of The Year at the Electrical Awards 2022 for their Training Academy which is where we headed for an overdue catchup!

on the record

It was pre-covid times when we last dropped by the Designer Group’s training facility and we’re here to see what’s new.

As it happens, a new cohort of electrical apprentices are undergoing induction when we drop by and veteran Director of Training, Brendan Kearns, is as excited and enthusiastic as ever before.

doing some more theoretical aspects online which Brendan agrees has been ‘a plus’.

Busy

Now they are back to being busy at what they do best here and it’s clear that Brendan wouldn’t have it any other way.

It’s full steam ahead and the centre continues to accrue new approvals, expanding the remit and scope of what is offered.

One of the latest to be acquired is from The International Powered Access Federation (IPAF), which promotes the safe and effective use of powered access equipment worldwide.

This means they have met the IPAF standard, which is required to deliver this training in the centre.

Brendan, who has been with the company since ’96, has seen huge changes in the industry. Under his stewardship, and that of his tightly-knit team, the centre has of course gone from strength to strength.

At its heart, the Designer Group Training Centre still has that same great level of care and commitment, mutual respect and inclusiveness along with an emphasis on excellence.

It’s a strong foundation and a platform upon which success will continue to be built, through the continued implementation of their core principles, proudly displayed on a banner behind us, which Brendan draws to our attention:

Safe Trust Respect Challenge Deliver

The last time we were here was pre Covid19, with Brendan noting ‘Covid did set (Designer Group) back of course,’ resulting in ‘(Designer Group) having to bite the bullet when everything closed down.’

This is a story echoed across the industry, as is the move to

‘We are a City and Guilds approved training centre for Electrical Testing & Verification and Solas Approved Training centre for our Safepass programme,’ adds Brendan.

‘We ensure all our staff are trained for their particular roles and put in place any specialist training needs that are required.

‘Most recently we delivered Safety awareness training to our site teams in Kenya and Uganda.’

Push boundaries

Designer Group’s work continues when it comes to attracting future talent, as they continue liaising with schools.

Recently they were part of the WorldSkills Ireland event at the RDS and were one of the main sponsors.

Overview

‘At DG Training Academy, we’re committed to providing and encouraging both staff and customers to continuously create, grow and learn.

‘Our curriculum reflects this commitment, as well as the diverse backgrounds and cultures of our instructors and participants alike.

‘We offer an unmatched variety of courses and programs. Our courses are created for individuals or groups of all ages and academic levels.’

It was an opportunity to meet with students, parents and of course, career guidance teachers too.

It has, not surprisingly, led to a lot of offers to talk to school groups which Brendan is happy to facilitate.

The approach that is often followed involves going along with one or two apprentices so the students can engage with the apprentices and get the most from the events.

There was a lot of interest at WorldSkills – from both male and female students attending the event – and two first year female apprentices from Designer Group were there to meet and speak to the students

while promoting the gender balance that is sorely needed in the industry.

Elsewhere, there is a considerable amount of work taking place with Way 2 Work, which involves Designer Group training people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

This sees them doing a fiveday module, which helps get a foothold onto the employment ladder, explains Brendan.

‘As well as providing training for Way 2 Work, we have successfully employed some of the young people as apprentices and General Operatives, who have come through the training programme.’

Courses include:

Working at height / safety harness; Electrical testing and verification; City and Guilds 2407-01; Portable appliance testing (pat) training; Manual handling; Safe pass; Cfr training; First aid responder; Mewps (mobile elevating work platforms); Abrasive wheels; Fire safety,Safety, Health and Environmental training for Site Managers,

Steady

It is no surprise there is a steady stream wanting to work with companies like Designer Group.

‘We are recruiting now and inundated with CVs,’ says Brendan. ‘We are looking for plumbers, pipefitters,

electricians and apprentices for our busy pipeline of work ahead.’

There are several reasons for the high level of interest here.

The company has always engaged very seriously with training and upskilling their people while reaching out to prospective new candidates.

In general, Designer Group’s capacity for engagement with education, with communities and in the industry in general, is huge.

Links

Links have been forged over the years with schools and colleges and beyond, with work continuing here on an ongoing basis.

Of course, there is, and always has been, great support from the top in Designer Group. There is simply a great

on the record

culture of training here.

‘Our Operations Directors all want to see apprentices doing well’, says Brendan.

‘And our CEO, Michael Stone, always takes a great interest in this area of course.

‘People feel valued and part of a team here. We let them know they are not “just an apprentice” but part of the culture.'

It is part and parcel of all this that everyone knows they have to deliver.

Leading

It is not surprising that some former trainees end up in leading roles in the organisation.

As Brendan explains, nowadays trainees can go in many directions including Engineering,

Project Management, BIM, Health and Safety and more.

‘We try to retain and upskill as many of our people as we can,’ he adds.

‘Some want to move on and to travel – say, to Australia, for example. It’s a natural progression, and they didn’t have this chance over the past few years with Covid putting a

hold on everything.

‘So, that is starting to happen; yet in many cases, people will stay on and we try to upskill them if there are positions. We put out the word to our people when opportunities arise.’

Groups

It’s all about that progression. Perhaps this is partly why a diverse range of apprentices from differing age groups, genders and backgrounds are attracted here?

Often, they are well past school leaving age. Some apply when they see that they have reached the end of the road in terms of any likely career progression in their jobs and want the opportunities to progress in a career as they develop.

This would have certainly been the case in some recent intakes, which included people from varying career backgrounds, some aged in their thirties and more.

Motivated

Those people are often extremely highly motivated as they know exactly why they are here and what they want, having been ‘out in the world’ for a while and sampled other careers and occupations.

People see the potential here and the opportunities – which are clearly very attractive.

This brings us onto the Apprentice of the Year. Overall winner, Brian Riordan fell into this category of being a little older than what might have been perceived as the ‘norm’ in days gone by.

He is in his last year of electrical apprenticeship now and was one of the team who visited and spoke at the WorldSkills event at the RDS.

Again, the diversity here makes for an exciting mix.

Whatever category they fall into, those looking for opportunities and variety are not disappointed here.

The variety of work means exposure to a range of project experience for the apprentices who learn a very big range of skills.

Future

And meanwhile it’s onwards and upwards for all concerned. Plans for the future include the introduction of a digital skills programme, says Brendan.

We are teaching apprentices and tradespeople how to use Viewpoint Field View™, SharePoint, how to to look at drawings online, carry out quality procedures etc. and use the tablet onsite, check things onsite, like referring to snag lists and

signing them off digitally.

‘We will continue to look at what can else we do,’ says Brendan. ‘Can we diversify more, for example?’

In the meantime, they are ready for whatever comes along.

‘We can move to address needs that arise, we are nimble and reactive to changes,’ Brendan stresses.

Also in this issue: our report on the 31st National Irish Safety Organisation / Northern Ireland Safety Group (NISO/NISG) Annual Safety Awards at which the Supreme Safety Award winner for 2022, sponsored by Irving Oil Whitegate Refinery, was announced as Designer Group – for the second year in a row.

Minister Harris announces Apprentice of

Year at inaugural Apprenticeship awards

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris recently announced the Apprentice of the Year.

Over 180 apprentices have been nominated from around the country for the inaugural national Apprentice of the Year awards.

In all, 12 awards were announced with Brian Riordan, a Designer Group electrical apprentice from Dublin, named the overall award winner.

Congratulate

Minister Harris said: ‘I want to warmly congratulate each nominee on their hard work and commitment to their apprenticeship, and also thank their employers, educators and families for their ongoing support.

‘There is a huge amount of motivation and talent on show here and I look forward to many more years of celebrating success through the Apprentice of the Year awards.’

He added: ‘I want to congratulate the 187 nominees, 12 finalists and, in particular, the overall winner of Apprentice of the Year Brian Riordan from Dublin, employed by Designer Group.

Vital

‘Apprenticeship is a vital lever for the continued economic prosperity of this country – it not only unlocks the skills and expertise necessary for leading Irish businesses, but also will help us to achieve critical aims in the Programme for Government, including on housing.

‘This is a really exciting time for apprenticeships and tonight is a chance to celebrate our apprentices and the businesses who have taken them on.

‘I would encourage anyone to consider an apprenticeship. This is third level education and you can earn as you learn.

‘It is time to get involved and help us build the next generation of apprentices.’

Clear

Dr

‘Apprenticeship

the

Mary-Liz Trant, director of the National Apprenticeship Office, said: ‘It is clear from the many talented and dynamic nominees in the first ever Apprentice of the Year awards that the conversation around apprenticeship is changing.

is a pathway into a great career, and a choice that both apprentices and businesses can be very proud of taking.'

SPOTLIGHT ON: MSL

MSL Engineering Ltd. is a full-service mechanical engineering contractor operating across a wide range of industry sectors.

Best-in-class

With over forty years of expertise and a flexible project management approach, MSL delivers best-in-class projects utilising BIM and modular fabrication processes to the highest standards of workmanship, safety, quality and reliability.

Founded in 1979, MSL Engineering specialises in the fabrication and installation of process, utility and high purity pipework, platforms and steelwork and equipment installation across many industry sectors.

MSL’s service o ering includes modular fabrication and assemblies, managing multi-discipline subcontractors including HVAC, sca old, craneage, insulation, painting, NDT etc, while utilising BIM and 3D modelling design processes.

With a workforce of over 500 people, MSL has grown to become one of the leading players in an industry that has seen parallel growth in the pharmaceutical, biopharma, semi-conductor, chemical, oil and gas, energy, data centre and food & beverage sectors.

Established

Originally established to provide craft support to the fledgling but now defunct NET plant in Marino Point, Cork, over time, the business expanded its client base and developed a reputation for reliability, engineering excellence, and the ability to get the job done.

Retaining the roots of the original founders of the business, the company is a wholly-owned Irish entity, which has organically evolved from providing support services to local industry to a position where it now competes successfully for large-scale engineering projects and provides a full range of engineering and constructability solutions to clients throughout Ireland, UK, Europe and the US.

Working in inherently hazardous industries, the business has always taken an uncompromising approach to safety.

High standards

This can be seen in its high standards and long-standing safety record, its ISO45001accredited safety management system and its behavioural safety-based systems of work.

MSL’s desire to continuously improve to stay ahead of the competitive curve has led it to identify and invest in new business processes in recent years.

As a result, the company significantly increased turnover and expanded its area of operation to include the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden and Denmark.

MSL encourages and promotes early contractor engagement and an integrated

digital project delivery capabilities.

Reflecting strong growth, MSL has invested in a modern 140,000 sq foot fabrication facility in Ringaskiddy, Co. Cork.

This new facility, adjacent to the newly relocated Port Of Cork, includes a largescale modular fabrication workshop, a piping fabrication workshop and an 8,000 sq foot clean piping workshop.

It enables MSL to continue to service all their existing clients and allows them to expand and develop relationships with new clients in Ireland and abroad.

MSL managing director, Brian McGrath comments: ‘Our focus in developing a standard of performance is to ensure all MSL personnel are empowered to achieve their full potential and are recognised for doing so.

‘Our performance standard defines how well each function or task must be performed in order to meet or exceed expectations thus, ensuring our standards are best-in-class.’

Highest standard

project delivery (IPD) approach by o ering modular design and modular construction experience to maximise o site manufacturing and fabrication (OSM) opportunities for clients.

Investment

The company’s investment in digital technologies means MSL continuously improves its BIM o ering to clients and its

MSL Engineering Limited

With continued growth, a new modern Fabrication Facility, ISO accredited Management Systems in Safety (ISO45001), Quality (ISO9001) & Environmental (ISO18001), and investment in new innovative business processes, they continue to challenge themselves at MSL Engineering Ltd. to deliver the highest standard of service that they believe is deserved and expected by their clients.

Address: Ringport Business Park, Ringaskiddy, Co Cork. P43 RX06 Phone: 021 451 3550 Web: www.mslengineering.ie YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEUdtnGLz_V60VF3N0GWUBU3PGM0vMp_

Key Activities: Mechanical Engineers and Contractors.

‘Quality delivered… safely, on time, every time’

As a leading Irish mechanical engineering contractor, MSL Engineering Ltd. are the partner of choice across many industries including Life Sciences and Semi-conductor.

With over 40 years of construction and engineering expertise and a flexible project management approach, we deliver best in class projects utilising BIM design and off-site modular construction processes to the highest standards of workmanship, safety, quality and reliability.

Lean Construction Ireland ‘Book of Cases’ for 2022

It was with great pleasure that Lean Construction Ireland announced the launch of its 5th annual publication – Lean Construction Ireland Book of Cases 2022

Examples

The latest edition of the annual ‘Book of Cases’ provides examples from across the Irish construction sector where organisations and companies, both public and private, have delivered real tangible value and benefits by adopting Lean thinking and practices as part of the project delivery process.

The key themes which have emerged from this year’s cases include Integrated Project Delivery, Operational Excellence, Digitisation, Modern Methods of Construction and Resource Management.

Describes

Each case describes the project where Lean was adopted, the challenge or opportunity that led to Lean thinking and practice being

ABOVE: Trevor McSharry, Director with LCi and Head of Department of Civil Engineering and Construction at ATU Sligo was the editor.

implemented, and describes how this has resulted in e ciency gains, successful outcomes and value for all stakeholders.

The ‘Book of Cases’ has become a hugely valuable resource and reference for the Construction sector, both nationally and internationally by providing detailed practical examples of Lean being implemented within

the sector.

The cases demonstrate best practices in Lean adoption and are a reference and inspiration to individuals seeking to develop their knowledge and understanding of Lean.

Editor

Trevor McSharry, Director with LCi and Head of Department of Civil Engineering and Construction at ATU Sligo was the editor.

‘It was a pleasure to work with all the organisations highlighted in this year’s Book of Cases,’ he noted.

‘I was extremely impressed with the depth and breadth of Lean knowledge companies showed while delivering construction projects.

‘The approach to continuous improvement and the high level of commitment companies are adopting in the area of Lean principles and thinking, highlights the appetite and drive within the industry to deliver quality projects Better, Faster and Together.

‘I would like to sincerely thank all companies who have shared their experiences through case studies this year.

Invaluable

‘Collectively, the cases are an invaluable learning aid for both students and companies to get insights into the significant benefits of Lean thinking.’

The Book of Cases was launched during the Lean Construction Ireland national conference.

Attending delegates had the opportunity to meet with and speak to the companies highlighted in the Book and the editor.

For further information on how to get your copy of the Lean Construction Ireland Book of Cases 2022 visit; www. leanconstructionireland.ie or contact info@leanconstructionireland.ie + 353 46 9773434. A digital copy will be available shortly.

Lean Construction Ireland

Lean Construction Ireland, with over 1,700 members, continues to deliver practical support and knowledge to the Irish construction industry as more and more companies embrace Lean thinking and practices to deliver e ciencies within their projects as well as to achieve operational improvements within their organisations.

Lean Construction Ireland (LCi) is a not-

for-profit, membership-based organisation with a vision to transform the Irish construction sector through the adoption of Lean thinking and practices as part of the design and construction process, and move the industry towards more e cient, cost e ective and collaborative approaches where projects are delivered Better, Faster and Together.

ABOVE: The Lean Construction Ireland

2022 Book of Cases in Croke Park Stadium

As usual we check in with Construction Information Services (CIS) to get the latest. And as usual it makes for some interesting reading as we look at the third quarter of the year.

Throughout the summer period, construction in Ireland saw a slight decline at a planning stage, following a challenging quarter and disruptive industry conditions.

However, the number of projects on site, saw a positive trend to accompany an uptake in planning applications over the last 18 months.

CIS has observed an interesting trend regarding the commencements of residential units, consistent with the government’s phasing out of SHD applications – which will likely become more notable throughout Q4 2022.

Republic of Ireland overview

In the Republic of Ireland, we saw a total investment of €8.02bn in plans submitted across residential, non-residential and civil sectors.

The number of projects submitted saw a decline of 30% in the residential sector.

It must be taken into account that the decline in residential plans submitted is following a particularly large volume throughout Q2 2022, and is still up 19.6%, on the same quarter last year.

CIS observed an overall decline in plans granted across residential, non-residential and civil sectors, moving into Q4, despite having a positive upswing in civil construction activity over Q3 in the past few years. The total value of projects getting the green light in Q3 fell from €4.94bn in Q2, to €3.91bn.

Increase

As expected, projects start saw a sharp increase during the summer

Figure 3 ROI Projects Started

CIS activity analysis Q3 2022

period amounting to €1.54bn in residential, €828m in non-residential and €188m in civil projects.

Activity increased by a total average of 29.6% with a value of €2.56bn over €1.97bn in Q2.

This is however a decrease

on last year’s figure in the same period of €3.1bn. General consensus is good in terms of project start despite industry impeding factors and mixed outlook on the forecast of the construction and relating industries in the near future.

Residential activity in the Republic of Ireland saw growth compared to the same period YoY. Total projects increased by 8.7% by volume equalling to a project value of €4.76bn (+24.8% YoY).

This increase could in part be the result of the gradual phasing out of SHD (Strategic Housing Developments) throughout the end of 2021 along with the ever-growing public demand for social housing and increase of unit delivery.

The total number of units proposed equalled 22.2k, an increase of 16.4% compared to Q3 2021 which reflects the steady swing of proposals we’ve seen throughout the year to date.

In terms of projects getting the green light, numbers saw a slight decline on the yearly axis.

Plans granted in Q3 2021 were 12.7% higher than Q3 this year – which may have a myriad of reasons but more than likely is due to the country having a large uptick in planning following the pandemic, resulting in slightly inflated numbers compared to this year, where numbers are returning to baseline.

The total value of the projects was 26.3% lower than Q3 2021 at €1.79bn, a sharp decline but likely a sign of a return to baseline construction activity – as we have observed a gentle upswing in the overall trend for 2022 so far.

Project starts throughout 2022 have observed numerous setbacks with market stressors such as material shortages, European political situations and cost of fuels.

The health of the sector reflects with as overall project starts decreased YoY but showed higher value – which can be attributed to larger projects having the scope to continue while smaller projects struggle to get things o the ground.

The number of units started also saw a decrease of 13.6% (over Q3 2021) which could be attributed to the issues previously mentioned but also taking into account the phased nature of some of these larger scale projects.

It also could be related to a number of SHDs that did not achieve granted status following the winding down of such schemes and associated rush to get planning submitted before that deadline.

CIS supplies accurate project data which can be analysed by stage of development (pipeline, active, and delivered), construction type (new build, refurbishment, change of use), and funding source, with detailed analysis of direct and indirect exchequer public capital investment.

CIS data allows you to track and monitor pipeline and active construction trends either nationally

or across specific sectors and regions. Decision makers can also forecast market prospects for their specific product or service.

For a free demonstration of our system or to enquire about our data, please call +353 1 2999 200 or email sales@cisireland.com.

Data observed and published by Pat McG rath & Josh Wiler of Construction Information Services

Fexillon

Fexillon have been pioneering digital transformation in the built environment for over twenty-two years across sectors and mission critical infrastructure.

The Fexillon Platform and industry experts assist owner operators with the delivery and management of buildings and infrastructure data, ensuring clients receive the right information at the right time.

See video introduction: https://vimeo.

(See video overview of Fexillon Platform https://vimeo.com/652986982

com/766861914/9a1037eb47

The Platform gives client a complete overview of all build information with day one engagement between the projects and operations team, creating a golden thread of information and approved digital building record at handover, ensuring soft landings for facilities management and providing the foundations to monitor ESG goals on the path to net zero..

The Fexillon Platform is built on a custom six stage framework. Each stage

creates a single source of truth, where the Digital Plan of Work manages information delivery, meaning roles, members, and assets are always connected.

Stakeholders are kept informed on comprehensive dashboards showing all progress and addressing gaps or delays with information delivery.

Teams are always able to access, action and approve key deliverables, ensuring accountability and enabling e ective data management for the Asset Lifecycle.

Experienced Industry Professionals, including Engineers, Architects, Data & Facilities Management specialists

Digital framework based on industry best practice & international standards

Platform supporting secure access to Building information from Day 1

ABOVE: Fexillon CEO George Harold and Children's Health Ireland Director of Estates, Facilities Management and Sustainability, Tony O'Rourke on the site of New Children's Hospital

TECH TALK: FEXILLON

Operating Healthy and Safe Buildings

Fexillon support Environmental, Health and Safety compliance for owner operators, providing access to critical information, to monitor potential risk and make smarter decisions to prevent incidents, creating a healthy, safe and compliant built environment.

Taking Control of Data

Fexillon help owner operators and their project teams to digitise their data, processes and reporting so they can have real-time access to their asset information, streamlining collaboration, driving productivity, managing information delivery and giving owner operators real control over their data.

Continuous innovation -

digital twin

Fexillon is continuously enhancing their technology and processes to support Owner Operators and their Operational requirements. Fexillon Twin is a complete digital twin solution, a fully integrated extension of the Fexillon Platform providing access to core maintainable assets and real-time building performance and ESG data.

A Digital Twin is an exact replica of the physical environment.

It combines rich and complex data from a wide variety of sources, enabling the building to adapt to the needs and requirements of the occupants and the building owner, whilst reducing the operational costs and environmental impact.

Fexillon Twin provides a RESET® accredited platform, IoT sensors, and edge devices to enable the live and constant building commissioning towards the internationally recognised standard.

Owner and their operations teams see a real-time reflection of operational requirements; they can track the past and current building performance, monitoring the health of the asset's environment and predict the future maintenance needs.

Energy and Water usage monitoring for example is key for identifying waste and inefficiencies.

Indoor Air Quality monitoring provide valuable information on key viral transmission and survivability factors to reduce the viral spread, as well as improve the air quality and boost staff and visitor performance and wellbeing.

Partnership with our clients

Children’s Health Ireland

The National Children’s Hospital is the most significant capital investment

Tech Talk: Fexillon

BIM for FM and Operations

In many cases Facilities Management (FM) and operations teams are handed over the Building Information Model files without being engaged earlier in the BIM Process. Fexillon ensures the BIM process supports the client’s asset operations and maintenance.

Targeting Environmental Sustainability Goals

The collection and disclosure of accurate sustainability data from multiple sources enables organisations to understand the environmental impact of their assets and processes, reducing carbon footprint and creating a more sustainable built environment.

project in the healthcare system undertaken in Ireland.

Children’s Health Ireland Facilities Management (CHI FM) has appointed Fexillon as the Digital Construction Handover Information specialist to provide their expertise to manage the hospital’s critical building handover information throughout all stages of its lifecycle.

On behalf of CHI FM, Fexillon engaged with the design and construction teams through the Soft Landings approach, coordinating the digital construction handover information delivery for the two urgent care centres, Connolly and Tallaght, that was made available to FM and Operations from day 1 of handover.

Interoperability & traceability

Fexillon in partnership with GS1 Ireland help clients to implement GS1 standards for item identification and tracking, enabling the sharing of unique data about objects, their history, location and maintenance needs.

In collaboration with Children’s Health Ireland (CHI), Fexillon and GS1 Ireland developed a proof-of-concept case study on delivery and use of interoperable data at CHI.

Microsoft

Fexillon have been working with Microsoft on their Data Centre build programme since 2007 and their platform is now supporting sites across 7 countries in Europe. The Fexillon Platform and support services allow each data centre build to be handed over digitally to the Owner enabling automation and dashboard reporting of digital workflows that engage the supply chain, Construction, Design and Operations teams to approve Data Centre information prior to completion. This ensure operational readiness and

knowledge transfer as the facility is handed over from Development to Operations.

Digital twins & decarbonisation

Fexillon is collaborating with Microsoft in the development and implementation of a range of solutions including Digital Twins, Mixed Reality utilising HoloLens technology and Building Information Modelling (BIM) integration. Fexillon is a Microsoft Independent Software Vendor listed on Azure marketplace.

Fexillon are utilising Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing platform to support interactive digital replicas of Microsoft’s built infrastructure, allowing for the realtime management of assets and leading to greater operational efficiencies, while leveraging the security benefits of the Microsoft Cloud.Microsoft Director of IoT and sustainability says: ‘The built environment has a huge opportunity to transform, to decarbonise, and I really believe that both Microsoft and Fexillon can play an important role there.

‘The level of impact that we’re seeing and the outcomes in areas like indoor air quality, digital twin, reducing operational emissions through things like building energy management solutions is really helping us to decarbonise the sector together.’

Fexillon supports a number of leading blue-chip companies across Ireland, the UK, Europe and US; including Microsoft, Children’s Health Ireland, JE Dunn Construction, University of Strathclyde, and more. Fexillon are collaborating with and supporting owner operators and their project teams, rethinking digital processes in respect of their productivity, environmental impact, and health and safety.

www.fexillon.com

The 31st National Irish Safety Organisation / Northern Ireland Safety Group (NISO/NISG) Annual Safety Awards took place at a special ceremony in Galway at which the Supreme Safety Award winner for 2022, sponsored by Irving Oil Whitegate Refinery, was announced as Designer Group for the second year in a row.

The Supreme Safety Award is presented to the organisation that has shown consistently good or continuously improving health and safety performance over a number of years and an outstanding contribution to occupational safety, health and welfare during the previous year.

Valued

The Awards are highly valued and regarded among health and safety professionals throughout the island of Ireland.

Other awards presented on the night include the Safety Representative of the Year Award 2022 in association with The Cpl Institute.

The joint winners of the Safety Representative of the Year Award for 2022 were Kevin Corcoran, Kiernan Structural Steel and Aoife O’Leary, Baxter Healthcare Irish Manufacturing Operation.

The Runner Up prize was awarded to Ejovi Atano, Energia Huntstown Bioenergy.

The Healthy Workplace

ABOVE: (L-R) Harry Galvin, President, NISO; Damien English TD, Minister for Business, Employment and Retail; Derek Murphy, Head of Environmental Health & Safety, Designer Group.

Designer Group wins All Ireland Supreme Safety Awards 2022

Award, sponsored by Healthy Ireland, was won by Glenveagh Properties PLC. The Healthy Workplace Award recognises the commitment of workplaces

who promote health and wellbeing as a core element of the Health and Safety agenda.

The Occupational Health Award, supported by the

Health and Safety Authority (HSA) and the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI), was won by Bon Secours Hospital Dublin.

The Driving for Work Award

ABOVE: Jones Engineering

ABOVE: Glenveagh Properties

was won by Acacia Facilities Management Ltd.

The awards, which demonstrate the positive and proactive culture of safety management in organisations, were supported by the Health and Safety Authority, Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland, Healthy Ireland and Irving Oil Whitegate Refinery.

Sponsors); Amon Electronics Ltd., Glenveagh Properties PLC, Jones Engineering Group and PM Group (Silver sponsors); DB Schenker and Weltec Engineering Ltd. (Bronze sponsors).

The Excellence in Safety Award, which is presented to organisations that consistently achieved a high standard safety award for more than fifteen

Exceptional

A number of Exceptional High Achiever awards were presented to organisations that consistently achieved a high standard safety award for more than ten years, representing their continuous commitment to health and safety in their organisation.

Conference

The 58th Annual NISO Health and Safety Conference, which preceded the safety awards ceremony, was sponsored by Ayrton Group (Gold sponsors); BioThrive Ltd. and SignsInc (Silver Plus

Damien English, Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, along with Harry Galvin, NISO President and Ashleigh Birkett, Chair, NISG, presented awards to over 100 organisations from all around the island of Ireland.

The Gold Award was won by Actavo (Ireland), the Silver Award by Winthrop Technologies Ltd. and the Bronze Award by Jones Engineering Group.

ABOVE: Actavo

years, representing their continuous commitment to health and safety in their organisation, was won by Actavo (Ireland) Ltd. and Designer Group.

Recipients of this award include Acacia Facilities Management, BAM Ireland, Cork City Council, Fingal County Council, GMC Utilities Group Ltd., John Paul Construction, John Sisk and Son (Holdings) Ltd., Jones Engineering Group, Leo Lynch, Merit Medical Ireland Ltd., PM Group, TLI Group Ltd., W&H Alexander Ltd. and Weltec Engineering Ltd.

Expressions of interest for the 2023 safety awards can be emailed to awards@niso.ie. Register with NISO / NISG to receive details of the 2023 Awards when available.

ABOVE: Winthrop Technologies Ltd.

ABOVE: Cork City Council

ABOVE: Weltec Engineering Ltd.

An international provider of choice for innovative and sustainable engineering solutions, Designer Group is this years’ National Irish Safety Organisation (NISO) Supreme Safety Award winner, for the second year in a row – an historical first for a contractor.

The highest accolade presented annually at the prestigious event, this award is recognition for the positive health and safety culture embraced by Designer Group.

Borne from celebrating team diversity, and a genuine interest in investing in people’s careers, Designer Group’s enduring success is shaped around its values – Safe, Trust, Respect, Challenge and Deliver – which provide the foundation for growth, inseparably woven into the organisation’s mission and strategy.

Head of EHS, Derek Murphy, outlined the unwavering commitment to deliver best-in-class industry standards throughout the organisation:

‘Our people and supply chain partners proactively deliver safety as a core company value, ensuring everyone works safe and goes home healthy.

‘Participating in the NISO awards, provides a performance showcase and contributes to externally auditing our management systems, giving us a benchmark against our industry.

‘We were also one of two companies who accepted the Excellence in Safety Award, presented to those consistently achieving high

Designer Groupsafety as a core value

standard awards for over fifteen years.’

It's all about our people

The Designer Group safety programme sees more than the employee; it notices the individual, protecting health and wellbeing, and promoting this holistically.

The past twelve months have seen the completion of 2 new management and talent development programmes, expanding leadership capabilities, encouraging a positive ‘management by walking around’ culture, and supporting 2-way engagement.

This year also saw the introduction of a new talent review process, ‘Performance Excellence’.

Employees were asked to set personal objectives that contribute to the company’s core values system, demonstrating a powerful and tangible link between behaviour and achievement.

A number of other wellness and wellbeing initiatives,

including the provision of cost of living supports, financial planning and management advice, and events such as ‘Family Fun Day’s’ continue to promote an holistic approach, particularly after the long restrictions posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

There are further plans to expand wellness resources for the coming year, via a new employee benefits portal.

Looking to the future Collaboration is central to its continuous improvement model.

Strong working relationships with the CIF and Construction Safety Partnership Advisory Committee, to name a few, cements Designer Group’s position as an industry leader.

Shane Blaney, Operations Director, comments: ‘Our Gold Standard training provides our non-negotiables for doing the basics brilliantly, enabling us to standardise operational delivery.

‘Improving how we deliver our projects has a direct link

to the standard of safety on our sites - proven invaluable to delivering our client’s expectations.’

Designer Group is also leading the industry in becoming dramatically more sustainable, working towards low-carbon efficiencies and greener construction.

Setting the ambitious goal of reaching net carbon zero by 2035.

Continued international growth is anticipated to 2025 and beyond, with a strong order book of tier-one clients and the business is actively recruiting new apprentices and graduate engineers/ surveyors to support its big growth plans.

‘Designer Group will continue to invest heavily in its people, upskilling our employees and committing to resourcing technological advancements and sustainable developments,’ said Michael Stone, Group CEO.

‘By doing this, we will have better project cooperation,

compliance, teamwork and workplace efficiencies.’

He added: ‘We are all delighted by NISO’s remarkable award, and exceptionally proud of our people and this significant achievement.’

‘Our people are paramount. Our number one priority is their health, safety and wellbeing. The reinforcement of this will forever be the most important topic, and a core Designer Group value, all day, every day.’ - Michael Stone, Group CEO.

ABOVE: Derek Murphy

DaviD Bolton is irish ConstruCtion Manager of the Year

David Bolton from Farrans Construction was named ‘Irish Construction Manager of the Year’ at CIOB Awards Ireland 2022, sponsored by Maor Scaffolding & Jan Janssens & Co. The event took place in Croke Park.

Work

David, having taken the gold prize in the Healthcare category, won for his work on the Altnagelvin Acute Hospital North Wing in Derry, Northern Ireland.

The £42m Altnagelvin Acute Hospital North Wing for the Western Health & Social Care Trust is a new entrance block and three-storey ward block, comprising six wards with a total of 144 adult single-bed rooms, isolation rooms, a renal dialysis suite, basement plantrooms and service tunnels, which was delivered during the peak of the Covid pandemic in 2020.

CIOB

Quality

He completed the complex project to a high quality of finish and workmanship in a live campus, whilst complying with all health and safety requirements in a demanding environment.

David displayed considerable skills in site organization and layout, construction planning, teamwork, supply chain management, communication, leadership, and effective coordination, and an ability to bring the project to a conclusion within such a challenging environment, whilst ensuring the architectural and technical requirements of the project were fully realized.

The adjudicators were impressed with the enthusiasm, passion and professional knowledge shown by David in the delivery of this complex

construction project and, for these reasons, they were thrilled to award him the mantle of Irish Construction Manager of the Year 2022.

Other winners

Other winners in the Irish Construction Manager of the Year were Owen Stynes of Walls Construction for Dublin Landings Blocks 3, 4, & 5, who took the gold prize in the Commercial category, and Tadhg Kelly MCIOB from BAM who won the silver prize in the same category for the control tower building at Dublin Airport.

Pat O’Neill of Duggan Brothers took the silver prize in Healthcare for the Aberdeen Building at Peamount Healthcare.

Woodvale Construction dominated the Community category, with Robert Ewing FCIOB taking gold for his work on the NDFA Schools Bundle 5 and Paul Devine MCIOB winning silver for the St. Mary’s Parish Lavey project.

Mount sackville secondary school wins Cif competition

Mount Sackville Secondary School in Chapelizod, Dublin won this year’s overall Construction Industry Federation’s (CIF) Building the Future Award for its Radharc na Life (‘The Liffey View’) proposed housing development on Knockmaroon Hill, Castleknock, Dublin 20.

They edged out both New Cross College with its sustainable housing development proposal and

Galway City Youthreach, to claim overall first place.

Mount Sackville Secondary School’s Radharc na Life (‘The Liffey View’) proposal was selected as it mapped out a sustainable housing development on Knockmaroon Hill, Castleknock, Dublin 20.

Model

Created by students Orla Murphy and Olwyn Berry, Radharc na Life, is based on

an Earth ship model, which is a style of architecture developed in the late twentieth century to early twenty-first century by architect Michael Reynolds.

Earthships are designed to behave as passive solar

earth shelters made of both natural and upcycled materials such as earthpacked tires.

The judges were particularly impressed how the students proposed to ensure Radharc na Life would have a zero carbon footprint, through the utilisation of turbines, wave generator buoys and solar panel technology, and would deliver on its sustainable goals.

ABOVE: With Ivan McCarthy, CIOB Trustee

Awards Ireland judges were impressed with the passion, dedication, and expertise demonstrated by David.

WIT wins CIOB’s Student Challenge Ireland 2022

Huge congratulations were extended to WIT on winning CIOB’s Student Challenge Ireland 2022, which took place as a virtual event this year.

The members of the winning team, Gary O'Neill, Conor Power, Svetlana Zavadska and Jordan Kinch, were supported by their lecturer Brian Graham FICOB, who announced, ‘Waterford Institute of Technology are delighted to have won the CIOB Student Challenge this year.

‘This is a fantastic competition for students to participate in and reinforces two of the most important skills required to be a successful Construction Manager, teamwork and communications.

‘The quality of the presentations demonstrated the strength of the competition this year and I would like to commend all of the teams on their fine performances. I would also like to thank everyone from the CIOB Ireland for organising such a great event.’

Address

In his opening address to the Students, Mike Foy FCIOB, President of the CIOB said that ‘this sector is a base from which most other industries grow, it also a vital player in global issues like climate change and sustainability.

‘As I often say if you want to solve the big problems join our industry because that is what we do, and your career can leave a legacy unlike any other.’

The event was attended by six third-level institutes from around the country. Student teams of four were submitted from Dundalk IT, TUS

ATU off to a flying start!

Atlantic Technological University welcomed students to the university’s first induction as ATU.

Campuses

Over 4,000 first year students attended induction across eight campuses in Donegal, Galway, Mayo and Sligo.

Students from around Ireland were joined by many international students from Europe and further afield including Czech Republic, Latvia, Spain and Syria.

The new university was established in April this year with the amalgamation of GMIT, LYIT and IT Sligo.

This year ATU experienced a promising increase in student numbers from across the region and beyond

bringing the total number of students in the university to almost 24,000.

Welcome

In a welcome return to the first fully on-campus induction in three years, students were given campus tours and presentations from staff and students’ unions on supports and services available.

The university has seen increases in demand for places on programmes across Science, Technology and Engineering with Health Sciences, Computing and programmes in the Built Environment also seeing increased demand.

There has also been a steady demand in core

Midwest, Letterkenny IT, MTU, GMIT and Waterford IT.

The teams were provided with a brief on the morning of the competition, which required them to tender for the ‘design and build’ of a scheme of twenty family houses in an urban setting in the Midlands.

Work

They had 4 hours to work on a report and presentation, highlighting what they believed to be the most important issues and how they would proceed with the work.

Each team then had fifteen minutes to present their work to the judges, followed by a Q&A.

The panel of judges consisted of John Sweeney MCIOB, Roger Gillespie FCIOB, Hugh Dodd MCIOB, Katherine Dobbin and Dermot Russell FCIOB.

The winners were announced by Ivan McCarthy FCIOB, CIOB Trustee.

business and humanities programmes offering general degrees with strong progression routes from Level 6 through to Level 8.

Welcoming

Welcoming students to induction, Dr Orla Flynn, President of ATU said: ‘It is a great honour to welcome our first cohort of full-time undergraduate students to our newly established Atlantic Technological University.

‘This is an historic day for ATU as we begin our first full academic year as a

university.

‘In joining ATU our students become part of a very diverse and inclusive community as they start an exciting journey of exploration, discovery and knowledge.’

Encouraging

Dr Billy Bennett, VP for Academic Affairs and Registrar said the increased numbers of students is an encouraging sign for the newly established university:

‘As we welcome over 4,000 new first year students in our inaugural year as Atlantic Technological University, I would like to extend my best wishes to all our students and staff on what will be a very exciting year as a new university,’ he said.

Skate bowl and Plaza wins 39th Irish Concrete Society Award

Excellence in concrete design and construction was celebrated at the Irish Concrete Society’s Awards Evening, which took place in the Clayton Hotel, Dublin.

This was the 39th Annual Awards Evening.

The event is always one of the highlights of the construction industry’s calendar, and returned after a 3-year absence with 280 in attendance.

The Awards recognise excellence in both design and construction in concrete and are adjudicated by a distinguished, independent jury of industry professionals.

Reviewed

The main awards jury reviewed a total of thirty-two projects nominated in three categories of main awardsElement, Infrastructure and Building.

There were also nine projects nominated for the 9th International Award, which is sponsored by Enterprise Ireland.

In addition, the winner of the annual Sean de Courcy Student Award was announced.

Speaking at the awards evening, Chair, Roger West stated: ‘Tonight is one for celebrating, celebrating the "promotion of excellence in the use of concrete" in all its forms.

‘The creativity and skill of the various parties in each and every one of our entries for awards tonight must be in synergy to be successful in winning one of our main award categories.

Expertise

‘No less deserving of our admiration are those companies that export our expertise and our products, as flagships of our industry’s recognised

excellence on an international stage, while concurrently supporting the local economy.

‘This is reflected in the increasing importance of winning the International Award’.

The Main Awards

The main awards jury consisted of Eddie Cleary (Duggan Brothers (Contractors) Ltd.), Grace Keeley (GKMP Architects), and Richard Osborne (Waterman Moylan).

Element Category and Overall

Winner:

Skate Bowl and Plaza at Le Fanu, Ballyfermot, Dublin. Chosen from a total of 13 element category entries and 32

entries for the overall award.

Jury Quote: ‘This community-led project, borne out of an international design competition has been carefully designed and executed almost entirely in concrete to provide a fantastic amenity to the youth of Ballyfermot.

‘An extensive public consultation process has resulted in a park that caters for a range of users of varying ability from BMX cyclists to scooter users and skateboarders.

‘The Design Team and the contractors on site have worked together to overcome construction constraints and deliver a challenging sculptural design achieving a 2mm tolerance throughout.

‘The jury was extremely impressed by the smoothness of concrete surface achieved across the three dimensional skate-BMX plaza, skate bowls and skate transition area, a critical requirement of a skate park brief.

‘This is a project of complex depressions, protrusions and undulations that demonstrates the careful use of in-situ concrete to create a highly successful amenity of which the community is justifiably proud.’

Project Client: Dublin City Council Project Architect: Relational Urbanism Project Engineer: Robert Barry Consulting Engineers

Project Contractor: C&A Build & Civil Major Suppliers: Roadstone

ELEMENT AND OVERALL AWARD WINNING ENTRY

– Skate Bowl and Plaza at Le Fanu, Ballyfermot, Dublin

Project team members for ‘Skate Bowl and Plaza at Le Fanu, Ballyfermot, Dublin’ accepting their award from Prof Roger West (Chair of the Society). (L-R) Robert Barry (Robert Barry Consulting Engineers), Thomas Holden (Roadstone), Prof Roger West (Chair of the Society), Alan Lowe (Roadstone), Enriqueta LIabres Valls (Relational Urbanism).

Once again the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology, (GMIT, now part of ATU)* international Construction Management Day Conference took place ‘virtually’ this year and saw leading speakers from Ireland and the UK discuss topical issues affecting the built environment sector.

Organised by Doctor Martin Taggart, lecturer, Department of Building & Civil Engineering, GMIT*, who acted as conference Chair, the event again saw a packed schedule and offered as usual, the inside track in terms of insights into the industry.

Opportunities

Attendees heard about prospects and opportunities in the sector, and about some of the innovations that are now shaping the industry – such as digitalisation and modern methods of construction.

The conference explored the topic of improving the quality of product for customers too.

Welcoming people from right across Ireland and the UK, as well as a ‘wider band of followers from around the world’, Dr Taggart referred to how the event was free to attend, owing, he said, to the ‘fantastic support from our sponsors.

‘This year we extended a warm welcome to the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT) who were joining for the first time as sponsors,’ he said.

During the course of the event, Andrew O’Rourke, MCIAT, representing CIAT, shared his experiences and lessons learned regarding fire safety, from his work inspecting construction projects for BC(A)R compliance.

Speakers and programme

The event kicked off with the Official Welcome and

GMIT International Construction Management Day Conference

Conference Opening, featuring Dr Orla Flynn, President of GMIT* and then President Elect, of Atlantic Technological University*, Prof Graham Heaslip Head of School of Engineering, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT*) and Dr Martin Taggart.

The AECOM Annual Review (of the construction sector and its prospects), a popular regular feature of the conference, was delivered by John O’Regan, director, AECOM Ireland.

This was followed by ‘Quality Management and how to improve it!’ with Stewart McArthur, President of the Chartered Association of Building Engineers.

‘Education, Training & Skills in the Irish Construction Industry’ was the topic of a presentation by Tara Flynn, President of the Master Builders and Contractors Association, director of Paul Flynn Construction and chairperson of the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) Western Region.

In conversation

‘In conversation with Dr Martin

Taggart’ looked at how the new Atlantic Technological University (ATU)* ‘will redefine built environment education in the North West of Ireland’.

Participants included Anne Boner, Head of Department of Civil Engineering and Construction, Letterkenny Institute of Technology; Mary Rogers, Head of Department of Building and Civil Engineering, Galway-

‘Job Quality in the Irish Construction Sector – a CIOB Report’, was delivered by Joseph Kilroy, Policy & Public Affairs Manager Ireland, Scotland & Wales – The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB).

‘The Assigned Certifier – implementing the role’ looked at challenges faced with design, regulation interpretation and achieving compliant construction on site with a focus on fire safety matters.

This was delivered by Andrew O’Rourke, Assigned Certifier, i3PT Certification.

Q and A

An audience Q and A with mid-morning speakers was followed by lunch and then the conference examined, ‘The use of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality in Digital Construction’ with Karol Dempsey, Lecturer, Letterkenny Institute of Technology and Eleanor Diver, Lecturer, Letterkenny Institute of Technology.

‘The SCSI / PwC Construction Market Monitor Report – Current Industry Sentiment’ was delivered by Kevin James of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI ).

Attendees then heard about ‘Experiences in the use of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC)’ with Niall Hanley, contracts director, JJ Rhatigan Building Contractors.

ABOVE: Martin Taggart

Mayo Institute of Technology and Trevor McSharry, Head of Department of Civil Engineering and Construction, IT Sligo.

An overview of the government-funded National ‘Build Digital Project’ for the construction sector followed with Dr Avril Behan, Technological University Dublin.

‘Fulfilling the Aspirations and Opportunities of Ireland’s New “Housing for All” Plan’ was delivered by James Benson, director of the Irish Home Builders Association (IHBA), director of housing, planning and development services at the Construction Industry Federation.

*From April 2022 GMIT became part of the Atlantic Technological University along with Letterkenny IT and IT Sligo.

Octabuild awards

Haldane Fisher, Newry has won the overall Octabuild Award for Excellence 2022 at the first-ever all-island Octabuild Builders’ Merchant Excellence Awards.

The company also won the Northern Ireland Regional Award. Other winners came from Dublin, Galway, Longford, Louth, Meath and Waterford.

Newry company tops in first all-island awards for builders’ merchants

The Octabuild Builders’ Merchant Excellence Awards ceremony was held on 13 October at a gala event in the Round Room at the Mansion House in Dublin.

Merchant trade

It was attended by over 300 guests including shortlisted merchants and representatives of the builders’ merchant trade from across the country.

The event was hosted by the eight Octabuild members, Dulux, Etex, Glennon Brothers, Grant Engineering, Gyproc, Irish Cement, Kingspan Insulation and Wavin.

Guest of honour at the awards was Michael McGrath TD, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

Congratulating all the winners the Minister said: ‘I would like to congratulate all the finalists and winners at this year’s awards, particularly Haldane Fisher Newry who won the overall Octabuild Award for Excellence 2022.

‘This is the first year the awards were held on an all-island basis and I want to commend the organisers and Octabuild Chairperson, Ray Molyneaux for such a great event.

‘These are a unique set of awards designed to promote excellence within the Irish builders’ merchants industry

and highlight the importance of the industry to the wider construction and building sector.’

First year

Since these prestigious awards were first introduced in 1986, this is the first year they have been held on an allisland basis. Previously awards were held in Ireland and Northern Ireland on alternate years.

This year builders’ merchants competed for

ABOVE: Pictured at The Octabuild Builders Merchant Excellence Awards 2022 is Octabuild Chairperson, Ray Molyneaux with Octabuild Award for Excellence winner, Haldane Fisher, Newry. (L-R) Mark Nicholson; Chris Bagnall; Ray Molyneaux; Gary Cranney; Brian McCauley; Patrick Craven; Sean Cleary.

‘Congratulations to all finalists and winners from all over the country who represented absolute excellence in the industry.’

Commenting on the quality of the entries, Chair of the independent Judging Panel, Liam O’Gorman, said:

‘It is evident that the industry has evolved hugely and that merchants have led the way in embracing this changed landscape.

other winners were: Connacht/Donegal/ Monaghan/Cavan Regional Award: Joyce’s Hardware & Home, Galway

Leinster Regional Award: Rooney’s Homevalue, Kells, Co Meath

Munster Regional Award: Morris Builders Providers Ltd, Waterford

four Regional Awards, five Individual Category Awards and a Rising Star Award, which acknowledged upand-coming talent in the industry.

Octabuild Chairperson, Ray Molyneaux said: ‘It’s important for Octabuild that the Awards highlight to the building and construction industry the excellence of Irish builders’ merchants amidst its everchanging landscape.

‘These merchants have transformed their processes, systems and operations to reflect this new way of doing business.’

In total eleven awards were presented at the awards ceremony as well as the Octabuild Lifetime achievement Award, which was presented to Brian Wogan, Dunleer Hardware, Dunleer, Co Louth.

Other winners

In addition to the two awards won by Haldane Fisher, Newry

Excellence in Business Management Award: Chadwicks Coolock Dublin Excellence in Customer Service Award: Nioclás Ó Conchubhair Teo Homevalue, Connemara, Co Galway

Excellence in Sales & Marketing Award: Ganly’s Longford

Excellence in Sustainable Business Award: Brooks Timber & Building Supplies Ltd, Galway

Excellence in Community Outreach: Chadwicks Thomas Street, Dublin

Rising Star Award: Laura Cassidy, Rooney’s Homevalue, Kells, Co Meath

ABOVE: Michael McGrath, TD, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform with Octabuild Chairperson, Ray Molyneaux and Rising Star finalists.

Geospatial surveyors required

• Are you an adventurous person?

• Are you interested in a career that allows you to work both outdoors and indoors?

• Would you like to be qualified to work in Ireland and have a qualification that is internationally recognised?

• Do you have an aptitude for spatial awareness, like working with numbers and have an interest in using leading edge location-based technologies in a sustainable environment?

• Are you a kinetic learner (learn by physically doing the task) and like solving problems?

• Would you like to have high employment opportunities and be career ready on graduation?

• Do you want to become a Chartered Surveyor?

If you answered yes to many of these questions then Geospatial Surveying is the programme for you. Geospatial Surveying (TU089 Part-Time and TU834 Full-Time) are honours degree programmes that provide an excellent technical and scientific base to build a successful career. They cover three main domains:

M1: Measurement for mapping –involves collecting spatial data using advanced digital techniques e.g. drones, laser scanners, terrestrial and aerial cameras and satellites.

M2: Modelling using GIS (Geographical Information Systems) and BIM (Building Information Modelling) – location-based data can be spatially analysed and integrated.

M3: Management of geospatial data – integrating large data for evidencebased decision making used in land and marine administration and governance systems.

TU089 Part-time programme will appeal to mature students, school leavers and applicants who already work in the Geospatial sector. Candidates not currently employed in the geospatial industry will be directed to local companies to secure employment.

A particular feature of the programme is the ‘Work-Related Learning’ component which provides the student with the opportunity to record and reflect on their experience in the workplace and undertake work-related projects.

Career Opportunities

The three domains (M1, M2 & M3) open up lots of exciting career opportunities at home and abroad.

The BSc in Geospatial Surveying in TU Dublin is recognised worldwide as a pathway to many career options in construction, engineering, conservation, data analytics, data modelling, and location-based services.

Accreditation

Geospatial Surveying in TU Dublin is accredited by the Society of

Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI)/ Royal Society of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (CICES). Thus ensuring the degree is recognised throughout the world.

TU834 BSc Geospatial Surveying Full-time https://www.tudublin. ie/study/undergraduate/courses/ geospatial-surveying-tu834

TU089 BSc Geospatial Surveying Part-time https://www.tudublin.ie/ study/part-time/courses/ geospatial-surveying-tu089

Want to advance your current career prospects and earn a geospatial related MSc?

The MSc in Geographic Information Science Programmes (TU 268 FullTime and TU220 Part-Time) are level 9 degree conversion courses that provide strong computing and spatial analysis basis to build a successful career in the geospatial arena.

There is a very high demand for graduates, who have found job opportunities in various sectors of industry, including in engineering, telecoms, utility and logistics companies. This programme is accredited by the SCSI/ RICS.

TU268 MSc GIS Full-time https://www.tudublin.ie/study/ postgraduate/courses/geographicinformation-science/

TU220 MSc GIS Part-time https://www.tudublin.ie/study/ postgraduate/courses/geographicinformation-science2/

For further information please contact: surveying@tudublin.ie School of Surveying & Construction Innovation TU Dublin Bolton Street, D01 K822

Increase 2019 standard country. as the costs

'What di erence do you want to

WorldSkills Ireland 2022 held in September, attracted registrations of 16,000 students to visit Ireland's premier skills and apprenticeship showcase. The event was visited by Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris. Held from 13-15 September with more than thirty live competitions in areas as diverse as Automobile Technology to Industry 4.0, Beauty Therapy to welding, the more than 180 competitors

competed against the clock to win the coveted Department of Further and Higher Education’s Silver

Medal awarded since 1957.

The winners may get the opportunity to compete internationally

at EuroSkills Gdansk 2023 or WorldSkills Lyon2024, often referred to as the ‘Olympics of skills’.

Partners’ support

Supported by key industry partners, ESB Networks, John Sisk and Son, AutoDesk, CIF and Designer Group as main sponsors, the event reached an incredible gender balance of second level students – 57% male and 43% female experiencing the growing range of skilled career pathways.

make?’

One of the highlights in Training & Careers this year was WorldSkills Ireland 22. Ray English has a special overview for us.

WORLDSKILL S

The students got to not only see showcased skills but had the chance to engage in VR Welding, Vehicle Body Repair and Spray Painting, and to try a skill – along with a host of other engagement opportunities.

The Education Zone represented the wide variety of o ers in the tertiary education system from the University sector to Further Education and ETB centres while the industry zone allowed for recruitment directly form the visitors.

New skills competitions in Cyber Security, Digital

LEADERS EXPLORED THE EMERGING RANGE OF NEW CAREERS.’

Infrastructure, Industrial Mechanics added to the wide variety of engagements on o er.

Spotlight

The heroes stage hosted spotlight talks from student peers and had the Generation Apprentice winners attend and showcase their career journeys.

Key industry leaders explored the emerging range of new careers in development and explored how skills change lives.

Minister Simon Harris addressing the large crowd said, ‘the question

we shouldn’t be asking young people is, “tell me the name of the college you are going to”.

‘It should be, “tell me what you want to do with your life, what you are passionate about, what di erence do you want to make on the world?”’

Connection

WorldSkills Ireland provides the connection with passion and showcases the best of skills in undergraduate, trainee and apprenticeship careers and connects with pathways to careers and educational opportunities.

Destined to be back bigger and better in September 2023, it’s time for industry to invest in skills and showcase Ireland’s incredible talent base!

‘INDUSTRY

easy to – it is

As one of Ireland’s longest established companies, Jones Engineering has a proud history of innovative and sustainable growth. Here, they discuss the evolution of their Responsible Business Framework and how it reflects their vision for the future.

Jones Engineering have recently finalised their internal Responsible Business Framework, which formally defines their goals and vision for a more sustainable and inclusive future.

The framework builds a structured foundation around their established legacy and includes areas such as measurable carbon reduction goals, active community engagement and strong investments in team development.

The framework has been aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) with a particular focus on the seven main goals which Jones believe they can have the greatest influence and impact on.

Cutting edge

It is public knowledge that Jones have spent decades working on some of the most cuttingedge renewable energy projects such as Anaerobic Digestion Plants, Wind Farms, Battery Storage Systems and Power Plants.

Their website is covered with exemplar examples of cross-industry projects such as the design and build of Taggart Windfarm, the country’s first Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) wind farm to be connected, and the St. James’s Hospital Energy Performance Contract which delivered €26m in guaranteed energy and operational

Jones Engineering – framing their longstanding strategies

savings and reduced the hospital’s carbon footprint by approximately 118,380 tonnes.

However, what may be less commonly known, is just how active and engaged they are with their global and local communities as well as the development of their team members.

From Senior Management down they strive to make a difference by fostering the next generation of talent, sponsoring organisations within the community, and supporting charities through company and employee efforts.

Awarded

Recently Jamie Bermingham, Jones Engineering Apprentice, was awarded the winner’s medal at the World Skills Ireland Plumbing and Heating Final in the RDS demonstrating his exemplary skills and training.

While the innovative Jones BIM Team collected the Digital BIM Initiative Award at this year’s Irish Building and Design Awards.

Not every achievement is measured in accolades

and some ‘wins’ are more personal.

For example, when Amy joined Jones in 2018 as a HR Intern, she never expected that two years down the road she would be able to pivot to her dream role.

Interest

In her own words Amy said: ‘Whilst I loved my job and the team, quantity surveying had tweaked my interest from a young age, but I pushed it to the back of my head as I didn’t feel confident to pursue such a male-dominated career.

‘When I discussed the possibilities with my manager, she was very supportive and encouraged me to pursue my interests in Quantity Surveying.

‘I have recently made the transition from office to site and started my master’s degree in Quantity Surveying.

‘Jones have helped me every step of the way from supporting me for college to the transition from office to site to get some hands-on experience.

‘Although it is a big change, the support and

guidance from Jones Engineering, in particular the HR and QS Teams has been outstanding.’

Higher

The CSO estimates that only 5.5% of the workforce across all construction related sectors are women. At Jones Engineering the figure of 8.4% is marginally higher than the norm, something they are proud of while still recognising the need for continuous improvement.

With their newly formalised Responsible Business Framework, it seems inevitable that they will deliver on their promises, securing a sustainable and brighter future for their clients, their staff and their community.

Jones have already grown sustainably in both size and reputation, becoming a business with a turnover of €970m+ and resources of over 4,200 people worldwide.

Unrivalled

Their core value is the delivery of engineering through people, and the breadth of their team is unrivalled.

Recruiting, nurturing and developing the best talent has been a cornerstone of the group’s development.

Check out the opportunities

If this sounds like a company you would like to ‘engineer your career’ with then why not check out their Current Opportunities today: https://joneseng. com/careers/currentopportunities/

ABOVE: Jamie Bermingham (centre)

Research tells us that people want purpose. We want to be rewarded and acknowledged for the work that we do – we want to grow with an organisation that shares our values.

At Kirby, we are listening, and we are learning, as we create sustainable careers with purpose. Careers that deliver for our clients, our employees, and our planet. Careers that deliver for people.

As an engineering and construction company, we know that Kirby makes a real di erence by delivering worldclass and leading-edge digital, MedTech, pharmaceutical, industrial manufacturing and renewable energy infrastructure.

Our people can be proud of the impact we have on the planet, as we work for the world’s leading international companies to deliver the world’s vision of tomorrow.

We invest in people

We invest heavily in our people to ensure that we are at the leading edge of engineering, as we deliver mission-critical infrastructure projects for a greener, more sustainable planet.

We have invested in a number of ways; in individual development planning, a learning academy, online learning resources and strong networked relationships with our third and fourth level learning institution partners.

We constantly engage with our people and develop them, to keep pace with emerging technology and practices, ensuring top-tier teams that can deliver on the emerging

What do you want from your career? Careers with a sustainable purpose

by Fergus Barry (below), HR Director at Kirby Group Engineering

People come first.

Opportunities

We are fortunate to be in a position to support our people’s ambitions and to provide early development opportunities.

market demands.

Our managers function as coaches and mentors of talent, and we encourage the honest conversations and openness that is required to create a learning environment and culture.

It is this ethos that saw us recognised with a ‘platinum’ accreditation from the ‘Investors in People’ programme in 2021.

The highly rigorous assessment, which included a sta survey, scored us among the top 2% of organisations worldwide that have been assessed so far.

We continue to invest in the future of the industry, and this year we launched several three-year bursaries for third level colleges across Ireland, which will support female engineers in their training.

We put people first Kirby is a unique employer. We genuinely believe that all

business is about people and relationships. We put People first.

By joining our futurefocused organisation you will receive investment, in you, your career and in a sustainable future. Kirby provides structured career paths and invests in the development of our people and seeks to retain our talent, as a key part of our sustainable competitive advantage.

At Kirby we have long recognised the importance of training and development.

Many of our top people joined the company as graduates or apprentices and have grown with us and shaped the company into what it is today.

It is these same people who ensured that People is our core company value. At Kirby,

This enables strong organic growth and development of worldclass professionals. Growth provides the opportunity for real career advancement and development. There is no substitute.

At Kirby, we are creating a diverse and inclusive organisation with people at its core, with a sustainable purpose and with growth, which delivers for our people, their careers, and the planet.

We have forty-two di erent nationalities working in Kirby and we genuinely believe that our strength is in our diversity. If you want more from your career, please join us and go to: careers. kirbygroup.com.

THE WORLD WE LIVE IN HAS RADICALLY CHANGED IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, WHICH HAS CHALLENGED THE WAY WE THINK ABOUT OUR LIVES AND CAREERS.

The National Construction Training Centre, announced as the site for the National Modern Methods of Construction Demonstration Park on the same day Minister Harris launches the new National Scaffolding Apprenticeship in Mount Lucas.

Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board welcomed Minister Simon Harris to the National Construction Training Centre at Mount Lucas.

Announce

Minister Harris was on site to announce Mount Lucas as the site for the National Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) Demonstration Park, and to officially launch the new QQI Level 5 Scaffolding Apprenticeship.

On welcoming the audience to the National Construction Training Centre, Minister Harris said:

‘I am delighted to be here to formally launch the Scaffolding Apprenticeship and to announce the new Modern Methods of Construction Demonstration Park.

‘I’m also happy to share the news the centre will be expanding as I’ve approved our first project under the Strategic Investment Upgrade Fund for the NZEB Centre.

Commitment

‘The Government’s Housing for All (HfA) Strategy provides a commitment to promoting a culture of compliant, good quality sustainable innovation in residential construction through development of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC).

‘HfA sets out a number of measures which will support and promote the development of MMC in Ireland, including the establishment of a National Demonstration Park for MMC.

‘The MMC Demonstration Park will be an accessible and interactive built resource for applied research, training and demonstration.’

Deliver

Minister Harris stated: ‘We need up to 51,000 more workers to deliver on the Government Climate Action Plan and Housing for All. That’s why centres like this are critical for all of us.’

A Project Management Group has been established and will

Minister Harris; Joe Cunningham, CE Laois & Offaly Education and Training Board; Tony Dalton, Director of FET, Laois / Offaly Education & Training Board

Onwards and upwards at Mount Lucas!

provide inter-departmental oversight of the development of the National Demonstration Park.

Phase One of the Demonstration Park will consist of a street of 10 building ‘pads’ with additional space available for future development.

An open competition will be held inviting construction companies to build on the pads exhibiting the latest construction technologies and innovative methods in residential construction.

Scaffolding

The new Scaffolding Apprenticeship, which was officially launched by Minister Harris, was developed with the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) as consortium lead along with Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board (LOETB).

The Consortium Steering Group (CSG) comprised of the National Association of Scaffolding & Access Contractors (NASAC), SIPTU, the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) and had representation from the scaffolding contractors from the Scaffolders Together Association.

On the launch of the National Scaffolding Apprenticeship, Tom Parlon, director general, CIF said:

‘The CIF welcomes the announcement of the National Scaffolding Apprenticeship, developed

by the National Association of Scaffolding and Access Contractors (NASAC), in collaboration with Laois Offaly Education & Training Board, and the National Construction Training Centre, Mount Lucas.

‘This apprenticeship will greatly contribute to the raising of standards in the industry and ensure that working at height is carried out safely and by competent contractors.

‘I would personally like to acknowledge the hard work undertaken by the stakeholders involved and wish the students every success in their journey to occupational excellence.’

Accredited

The Scaffolding Apprenticeship is a QQI Level 5 accredited programme run over two years with twenty weeks training on site in The National Construction Training Centre at Mount Lucas.

The aim of the apprenticeship is to provide a national standard for the construction industry, improve health and safety and recognise scaffolding as a craft.

Modules cover all elements of scaffolding from design to dismantling.

Elements included range from BIM for Scaffolders, to Toolbox Talks and Working on Complex Structures.

Be employed by a SOLAS employer

Be at least 16 years of age

Have a minimum of 3 month’s site experience

Have a minimum of grade D in 5 subjects at Junior Certificate, or equivalent, to include Maths and English

Have evidence of CEFRL level B2 minimum if English is not a first language

by considerable science. By Jeff Haden.

Simple, sure. But also extremely effective. For any leader.

Great companies, and great teams, are built by great leaders. But what if you don't have any leadership training? Or – more crucially, since everything I learned about leadership I learned the hard way – any leadership experience?

While it takes time to gain skill and experience, there are a few things you can start doing right away.

Be present, but not just in the way you think Being ‘present’, giving people your full attention, is obviously important. But so is simple presence.

A study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology found that physical presence matters.

You don't have to talk a lot. You don't have to interact a lot. You just have to be there.

Strong

As the researchers write, ‘Mere exposure had weak effects on familiarity, but strong effects on attraction and similarity’.

Which is a fancy way of saying the more often we see you, the more we will like and respect you.

Granted, that's hard when you're a new leader. You're unsure. You're uncomfortable. You might be asked questions you can't answer.

You might be asked to handle

situations you don't know how to handle. It's tempting to spend less time with the people you lead, not more.

Harder

But shying away actually makes your leadership life harder: Not only do you get fewer chances to gain skill and experience, but you also lose out on the positive effect of just being present.

So if you are nervous about not having the answers, flip it around and ask questions.

If you are unsure you can handle certain situations, ask people for advice. Let people help you lead.

Not only will you become a better leader, you'll also build a better, more engaged team.

Yet at the same time, hold a lot fewer meetings

Ninety percent of employees feel meetings are ‘costly’ and ‘unproductive’, and they're right: Employee productivity increases by over 70 percent when meetings are reduced by 40 percent.

Why? Fewer meetings gives employees more time to get things done.

And makes them smarter; one study found that when employees attend meetings, the average IQ of each individual drops by between 15 and 20

percent.

For one thing, if you feel like a ‘junior’ member of a group, your IQ drops. (As in most situations, confidence matters a lot.)

If you feel your contributions won't be valued, your IQ drops more.

And if other people criticize (overtly or implicitly) your contributions, your IQ drops even more.

Goal

That's why great bosses hold fewer meetings, especially when the goal is to brainstorm or problem-solve.

Idea generation dramatically improves when people first come up with ideas by themselves, or with at most, one or two others.

That typically leads to greater diversity in ideas, better analysis of the pros and cons of those ideas, and much greater odds of a larger group – if you eventually decide to convene a larger group – eventually identifying the best idea.

So be present, but in the real work world. Not the make-believe work world of meetings.

Never serve the dreaded ‘feedback sandwich’

You've probably heard you should deliver constructive feedback by starting

Five smart things new bosses do to instantly become better leaders, backed

with a positive, sharing the negative, and then closing with another positive. But you shouldn't, because feedback sandwiches are really tough to swallow.

According to a study published in Management Review Quarterly, a feedback sandwich almost always fails to correct negative or subpar behaviours.

Three out of four recipients feel manipulated. Nine out of ten feel patronized.

And only 7 percent actually change the meat described in the feedback sandwich.

Instead, just be clear. Be direct. And be encouraging. While few employees want to hear how they can improve, good employees appreciate the knowledge. And they will respect you for being open and candid, especially when you don't patronize them in the process.

Yet at the same time, focus mostly on positives No matter how it's delivered, though, research shows that after a few days –or even a few hours – people typically forget the negative feedback they receive.

But they remember positive feedback for a long time.

Not just the positive (‘You did a great job improving fulfillment process flow’) but also the facts accompanying the positive (‘And as a result, our shipping costs are down 7 percent and our on-time delivery rate is up 11 percent’).

Want employees to be more patient when dealing with customer complaints? Praise them when they take extra time to make things right.

Help

Want them to spend extra time training struggling employees? Praise them when they step in, unasked, to help a person in need.

In short, focus on positives. Tell people you appreciate their hard work, not just in general but in specific. Explain why that makes a difference, not just to your business but to you. They'll remember how good it feels to do something well, and will want to experience that feeling again.

Which also makes it a lot less likely you'll need to share negative feedback.

Most of all, say ‘thank you’. A lot

Studies show that nearly nine out of 10 people wish they heard ‘thank you’ in their daily interactions.

More specifically, other research shows a direct link between gratitude and job satisfaction: The more ‘thank you’ becomes a part of a company's culture, the more likely employees are to enjoy their jobs.

But wait, there's more: Research also shows that grateful leaders motivate their employees to be more productive.

Exchange

In short, pay is an exchange for effort. It's a transaction. You pay people to do their jobs.

But you should also thank the people you work with – as often as possible –for how well they do their jobs.

For being responsive. For being proactive. For being cooperative, helpful, and supportive.

Because every employee is also a person, and every person wants to be thanked more often.

And because we all flourish in environments – whether at work or at home – where expectation does not preclude appreciation.

By Jeff haden, contributing editor, inc.@jeff_haden

‘Be present, But in the real work world. not the make-Believe work world of meetings.’

PERSONAL & FINANCE

The cost of living crisis has been to the fore for a great deal of this year. No matter what our earnings, things just cost us more and our money is worth less in terms of what it can buy. Regular content contributors to CMi, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CPCC) are here with advice, as always.

Tips on how to begin budgeting

When making a budget, says Grainne Griffin, Director of Communications at the CCPC, you firstly want to figure out if you are taking in more money on a monthly basis than you are spending, or is it the other way around?

Goals

Then you want to consider how you can make your money work better for you and in particular to meet your own personal money goals.

You can use a simple list or budgeting tool, such as the one on ccpc.ie, to record all your incoming payments and outgoing payments.

Use a bank statement to help you to get a full picture of where your money goes. Remember to take account of any payments you make annually or quarterly, such as car insurance.

If you are spending more than you are getting, you need to look at if you can increase your income and decrease your spending.

Payment

You may be entitled to a full or partial social welfare payment such as the Working Family Payment, or perhaps you could qualify for a GP card or get a tax refund on medical expenses.

Most consumers take out credit at some point in their lives, for example, for most people it wouldn’t be possible to make big purchases like a family home or a car without taking out a mortgage or a loan.

Many consumers also use credit on a regular basis by taking out a loan for a holiday or Christmas, or using a credit card.

Credit becomes a problem when you

can’t afford to make your repayments on your debt or when you need to use credit for your day-to-day expenses.

Report

The CCPC’s Financial Well-being Report found that using credit to cover day-to-day expenses shows a low level of financial well-being and people who do this should consider seeking support with budgeting or debt management.

When looking to cut spending, firstly look at any debt arrangements you have and how much they are costing you.

Credit cards are one of the most expensive ways you can take out credit unless you pay your bill off in full every month.

If you are only making your minimum repayments, then it may be worth taking out a loan to pay off your credit card, or moving to a card with an interest free payment while you pay the balance down.

Switching

It is possible to save money by switching, and mortgages stand out at the area where consumers can save the

ABOVE: Grainne Griffin Director of Communications

most money.

If you haven’t changed your mortgage provider in the past few years, then it’s really worth looking at.

You can compare providers. Check out the mortgage comparison tool on ccpc.ie. Your existing provider may have a better rate than you can move on to, or you may want to move to a new provider altogether.

While there are additional legal costs when moving to a new provider, these can be far less than what you can save by moving.

Statements

It is worth scrutinising your bank statements to ensure you know what all your reoccurring payments are for and that you still want to pay for those services.

Many people tried new things during the pandemic but if you’re not using that audiobook/meditation/streaming subscription, then cancel it.

While making a budget can be daunting, it can bring real peace of mind when you figure out how to make your bill repayments every month or

make a plan to make your debt more manageable.

If you want support to make your budget or to talk through your options for managing your debt, do contact MABS, who provide one-to-one support to work through debt and budgeting problems.

Proactive

If you are in the position where you have more money coming in than going out, consider doing something proactive to improve your level of financial wellbeing.

After tackling debt, the two most important things you can do to improve your financial wellbeing are start a pension and start regularly saving a small amount towards unexpected expenses.

We know that people are optimistic by nature and we underestimate how often we’ll need to deal with an unexpected expense, like a broken washing machine.

Aim to build up your savings account to cover 3 to 6 months of living expenses if you can.

‘If you are In the posItIon where you have more money comIng In than goIng out, consIder doIng somethIng proactIve to Improve your level of fInancIal wellbeIng.’

spotlight on: Dornan

project understanding to improve design quality and build trust between all the stakeholders.

Through the ECI approach, Dornan have introduced specialised M&E installation expertise into the project lifecycle at the early design stage with very positive delivery outcomes on several high-profile projects.

Selected

The bigger picture

The complexities involved in delivering a project to meet facility requirements and client expectations depends on a wide range of engineering design, management, and construction expertise.

Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) is a one team approach with Client, Designer and Contractor involvement and cooperation for value creation and innovation in the construction of complex facilities.

Early engagement allows an integrated team to build better, safe systems of working, improve business practices and deliver the Client’s vision and quality build in an orderly and timely manner.

Advocate

Dornan Engineering Ltd is an advocate for ECI as it promotes collaborative working to bring specialist M&E construction knowledge and experience into the design and pre-construction phase of the project resulting in a win-win for all stakeholders, in order that collectively we hit the ground running on the commencement date.

In today’s world, the industry favours value, customisation, flexibility, and rapid response from the supply chain, along with the demand for solutiondriven execution and therefore early stakeholder alliances and contractor inputs have proved successful in reducing time and risk while increasing

Traditionally the client selected the designer, main contractor, and installation contractors through a bidding process with the appointed M&E contractor completing the build in accordance with the original design.

However, the challenge with this model is that it doesn’t always meet the client’s schedule demands.

With substantial capital investments, the decision around that investment can take time; however, once made, the client will want the fastest possible time to facility delivery.

Accordingly, final design decisions made with the insights of specialist contractors and the opportunities for potential savings in schedule and cost down the line is greatly desired by many clients.

Through this process, Dornan has identified and reduced safety risks along with strategies to maximise off site construction/modular assembly.

While ECI is not without its challenges, no final design is presented at the beginning of a project, and therefore there may be some deviation from the Client’s original vision and if the communication channels between stakeholders are not properly established with clear lines of responsibility the project may become disjointed, compromising schedule and cost.

Expertise

ECI allows all stakeholders to collaborate and collate their expertise and share insights at the design stage, with the Client maintaining a key role on the project with continued input to realise their vision and ensure a value design process within the GMP.

Collaboration through ECI further strengthens team integration from the outset, incentivising innovation, value engineering and to understand the big picture.

Trust is key and needs all stakeholders to put ‘skin-in-the-game’, this promotes a one team delivery with close collaboration and transparency.

Vital

While it may be a time-consuming process to formalise the required standardised procedures with project execution documentation and establish ECI workshops, continuous engagement is vital ensuring smooth construction collaboration.

Nevertheless, it has been Dornan’s experience that ECI develops long standing relationships with stakeholders and has helped to streamline operations.

In turn this has ensured best practise in aligning systems to allow for continuous improvement in the consistency of delivery and proves particularly effective in large complex projects while injecting greater reliability and consistency into schedule and budget.

Essential

Early constructive and inclusive Communication, by all parties, is essential and Dornan believes the ECI model integrates the Project teams through workshops with positive discussion to achieve project delivery in a safe and timely manner while optimising the Client’s budgets.

In this special issue of CMi, Dornan Engineering’s managing director – Micheál O Connor looks at the advantages of an holistic approach to construction, through Early Contractor Involvement (ECI)

ABOVE: Dornan Engineering’s managing director, Micheál O Connor

This time out our Legal View article comes from Mary Smith, (partner), and Stephen Boyle, (paralegal), of Caytons. They turn their attention to the Construction Industry Register Ireland (‘CIRI’) in this comprehensive and informative overview!

Promoting contractor competency with the CIRI

What is the CIRI? The Construction Industry Register Ireland (‘CIRI’) is an o cial voluntary register of competent builders, contractors, specialist sub-contractors and tradespersons (collectively defined as ‘contractors’ in this article) who undertake construction works.

The CIRI was established in July 2014 and is open for applications. It was developed by the Construction Industry Federation with support from the Government.

It is currently governed by the CIRI Admissions & Registration Board, who consist mainly of registered construction professionals from various sectors of the industry.

Its operators confirmed to us that there are 700 registered members currently on the register.

This register is a similar model to that of registration for Registered Architects and Surveyors.

Accreditation

Its main purpose is to provide those operating within the construction industry with competency accreditation.

As such, consumers can freely access the register to find a competent and compliant contractor which has passed certain pre-registration checks, that otherwise may not exist for contractors not

currently on the register.

It ties in nicely with the Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2014 which obliges clients to appoint competent and compliant contractors, builders, and specialist construction contractors and as such, the CIRI acts as a tool to tick box this obligation.

The registered title is a professional designation granted to a contractor who meets these onerous requirements as outlined by the current CIRI Admission and Registrations Board.

Strict

Becoming a registered contractor means that the contractor has been subjected to a strict review process to obtain the designated registration category under the register.

The application process is an extensive system of checking contractors to make sure they meet the basic requirements regarding health and safety, insurance, financial clearances, project references, qualifications, and experience of key personnel.

Then once on the register, contractors must cover 4 main pillars of annual CPD, one of which are Building Regulations. These checks must be met afresh on every annual renewal.

A

statutory

Government announced new changes to the CIRI with the focus of enhancing compliance within the construction sector.

The Regulation of Providers of Building Works and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022 (‘the Act’) was enacted in July 2022 and this Act will replace the voluntary register with a statutory one.

On 29 August 2022 a Commencement Order for the general provisions of the Act was passed with notable exclusions covering Part 4 (Register and Competence Criteria) and Part 5 (Registration and Practice).

There is no date yet for commencement of these sections. However, it is proposed that the first category (both home and commercial builders) can begin registering under the Act with the CIRI in 2023 with mandatory registration expected in early 2024.

While the CIRI is now open for voluntary registration this is under the current system rather than under the Act. The Act also maintains the CIRI title.

Good practice

The main objective of the Act is to advance a culture of good practice, competence, and compliance with Building Regulations throughout the Irish construction industry.

independent registration body and registrar to be responsible for the day-today running of the register.

The Act applies to all providers of building works with ‘works’ meaning works to which the building regulations or building control regulations apply.

An employee of a provider of building works is not a provider of building works.

Key provisions of the act

Part 3: provides for the establishment of an Admissions and Registration Board and an Appeals Committee. Ministerial appointees will constitute a majority of the Board and Committee.

Under the Act those appointed must have at least expertise and knowledge in one or more areas of construction, as set out in the Act.

Also, because of prelegislative scrutiny before the passing of the Act, there is also a safeguard obligatory provision that the Board and Committee members shall be independent in the performance of its functions.

structure

Earlier this year, the

The Act provides for the appointment of a fair and

Part 4: provides for the establishment of the statutory CIRI Register and sets out the competence criteria required for contractors to be eligible to register.

This criterion is determined

by the Board and eligibility is based on an assessment of the contractor’s level of educational qualification or practical experience or a combination of both.

There is also a section providing for an equivalent competence criteria base for registered members from other countries to protect against discrimination of builders coming from other countries to tender for works here.

This section also sets out the list of details that the Register shall contain in relation to each registered entity, which includes any penalties and o ences handed down under the Building Control Act 1990.

In the event of legal proceedings (presumably involving a registered or unregistered contractor) the Act states that a member of the Board can furnish a certificate stating that contractor is, or is not, or was at one time, on the statutory register and this will constitute prima facie evidence of this fact.

A party to proceedings could obtain such a statutory certificate to demonstrate a situation where a contractor or tradesman was suspended or not on the Register at a given date in time to prove that a standard of competency was not met.

On the other hand, a contractor could obtain this certificate to prove in its defence that it has the level of competency as required under the Act and/ or the Building Control (Amendment) Regulations to defend allegations which may suggest otherwise.

The register is also divided into di erent divisions for each of the di erent categories of works.

As such it is for a contractor to meet the competency criteria in respect of each division for which it is registered.

That said, the Act provides for scope for a registered contractor to rely upon a specific employee as a ‘competent person’ who fulfils the competence criteria relating to a certain division of works, if the contractor wishes to become registered in another division (or category say).

If the specific employee leaves the employment of the contractor, then there are obligatory time notice provisions in the Act that must be followed by the contractor.

There are also useful provisions that enable a

first registration and renewal. Like the current system, renewal is not automatic, and the contractor must go through a fresh onerous application process.

The contractor must furnish evidence that it holds the minimum levels of insurance as required under the Act (see below for more on this).

The application for registration both at the outset and renewal includes an obligation on the contractor to furnish a written statement confirming (amongst other things) whether the contractor applicant complies with the

This applies only to public liability and employer’s liability policies.

This section lists the criteria the registration body will have regard to when specifying these minimum indemnity levels.

This includes regards to the level of risk generally inherent in the specific category of works, the level of risk that insurers associate with the category of works (this will require consultation as between underwriters and the registration body established under the Act) as well as the level of awards/ settlements from proceedings relating to causes of action from allegations of breaches of duty involving registered contractors involved in that category of works.

Part 6: provides for the handling of complaints, investigations and sanctions in respect of the registered contractor.

A complaint may be made in writing concerning any one of a number of grounds (referred to as ‘improper conduct’).

contractor to rely on its subsidiaries to fulfil the competency criteria and register in other divisions.

Part 5: provides for the operation of the CIRI and significantly prohibits any unregistered contractors from operating in construction.

This also includes a ban on contractors providing building services in a category in which they are not registered.

It is an o ence to contravene this prohibition. As such, if contractors are not on the register by early 2024 (assuming it comes into e ect then) then they simply cannot trade.

Part 5 of the Act also outlines the application process, the requirements for

Building Regulations and Building Control Regulations.

If the contractor becomes aware of any ‘material matter’ that changes the information furnished in the registration application, then it must notify the registration body as soon as practicable and no later than 30 days.

An adverse court judgment that a contractor was in non-compliance with the Building Regulations could well constitute a ‘material matter’ that must be notified.

This in turn could negatively impact upon registration and ultimately the ability to operate/trade.

Section 43 provides that the registration body will specify the minimum levels of insurance that the contractor must hold.

One such ground includes complaints against a contractor providing building services in a category in which they are not registered.

Contractors and their employees will have to be very careful to avoid finding themselves unassumingly getting into other aspects of work on site if they are not registered in this specific area of work.

Review

After a complaint is received, the Registrar will review it to ascertain if it is made in good faith or if it is without substance, lacking information or frivolous and vexatious.

The Registrar may decide that the complaint could be resolved by mediation.

If the Registrar is of the view that the complaint

has substance, then it will refer it onto the Board for investigation following which an inspector is appointed.

An investigation report is produced at the end of the investigation stating whether the inspector is satisfied that there has been improper conduct or not.

The appointed inspectors have wide ranging powers under the Act including the power to enter and search any premises of a contractor under investigation.

Imposed

Minor or major sanctions can be imposed by the Board following receipt of an investigation report that finds improper conduct.

Oral hearings may also be conducted by the Board if it considers it necessary.

A major sanction could be removal or suspension from the register as a whole or a division thereof thereby banning the contractor from operating.

Confirmation from the High Court is required before a decision to impose a major sanction takes e ect.

Importantly, the Act provides (in Part 7 ) that all complaints, investigations, inspector reports under the Act and made to the inspector, the Board or appeals committee and associated documents and communications are absolutely privileged.

This means that these issues cannot be disclosed and relied upon as evidence in court proceedings. Part 7 also provides for the publication of sanctions and convictions and provision for o ences and penalties.

Why was a statutory register chosen?

The statutory register was chosen as it is expected to help develop and promote a culture of competence, good practice and compliance with Building Regulations, to

address rogue builders and shadow economic activity in the construction sector and to ensure fairer competition for compliant operators.

The purpose of the CIRI register is to promote safe and compliant work practices that consumers can rely on with confidence.

The CIRI registered contractors can be

• Members of the public can now go online and are free to search for registered contractors

• The Act will provide for the CIRI to receive complaints against registered contractors, including complaints against a contractor providing building services in a category in which

• Inspectors will have wide ranging powers under the Act

• All complaints and investigations made under the Act will be privileged

What gets measured gets improved

Mandatory statutory regulation is necessary to protect the public from the risks posed by defective buildings such as the boom to bust housing defects and the legacies of poor construction design, workmanship and materials.

Improving and promoting a culture of good building practice, competence and compliance with the Building Regulations will greatly benefit consumers, those operating within the construction industry and the public at large.

confident that customers they are dealing with view them as highly skilled and experienced, and only contractors that meet the strict eligibility criteria are registered on CIRI.

Key takeaways

• Contractors already included on the CIRI or equivalent may be regarded as competent for the purposes of the Building Control (Amendment) Regulations for projects consistent with their registration profile.

• The CIRI will be a mandatory register from early 2024 of competent builders, contractors, specialist sub-contractors and tradespersons in the construction industry

• If a contractor is not on the register, then it will be prohibited from trading

• Employees of contractors will not be required to apply but sole traders will

• Eligibility for registration can be achieved through experience, qualifications, or a combination of both

they are not registered

• If there is an issue with a contractor’s quality and compliance, then it may not get its registration renewed

• The CIRI should effectively blacklist shoddy contractors once it becomes mandatory

• A certificate of registration will be proof of competency in the division of works to which it relates

• Any major sanctions imposed will require prior confirmation from the High Court

This register will mandate that contractors can only take on work that they are competent to complete and registered to undertake.

This register will help restore trust and confidence to the industry and its consumers and improve quality and standards in the construction environment such that the risks of repeating the mistakes of the past should be substantially decreased.

These measures are another welcome step for improving standards and minimising risks in the Irish construction industry.

Caytons is a provider of specialist insurance and construction legal services.

This material is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

Mary Smith Partner, Caytons

Stephen Boyle Paralegal, Caytons

Henry Hathaway is a solicitor who practices in both Ireland and England and Wales and specialises in construction law. In this special edition of CMi he addresses a very significant topic…

The ability to apply the construction contract to avoid disputes

In the past number of years there has been a significant number of articles and papers written in relation to Adjudication in Ireland.

By all accounts this method of dispute resolution is certain to follow the success of Adjudication in the UK having been in place since 1996.

There is an abundance of case law

There is an abundance of case law now in place to reference and the current authorities in Ireland have lent weight to the propensity towards enforcing an adjudicator’s decision except in the most limited of circumstances.

That along with the appropriate procedures to follow in order to enforce are now well settled and ultimately adjudication in Ireland has the necessary teeth through enforcement.

There have been a number of cases now in Ireland and are well worth referencing such as Aakon Construction Services Limited v Pure Fitout

Associated Limited No.1 [2021] IEHC 562 or Principal Construction Limited v Beneavin Contractor’s Limited [2021] IEHC 578.

There is an underlying concept within adjudication whose purpose is to improve cash flow within the industry which is to ‘pay now, litigate later’.

This has been a successful aspect and there is little doubt that the timelines and costs are significantly lower than resorting to other dispute resolution proceedings be it arbitration or legal proceedings.

Whilst the above is very much welcome, it is in respect of dispute resolution and invariably when the issues have arisen and the proverbial horse has bolted.

However

However, clearly the aim for any contracting parties must be to avoid disputes in the first place.

It is well regarded that disputes in general in construction lead to costs, uncertainty of outcome, financial losses and can be an unpleasant experience.

Many of the disputes be they in Adjudication, Arbitration or legal proceedings that the reader will have acted in are borne from the potential initial agreement between the parties in the first instance.

The party who have an inherent culture towards certainty of terms or dispute avoidance will invariably wish to avoid disputes in the first instance.

As a concept, dispute avoidance is quite obvious and entering into a dispute ought to be the last resort as opposed to the first. If the concept is straightforward and obvious, then why is it so di cult in practice?

This is the starting point and if an agreement has been reached, what did the parties intend to do and how were such terms recorded.

it so di cult in practice?

There are a number of steps

There are a number of steps that can be taken, however, firstly, the parties must concentrate on the contract or agreement in the first place and before works commence.

In every dispute, the question at the forefront will be, whether the parties had an agreement and if so, what terms were incorporated.

A strong contract (whether bespoke or standard form) will capture what the parties are to perform and how the conduct of the performance is to progress.

Most disputes occur when there is ambiguity either on the scope of works or what in fact is contained within the works.

The next point is to engage with the contract terms and to understand them.

The times of signing a contract and leaving it to one side until a dispute arises must cease.

In many instances the writers’ clients will have the essential terms of the contract summarised and explained in straightforward fashion to the sta who are to carry out the works.

In those circumstances, the sta have had briefings and training and can comply with what is required and understand risk and liabilities under the contract.

I often refer to the case of RTS Flexible Systems Limited v Molkerei Alois Muller Gmbh & Company KG [2010] UKSC 14.

Highlights the pitfalls

This was a Supreme Court case in the UK which highlights the

pitfalls of not having a properly particularised agreement in place.

This is a decision which centred on a Letter of Intent and the terms. E ectively, having not had the precise terms recorded, this matter passed through a number of courts which led to undoubtedly significant costs.

Paragraph 1 of the judgement set the issue clearly when it stated: ‘The di erent decisions in the courts below and the arguments in this court

Henry Hathaway is a solicitor who practices in both Ireland and England and Wales and specialises in construction law. He is a qualified civil engineer and spent 12 years working in the industry. He regularly advises on contract formation and provides practical advice when entering construction contracts and regularly provides training and seminar days to companies to assist knowledge and application in order to assist them in avoiding disputes in construction. If you require further information in relation to contract formation or would like to discuss training and development in this area, contact henry.hathaway@hathawaysolicitors.ie.

demonstrate the perils of beginning work without agreeing the precise basis upon which it is to be done.’

The key message must be that in an environment where adjudications are becoming more popular and are being enforced but for minor exceptions, then the onus ought to be for construction companies to avoid these proceedings unless required to engage as a last resort.

There are clear good reasons for a company to adopt a dispute avoidance

mentality which as a topic is larger than this article can particularise fully.

However, whatever the case, be it in formal dispute resolution and/or negotiations, the key issue and starting point will be to ensure that the agreement contains the necessary terms which may be required to be relied upon at a later stage.

This is the first and perhaps most important stage in order to adopt a dispute avoidance ethos and potentially save on costs in the future.

spotlight on: pipelife

Pipelife Eco – ‘Ireland’s #1 Supplier of Eco

Solutions’ www.pipelifeeco.ie

Pipelife Eco is Ireland’s leading designer and supplier of thousands of Home Heating Solutions each year.

Everyone

The Pipelife Eco team works with everyone from homeowners, contractors, architects and consulting engineers across the country in projects ranging from residential homes, offices, hospitals, nursing homes, to warehouses, car showrooms and other commercial and industrial buildings.

Pipelife has recently launched a new Home Heating Solutions website that outlines all the different heating options available to heat a home.

The website explains in detailed 3D videos the different types of heating systems in the simplest way possible

Heating

so homeowners and installers can make the most informed decision about the type of system that will work best for their needs.

Important

Padjoe Barry, national sales manager, comments: ‘Building a house can be quite daunting and within that the heating system that is chosen for a home is one of the most important investment decisions a homeowner will make.

‘Heating your home represents the largest annual running cost you will have in ensuring your family’s comfort over many years.

‘The heating system you choose and the supplier you choose to provide it are decisions that will impact on you for decades to come.’

Learn

The purpose of the website is to give homeowners, but also installers, a point of reference that they can send their customers to, to learn about the different heating systems available, the pitfalls to watch out for, the quality of all the components used in your heating solution is critical to its long successful operation, and the recommended system the Pipelife would recommend.

At Pipelife Eco we believe in providing our customers with a one stop-shop

for complete package solutions; from market-leading products, free initial advice, through to bespoke design, final commissioning, and technical support, allowing you to purchase with confidence.

Multiple package solutions design service

Pipelife has a team of Design Engineers ready to assist in the design, sale and installation of a variety of water/energy efficient systems.

Our Renewables Division covers every aspect of underfloor heating and integrated renewables and deliver fully designed, energy efficient systems to a range of Installers, Developers, Builders, Engineers & Architects.

We have a proven track record of twenty years’ service and commitment to the industry backed by exceptionally trained staff and a dedicated technical backup service.

Whether you’re building a new house, adding an extension or renovating your home, we can help you find the right system for your project.

Critical

As Underfloor Heating is now the most common method of heating homes in Ireland today it is important to note that the most critical component of an underfloor heating system is the pipework that will be buried in the concrete floor of your home.

Once installed, this pipework will be encased and inaccessible for the lifetime of your home.

Any problems associated with this pipework would entail the floor of your home being dug up causing massive disruption.

It is critical that all components used, but especially the pipework, are top quality and fully backed by reputable manufacturers.

Pipelife is the only supplier that

manufactures its own specialised underfloor heating pipe in Ireland.

We offer our Guaranteed Irish QualPex Plus+ ‘Easy-Lay’ Multilayer Pipe with a fifty-year guarantee!

Rest assured

We provide full design indemnity insurance on all our heating solution systems so you can rest assured our system will deliver on what we promise, providing you with a home heating solution you can rely on for decades to come, safe in the knowledge we will always be there to support you if the need ever arises.

The nationwide Pipelife Eco team of experienced design and technical service engineers always provides

complete support to installers to ensure successful completion of Pipelife ECO projects.

Pipelife is a company with annual revenues of €1bn a year. We operate in twenty-eight countries and employ 3,000 employees in twenty-eight manufacturing locations.

Pipelife is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Wienerberger Group, with group revenues of over €4bn per year and 16,000 employees worldwide.

Strength

This long history plus the financial strength of Pipelife is the best guarantee we can offer you that we will be there to support our products over the long lifetimes expected of those products.

For more information and to talk to our team call us on 021 488 4700 or e-mail us at ireland@pipelife.com and check out our website www. pipelifeeco.ie

Put your trust in Pipelife – fifty years of proud Irish manufacturing and serving the Irish plumbing and heating industry.

Our Reputation…Your Peace of Mind! E-mail – Ireland@pipelife.com Phone - +353 21 4884700

PiPelife has recently launched a new home heating solutions website.’

Building a net zero Ireland

As we write this article, the UN Climate Conference, COP27, reminds us all again that urgent climate action is needed.

To address this challenge in the built environment, and after a year of extensive engagement with industry and other key stakeholders, the Irish Green Building Council (IGBC) recently launched a roadmap to decarbonise our sector.

Backed by carbon modelling data commissioned to UCD, ‘Building a Net Zero Ireland’ details a series of actions to accelerate the transformation of Ireland’s built environment.

Understanding the scale of the challenge

For the first time ever, the roadmap looks at all the emissions associated with Ireland’s built environment.

It shows that it accounts for 37% of our national emissions, the same as agriculture.

23% is associated with the energy we use to heat, cool, and light our buildings (operational emissions), with the remaining 14% being accounted for by embodied carbon.

Embodied emissions result from quarrying, transporting, and manufacturing building materials, in addition to constructing buildings and infrastructure.

Projections to 2030 show that the NZEB standard, the decarbonisation of the grid, and the national retrofit plan should lead to a significant decrease in operational emissions.

However, with 400,000 homes to be delivered in the next decade, these savings could be fully negated if we fail to consider embodied carbon emissions.

Pathway to zero

There is no question that decarbonising our built environment will be challenging but the sooner we start, the easier the transition.

The ‘Building a zero carbon Ireland’ roadmap shows a clear path towards

decarbonisation of our sector.

An absolute priority should be to deliver on our retrofit goals, ensuring all retrofitted homes perform as per design.

This requires making energy renovation more affordable and accessible.

The rapid introduction of low interest loans (below 2%) for the ‘able-to-pay’ part of the market, and the review of the free energy upgrades programme to ensure all low-income households living in low BER homes are eligible are key.

Critical Access to independent energy renovation advisors and the introduction of Building Renovation Passports (BPRs) are also critical to make retrofit more accessible.

BRPs are masterplans for retrofit which ensure that any renovation works are planned and implemented in a holistic and technically sound manner.

With 400,000 homes to be delivered by 2031, we need to consider how our existing building stock can be better used.

This approach is not only good for the environment, but also for people and the economy.

It is an opportunity to make our towns and city centres more vibrant, while restoring the cultural and aesthetic value of these areas.

Ensure

Finally, when we do build, we must ensure these homes and infrastructures are low carbon.

Since ‘what is not measured, cannot be improved’, a first step is to mandate Whole Life Carbon (WLC) measurement as already done in France, the Netherlands, and the Nordics.

Addressing WLC in our buildings, will require reviewing

our building regs, in particular TGDs K and M to accelerate conversion of existing vacant space, and TGD B to address the limits placed on timber construction above 3 stories.

It also requires investing in low carbon materials, including biobased and circular construction materials.

Supporting the rapid decarbonisation of our built environment

The launch of the roadmap is only the beginning, not the end of the process.

In 2023, the IGBC will work in close cooperation with industry and key stakeholders to enable this transition.

Last year, we launched the Carbon Designer for Ireland tool, a free resource for early-stage estimates of the carbon impact of different material strategies.

In conjunction with the University of Galway, we are now working on a national life cycle assessment methodology and dataset to gather detailed information on live projects and understand just where we are now in our building practices and where we need to be going.

Like many certification schemes across Europe, the Home Performance Index, Ireland’s national certification scheme for quality and sustainable housing, is being updated to require WLC measurement.

Trained

Over 400 building professionals have already be trained in WLC assessment, and new training courses on this topic and circularity and construction will be launched in 2023.

Developments at EU level, such as the proposed revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) and the Taxonomy for sustainable activities, will also drive the decarbonisation of our sector.

Under the proposed revision of the EPBD, the life-cycle Global Warming Potential of all new large buildings will need to be calculated from 2027.

The ever-growing use of the taxonomy means that addressing WLC will be more and more needed to access lower-cost finance.

The “Building a Zero Carbon Ireland” roadmap is available at www.igbc.ie.

As usual we check in with the Irish Green Building Council for a round up. We find that things are as busy as ever!

Allen Cranes Limited

Allen Cranes Limited have ample experience in the sale, hire, consultation, erection/dismantle, service, and testing of cranes.

Fleet

‘With a fleet of over 35 tower cranes, 3 mobile cranes, including our newest Demag AC 220-5 which can work at heights no other crane in its class can, Allen Cranes are proud to be the main SAEZ and TEREX dealers in Ireland,’ CMi is told.

‘We also have a number of self-erectors and crawler cranes.

‘United Lifting have a strong labour force of tower crane and mobile crane

operators, slinger/signallers and material hoist operators.

‘We have recently expanded into top class material hoist and mast climbers hire and sales.

Dedicated

‘Our dedicated team strives to meet all our customers’ needs, from the erection/ dismantle of all crane models to maintenance, testing and certification.

‘We also provide all your required documentation such as method statements, lift plans, risk assessments and crane, plant and lifting gear certification.

‘We pride ourselves in our long-standing customer relationships.’

‘Sophie is currently operating a CTL180 Luffing Jib Crane at a project we have at CityWest,’ we are told. ‘Sophie came to us when she finished school for work experience, gained her slinger ticket, whilst working as a slinger gained experience in the yard operating tower cranes and then applied to do her tower crane ticket, excelled, and is now working as a tower crane operator.’

8th Lock, a prestigious residential development in Dublin 15 by Ballymore is one of the first major projects in Ireland to use Kilsaran CarbonCure, a pioneering sustainable concrete solution.

CarbonCure Ready Mix is a technology that introduces captured carbon dioxide (CO₂), into fresh concrete while it’s being mixed.

Once injected, the CO₂ chemically converts into a mineral, which permanently embeds within the mix and improves the concrete’s compressive strength.

This allows reductions of carbon-intensive cement, resulting in the same reliable concrete

product but with a smaller carbon footprint.

Partnered

Kilsaran has partnered with CarbonCure to offer its customers concrete, not only with a reduced carbon footprint, but also increasing long-term durability and reduced

life-cycle impacts.

To date, CarbonCure has prevented over 174,000 tonnes of CO₂ being released into the atmosphere, with millions more set to be sequestered into the future.

Commenting on the collaboration with Ballymore, Keith Goodwin, associate director

with Kilsaran, says:

‘As part of our overall strategy to bring more sustainable solutions to our customers, we are delighted to be working with Ballymore on the 8th Lock project.

Better

‘Our partnership with CarbonCure offers our customers concrete that is not only better for the environment with a reduced carbon footprint but with increased long-term durability.’

For more information about CarbonCure from Kilsaran visit https:// www.kilsaran.ie/products/ concrete-productsaggregates/carboncure/

ABOVE: Alan Allen & Robbie Allen – directors of Allen Cranes with their newest tower crane operator, Sophie.

Kilsaran CarbonCure used by Ballymore at 8th Lock Apartments.

Here at Construction Management Ireland we know we couldn’t do it without you - without our contributors, without our readers, without those who support us with advertising. We also know that sometimes these descriptions are not mutually exclusive – that our supporters can exist in one or more – or even in all three of these categories at the same time. How does this a ect our approach? Simple. We keep the professional and professionality centre stage. It’s our common ground. It’s what unites us.

At CMi we don’t go in for unnecessary jargon, we don’t like to over-use buzzwords and, as a rule we’re not ones for slogans. But we do like to say:

If it’s of interest to the Irish Construction Professional then it’s of interest to ‘Construction Management Ireland’.

Construction Management Ireland: Building – on our mutual strengths

Construction Management Ireland

Achieving any challenging long-term goal requires perseverance. Determination. Staying the course. Obvious? Absolutely. But no less true. So what makes people stop? And more to the point, why are you sometimes able to tap into considerable stores of determination and willpower, while at other times, you're not? Jeff Haden has some interesting thoughts, as always.

time are concerned, sleeping only six hours is like drinking a couple of beers, and sleeping only four hours is like drinking five beers.

The above is a question researchers at the University of Bologna set out to answer.

Participants were split into two groups. People in one group spent 90 minutes working on a difficult computer task that required significant cognitive effort.

Those in the other group spent the time watching a documentary about cars and trains, a task that required no mental effort (other than possibly trying to stay awake).

Then both groups were hooked up to cardio monitors, put on exercise bikes, and told to pedal as fast as they could until unable to continue as the resistance steadily increased.

Rate

Participants were asked at regular intervals during the test to rate how hard they were working.

Then, during another session, the groups were flipped, with those who watched the (boring) documentary performing the complex computer task while the other group watched the movie.

What happened? People who first spent 90 minutes on the difficult cognitive task quit much sooner than when they did not.

They also rated their perceived effort as much higher during the test, even though their bodies were performing at the same level.

Impaired

Bottom line: Even though the preeffort, and subsequent effect, was all mental, their physical performance was still dramatically impacted.

Intuitively, that makes sense. Determination, willpower, and perseverance are mental attributes, not

physical.

Granted, when you're physically tired it's hard to stay the mental course.

But it's also hard to stay the physical – and determination and perseverance – course when you are mentally tired. Don't just focus on being physically ‘fresh’

You probably know that people who sleep for five to six hours are 19 percent less productive than people who

Or that research shows sleep deprivation makes completing any activity that requires multiple steps (basically any meaningful activity) much more difficult.

Good sleep

That's why most people try, when they need to be at their best, to get a good night's sleep.

To be properly hydrated. To eat a healthy breakfast. Maybe even to gain the moodboosting affect gained from 20 minutes of moderate cardio exercise. But what you do (or more to the point, don't do) before you need to be at your best – especially if that task requires not just mental acuity, but also a healthy dose of willpower and perseverance to see the challenge through – matters just as much.

Difficult

If you need to run a marathon brainstorming meeting, don't engage in a difficult mental task in the hour or so before.

If you need to run a lengthy training session, don't spend the hour before trying to analyze your way out of a cashflow crisis.

If you need to spend the afternoon filling a truck with product so it gets delivered on time, don't spend the hour or so before trying to debug your fulfillment software.

Increases

regularly sleep for seven to eight hours per night.

And that hardcore sleep warriors who average less than five hours a night are nearly 30 percent less productive.

Or that research shows only getting six hours of sleep makes any task that requires focus, deep thinking, or problem-solving a lot harder.

In fact, where attention and reaction

Mental fatigue increases your perception of effort, which increases your perception of how hard it is to keep going.

Which means you'll be much more likely to quit.

Even though that might be the last thing you hope to do.

By Jeff Haden, contributing editor, inc.@jeff_haden

One thing smart people do to boost their willpower, determination, and odds of success

‘Mental fatigue increases your perception of effort, which increases your perception of how hard it is to keep going.’