Construction Management Ireland

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i Cm

Summer 2021 | Construction Management Ireland

“

Welcome to Construction Management Ireland. We are delighted to once again be able to bring you a range of features and articles that shine light on various aspects of our industry – with particular emphasis on our key areas of interest.

These of course include Training, Careers and Professional Development, Lean Construction and Legal, Health and Safety and Company News – along with Products News, the latest in Green Building and more.

On top of all this we have another theme running through our issues and that is the work of the CIOB in Ireland (Dublin Hub).

On this note our issue features the Vice-Chair of that Hub, Annette Main, in conversation about her work, her career journey, her CIOB experience and the wider industry.

Staying with the CIOB, the organisation we note, has met the challenges of Covid-19 with a big focus on online offerings.

A good example was the recently-held Student Challenge.

The online event proved a major success this year. We hear more about the experience and also from the winning team.

Also online was the 11th Annual International Construction Management Day at GMIT (GalwayMayo Institute of Technology). Our regular contributor Dr Martin Taggart gives us the lowdown as usual!

And staying in the virtual world, the 29th National Irish Safety Organisation / Northern Ireland Safety Group (NISO/ NISG) Annual Occupational Safety Awards took place in a special online ceremony at which the Supreme Safety Award winner for 2020 was announced as PM Group.

Legally speaking meanwhile, we look at more hot topics, including Rights to Light – and elsewhere we stop off at WIT and TU Dublin for further updates.

One thing to bear in mind: once again, this issue was compiled at a time of major change. Articles represent a snapshot in time and information should always be sourced directly from those concerned for the latest.

On that note, thanks to all who took part in putting this issue together. We couldn’t do it without you and hope you enjoy the results.

Talk to you soon,

P.39

'PUTTING THE PROFESSIONAL CENTRE STAGE'

'CIOB HAS MET THE CHALLENGES OF COVID-19.'

Please note: this issue contains a collection of items from the first half of the year as well as up-to-theminute items. Again it was compiled at a time of flux.

So, always check with organisations for the latest!

Talk to you soon, Martin & Dermot

Cmi

Construction Management Ireland Published by Ocean Publishing, 14 Upper Fitzwilliam St, Dublin 2 Tel: 01 678 5165 Fax: 01 678 5191

Publisher Patrick Aylward Editor Martin Foran martin@constructionmanagementireland.ie National Sales Manager Dermot Casey Dermot@constructionmanagementireland.ie Art Editor Jim Obey

Printed by WG Baird Ltd Antrim

Ad Production Audrey Fitzgerald

Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained within this journal is correct, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors, omissions or discrepancies. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher.

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CONTENTS

15 In Conversation: with Annette Main Vice-Chair of CIOB’s Dublin Hub, Annette Main talks careers, her CIOB journey and the industry of today

4 News pages Stories and updates – from the industry and the wider economy

12 CIOB News News and events, including: the (virtual) Student Challenge 2021. (It was a major success!)

20 Rights to Light A hot topic these days! We chat to Kevin Francis of GIA Ireland – followed by an overview from Construction lawyer Georgina Wallace, of Ronan Daly Jermyn

24 Safety Awards Feature The National Irish Safety Organisation/Northern Ireland Safety Group (NISO/NISG)Annual Occupational Safety Awards took place in a special online ceremony at which the Supreme Safety Award winner was announced as PM Group

34 Lean Journeys Continuing our series. We hear more from Lean Construction Ireland (LCi)

44 Personal & Finance

36 Out & About People and places, movers and shakers – this year it’s been largely confined to the virtual world so far – and so it was for this year’s GMIT International Construction Management Day conference

The word on finances from CCPC, plus Jeff Haden on the ‘1 percent rule’

49 Tech Talk The business cluster Geoscience Ireland, (GI), assists member companies in winning business overseas

50 Facilities Management News and updates from Pat Gaughan of Advanced Workplace Solutions and IWFM. This time we hear about World FM Day

52 Legal View With LK Shields Solicitors. The topic this time out is risk management for consultants

53 Green Building The Irish Green Building Council is working on several initiatives to support the transition to a more sustainable built environment

57 Spotlight on: Pat O’Donnell & Co Pat O’Donnell & Co. was founded in 1970 on a small site at Richmond Avenue, Fairview – which means it has just celebrated its first fifty years!

59 Products & Services What’s caught our eye this time out? Including Brogan Group & Surety Bonds

40 Training & Careers Including Check-ins at WIT and TU Dublin and the Law Society of Ireland

62 Spotlight on: IFS Investment to support expansion plans

64 And Finally Why people who adopt a self-compassion mindset in 2021 are more likely to achieve their goals

NEWS

NEWS Virtual work experience programme for Transition Year students inspires Ireland’s future engineering talent Over 400 Transition Year students explored the limitless opportunities afforded by a career in engineering by taking part in the first virtual STEPS Engineering Your Future programme.

Partners Co-ordinated by Engineers Ireland’s STEPS programme and hosted by 14 academic and industry partners*, the virtual work experience programme offered students the opportunity to learn in real time and find out more about engineering through practical demonstrations, engineering challenges and career talks with industry experts.

With COVID-19 having a widespread impact on in-person Transition Year work placements, Caroline Spillane, director general of Engineers Ireland, said the institution was pleased to partner with industry and academia to offer Transition Year students virtual work experience.

‘Collectively,’ she said, 'we are aiming to provide quality learning opportunities to Transition Year students, supporting them in gaining insights into the diverse world of engineering and what a career in the profession can offer.

‘As a small island nation, we have a reliance on the quality and quantity of our STEM graduates.

‘An engineering qualification offers a chance to do extremely rewarding work, enhance people’s lives and explore almost limitless career opportunities both in Ireland and overseas.

‘The involvement of our 14 industry and academic partners is critical to providing rewarding 4 | Construction Management | Summer 2021

virtual work experiences for Transition Year students.

‘I would like to thank our partners for their shared involvement in our programme, which is also funded

by SFI and the Department of Education.’

Host Michelle Mac Lennan of Fingleton

White, who were hosting 10 students on the virtual STEPS Engineering Your Future programme, said: ‘We are proud to partner with Engineers Ireland to host students on the STEPS Engineering Your Future programme.

‘As a leading provider of engineers and project managers to the energy sector, we are delighted to play a role in developing Ireland’s future talent pipeline by nurturing and encouraging students to learn more about the opportunities that exist in engineering.’

The previously in-person work experience programme was first established in 2013 and has engaged over 2,500 students to date, with significant success in supporting students to pursue engineering and STEM courses at third level.

Studies

ABOVE: Caroline Spillane, Director General of Engineers Ireland

The STEPS Engineering Your Future Programme is coordinated by Engineers Ireland's STEPS programme - funded by Science Foundation Ireland, the Department of Education and Skills and industry leaders ARUP, ESB, Intel and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). For more information, visit: https://www.engineersireland. ie/Schools/Get-involved/EngineeringYour-Future

Ms Spillane added: ‘Longitudinal studies from our STEPS Engineering Your Future programme show key linkages between those who participate in the programme and their course choice preference at third level, with many positively opting for a career in STEM. ‘For example, 42% of Transition Year students who took part in the programme in 2017 are studying an engineering course at third level, with a further 40% studying a STEM related programme.’

Parents/ students can now register their interest for the 21/22 TY experience. More details will be available from September. *Including: Dundalk Institute of Technology, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Munster Technological University, NUI Galway, Technological University Dublin, University College Dublin and engineering firms, ESB, Clandillon Civil Consulting Ltd., DBFL Consulting Engineers Ltd., Palliare and Fingleton White.

News

Kirby Group Engineering announces 300 new jobs Irish engineering firm predicts significant growth through data centre construction.

Kirby Group Engineering has announced plans to create 300 new jobs as part of a significant expansion to meet demand for its services in Ireland and across Europe.

The family-founded, privately owned company says the new jobs will include engineering, commercial, operations and administrative staff, with recruitment for many of these roles already underway at time of writing.

Successful As part of this recruitment drive, Kirby is looking to attract almost 100 people to be deployed across its hugely successful Apprenticeship Scheme and Graduate Programme.

Kirby has also announced a significant structural investment, comprising a €2m plan to upgrade its company headquarters in County Limerick.

The company currently

employs over 1,200 people, with 200 new employees having joined during 2020.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD said: the announcement of an additional 300 jobs ‘represents another great milestone for Kirby Group Engineering, Limerick and the wider Mid-West region.

'We want Ireland to be a great location, and a competitive location, to start and scale businesses just like this. Kirby’s expansion is testament to the skills and talent this country has to offer'.

Great news Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar said: ‘This is great news, not just for Limerick but across the country and indeed Europe, where Kirby Group operates.

‘I’m especially pleased to see the investment the company is making

ABOVE: Field, Stonewall, House by Taylor McCarney Architects

Best out West - Galway house voted Ireland’s favourite building

in taking on apprentices – that’s a big priority for Government.

'We’ve had a really difficult few months and announcements like these, with companies expanding and investing in Ireland is a real sign that brighter days are ahead and there is reason to be hopeful.’

Kirby currently operates in seven countries around Europe and its expansion has been greatly supported

by Enterprise Ireland.

where they provide high value services in mission critical applications for global customers across multiple sectors.’

Managing Director of Kirby Group Engineering, Mark Flanagan says he was proud ‘to unveil this expansion plan at our Limerick Headquarters on a landmark day for Kirby.

‘This announcement, coupled with recruitment last year in spite of the global pandemic, will result in our team growing by 500 in a two year period.

‘Our team is making fantastic inroads at the cutting edge of construction across Europe and the people we welcome onboard in this phase will be a vital support to the future of the company.’

Enterprise Ireland

Construction phase

CEO of Enterprise Ireland, Leo Clancy said: ‘At Enterprise Ireland, we welcome this significant announcement by Kirby Group as they invest in the midwest region and right across Ireland.

'Our global network has been delighted to help to support the company’s operations and growth in new overseas markets

The construction phase of the Limerick expansion is projected to take six months, with the facility expected to be operational by the end of 2021.

Limerick native Ruairi Ryan, who is an Associate Director with Kirby is taking on the role of Business Unit Leader for the Munster region to lead this expansion.

The Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) has announced Field, Stonewall, House by Taylor McCarney Architects as the winner of the Public Choice category at the RIAI Irish Architecture Awards 2021.

Field, Stonewall, House beat off considerable competition from a shortlist of 39 projects.

Galway, Kilkenny, Leitrim, Limerick, Louth, Offaly, Sligo, Wicklow as well as internationally in the UK and the Punjab, India.

All of the projects on the shortlist were designed

by Registered Architects based in Ireland and completed in 2020.

Only the second house to ever win the Public Choice Award, the design was conceived as a series of parallel field stone walls, that fit within the rural setting in the West of Ireland.

Entries Entries were received from across Ireland, which included Carlow, Cork, Dublin, Donegal,

Summer 2021 | Construction Management | 5

News / Lie of the land

‘Four out of five estate agents expect national property prices to increase by an average of 6% over the next 12 months’ Eighty six percent of SCSI estate agents expect national property prices to increase by an average of 6% over the next 12 months while a similar number say the main reason for the increase is due to lack of supply.

These are among the key findings of a survey of over 200 estate agents from all over the country which also revealed a marked regional variation with regard to future price movements.

While agents in Munster and Connacht/Ulster expect prices to increase by 7% over the next 12 months, the figure in Leinster is 6% while in Dublin, where prices

are highest, its 4%.

In cash terms a 7% increase on a €200,000 home outside of Dublin will equate to an increase of €14,000 while a 4% increase on a €400,000 home in Dublin will mean an increase of €16,000.

over the last quarter.

The SCSI/Central Bank of Ireland Residential Property Price Survey is a quarterly sentiment survey of SCSI members, consisting mainly of estate agents, auctioneers and surveyors.

Attractiveness

TJ Cronin, the President of the SCSI said lack of supply, construction lockdowns and steep increases in the price of materials meant prices would continue to rise.

‘We had a supply crisis pre-covid and that has simply deepened due to covid.

‘While 45% of respondents in the survey reported a fall in

Agents said the higher price forecast for properties outside Dublin reflected the covid effect and the increased attractiveness of regional properties due to the dramatic rise in people working from home.

Despite covid, eight out of ten respondents reported an increase in enquiries and viewings

President

ABOVE: Shirley Coulter

selling instructions in Q2 2021, 81% reported an increase in enquiries.

‘In addition, eight out of ten agents are reporting low stock levels.

‘And that’s why so many agents were seeing a consistent increase in enquiries even during the highest levels of covid.

Increase ‘While prospective sellers were reluctant to put their property on the market, buyers, who in many cases were in a position to increase their savings, were left

BAM Ireland to partner with Irish Green Building Council for a more sustainable built environment BAM has announced a new strategic partnership with the Irish Green Building Council (IGBC).

The partnership will see the two organisations work closely to advance a more sustainable built environment.

In particular, BAM Ireland will collaborate with the IGBC to decarbonise Ireland’s building stock, promote circularity in the industry and enhance biodiversity.

the way it builds over the next 10 years and collaboration is essential to this transition.’

Campaign

ABOVE: Theo Cullinane, BAM CEO

Significant On joining as platinum member Theo Cullinane CEO at BAM Ireland said: ‘To date, the construction industry has had significant environmental impacts, but many opportunities exist to reduce them.

‘At BAM we are working towards having a net positive impact on climate change, material resources and people by 2050.

‘We are very excited about this new partnership with the Irish Green Building 6 | Construction Management | Summer 2021

Council.’

Pat Barry, CEO at the Irish Green Building Council added: ‘BAM have very high environmental ambitions.

‘We believe that working together with them as one of the largest contractors in Ireland can push forward the agenda on whole life carbon and circularity in the construction sector.

‘Ireland needs to radically change

The Irish Green Building Council is currently running a campaign to decarbonise Ireland’s built environment across its full life cycle.

To date, legislation and policy focus have been on tackling operational carbon – i.e. the emissions associated with the energy we use to heat and light our homes.

The #BuildingLife campaign aims to achieve the mix of private sector action and public policy necessary to tackle the whole-life impact of buildings, including embodied carbon.

These emissions results from mining, quarrying, transporting and manufacturing building materials, in addition to constructing new buildings.

News

chasing a reducing number of properties.

‘While it’s a sellers’ market right now, the rate of price increases we are seeing currently is not sustainable in the long term.

‘Agents believe the only way to address the affordability challenge which purchasers are facing is to increase housing supply.

Impact ‘Over the last 16 months the construction sector was closed down several times and the cumulative impact of the slowdown on new home construction will be with us until 2023 at least.

Significant increases in the price of steel, timber, plastic and insulation products – due to supply chain and transportation issues - and labour shortages

across a number of trades will also lead to higher prices for new homes.

‘Forty six percent of respondents reported an increase in Buy to Let properties coming on the market while 41% said it remained the same.

‘The vast majority of agents said the main reason landlords were selling up was due to the low returns and complexities associated with rental properties.

‘The SCSI has been concerned about this trend for some time as it has serious implications for the stock of rental properties and indeed the future of the rental market in this country.’

Housing Supply Turning to the wider housing supply situation the CEO of the SCSI Shirley Coulter said the covid crisis had

deepened the housing crisis and extraordinary measures were now needed to address it.

‘We believe 400,000 new homes – social, affordable and private builds - will need to be built over the next ten years to meet pent up demand and the needs of our growing population.

‘Current output is around 20,000 units so a doubling of that will require a massive increase in funding and collaboration between the private and public sector.

‘That is why we support the ESRI’s recent recommendation to Government to double its current investment in housing by borrowing between €4bn and €7bn a year while availing of low interest rates.

‘The ESRI estimates that if the state doubled its spend on housing from €2bn to €4bn it

could deliver 18,000 units a year. That is what we need to help get us up to 40,000 units per annum.

Important ‘Housing takes time and that is why it is so important to eliminate avoidable and costly delays from the planning process.

‘The ending of the Strategic Housing Development planning application model provides an opportunity for planning reform especially with regard to judicial reviews.

‘It goes without saying that the right to legal redress must be protected; however other mechanisms to facilitate appeals in a more efficient and cost-effective manner are vital to ensure both the viability of development for builders and housing that is affordable for purchasers,’ she concluded.

Chadwicks unveils first ‘ECO Centre’ Chadwicks recently announced the launch of the first ‘ECO Centre’ at its Galway branch.

The Chadwicks ECO Centre is described as a ‘one-stop shop for green projects of any size, providing the very latest in renewable products for everything from deep retrofits to new builds’.

Dedicated The launch forms part of a nationwide rollout that will see three dedicated sustainable centres at Chadwicks branches across Ireland.

To coincide with this, Chadwicks Galway also reopened its doors following a complete refresh of the branch.

The refurbishment is part of the ongoing nationwide branch refresh by Chadwicks Group which commenced in 2018.

Complete Chadwicks Galway was the twenty-fourth branch to have undergone a complete revamp.

The branch at Galway has introduced 100% recyclable and biodegradable signage across the branch.

Summer 2021 | Construction Management | 7

News

Construction activity continues to ramp up following loosening of restrictions The Ulster Bank Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index® (PMI® ) – a seasonally adjusted index designed to track changes in total construction activity – remained well above the 50.0 no-change mark in June, posting 65.0 following a reading of 66.4 in May. Activity increased for the second month running following the full reopening of the sector and at one of the strongest rates since the survey began.

Index readings above 50 signal an increase in activity on the previous month and readings below 50 signal a decrease.

Bounce Commenting on the survey, Simon Barry, chief economist, Republic of Ireland at Ulster Bank, noted that: ‘Building on the postlockdown bounce recorded in May, the June results of the Ulster Bank Construction PMI signal that Irish construction activity experienced another month of very rapid growth.

‘Activity expanded at an exceptionally strong pace again in June as the headline PMI was at one of the highest levels in the survey’s history for the second consecutive month, albeit down marginally from May. ‘Strong growth was

recorded across all three sub sectors, though residential activity continues to experience particularly rapid growth, if a little less exceptionally rapid than the record snap-back pace signalled by the May results.

each of the three categories covered by the survey.

Housing continued to lead the expansion, while rates of growth in commercial and civil engineering activity accelerated marginally.

Momentum ‘Strong momentum was also evident in new business flows, with the New Orders index posting another extremely high reading not far from May’s survey record high, while the robust pickup in orders and activity is also underpinning further increases in staffing levels across the industry.

‘Employment rose for the third month running as respondents linked strong job gains to improving customer demand.

‘While the signals of ongoing strength in activity are certainly encouraging, the rate of input cost inflation accelerated to a second consecutive record high as the June survey results highlight that the sector continues to face important supplychain and cost challenges related to Brexit, covid and global supply and shipping problems.’

Housing continues to lead growth The ramping up of activity across the sector was reflected in strong growth in

New business increases sharply New orders increased substantially again in June, rising for the third month running.

Although easing from May's survey record, the rate of growth was among the strongest in the survey's history.

Firms continue to take on extra staff The ramping up of customer demand and construction activity led to further increases in staffing levels and purchasing activity at the end of the second quarter.

Employment rose for the third month running, and at a marked pace.

Meanwhile, the rate of expansion in input buying was only marginally softer than May's record.

When purchasing inputs, construction firms were

faced with a combination of severe supply-chain disruption and soaring prices.

Suppliers' delivery times continued to lengthen considerably, with the rate of deterioration much faster than anything seen prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to respondents, global issues with raw material supplies and shipping contributed to longer lead times, with Brexit also a factor.

Brexit and global supply issues also resulted in a steep rise in input costs in June.

Accelerated In fact, the rate of inflation accelerated to hit a fresh record high for the second month running as threequarters of all respondents indicated that their cost burdens had risen over the month.

Steel was the item most widely reported to have increased in price.

Companies remained optimistic that activity will continue to rise over the coming year amid expectations that demand will expand as the economy reopens further.

Although easing to a four-month low, the level of sentiment remained well above the series average at the end of the second quarter.

‘Activity expanded at an exceptionally strong pace.’

8 | Construction Management | Summer 2021

M&E JONES engineering

O

ne of the industry leaders in the Data Centre sector, Jones Engineering delivered over 215MW for the world’s largest tech companies in 2020, bringing their combined total to 1,100MW. One of their recent projects included the mechanical, electrical and sprinkler design and construction of a 60MW data centre in the Netherlands which was delivered faster than any similar sized data centre in the world.

Its 1,200-strong datacentre teams span fourteen countries and these highly skilled teams have a reputation for exceeding client expectations.

This reputation has ensured they continue to work with the best blue-chip companies in the market.

Their portfolio of data centre locations is further evidence of their ability to compete on the global stage and includes Germany, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, Switzerland, Denmark, Netherlands, Bahrain, UK and Ireland.

Pillar Data Centres are a pillar of the digital economy, utilising continuous improvements and innovations in technology and energy efficiency to keep up with market demand.

Jones are recognised as industry leaders in delivering hyperscale, enterprise, co-located data centres and mission critical facilities, installing resilient infrastructure and ensuring uninterrupted critical services.

But what may not be quite as well known is how they

The Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) over Data Centre site in Sweden

Innovative in the Cloud, Sustainable on the Ground Jones engineering is something of an industry icon and continues to inspire with its solid reputation and enviable levels of expertise!

engaged with the local council and supported the technical college with setting up a small server room, supplying the labour and equipment as a show of support to the local community.

They continue to focus on supporting, enhancing and powering the community through real and lasting engagement.

Moving ahead continue to invest, connect with and support the local communities they work in.

Cooperation and partnership Jones Engineering have a tradition and culture of encouraging cooperation and partnership.

Throughout these challenging times they continue to support local teams, charities, educational facilities and clubs, both in Ireland and abroad.

They have maintained support of the ESB Science Blast since its launch 3 years ago.

This is a STEM education

programme designed and delivered by the RDS. It is one of the largest science education programmes for primary schools of its kind anywhere.

Following the opening of the Jones Engineering European office in Utrecht, Netherlands, they have been developing a schedule of community outreach events over the last number of years.

Across Europe these events have included a St. Patrick’s Day community outreach event with Mons Rugby Club in Belgium and sponsoring a local Swedish Ice Hockey team.

In Gavle, Sweden they

Jones Engineering is moving ahead, embracing technology, diversity, innovation, working internationally and dealing head-on with the challenges of COVID, not just in Ireland but across Europe and beyond.

They maintain that their continued growth and success as a group is down to the exceptional dedication, innovation and commitment of their people.

Jones Engineering are currently recruiting across a number of disciplines across Europe and the Middle East and a full list of vacancies can be found on their website: www.joneseng.com

‘Jones Engineering have a tradition and culture of encouraging cooperation and partnership.’

1 0 | Construction Management | Summer 2021

CIOB news

C

ovid-19 could not stop the CIOB Student Challenge, Ireland from going ahead (virtually) this year and from being another resounding success. Construction Management Ireland caught up with the winners and their course co-ordinator to hear about their experience and their views on the benefits of taking part!

MTU emerge victorious at CIOB Student Challenge, Ireland Event held on-line for first time

T

he CIOB Student Challenge Ireland took place online earlier this year and saw MTU emerge as overall winners.

The team members are: PJ Duggan, Shane Brown, Stephen Donovan, and Conor Evans. These students were all in the final Year of MTU BSC (Honours) in Construction Management, which is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Building.

Second place was taken by Limerick Institute of Technology with Letterkenny IT coming third.

The winners were announced by the CIOB president Mark Beard.

Support Joseph Keogh is Course Coordinator of the BSc (Hons) in Construction Management at MTU, and enthusiastically supported the students’ efforts, as always. He tells CMi: ‘I'm extremely proud of our MTU Construction Management students, who volunteered to take part in the CIOB Student Challenge Ireland –

they do in ensuring the event is a success each year and in particular this year – when done virtually.’ www.cit.ie/course/CR572

Overview

ABOVE: Winning team with CIOB Cup. Stephen Donovan, Conor Evans, Jospeh Kehoe, PJ Duggan, Shane Browne

which is an all-Ireland event – and who were successful in winning the competition this year.

‘An area of management which I feel passionate about is providing opportunities for and enabling students to develop their soft management skills, such as communication, interpersonal skills, interacting with people, etc, because the industry they are about to enter, is above all else, a people industry.

Opportunity ‘The Student Challenge provides such an

1 2 | Construction Management | Summer 2021

opportunity. I advise my students to partake not only as a team but also to partake in a spirit of learning and selfdevelopment, and to have fun in doing so.

‘In terms of learning, students get to see how generous and selfless the industry is in supporting and promoting the event and students, with the involvement of the industry experts in a voluntary capacity.

‘The spirit of community is alive and well in our industry.

‘The CIOB Ireland Hub should be acknowledged for the enormous work

Stephen Donovan from the winning team gave us an overview of the competition and the challenge involved: ‘The event, ran by the CIOB and sponsored by the CIF and Ardmac, is a building challenge for all Construction, Engineering and Architecture students from Institutes of Technology and Universities across Ireland.

‘The team was asked to work on 4 different topic areas. These being, Building Design, Construction Programme, Risk and Procurement, all of which are important areas in our studies.

‘We had 2 hours to prepare a report and a presentation after which the team was given ten minutes to present and answer questions from the industry panel of experts.

‘Personally, I found the challenge very enjoyable and felt the experience

will be valuable when I enter into the workplace in the coming months.

‘Working as a team and under time constraints, I believe each of the four of us worked great together and all were very in sync when answering the judges’ questions.

‘There were some worries as this event was held virtually for the first time, due to Covid restrictions but there was a great flow to the day.

‘There was a great standard amongst the Institutes and universities and the judges must have had a hard time selecting the overall winner.

‘I felt it a great sense of achievement after a tough day but it was a great victory and we were happy also for our lecturer Joe Kehoe who has been a great mentor during our 4 years at MTU.’

Unique opportunity P.J. Duggan says he volunteered to take part in the CIOB student

challenge as it ‘offers the unique opportunity to take part in a realistic project environment, as indicated by our lecturer and course coordinator Joe Kehoe.

‘I saw it as a chance to use the skills and knowledge that I have learned during my

time with MTU, in a competition against other Institutes and universities in this allIreland competition.’

The benefits, according to P.J. were enormous: ‘Taking part and winning the CIOB Student Challenge Ireland has increased my credibility in the job market, as indicated from numerous job interviews that have followed, with conversations always tending to lead to talking about the CIOB Student Challenge win.’

The opportunity to present with confidence, work as a team under a time deadline, ask industry experts their views on topics within the challenge, and meet with students from other institutes and universities can all be seen as key benefits of taking part in the challenge, says P.J. ‘I would definitely recommend to future Construction Management Students to take part.’

Benefits Shane Browne echoed P.J.’s remarks. He cited as benefits the opportunity to meet ‘leading members of the industry’ during the course of the Student Challenge.

In addition, Shane also enjoyed the

ABOVE: Derek Cassidy, Dublin Hub Chair, CIOB)

A message from Hub chair

communication with other student members of the construction industry and indeed, ‘testing yourself against other students’ as well!

Another aspect he found to be of benefit was the opportunity to gain experience at presenting in front of people.

This is often something that students will find themselves doing over the course of their future careers and just another benefit of taking part in the CIOB’s Student Challenge.

‘Real-life scenario’

‘Huge congratulations to Shane, PJ, Stephen and Conor from the Munster Technological University Team on winning this year’s CIOB Student Challenge.

‘Very well done to all of the entries. They all demonstrated real intelligence and ingenuity and there was really very little to choose between them at the end.

‘It was a fantastic competition which was delivered online for the first time and credit must also be given to the CIOB team, the judges, the lecturers, the colleges, the special guests and to our sponsors for their contribution.

‘It’s been a really difficult period for students with the onset of Covid 19, the subsequent move to online learning, restrictions etc. as contributing factors.

‘But what these guys have demonstrated is that Irish students are a resilient, intelligent bunch and I am confident that the future of our industry is bright.

‘Again, well done to all.’

Derek Cassidy FCIOB, chair of the Dublin Hub of CIOB

Conor Evans was another who saw a great opportunity in being able to ‘challenge myself and take part against other colleges and universities in the country’.

Being a virtual event this year, says Conor, just added to the challenge.

‘This event,’ he adds, ‘is like a real-life scenario so it replicates situations we will face in the coming years.

He explains: ‘We got a brief in the morning and we had to work as a team to break down the tasks and nominate who completed each task.

‘At the end we all worked together to combine our work and make a short presentation to the judges.

‘This was all done under time constraints adding to the pressure.

‘We all worked well as a team to show our knowledge and apply what we have learnt over the years in university.

‘Each of us bought different skills which we combined together to complete the tasks.

‘It was a great experience to meet industry professionals and work with the team under pressure to achieve the Gold Medal together.’

Summer 2021 | Construction Management | 13

CIOB news

M

ay 2021, saw the launch of the CIOB Awards Ireland: Construction Manager of the Year 2022 take place virtually. This much-anticipated event featured speakers including Mark Beard, CIOB President, Alan Barnes, 2019 CMYA Winner and Dermot Carey and Tara Flynn from the CIF. MC for the event was Clare McMahon, University of Ulster.

CIOB Awards Ireland; Construction Manager of the Year 2022 The CIOB Awards Ireland: ‘Construction Manager of the Year’ competition represents a challenge for the contestants to accurately identify their overall role in the completion of the complex and involved projects for which they have made an entry into this competition.

Stages The initial stages of the competition are paper-based. Those who make it to the final are invited, by the adjudicators, to interview.

The very high level of management expertise in Ireland gives assessors and adjudicators an extremely difficult job, and year-on-year, the standard of entry continues to rise.

The competition culminates with an awards dinner in Croke Park, where the winners of each category are awarded gold and silver medals, with one overall winner chosen from the gold medalists.

Winners We consider all of our finalists to be

ABOVE: Alan Barnes, 2019 CMYA Winner

winners and agree that they deserve the respect and admiration of the industry for the excellent work they do.

It is seen as a prestigious award within the Irish construction industry and one which is much coveted for its recognition of the excellent skills of the recipient.

Full details on how to enter the competition are available at www. ciob.org/ciob-awards-ireland

ABOVE: CIOB Graduation (file picture)

CIOB Ireland Brexit series In response to the many Brexitrelated queries we received at our ‘Meet the CIOB’ Roadshow in January, CIOB Ireland coordinated a Brexit information series for members, which took place over three consecutive Wednesdays in May.

Webinars Over three lunchtime webinars, we looked at where the industry is now in relation to Brexit and explored solutions to issues raised by members at the roadshow.

On 12 May, we had a very informative and engaging presentation and Q&A with Mark Spence, managing director of CEF NI and Paul Sheridan, Director of Main Contracting at the CIF. On 19 May, James Golden, Director, at Quigg Golden, discussed the potential impacts of Brexit for Irish Construction companies, including the impact on construction contracts, the potential impact on labour, plant and material availability and public sector procurement.

CIOB Ireland graduations We are delighted to be able to provide you with a date for your diary for the 2021 CIOB Ireland Graduations.

The Dublin event is scheduled for 2 October, 2021, in the beautiful Kilashee Hotel, Co. Kildare, while the Belfast Graduation will take place in Queens University on 20 November. Booking details will be announced shortly, at time of writing.

Supports The session on 26 May incorporated presentations from Deirdre Maguire, Intertrade Ireland and John Hunt, Enterprise Ireland, outlining Brexit-related supports available to Irish Construction companies.

We would like to extend a huge thanks to all speakers who supported this event, and to our MC for the series, John Sweeney, Dublin Hub Committee member.

‘The competition culminates with an awards dinner in Croke Park.’

1 4 | Construction Management | Summer 2021

on the record

Annette Main is the current Vice Chair of the Dublin Hub of CIOB meaning she is next in line to succeed Derek Cassidy as Chair. Following our extensive chat with Derek in our last issue we met up ‘virtually’ with Annette to hear about her CIOB journey and much more!

'It’s all about learning, moving forward’

A

nnette Main is a people person. That much is immediately clear when arranging to chat to the current Vice Chair of the Dublin Hub of CIOB. She speaks thoughtfully and enthusiastically about the industry she has worked in for over twenty years and of the professional body which, she indicates, has played a pivotal role in her career development.

A natural choice Arriving in Kerry or ‘coming back to Kerry’ as Annette describes her family relocation from San Francisco, when she was fourteen, she saw Construction as a completely natural choice.

In large part this was because Annette’s father is in the business. ‘I could read a set of plans before I read a

book!’ she laughs.

She is of course only too aware that it was not always the same for other females of her generation.

Out of seventy in her Civil Engineering course in CIT, (now MTU), around forty graduated and three graduates were female.

When she was in school there was still often the feeling amongst females that this area was not something for you, ‘not something for a girl’.

Countering this Whether or not this was actually expressed directly in such stark terms or in subtler ways than that, it was without doubt something that females were often left feeling – countering this can still be a challenge.

Is it changing? Yes, but not quickly enough, might be the short answer

from Annette.

Partly it is about being able to see someone like oneself in a role – or having someone ‘normalise’ the role or the industry for you.

That is what can make the difference when it comes to following a certain path.

To Annette, ‘seeing a set of plans on dad’s desk,’ was just that: ‘normal’.

Seeing a set of plans on a female parent’s desk would clearly be a Summer 2021 | Construction Management | 15

on the record

welcome step up from this scenario.

Civil Engineering at CIT followed the Leaving Cert in Kerry for Annette.

This was followed by a career (see panel) that would take her from site engineer to manager working on a number of Cork-based projects, to a role as a planner with PJ Hegarty’s in Cork.

There she became a member of the CIOB through a training partnership programme that a number of employees took part in.

Transfer Working at Davis Langdon Annette was offered a transfer and worked in the Middle East in Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, becoming the most senior planner with the company in the region.

Following a number of high profile projects including a campus for New York University in Abu Dhabi, by Tamkeen – a twenty-one building campus in the middle of the desert, Annette returned to Cork and eventually found her current position with PM Group in project controls.

At the end of the day she credits CIOB membership as a ‘launchpad’ in her career.

Benefits of CIOB ‘CIOB chartership was a launchpad for me to be able to move out from mainstream construction to more of a consultant’s role and more of a management role as well,’ Annette says.

'It was a launchpad for me to be able to go to the Middle East and to work on 1 6 | Construction Management | Summer 2021

some massive projects.’

The message is: It really does make a difference.

‘In secondary school I found you had two choices for CSA, you did Civil/ Structural Engineering or you did Construction Management,’ Annette recalls.

‘I didn’t want to do Construction Management. I wanted to do Project Management but in the construction industry.

‘When I did my Leaving Cert in ‘95 and was going into construction, there were not the courses there to do that, but now there is much more choice.

‘Attaining the CIOB Chartership proved I did have a fundamental understanding of construction, right across the board, from the QS side, to scheduling and contract admin.

‘All of that was wrapped up, plus the technical knowledge of construction itself.’

was this point of contact. I am still friends with a lot of people I met there.

‘At the end of the day the industry is quite small no matter where you are!’

Network Of course there is a whole other side to membership too. It’s something Annette stressed when she went for the seat on the Hub Committee.

She explains: ‘I went to the Middle East and I went there knowing nobody. However, I found that CIOB had a branch in Dubai and it was a way of meeting people and seeing what was happening – seeing how things work in a different country from those who had perhaps been there longer.

‘It was really beneficial that there

Confidence It was more than just social connections though – ‘what it did was give me confidence at work’, says Annette. 'For example: if I had questions, there was a network there and backup.

‘I could ask questions from others; ask advice from people who had been there for years.’

Annette went on to become CIOB Vice Chair in Abu Dhabi and was

on the record

Boom and bust

involved with the organization in Dubai as well.

At home again and former Hub Chair, John McSweeney, who she did her Chartership with, encouraged her to get involved, she says.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Annette went for a seat on the Hub committee and is now Vice Chair.

Looking to the future, Ireland as a country is good at bouncing back and saying, ‘we will fight another day’, observes Annette.

‘But the boom-bust nature of the industry has to be addressed in order to attract and retain people – both male and female.

‘We must figure out how to change and reduce that. We are still seeing the effects of the crash nowadays, where we have fewer tradespeople for example.

Succession Annette refers to giving something back by those who have had such positive experiences from their CIOB membership and how it is a common theme.

It brings us to the area of succession planning. Succession-planning for the Hub is an area very much on her radar.

‘It is something I’m trying to push’, she says. You want to encourage and coach the new and upcoming members.

‘The benefits are enormous if you give the CIOB a chance. The world is your oyster.’

And from Annette’s own career journey so far, this is clearly the case.

She speaks now of ‘getting new people involved, getting that younger

would be significant to Annette? ‘I think there is a real need to get more gender equality in the industry,’ she says.

‘I know it’s not going to happen overnight but there are, I think, ways to make it better.’

It's here that Annette offers an insightful observation – one that shows not only her inclusiveness and sense of fairness but her deepunderstanding of the dynamics of her industry.

‘Looking at the likes of project administrators,’ she says. ‘I know a lot of them are women who went in as maybe secretaries and administrators, for example.

‘Many have worked in construction for years and could run projects but don’t have that sort of recognition.

Yet some of these do so much work.

‘I think there should be something there to recognize such people. I’ve been speaking to some people about it.

‘There has to be some recognition for such people who contribute highly and can find themselves doing quite specialist work – work that you can’t just walk in off the street and start to do!

‘There are a lot of these admin people with these great skills who are not fully recognised.’

Big picture

new energy, getting numbers up’.

It’s not so much recruiting new ones, she says, ‘but getting others to realise there is more to this than a few letters after your name. There’s so much that can be done!’

Gender equality What would be some other issues that

And in terms of the big picture, yes, it is changing for females, slowly, says Annette. ‘STEMS and working with Transition Year (TY) students is helping.

‘We really need to push more in primary schools. It is something that should be introduced there.

‘It’s so important. I think it’s a lot more open now but I’m not sure it’s as encouraged as much as it should be for everyone to take up.’

Covid The effects of the Covid-19 situation are not overlooked by Annette of course when it comes to current issues.

‘A pandemic is something no one would have had on their register, they will look at contract clauses in a new light,’ she says.

With the current backdrop of the pandemic, of course, CIOB have done great work in pivoting to online, agrees Annette.

The introduction of the Vitrual CPD and the Online Student Challenge too of course, are testimony to this. (See our report in this issue.)

Missing out However, says Annette, those who are studying and training currently ‘are really missing out on developing those relationships you form with people in your class.

‘They are your future network, it’s about being able to talk to others and get their advice and opinion.

‘They are going to miss that connection and support.

‘Also, everyone likes to learn new skills and that is something that can be missing when you are not in a group setting.

‘It's all about learning, moving forward.’

Summer 2021 | Construction Management | 17

ON THE RECORD

Annette Main is current Vice Chair of the Dublin CIOB Hub. Chartership, she says, ‘was a launchpad’ in expanding her career.

CIOB at the heart of a varied and exciting career!

‘After college at CIT, (now MTU, where I studied Civil Engineering), I started out as a site engineer and then progressed to site manager over time and worked on a variety of projects around Cork.'

Annette Main, current Vice Chair of the CIOB Dublin Hub Committee is looking back over her professional journey to date; tracing her path over the course of a busy and rewarding period where the emphasis has been on continual learning and progression.

CIOB was of course central to this journey.

Her engagement with the organization began in earnest when she was working at PJ Hegarty & Sons, in Cork as a planner.

‘That was the time I went for my CIOB membership,’ Annette Recalls. As often happens, a course supported by the company led to a number of employees there gaining chartership with CIOB. The organization worked with them toward this goal.

'It was a way of getting recognition for experience I had gained through my onsite work,’ says Annette.

‘It’s a professional standard, a way to be able to say that, yes, I do have this

experience, do understand the processes that go along with construction etc.'

Consultants Next, Annette went to work with Davis Langdon and spent a year with them in Cork. This brings us up to 2008 when things were looking a little shaky at home in our sector.

‘They put me forward for a transfer,’ says Annette. ‘I was offered to go anywhere I chose.

‘I managed to get a position in Bahrain. It was the particular role really that attracted me as they were looking for a planner at the time.

‘I landed there in January 2009 and had not heard of the country before I had gotten the job!’

True to form, this did not stop Annette from hitting the ground running. She spent nine months there and was then transferred to Abu Dhabi as a planner, still with Davis Langdon.

She would eventually become lead planner with them for Dubai and Abu Dhabi – the most senior planner they had in the region.

Project management The move into project management came when

1 8 | Construction Management | Summer 2021

Annette moved on to work for the Abu Dhabi government – more specifically, working for a company called Tamkeen, which was set up by the government to facilitate the construction, opening and transition of the New York University campus in Abu Dhabi.

‘The company’s aim was to facilitate the design and construction and also their whole transition into the country. We built a twentyone building campus in the middle of the desert at the time,’ recalls Annette.

‘I was responsible for managing design and construction work.’

Ireland The next move was back to Ireland. ‘I had gotten married and was expecting a second child,’ says Annette. ‘We decided to Annette Main is currently Planning Manager with PM Group.

move back with the family growing.

‘After maternity leave, I worked for a company called Strata Project Solutions. It is a planning company in Dublin doing planning and scheduling consultancy for contractors.

‘Strata provides resources for those who don t have their own scheduling resources.

PM ‘After a year and a half I wanted to be back in PM and jointed as a planner with PM group and became a project controller there.

‘It was not exactly the PM role I had in Abu Dhabi but still about project control – looking after all schedules, costs, and all that goes along with the projects here.’

ON THE RECORD

THE BENEFITS ARE ENORMOUS IF YOU GIVE THE CIOB A CHANCE. THE WORLD IS YOUR OYSTER.’ - ANNETTE MAIN. VICECHAIR, DUBLIN HUB. Summer 2021 | Construction Management | 19

Right to Light

GIA Surveyors (GIA) has worked on a range of iconic and prestigious developments including Battersea Power Station, the London Shard and the American Embassy in the UK, alongside leading architects, planning consultants, legal experts and developers.

‘Demand’ Now, the firm is seeking to meet ‘the growing and immediate demand for experienced Daylight/ Sunlight and Rights of Light consultants in Ireland following the relaxing of building heights, as well as increased density and other forms of intensive development that are currently being undertaken’.

Newly opened in the Capital, the company plans to grow its Dublin-based team across 2021/2022.

‘Good urban design is essential in supporting the economic, social, cultural, and sustainability goals of Ireland’s cities and is integral to ensuring that Dublin maintains its competitive edge as a place to live, work and play,’ says Kevin Francis, managing partner, GIA Ireland.

‘However, Rights of Light disputes are growing more common in larger cities.

While Ireland has begun to slowly break the cycle of low-density buildings in Dublin, Cork, and other areas, Rights of Light is now becoming an important consideration for developers and other key stakeholders.

‘A lack of readily available and often contradictory information has seen Rights of Light consulting only being called upon when an issue arises.

Putting light on the subject

G

IA Surveyors (GIA), a specialist multi-disciplinary surveying and design consultancy recently announced the launch of its new Dublin office. Over the past twentyfive years the company has amassed significant experience in the area of Daylight/Sunlight and Rights of Light. Kevin Francis, managing partner with GIA Ireland, spoke with Construction Management Ireland.

Costly ‘This can prove to be costly for developers, funders, and end-users, and can lead to delays, expensive legal

costs and in the worst-casescenarios, a cease to the build.’

2 0 | Construction Management | Summer 2021

So, let’s go back to basics with the Right to Light; is it something we all have as individuals?

ABOVE: Kevin Francis

‘It is not an automatic right in Ireland,’ says Kevin, ‘but in simple terms a right to light is an easement.

‘It is a property right – a right which exists in favour of a property. And obviously the owners of the property will, by extension, benefit from that right.

‘A right to light is a

changed in 2009. There was a piece of legislation called Land & Conveyancing Reform Act 2009.

‘The intention of the Act was to simplify how easements and property rights can come about.

‘It did a number of things.

Fundamentally it changes the prescriptive period of twenty to twelve years in Ireland.

‘That’s the amount of time you’d have to demonstrate you enjoyed the uninterrupted access to the light. That dates from December 2009.

Interesting time

negative easement.’

A negative easement?

‘Meaning it’s not a right for you to do something but a right for you to stop someone else from doing something.

‘It’s a right to receive light through an aperture in a building and to stop someone interfering with it.’

How do we acquire it?

Kevin explains: ‘There are criteria. And it is worth pointing out here that there are a lot of crossovers form UK law which stems back to the 1832 Prescription Act. ‘In Ireland the law

‘It is a really interesting time to be having this conversation because, in Ireland – as the ‘09 act is effectively repealing the 1832 act and this twentyyear criteria – there is a transition period of twelve years which comes to end at the end of this year.

‘The old laws are gone and new are fully effective then.’

The other thing about the ‘09 Act is that, unlike in the UK, there is an opportunity within the Act to go and register your right, says Kevin.

‘The ability to register the rights acquired through the old 20-year rule will expire on 30 November this year.

‘The ability to register your rights through this act is effectively allowing people to protect rights acquired through the old rules. After 30 November, the new long user period of twelve years will apply to

‘It’s about being a good neighbour and developer

any rights accrued or in the process of being accrued from December ‘09.

Hot topic ‘In the UK Rights of Light are a hot topic and we are one of the first names on the developer’s team sheet,’ adds Kevin. ‘Because they want to understand the issues.

‘With a Right to Light Survey report,’ he says, ‘we can show clients where the issues are and how to resolve them.

At the end of the day, ‘each development site in any dispute,’ says Kevin, ‘will turn on its own merits.

‘If an issue goes the whole way to court the judge will ask a number of questions of course. But recently, in the UK, a big area has been to do with the conduct of the parties to a dispute.

‘So it is one thing to say: “the developer is going to build in a way that will block light,” but how has the developer conducted themselves?

‘Have they knowingly reduced the light (and therefore value) to a neighbour’s property and remained silent, or have they approached their neighbours and said: “I

know I’ll remove your light and profit from that so can we do a deal?”’

Good conduct Judges have been really hot on developers showing good conduct, says Kevin.

‘If a developer does not show good conduct and tries to build in ignorance of the fact they are walking over rights, a judge can look poorly on that.

‘And it might be that, instead of a financial settlement by way of damages, a judge can award an injunction to stop the development, or even an injunction to make the developer tear the building down.

‘The courts are being abundantly clear on what they want to see – a proactive approach from developers, a demonstration of good conduct.

‘At the end of the day a lot comes down to how they approach it all; how they demonstrate good faith, good conduct and preparedness to work with others.

‘It’s about being a good neighbour and developer and trying to cover as many bases as you can.’

Any site One thing is for certain, says Kevin. ‘Rights of Light can be one of the greatest constraints to developmental potential.

‘Issues can arise on any site too’, he cautions, ‘not just with sky scrapers – and that is a point worth remembering.

‘One brick course can interfere with a right to light.’

‘We believe the market is brimming with opportunities to make a positive, sustainable impact on the built environment and its surrounding communities.’

Summer 2021 | Construction Management | 21

Right to Light

A

right to light is a right which is enjoyed over neighbouring land which allows a landowner to receive light through defined apertures in buildings on its land.

Easement It is a form of easement which can be acquired by express grant, implied grant or by prescription.

Historically, a right to light was acquired by prescription under the Prescription Act 1832.

Prescription allows for the creation of an easement which is akin to a formal grant on the basis of long enjoyment for a period at least twenty years without interruption (unless defeated by oral evidence) or forty years for a right to be absolute or indefeasible.

Section 3 of the 1832 Act specifically applies to easements of light and provides that any claim to the use of a right to light which is enjoyed for a period of twenty years without interruption shall be an absolute and indefeasible right.

Distinct from other easements, there is no requirement to establish user as of right in relation to easements of light.

Construction lawyer Georgina Wallace (left) of Ronan Daly Jermyn writes here on the law relating to the right to light, case law in this area, and the relevance of this topic for developers

e r e h t t e L ! t h g i l e b

Abolished Section 34 of the Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act 2009 abolished prescription at common law and acquisition on the basis of the doctrine of lost modern grant.

A key aspect of the 2009 Act was the reduction of the requisite period of use to a fixed term of twelve years.

The 2009 Act provided that a court order could be obtained within a transitional period of 3 years in relation to a right to light enjoyed prior to 1 December 2009.

By virtue of section 38 of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2011, that transitional period was increased to twelve years.

the Registration of Title Act 1964.

This allows for an application to be made directly to the Property Registration Authority, however this will only be appropriate if the right is not contested by a third party.

Effect

The impact on development: buyer beware

The effect of this increased transitional period is that a right to light claim acquired by prescription prior to 1 December 2009, or in the process of being acquired, can still be established until 30 November 2021.

Additionally, section 35(1) of the 2009 Act, as amended by section 37(1)(b) of the 2011 Act, states that an easement by prescription may be acquired pursuant to section 49A of

Claims of a breach of this right typically occur where a claimant argues that the building of a structure on their neighbour’s land materially impacts on a person’s right to natural light.

For a landowner to be successful in such a claim, they would have to prove that there was a substantial diminution of light through particular apertures as a direct result of the adjacent landowners building activities.

2 2 | Construction Management | Summer 2021

It is crucial that any developer is aware of the serious implications which this right may have on the future development of land.

At planning stage, an objection could be lodged which could halt a development in its tracks at a significant cost to a developer who may have expended significant amounts of money in purchasing the lands and engaging professionals to create site plans/prepare documentation for planning applications.

Significant risk There is a significant risk of neighbouring landowners instituting injunctive proceedings at any stage during the build or, more problematically, after

the structure is complete.

A developer may be forced to apply for a new planning permission with a reconfigured development so that the neighbouring landowner’s rights are not infringed.

In worst case scenarios, developers may be forced to demolish structures already built or pay significant amounts of compensation to compensate landowners for the decrease in light.

This issue not only affects developers; it can impact on any buyer who intends to build on a site in the vicinity of another landowner.

Case law There is a limited Irish authority in this area however recent persuasive case law in the UK has highlighted the obstructive nature of such claims.

In the case of HKRUK II (CHC) Ltd vs Heaney [2010] EWHC 2245 (Ch), an injunction was granted against a developer who infringed a neighbour’s right to light despite the fact that the development was complete and the owner of the affected building delayed in taking action for 18 months.

The court held that an easement of light existed through the windows of the defendant’s building, the former head office of the Yorkshire Penny Bank.

The claimant built an additional two floors which obstructed the defendant’s right to light. £225,000 was awarded to the defendant to solve lighting issues within his building and HKRUK II (CHC) Limited was ordered to demolish the upper two floors of their building.

The demolition did not subsequently arise and the matter was settled out of court.

In Andreas Pavledes & Anor v Theodoros Hadjisavva & Anor [2013] EWHC 124 (Ch), the court determined that it would be just in the circumstances to grant declaratory relief to the claimants despite the development not being carried out.

The defendants obtained planning permission to build a twostorey addition at the rear of their property and a one-storey addition

at the front of their property.

In 2009, the claimants’ surveyor informed the defendants that he had undertaken a right of light assessment which proved that the proposed development would infringe the neighbouring landowners’ rights and sought that the development not be carried out.

There was substantial correspondence between the parties and the defendant contended that the right to light would not be infringed by the development.

Proceedings were issued in March 2012 seeking a declaration as to the existence of the right to light and an injunction to restrain the defendants from interfering with it.

In its defence, the defendants admitted, on foot of reviewing the claimant’s report, that the development would interfere with the claimants alleged right to light ‘on the assumption that the technical analysis was correct’ and stated that they would not carry out the development ‘for the foreseeable future’.

The court held in granting the relief that there was nothing to prevent the defendants from re-asserting their prior position and carrying out the development in the future and therefore granted the relief.

Another recent case in this area is Ottercroft Ltd v Scandia Care Ltd & Anor [2016] EWCA Civ 867. Ottercroft Limited and Scandia Care Limited, which was controlled by Dr Mehdad Rahimian, were the owners of adjoining properties in Buckinghamshire.

A dispute arose between the parties arising out of Scandia Care Limited’s proposed erection of a metal staircase in place of an existing wooden one.

Ottercroft Ltd claimed the development infringed their right to light and sought an injunction to restrain the development. Dr Rahimain had provided a personal undertaking not to interfere with alleged right to light to the ground floor window and signed a similar undertaking ‘for and on behalf of Scandia Care’.

Despite the undertakings the defendants continued with the works.

‘Recent persuasive case law in the UK has highlighted the obstructive nature of such claims.’

The court held that the staircase had infringed Ottercroft’s right to light and was also not built in accordance with planning.

He granted a mandatory injunction to alter, replace or remove the staircase despite the damage being relatively minor in nature.

A core factor in granting the injunction was the manner in which Scandia Care Limited had acted, in an un-neighbourly fashion by continuing with the works in breach of their undertaking. This decision was upheld on appeal.

Right to light insurance Right to light insurance has become increasingly popular in the UK and though not so popular in this country we will undoubtedly see a rise in the use of such insurance policies in the coming years.

Although right to light insurance policies are not common in Ireland, they may be found in select specialised insurance brokers.

It is advisable for a landowner to engage a surveyor to provide a right to light report pre-planning so that any potential issues can be addressed at the outset of any proposed development.

This report can also be used to obtain insurance quotes to protect against financial liability should a claim arise.

Policies Right to light policies can cover legal costs in addressing claims, settlements or damages awarded, demolition or rebuilding costs and any loss in land value.

In the UK, Fairweather Insurance Services Limited have estimated that right to light insurance premiums start at approximately £3,000 and could typically cost £10,000 plus for a £1,000,000 house development.

The cost of maintaining such a policy will of course need to be weighed against the cost of the development and its potential demolition and reinstatement costs on a claim being successful.

Many thanks to Georgina Wallace and to Irish Legal News: https://www.irishlegal. com/ where a previous version of this article originally appeared. For more stories related to construction law check out www. irishlegal.com/tag/construction Summer 2021 | Construction Management | 23

SAFETY AWARDS

T

he 29th National Irish Safety Organisation / Northern Ireland Safety Group (NISO/NISG) Annual Occupational Safety Awards took place in a special online ceremony at which the Supreme Safety Award winner for 2020, sponsored by Irving Oil Whitegate Refinery, was announced as PM Group.

PM Group wins All Ireland Supreme Safety Award 2020 As the Supreme Safety Award winner in 2019 also, PM Group has made Safety Award history by becoming the first organisation to win the top prize two years 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.

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

requiring entrants to demonstrate evidence of the following in relation to driving for work: policy, planning, practice, measuring performance and reviewing performance.

The Healthy Workplace Award, supported

by Healthy Ireland, was won by Alexion Ireland.

Guest speakers

Ceremony Under normal circumstances the safety awards would have been presented to the award winners in a prizegiving ceremony and gala dinner event in October of 2020.

However, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the event was moved online.

Other awards presented in the online ceremony include: The Safety Representative of the Year Award 2020 in association with The CPL Institute.

The winner of the Safety Representative of the Year Award for 2020 was Margaret Murphy from PricewaterhouseCoopers, Cork, and the Runner Up prize was jointly awarded to John White and Trevor Johnston from AA Ireland.

The Driving for Work Award was won for the second year in a row by KD Group.

The Driving for Work Award is an award

2 4 | Construction Management | Summer 2021

everyone has had in work, and indeed out of work, as a result of COVID this past year, today’s event is a really great testament to those who are showing a continued importance of health and safety in the workplace, for businesses and workers alike.’

Harry Galvin, NISO President, announced the award winners from over 100 organisations from all around the island of Ireland.

NISG Chair, Ashleigh Birkett, also addressed the award entrants and winners during the event.

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 jointly by the 2019 award winner Kiernan Structural Steel, and Vision Contracting Ltd.

Minister Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, Damien English, T.D. (above), acknowledged the tremendous work carried out by both NISO and NISG in promoting the cause of better workplace health and safety.

He noted that the awards acknowledge the ‘dedicated efforts of the winners to ensure that their places of work provide safety to all present’.

Mr. English also said that the Awards ‘acknowledge the innovative ways that safety measures can be introduced without disrupting the operation of a business but also enhancing the work experience of employees’.

Dr. Sharon McGuiness, CEO, Health and Safety Authority, said: ‘Given the challenges

Other special guest speakers who contributed to the online event included Robert Kidd, Chief Executive, Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland and Dave Murphy, Chief Executive Officer and David Tomlinson, Group Head of Health and Safety, PM Group (Supreme Award Winner 2019).

The Gold Award was won by Designer Group., the Silver Award by Actavo and the Bronze Award by Weltec Engineering 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.

Excellence in Safety, a new award which acknowledges organisations that achieve a high standard safety award for more than fifteen continuous years, was won by Actavo.

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.

Recipients of this award include Colas Bitumen Emulsions (West) Ltd. / Chemoran, Colas Contracting Ltd., Designer Group, Fingal County Council, John Sisk & Son (Holdings) Ltd., Jones Engineering Group, PM Group, TLI Group Ltd.

Safety Awards

All Ireland Safety Award Winners 2020 The award winners below are sorted randomly within their respective award categories Award Supreme Award Gold Award Silver Award Bronze Award President’s Award Large Size Organisation

Additional Award Exceptional High Achiever Award

Exceptional High Achiever Award Excellence in Safety Award

Consistent High Achiever Award

Consistent High Achiever Award

President’s Award Medium Size

President’s Award Construction

Regional/Northern Ireland Facilities Management and Services Award

Manufacturing Award Local Authority/Council Award Public Service Award

Actavo Weltec Engineering Ltd. MSL Engineering Ltd.

Ecolab Ltd.

Organisation

President’s Award Overall

Designer Group

Ltd

President’s Award Small Size

Pharmaceutical

PM Group

Griffin Brothers Contracting

Organisation

President’s Award Chemical/

Organisation

Winthrop Engineering & Contracting Exceptional High Achiever Award

Consistent High Achiever Award

Consistent High Achiever Award

Consistent High Achiever Award

Consistent High Achiever Award

Consistent High Achiever Award

Colas Bitumen Emulsions (West) Ltd. Chemoran KD Group Acacia Facilities Management Ltd.

Baxter Healthcare Irish

Manufacturing Operations Longford County Council Irish Aviation Authority

Healthcare Provider Award

Bon Secours Hospital Cork

Medical Devices Award

Wright Medical Cork

Service Award

LotusWorks

Electronic/Electrical

.

Intel Ireland Ltd

Exceptional High Achiever

Construction

John Sisk & Son (Holdings)

Manufacturing/Assembly Award Award

Exceptional High Achiever Award

Industrial/

Commercial Award Construction

Road Surfacing

Ltd.

Colas Contracting Ltd.

Award

Regional Award

Jones Engineering Group

Exceptional High Achiever

Higher Distinction

Fingal County Council

Exceptional High Achiever

Higher Distinction

TLI Group Ltd.

Award Award

(East)

2 6 | Construction Management | Summer 2021

Consistent High

Mainline Group Ltd.

Construction Consulting

Consistent High

GEA Process Technologies

Construction Civil Engineering

Consistent High

Coffey

Regional Award (South)

Consistent High

Cork City Council

Regional Award (Mid West)

Consistent High

LMC Group

Regional Award (South East)

Consistent High

Specialist Technical Services

Regional Award (West)

Consistent High

P&D Lydon Ltd.

Higher Distinction

Consistent High

Walls Construction Limited

Higher Distinction

Consistent High

Bon Secours Hospital Dublin

Higher Distinction

Consistent High

Flynn

Higher Distinction

Consistent High

MMD Construction Ltd.

Higher Distinction

Consistent High

Suir Engineering Ltd.

Higher Distinction

Consistent High

GMC Utilities Group Ltd.

Higher Distinction

Consistent High

ISS Facility Services

Higher Distinction

Consistent High

BAM Ireland

Higher Distinction

Consistent High

Leo Lynch Group

Higher Distinction

Consistent High

Dornan Engineering Ltd.

Higher Distinction

Consistent High

W & H Alexander Ltd.

Higher Distinction

Consistent High

John Paul Construction

Higher Distinction

Consistent High

Cork County Council

Award

Engineers Award Award

Achiever Award Achiever Award Achiever Award Achiever Award Achiever Award Achiever Award Achiever Award Achiever Award Achiever Award Achiever Award Achiever Award Achiever Award Achiever Award Achiever Award Achiever Award Achiever Award Achiever Award Achiever Award Achiever Award Achiever Award

Ireland Ltd.

– STS Group

Construction Specialist

H&MV Engineering Ltd.

Construction Building Services

King & Moffatt Building

Construction House Building

Glenveagh Properties PLC

Pharmaceuticals [Fill Finish]

Helsinn Birex

Biopharmaceuticals Award

Alexion Ireland

Northern Ireland Award

Adman Civil Projects Ltd

Contractor Award Award

Exceptional High Achiever Award

Construction Utility Services

Award Award

Services

Pharmaceuticals

Safety Awards

standards to reduce the possibility of infection in the workplace.

‘There have been monumental efforts and investments made to implement a range of risk-reduction measures and new standard operating procedures.

Confident

and wellbeing during the previous year, by the company and our supply chain.

We are confident that we have significantly reduced the likelihood of a spread of infection in our workplaces.’

The company’s Integrated Management System (HSQE) is ISO accredited since 2005.

Michael Stone, (CEO), says: ‘Since the introduction of ISO 45001 in 2018, we updated our Integrated Management System, and this has elevated the importance of occupational health, safety and wellbeing on the corporate agenda and involves the whole organisation.

‘This has resulted in meaningful change as we have promoted and encouraged our workforce to proactively participate in health, safety and wellbeing as this ensures their buy-in to continuous improvement.’

Leading

Integral

‘The company, a leading international mechanical and electrical provider is the international, innovative and technical provider of choice, for specialist turnkey engineering and sustainable energy solutions, with operations in Ireland, UK, Europe and Africa.’

Derek Murphy adds: ‘the company will continue with membership of the CIF Safety Sub-Committee and CIF Covid-19 Working Group.

‘We are committed to collaborating closely with fellow members to provide professional support and ensure health, safety and wellbeing standards are continuously improved and best practice identified.

‘The ongoing updating of the CIF Construction Sector C-19 Pandemic SOP and CIF’s annual Construction Safety Week, which is a mainstay on the Designer Group calendar and supported as gold sponsors, are some of the excellent work achieved to date.

‘Government restrictions due to Covid-19 has presented the industry with many challenges over the past 12 months.

‘Our industry loves a challenge, and it was fantastic to witness fellow CIF members’ ideas, related activities and mitigation plans to combat the risk of Covid-19’, says Murphy.

‘Now, more than ever, the industry will be under the spotlight to ensure we maintain the highest

Its people are integral to the organisation and recently Designer Group launched their newly revamped wellbeing and wellness committee – DG Holistic.

The intention is to have a workplace environment that is supportive of living a healthy lifestyle.

The committee will put forward suggested policies to help support employee health, wellbeing and wellness and will essentially act as the voice of all staff to cultivate an organisational culture of healthy living.

‘All of our very own professionally trained mental health first aiders and champions of our DG Holistic Committee remain on hand for an informal and completely confidential conversation’, says Derek Murphy.

ABOVE: Its people are integral to the organisation and recently Designer Group launched their newly revamped wellbeing and wellness committee – DG Holistic.

Designer Group: Health, safety wellbeing – forever the most critical topic

‘I

f our industry can learn just one thing in the throes of a pandemic, it is that health, safety and wellbeing will forever be the most critical topic’, says Head of Environmental Health & Safety, Designer Group, Derek Murphy.

‘Never before has everything we know about how to stay safe and healthy been needed so much and by so many.

Delighted ‘As winners of many National Irish Safety Organisation (NISO) Awards, including the 2019 President’s Award, Designer Group was delighted to win the Gold Award at this year’s (2020) virtual safety awards ceremony’, says Derek.

‘This prestigious award is a tremendous endorsement and validates the positive and proactive health, safety and wellbeing culture that Designer Group has fostered.

‘This is another significant milestone in our continuous quest to maintaining the highest standards within our client network and workforce, and it highlights our position as industry leaders to drive outstanding health, safety and wellbeing performance.

‘We also received the Exceptional High Achiever Award for achieving a Distinction or higher award every year for the last 10 years,’ adds Murphy.

‘As Gold Award winners, we demonstrated the existence of a proactive health, safety and wellbeing management system with evidence of strong management leadership, of continual improvement and an outstanding contribution to occupational health, safety 2 8 | Construction Management | Summer 2021

Programme ‘One of our committee's first initiatives was to put in place an online fitness programme, exclusively for our DG team.

‘Other activities include meditation, webinars and quizzes so that employees can remain connected and busy during this time.

‘We would like to say a huge thank you to all our supply chain partners, our clients and our workforce for supporting us to deliver excellence’, says Murphy.

‘And congratulations to all other award winners.’

safety awards

Regional Award (Midlands)

Kiernan Structural Steel

Regional Award (North West)

Kilcawley Construction

Regional Award (North East)

Elliott Group

Higher Distinction

Cagney Contract Cleaning

Higher Distinction

Vision Contracting Ltd.

Higher Distinction

PJ Hegarty & Sons

Higher Distinction

Compass Group Ireland

Higher Distinction

Gilead Sciences Ireland UC

Higher Distinction

Secto Services Ltd.

Limited

Consistent High Achiever Award

Distinction

John Cradock Ltd.

Distinction

Conack Construction Ltd.

Consistent High Achiever Award

Distinction

Collen Construction Ltd.

Distinction

Lynskey Engineering Ltd.

Consistent High Achiever Award

Distinction

Merit Medical Ireland Ltd.

Distinction

Portakabin (Ireland) Ltd.

Consistent High Achiever Award

Distinction

Wills Bros Ltd.

Distinction

Dominic O’Connor Ltd.

Consistent High Achiever Award

Distinction

Transport Infrastructure

Distinction

Mac Interiors Ltd.

Consistent High Achiever Award

Distinction

Aura Sport and Leisure

Highly Commended

Controlled Environments

Highly Commended

Maveric Contractors

Highly Commended

Adston Ltd.

Highly Commended

Linde TMM

Highly Commended

ESS Modular

Ireland

Management Ltd.

Company (CEC) at Intel

Best New Entry Large Size

Danone Macroom

Best New Entry Small Sized

MDE Installations Ltd.

Distinction

Balfour Beatty CLG Ltd.

Highly Commended

AbbVie Ballytivnan

Distinction

KDK Scaffolding Ltd.

Highly Commended

DB Schenker Cork

Distinction

J Coffey Construction Ltd.

Highly Commended

Egis Projects Ireland

Distinction

Inland and Coastal Marina

Commended

Nordex Energy Ireland Ltd.

Distinction

Barretstown

Commended

Cheshire Ireland

Distinction

DB Schenker @ Intel

Merit

Crowley Carbon Limited

Distinction

Tritech Engineering

Merit

Shareridge Ltd.

Distinction

GRAHAM

Recognition

Dachser Ireland Ltd.

Distinction

SK Biotek Ireland Limited

Distinction

Duggan Brothers

Distinction

Stewart Construction

Distinction

Kercon Construction

Distinction

BioMarin International

Organisation Award Organisation Award

Distinction

Systems Ltd.

(Contractors) Ltd.

Limited, Shanbally

Richard Nolan Civil Engineering Ltd.

Distinction

Cumnor Construction Ltd.

Distinction

Jones Lang LaSalle (Intel

Distinction

Ryobi Aluminum Casting

Distinction 3 0 | Construction Management | Summer 2021

Leixlip Site) (UK) Ltd.

Gem Construction

Also…

Driving for Work Award: KD Group

Occupational Health Award – Joint Winners

Sponsored by Health and Safety Authority and Health and Safety Executive for

Safety Representative of the Year Award – Winner

Sponsored by The CPL Institute

Margaret Murphy, PwC Cork Safety

Representative, PricewaterhouseCoopers Cork

Northern Ireland

Safety Representative of the Year

Vision Contracting Ltd.

John White, AA Patrol Technician,

Kiernan Structural Steel Limited

Healthy Workplace Award – Winner Sponsored by Healthy Ireland Alexion Ireland

Award – Runners Up AA Ireland

Trevor Johnston, AA Patrol Technician, AA Ireland

SAFETY AWARDS

ABOVE: L-R: Actavo’s Willie Ryan, Global Director of EHS & IT and Brian Kelly, CEO, with AllIreland Occupational Health & Safety Award

Actavo first ever winner of ‘Excellence in Safety’ Award

A

ctavo was awarded the prestigious Silver award at the Annual All Ireland Occupational Health & Safety Awards 2020 and was also the recipient of the first ever ‘Excellence in Safety Award’, which is presented to an organisation that has consistently achieved a high-standard safety award for more than fifteen years.

‘It is a major achievement for Actavo to win this NISO/NISG Award and I am very proud of the company’s strive for excellence and the ability to achieve this year-on-year,’ said global environment, health and safety and IT director with Actavo, Willie Ryan.

‘Every team across the organisation deserves credit for this recognition, because on a company-wide basis, we

3 2 | Construction Management | Summer 2021

embed our core value “live safety” into our culture and operations.’

Endorsement This is a major endorsement of Actavo’s relentless commitment to health and safety across its operations; the company’s continued high standards of safety for its workforce; and its aim to become an industry leader for

outstanding safety performance.

‘Over the past ten years, Actavo has invested heavily in training across all Divisions in Ireland and the UK,’ said Ryan.

‘Health and safety are always top of our agenda at every weekly senior management meeting and board meeting.

‘Within the company, safety, health, environmental and quality performance are viewed as core business values, and this ethos is evident as Actavo has been a consistent Category 1 winner at these awards since 2006, achieving the Supreme Award in 2015.

Accolades ‘These top accolades are a major

Achievements have been ‘outstanding’ Harry Galvin, President of NISO, said: ‘Actavo's achievements in the safety awards, particularly over the last few years, have been outstanding, having won the Supreme, Gold, Silver and Bronze awards.

Commitment endorsement of Actavo’s continuous commitment to health and safety,’ said Ryan.

‘It also demonstrates Actavo’s high standards of safety in its workforce and highlights the company’s drive to obtain zero harm and to become industry leaders for outstanding safety performance.

‘Winning an award is like an athlete preparing for a competition. You can prepare for one event but unless safety is deeply embedded in your culture and unless you keep on investing in safety, then your standards can drop after the first event.

‘The fact that we have won awards consistently over the past 15 years is a fantastic achievement for the organisation and for the health & safety professionals working here and demonstrates the commitment at all levels of the business from the senior leadership team to the people

undertaking the various works every day.’

Proactive Ryan said that the NISO Award process is based on a submission made by the company that looks at every aspect of your EHS Management System.

‘This includes proactive approaches such as training provided to staff, occupational health programmes, coaching, audits and inspections to the reactive elements such as how you react when an incident happens.

‘At Actavo, we treat the NISO Awards as an opportunity to look at every aspect of how our health & safety is functioning each year and identify areas where we can make improvements.

‘Health and safety are at the centre of what we do and these awards are a testament to the stellar work carried out by staff and management to continually build and improve the safety values of the company,’ he said.

This year, winning the Silver Award and also becoming the first company to win the Excellence in Safety award for being at distinction level or higher for in excess of 15 years, Actavo has shown its commitment to pursuing the highest standards of safety for its staff, customers and the general public.’

Breadth of services Actavo operates in diverse and demanding markets, offering a breadth of services. The company designs, builds and maintains the vital infrastructure we all use every day.

With a global workforce of more than 2,600, Actavo delivers Network & InHome Solutions, Industrial Solutions, Hire and Sales Solutions, Building Solutions and Event Solutions in 100 locations, with operations in Ireland, the UK, Caribbean and Saudi Arabia.

‘Health and safety are at the centre of what we do and these awards are a testament to the stellar work carried out by staff and management to continually build and improve the safety values of the company,’ Summer 2021 | Construction Management | 33

LEAN JOURNEYS

Lean Construction Ireland 2021 national conference – taking place on 3 November, will inspire and challenge the future of Irish construction!

Delivering construction projects better, faster and together!

L

ean Construction Ireland (LCi) will host a unique multi-track one-day virtual conference on 3 November 2021.

Theme The theme of the event will be: ‘Delivering Construction Projects Better, Faster, Together' and will be presented on a professional conference platform which allows and encourages interaction and networking between all attendees.

The aim of the conference is to bring together leading experts in the field of Lean construction from the Irish and international communities – to both inspire and challenge the industry to implement Lean thinking and practices on their public and private construction projects.

Over 600 delegates are predicted to attend this year’s event, a rise of over 20% from the inaugural event in 2018.

Opportunity Delegates will have the opportunity to learn about Lean construction from

industry leaders on how they can leverage the benefits of Lean concepts to deliver quality projects that are safer,

About Lean Construction Ireland Lean Construction Ireland is an all-island, independent, not-for-profit association whose members passionately believe that Lean thinking and practices can enable and sustain enhanced effectiveness, efficiency, productivity, and profitability for the Irish construction sector, client organisations, and the supply chain.

Vision Its vision is to create the environment within the Irish

construction sector where projects are delivered better, faster and together that embrace the principle of collaboration underpinned through the adoption of Lean thinking and practices.

Lean Construction Ireland leads a community of learning and practice that promotes the application of Lean thinking and practices throughout the Irish Architecture, Engineering, Construction (AEC) sector – so as to realise value-add for

3 4 | Construction Management | Summer 2021

all stakeholders in the value chain.

It supports the free and open exchange of knowledge, information, and experiences around good practices and case studies.

ABOVE: Jason Casey, Lean Construction Ireland, vice-chair – ‘excited and proud to see the third Lean Construction Ireland national conference come together on 3 November.’

Supports It also supports ongoing research into Lean practices nationally and globally, their application to AEC, and their sharing with the wider Lean Construction Ireland Community.

‘Over 600 delegates are predicted to attend this year’s event, a rise of over 20% from the inaugural event in 2018.’

faster and more profitable - leading to increased stakeholder satisfaction and customer value for money.

One of Europe’s largest lean construction conferences, the 2021 event will be structured in a way to provide attendees with multiple stream options which allow for interactive engagement sessions.

Sponsors of the LCi 2021 national conference include Ardmac, DPS, Fluor, Jones Engineering, Philip Lee, Autodesk, Sisk Group, Procore and Exyte. (At time of writing) Jason Casey (Lean Construction Ireland, Vice Chair) says: ‘I am extremely excited and proud to see the third Lean Construction Ireland national conference come together on 3 November on our virtual conference platform.

Showcase ‘The theme of the conference: “Delivering Construction Projects Better, Faster, Together” creates an excellent opportunity to showcase the shared knowledge and innovation that exists within Ireland’s construction sector and demonstrates where organisations are adopting Lean thinking and practices that have led to better outcomes and value for all project stakeholders.

‘With presentations from both national and international keynote speakers and exhibits from leading Irish Lean practitioners, the conference provides delegates with the information and knowledge required to enhance their understanding of Lean Construction

Life goes on this year and so too does Lean Construction of course! Recently, Lean Construction Ireland (LCi), launched the third edition of its Annual Book of Cases!

Lean Construction Ireland Annual Book of Cases 2020 Lean Construction Ireland (LCi) is a community of learning and practice that advocates for the transformation of the Irish construction sector through the adoption of Lean thinking and practices by the entire sector to enable and sustain enhanced effectiveness, efficiency, productivity, and profitability for all stakeholders in the value chain.

A core principle A core LCi principle is that the open exchange of knowledge, information, and experiences around good Lean practices is a fundamental factor in the sector’s adoption of Lean and its transformation journey.

So, it is with great pleasure that Lean Construction Ireland launched the third publication of its Annual Book of Cases – the key Lean Construction reference publication for the Irish construction sector, from clients and owners to professional services providers, contractors, sub-contractors, suppliers, consultants, and academia.

The Book provides real-world, practical, and accessible examples

ABOVE: Lean Construction Ireland (LCi), Book of Cases of Irish Construction sector organisations implementing Lean thinking and practices.

Each case provides the context for the Lean initiative; details the Lean thinking, tools, and techniques applied on the initiative and describes the impact and benefits of the initiative.

Significant progress These cases clearly demonstrate that the Irish construction sector is making significant progress in understanding and implementing Lean thinking and practices on capital project delivery as well as for internal operational excellence, adding real value for all project stakeholders and business owners.

ABOVE: Richard Fitzpatrick, chair, Lean Construction Ireland

To download a digital version of the Lean Construction Ireland Book of Cases 2020 please visit: www. leanconstructionireland.ie

Summer 2021 | Construction Management | 35

Out & About

H

ere at CMI we take a great interest in the annual GMIT International Construction Management Day conference.

Here, Dr Martin Taggart, chair, summarises what the speakers had to say at the eleventh such event which was, of course, held ‘remotely’ due to the ongoing covid-19 situation. Huge praise goes to Dr Taggart and all involved, once again – the event was a huge success and the tone was upbeat!

ABOVE: GMIT Campus

GMIT Conference heard construction industry remained very positive about rapid recovery post-Covid

T

he eleventh Annual GMIT International Construction Management Day Conference was held at GMIT, Galway.

Due to the pandemic the conference was held fully online this year, attracting an audience of over 700 delegates.

The conference is generally attended

by Architects, Engineers, Surveyors, Contractors, Academics from across the island of Ireland and senior students from the built environment disciplines.

Additionally, the conference is attended by staff from local authorities and semi-state bodies, and people with an interest in the building environment.

Annually The conference is hosted annually by the Department of Building and Civil 3 6 | Construction Management | Summer 2021

Engineering at GMIT and chaired by lecturer Dr Martin Taggart.

It is supported and sponsored by: The Construction Industry Federation (CIF), The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), The Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) and The Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE).

The conference was opened by GMIT President, Dr Orla Flynn, and Head of GMIT School of Engineering, Professor Graham Heaslip, who warmly welcomed delegates from near and far.

Dr Flynn noted she had attended the 2020 conference before she took up her role as GMIT President and reflected on the very changed situation we find ourselves in.

Professor Heaslip said he was

delighted to be attending his first conference and noted that the deliberations of the conference could clearly be seen influencing regional and national policy, particularly in areas such as construction innovation.

Regular The first speaker was John O’Regan, Director of AECOM Ireland. John is a conference regular and is a well-known draw for delegates, who look forward to his detailed review of the construction sector and evaluation of its prospects.

John outlined the severe impact that the Covid-19 pandemic was having on the sector in terms of lost output, with an estimate reduction in 2020 of over €7bn on the preceding year.

John noted that three big challenges

and areas of opportunity for the industry were widespread adoption of data and digitalisation, carbon reduction and adoption of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC).

John concluded that whilst the situation was currently very difficult, there was still a very significant pipeline of work moving through the system.

John also introduced a team of young graduates that AECOM had hired during the pandemic, illustrating that demand and jobs remained very good in the sector.

Interview The next segment of the conference entailed a wide-ranging interview by Dr Martin Taggart with Frank Kelly, President of the CIF, and Director of Construction at Walls Construction and Tom Parlon, Director General of the CIF. (Aside from the current situation at the time and major issues surrounding Covid-19) other matters discussed concerned the CIF agenda for diversity and inclusivity in the industry; skills shortages in the trades; mental health and wellbeing and, the impact of Covid-19 on the SME sector.

Concluding the session, Dr Taggart asked Tom and Frank to say a word or two to students who were soon to graduate and may be worried about their prospects.

Both Tom and Frank noted that they saw a very positive future.

Unlike the recent economic recession, they noted that the pipeline of work was still there and government and EU investment to restore industry is the preferred plan.

Frank also noted that the problems we had before the pandemic have not vanished.

Martin Taggart noted that GMIT had held a built environment careers day the previous Friday and that twenty-four companies had carried out over 300 interviews with eighty students who would graduate this year.

Molloy, Director of the CIF. Mark Beard first outlined the issues that required business to adopt a supportive culture, noting that such a situation was very good for the employees, but also made very good business sense, positively impacting in areas such as motivating and retaining top quality staff, aiding in recruitment as a desired employer, and increasing productivity.

Mark noted that relatively simple approaches such as having an opendoor policy and listening to the concerns of his staff and being very open and transparent when things get difficult pay great dividends in building trust.

Mark outlined the contribution that adopting frameworks developed by Investors in People had achieved.

Justin Molloy agreed that there needed to be a coordinated approach to developing a happy workforce and discussed the benefits of the Considerate Constructor Scheme which focuses on both a ‘good neighbours’ approach by contractors and respect of people in terms of their site workforce.

Discussion

Lifelong learning

The next section of the conference involved a three-way discussion on building a sustainable and inclusive culture within the construction industry.

President of the CIOB, Mark Beard, who is also Chairman of Beard Construction UK, joined the conference from Oxford and was in conversation with Dr Martin Taggart and Justin

The next speaker of the day was John Barfoot, Learning, Education and Academic Director of CABE. John joined the conference from Northampton and spoke about the need for professionals to adopt a lifelong learning approach to help develop their competencies in their chosen profession.

John noted that the initial studies that

ABOVE: Dr Martin Taggart

students undertake at college are vitally important, but their graduation should be the start of their competence journey and not the endpoint.

John outlined the extensive number of professional bodies that promote Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in Ireland and require their members to remain up to date in their chosen field.

An interesting question was posed from the audience concerning the lockdown on levels of CPD. John said that the professional bodies had rapidly adapted their CPD offerings to an online world and noted that attendances appeared to have increased.

He concluded that more online offerings may encourage more professionals to attend CPD events.

CABE are currently reviewing the nature of future CPD provision.

Housing The final speaker in the first session was Micheál Mahon, President of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI), who focused on the housing crisis in Ireland, noting that it was one of the forgotten issues of the pandemic but was still a very live and growing problem.

He gave a very detailed and authoritative overview of the issues of lack of affordability in the Irish housing sector based on a very detailed research study carried out by the SCSI. The report noted that in Dublin, a couple on a combined salary of €88,000 could not afford to purchase a new-build 3-bedroom house which has a typical delivery cost of €371,000 once land, build costs and all fees are included.

Even with a large deposit and maximum mortgage the couple would still fall a minimum of €25,000 short of the delivery price.

The excessive costs associated with building accommodation means that the stated numbers of dwellings needed to address the crisis will simply not be viable for contractors/developers to construct in many cases.

The SCSI proposed a detailed 18-point plan of recommendations to ease the situation and make construction of dwellings more viable.

The recommendations include planning reform, cost benefit analysis of any future building regulation changes, measures to free up land for Summer 2021 | Construction Management | 37

Out & About

development, enhanced support with critical infrastructure and a range of supports for potential house purchasers and renters.

Distinct focus The second half of the conference had a distinct focus on innovation in the construction sector.

The first speaker was Sean Downey, who is Director of Specialist Contracting with the CIF. Sean informed the conference of the many changes coming down the tracks in terms of innovation.

For decades the construction industry has been under-funded in terms of government support in the areas of research and development.

This was surprising, given the critical nature and size of the industry to the Irish economy.

Sean was pleased to note that that situation is changing rapidly, and a large range of initiatives are fast coming to fruition.

These changes include the support and opening of a National Build Digital Centre to support excellence in Building Information Modelling and digital adoption.

The centre is supported by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

Additionally, a National Centre of Excellence for the construction industry to drive innovation in areas such as Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and construction process improvement is progressing under the umbrella of Enterprise Ireland.

Dr Martin Taggart was very pleased to note that the original concept of such a centre was established several years ago at the GMIT International Construction Management Day Conference between GMIT Staff and Past-President of CIF, Dominic Doheny.

The CIF took on the concept, supported by GMIT, and hopefully the centre will open next year.

Innovation Four GMIT Staff then presented on areas of innovation in the construction sector, reporting on both the future needs of the industry and assessing how academia can collaborate in providing the new skills needed.

John Scahill gave an overview of the new Digital Academy for a Sustainable Built Environment project (DASBE).

3 8 | Construction Management | Summer 2021

ABOVE: Top, L to R: Sean Downey, Director of Specialist Contracting, CIF; Frank Kelly, President, CIF; Gerard Nicholson, GMIT; Micheál Mahon, President SCSI; Irene Hayden, GMIT; John O’Regan, Director, AECOM Ireland; John Scahill, GMIT. Bottom, L to R: John Barfoot, Learning, Education and Academic Director, CABE; Justin Molloy, Director CIF; Dr Martin Taggart, Conference Chair and GMIT lecturer; Tom Parlon, Director General, CIF; Mark Beard, President, CIOB; Dr Mark Kelly, GMIT.

The DASBE project has been granted €7.5m funding via the Human Capital Initiative funding programme.

The DASBE project team is led by Limerick IT, with strategic partners GMIT, Athlone IT, Waterford & Wexford ETB, The Irish Green Building

Council, Tipperary Energy Agency, and Future Jobs Ireland.

GMIT have been tasked with developing a wide range of new skillsets via academic programmes at master’s level and below to provide the pipeline of people needed for areas such as the circular economy, regulation, and digital skills.

‘An interesting question was posed from the audience concerning the lockdown on levels of CPD. John Barfoot, (learning, education and academic director of CABE) said that the professional bodies had rapidly adapted their CPD offerings to an online world and noted that attendances appeared to have increased.’

Thoughtful Irene Hayden, lecturer at GMIT made a very thoughtful presentation on the teaching of regulation.

Irene noted that regulations, such as the Building Regulations are an everchanging area and even professionals find it very difficult to keep up to date on the latest requirements.

Irene also felt that this trend would only increase in the future.

She is designing an innovative programme in the area of regulation teaching, using web-based visualisation techniques to make the area of regulation more accessible.

The programme will eventually include certificate, diploma, and master’s degree offerings.

Gerard Nicholson, lecturer in digital skills and technologies at GMIT looked at the fast-moving area of digital technologies and building information modelling.

Gerard, a GMIT graduate himself, has been involved in those areas for many years’ and noted that the

ABOVE: College life at GMIT

Covid-19 pandemic had driven digitalisation onto new heights.

Even, the GMIT conference was now fully on online.

Gerard reflected on both the lowering costs and improved performance of digital technologies, noting that things that might have taken him a day a few years ago, can now be done in minutes.

He ranged over areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Automation, Gamification, and 3D printing; all of which have a role to play in addressing some of the social and technological issues discussed earlier in the conference.

Final speaker The last speaker of the day was Dr Mark Kelly, lecturer in GMIT. Mark heads up the GMIT BIM-360 research group.

Mark is a very active researcher in the area of Circular Economy. This is a concept that views materials in a building as being ‘temporary’ and when the effective lifecycle of the building is finished, that they can be repurposed or recycled in a sustainable way, going full circle.

This approach, which is starting to

move rapidly up the political agenda will change the ways in which projects are both designed and constructed.

Mark is actively working on developing new academic programmes that are focused on sustainable design and construction using a circular economy approach.

Links to presentations

Close

The video of the conference day will be available for several months on the conference website at: https:// crowdcomms.com/gmitconstruction Thereafter, it will be moved to the GMIT International Construction Management Day YouTube repository.

Professor Graham Heaslip brought proceedings to a close.

Mary Rogers, Head of Department of Building and Civil Engineering, congratulated Dr Martin Taggart on his commitment to the ongoing development of the conference since its launch in 2010.

She was absolutely delighted that the conference had been so successful as a fully online event that was a new experience for the department, students and staff.

Mary noted that she was ‘particularly pleased that students who will shortly graduate in Construction Management, Civil Engineering, Quantity Surveying, and Architectural Technology got to hear first-hand a very positive message from industry, not just post Covid-19, but also for an exciting and innovative future’.

Copies of the speakers' presentations can be found here: https://www. gmit.ie/engineering/constructgmitpresentations-2021 They may be used for educational and CPD purposes.

Conference Video

International Construction Management Day YouTube conference repository The YouTube repository contains over 120 videos from past conferences. They cover a wide variety of presentations of interest to the community: International Construction Management Conference - YouTube

Summer 2021 | Construction Management | 39

Training & Courses

O

ne of our regular check-ins in this section is with WIT in Waterford. No stranger to the pages of CMi, Brian Graham tells us about an innovative course in construction site management.

Launched in September 2018, the BSc in Construction Site Management was developed by Waterford Institute of Technology in response to the construction industry’s critical need for suitably qualified and experienced Site Managers.

Include Participants typically include those who have progressed to a supervisory/ management role from a trades background and/or with substantial site experience.

A full Level 7 qualification, it is delivered over twelve months via an innovative blended delivery approach combining classroom and online learning.

This has proven to be attractive to both learners and their employers, facilitating student flexibility and ensuring that companies retain and upskill staff while Below: Graduating class 2019

BSc in Construction Site Management at Waterford Institute of Technology remaining in the workplace.

The intended participants of this course have historically suffered from a lack of appropriate educational opportunities and many have had to overcome significant personal challenges in returning to formal education.

With these issues in mind, the course places a strong emphasis upon recognising and incorporating the learner’s experiences into the learning process,

moving away from teaching to learning that embraces reflection, discussion and guided development.

The curriculum focuses upon the development of both constructionspecific competencies and broader personal and professional skills.

Through this educational process, graduates of the course have grown in confidence and are now assured in their role as Construction Management professionals.

Course Development Initial discussions around developing this course

4 0 | Construction Management | Summer 2021

commenced in mid-2017 with John O’Shaughnessy (MD of Clancy Construction and Chair of the Education, Training and Skills Committee of the CIF), and John has remained instrumental in the continued success of this course since it launched in 2018.

In developing the course, WIT conducted an extensive consultation process with various stakeholders including: the South East Regional Skills Forum (SERSF), numerous local and national construction companies, as well as the Construction Industry Federation, in order to understand the sector requirements and the level of demand for a particular education course that would enhance site management practice and facilitate the effective delivery of construction projects.

These stakeholders are cognisant that with the projected growth in demand in construction and the lack of both skilled labour and general labour, the role of site management

to deliver projects will be critical to the success of both construction companies and the wider industry.

The course team also drew heavily on their experience of delivering Construction Management education in the form of the fulltime BSc (Hons) in Construction Management & Engineering and the flexibly delivered MSc in Construction Project Management.

WIT have been at the forefront of developments in Construction Management education in Ireland for over thirty years and view this new course as the latest development in meeting the needs of industry.

Course structure & delivery The course has been designed to reflect the needs of employers, current best practice in Construction Management education and the Chartered Institute of Building’s (CIOB) requirements for their Chartered Membership.

It places a strong emphasis upon the development of management skills; coupled with an in-depth knowledge of building technology and services; and the legal and regulatory responsibilities of the modern Site Manager.

The course is structured across three semesters over a twelve-month period, consisting of the following modules: Semester 1 (September to December) • Communications for Construction Site Managers (5 credits) • Construction Management & Psychology (5 credits) • Site Safety Management (5 credits) • Building Technology (5 credits) Semester 2 (January to May) • Site Project Management (5 credits) • Site Administration & Regulatory Environment (5 credits) • Building Services Systems (5 credits) • Work-Based Learning (10 credits) Summer (June to August) • Site Management Placement (15 credits) A blended approach to delivery combining face-to-face classes on a block release basis with online support was identified as the preferred method from both an employee’s and employers’ perspective.

This entails attendance at WIT for 2 full day sessions (8 hours contact per day), 4 times for both Semester

1 and Semester 2, with a placement module taking place during Semester 3 at the learner’s place of work.

Online learner engagement is facilitated through the use of both synchronous and asynchronous communications technologies such as Zoom, MS Teams and Moodle (WIT’s Learning Management System).

Course participants Providing a relevant, worthwhile and flexibly delivered course for busy construction professionals has been the single greatest achievement to-date.

Historically, accessing appropriate educational opportunities has been a challenge for qualified tradespeople and experienced Foremen/Site Managers.

Many of the participants left formal education at a young age to pursue a trade and returning to study presents a significant challenge for them, both personally and professionally.

By empowering participants through the educational process, many of them have grown in confidence and now recognise the valuable contribution which they make to their projects, company and society in general.

Course participants are drawn from a wide range of companies and different sectors of the industry.

Various local and national contractors including Clancy Construction, Tom O’Brien Construction, John Sisk, BAM Contractors, Collen Construction, Mythen Construction and S&K Carey, have put their staff through the course already.

Staff from specialist contractors such as Weltec Engineering, Radley Engineering, Modubuild, SNC Lavalin and OMC Technologies have also completed the course.

Backgrounds The diversity of participants' backgrounds, experiences and employers contribute greatly to class discussions and peer learning.

Keith Barry, a Site Manager with Waterford-based contractor Tom O’Brien Construction, attests to this, stating: ‘In the group, we were all mature students. So, we all had our own information to share and knowledge to share also…everyone had something different to bring to the table.’

Feedback from graduates of the course indicates that many have progressed to new, more advanced Construction Management roles either with their

existing employers or new ones.

Many have assumed additional responsibility in managing more challenging and/or complex construction projects, whilst others are actively pursuing further educational opportunities and professional body recognition.

Qualification & progression Under the National Framework of Qualifications, the course is a Level 7 major award, upon completion of which, graduates of the course can progress to a Level 8 degree.

With relevant management experience, graduates can also apply for Chartered Membership with the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) through the Professional Review process, allowing for the use of the professional title Chartered Construction Manager.

Course costs The course has also been successful in securing funding under the Springboard programme; with fifteen places funded in 2018/19, twenty places in 2019/20 and twenty places in 2020/21.

This funding has been critical in terms of getting the course off the ground and developing its profile with industry.

Under the Springboard programme of funding, there were twenty places available in 2020 at a subsidised cost of €510 per participant.

Outside of Springboard, the cost for the course is €3500 for self-funded participants.

Future developments Support of the course from industry remains strong and it is intended to build upon the initial success by applying for continued Springboard funding for twentyfive students for the 2021/22 academic year (at time of writing).

Plans are also well underway to develop a follow-on Level 8 Construction Management course for graduates of the BSc in Construction Site Management and other Level 7 built environment courses.

Further information on the course can be found at www.wit.ie/sitemgt or by contacting Brian Graham (right) at bgraham@wit.ie Summer 2021 | Construction Management | 41

Training & Courses

J

anuary 2019 saw the merger of Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), IT Tallaght and IT Blanchardstown.

Since then, there has been a gradual move to a central campus at Grangegorman, which is the largest investment in Higher Education in Europe, providing a cutting-edge campus for the students.

TU Dublin is now the largest higher education institution in the State with almost 28,000 students and over 3,000 staff.

The School of Surveying and Construction Management is located at Bolton St. just a short walk from the new Grangegorman Campus.

The School is Dublin’s only School of Land, Construction, and Property Surveying and the only school of its type in the state with a unique focus on particular specialisms related to property, construction and geomatics.

Links The School has very close links with the Construction Industry, with the Construction Management, Quantity Surveying and Geomatics programmes providing graduates to the industry with the skills required to meet the challenges of an ever-changing industry.

The BSc (Hons) Construction Management is a four-year full-time programme, leading to an Honours Degree award in Construction Management and is designed for those who wish to make their careers in management in the construction industry.

Through a combination of the active links of the programme team with industry and the strong emphasis on project work throughout the programme, this programme provides

DIT Grangegorman Rathdown House Springtime

development of an MSc in Building Surveying and in Project Management currently being developed.

Collaborating An Croi

Plenty of opportunities at TU Dublin!

The third level sector in Ireland is going through significant changes and none more so than at Technological University (TU) Dublin. a sound education in the different aspects of this field while remaining close to the practical needs of those who wish to develop a career in construction.

The Work Experience module in the third year of the programme allows the student to experience at first hand, the challenges and opportunities of working in the industry.

‘Earn as you learn’ The School has also developed an ‘Earn As You Learn’ model for undergraduate education.

This is a new part-time model redesigned, in

4 2 | Construction Management | Summer 2021

consultation with the industry, to closely replicate and prepare students for the construction industry.

This model allows students to be awarded credit for their work-based learning while also attending class on a part-time basis.

The ‘Earn As You Learn’ in Quantity Surveying and Construction Economics recently won in the Third Level Course – CPD or Postgraduate category at the ICE awards.

The opportunities at post graduate level have expanded within the school and likely to further expand in the near future with the

The school is also actively collaborating with many of its industry partners on research projects bringing benefits to both the University and the industry.

The School has seen the leadership change significantly with a new Head of School in Dr Mark Mulville, Dr Frank Harrington as discipline lead for Real Estate and Ruairi Hayden as discipline lead for Construction Management and Geomatics.

The new school leadership are also very excited with the opportunities the Design and Construct Project will bring.

Located at Broombridge The Design and Construct centre for construction education will be located at Broombridge.

It will be a centre of excellence for collaborative education, research and industry engagement for the Construction sector in Ireland.

This will see the delivery of construction and surveying education equip graduates in Ireland for careers in a fast-moving sector.

Training & Courses

Law Society of Ireland Diploma Centre – Diploma in Construction Law The Diploma Centre at the Law Society of Ireland offers a Diploma in Construction Law, which begins on 9 October 2021.

This course, open to lawyers and suitably qualified construction professionals, provides an overview of the specialised discipline that is construction law and practice in Ireland.

Claire O’Mahony, acting head of the Diploma Centre, says for over twenty years the Diploma Centre has provided continuing professional education and training in Ireland.

‘Our primary aim is to offer high-quality postgraduate courses with an emphasis on efficient and flexible course delivery and welcoming customer service.

‘We provide a flexible approach to learning, and courses are delivered by experienced practitioners and industry leaders.’

provides for a proliferation of contracts and conflict and dispute resolution mechanisms.

This complexity has led to a demand for professionals with the skills to analyse, manage, and solve intricate problems that often arise on major projects.

Now in its fifth year, this diploma will take a practical approach to the complex issues that arise from the multiparty nature of the construction process.

Participants will be

introduced to the standard forms of construction contracts with particular focus on the public works and RIAI contracts.

Prominent Other prominent areas of study include the Construction Contracts Act 2013, allocation of risk between the employer and the contractor, collateral warranties and bonds, specialists and subcontractors, and the Building Control (Amendment)

The increasing complexity of construction law

Module 2: Construction procurement – the tendering process • An overview of the Public Procurement Directive

This course is suitable for: • Solicitors currently working in the area or those who would be interested in practising in this area, • Dispute resolution solicitors and barristers looking to broaden their understanding of an area of law that generates a large amount of claims and litigation, • Construction professionals, including engineers, claims surveyors, and expert witnesses.

The course is also recognised by Engineers Ireland for CPD purposes.

We provide a flexible approach to learning, and courses are delivered by experienced practitioners and industry leaders.’

Proliferation

Modules of study include: Module 1: An introduction to Construction Law • Specialised stream for lawyers introducing the construction process • Specialised introductory stream for non-lawyers introducing the principles of the law of contract • An overview of the standard forms of contract • Specialists and subcontractors

Regulations 2014.

• The tendering procedure • Remedies available to unsuccessful candidates Module 3: Construction contracts • Responsibility for design in construction contracts • Lump sum and quantities contracts • Supply chain: subcontracting • Change • Time and completion • Security and overall liability • Ordinary certification and payment

Module 4: Construction dispute resolution • Multiparty construction litigation • Conciliation and mediation • Dispute resolution through adjudication • Arbitration practice and procedure For further information visit www. lawsociety.ie/diplomacentre or contact Liam Dunne (course leader) by emailing: l.dunne@ lawsociety.ie or telephone: 01 881 5744 or the Diploma Team by emailing: diplomateam@lawsociety.ie.

Summer 2021 | Construction Management | 43

PERSONAL & FINANCE

W

hen it comes to making improvements small, incremental gains really do add up. So says Jeff Haden who introduces us, this time out, to the one percent rule!

‘FULFILMENT PROVIDES THE MOTIVATION TO SEEK FURTHER IMPROVEMENT.’

It's really hard to make massive gains in skill and performance and talent, especially overnight. But it's fairly easy to make small changes every day.

Winning That was the approach taken in 2009 by Sir Dave Brailsford, who said he could build Britain's first-ever Tour de France winning team in four years with a three-pronged approach.

One core element was strategy. Another was human performance – obviously on the bike, but also in terms of leveraging behavioural psychology and optimising the ‘work’ environment.

The third was continuous improvement, or what Brailsford called the ‘aggregate of marginal gains’.

His plan was to break down each individual component that could go into making a world-class cyclist and cycling team, and improve each of those elements by 1 percent.

Not 20 percent. Or 10 percent. Or even 5 percent.

Just 1 percent.

Progression In short? Think small, not big. Think progression, not perfection. Think small improvements to create a major improvement.

As Brailsford said: By experimenting in a wind tunnel, we searched for small improvements to aerodynamics.

By analyzing the mechanic's area in the team truck, we discovered that dust was accumulating on the floor, undermining bike maintenance.

So we painted the floor white, in order to spot any impurities.

We hired a surgeon to teach our athletes about proper hand-washing 4 4 | Construction Management | Summer 2021

Why brilliant leadership minds embrace the rule of 1 percent Make a major improvement by leveraging lots of small, easy wins so as to avoid illnesses during competition.

We were precise about food preparation. We brought our own mattresses and pillows so our athletes could sleep in the same posture every night.

We searched for small improvements everywhere and found countless opportunities. Taken together, we felt they gave us a competitive advantage.

Won Three years later, Bradley Wiggins won the Tour de France (and an Olympic gold medal). Chris Froome won the Tour de France in three of

the next four years.

In spite of the fact the team initially ignored core functions to focus on peripheral functions.

‘You have to identify the critical success factors and ensure they are in place,’ he said, ‘and then focus your improvements around them.

That was a harsh lesson’.

Like focusing on making small improvements to operational efficiencies when sales don't even cover fixed costs.

Or focusing on making small improvements to logistics and fulfilment when product quality consistently fails to meet standard.

The rule of 1 percent and you Start by focusing on tasks you frequently perform.

Sure, you may make an improvement that saves only 10 seconds, but if you perform that task dozens of times a day, the aggregate gain is considerable.

Maybe that means finding ways to incrementally improve how you manage your email.

Or incrementally improve your use of online collaboration platforms.

Or incrementally improve – better yet, automate – making recurring decisions.

Or incrementally improve how you run meetings. (Here's a not-soincremental improvement tip: Start by having many fewer meetings.)

Break down the component parts of any larger task or pursuit. Then make small but meaningful improvements to each of those parts.

That way you don't have to get a lot better at one big thing.

You can just get a tiny bit better at a whole lot of little things.

And so can your team.

The rule of 1 percent and your team As Brailfsord noted, seeking incremental gains quickly became contagious.

‘There's something inherently rewarding about identifying marginal gains’, Brailsford said.

‘People want to identify opportunities and share them with the group. Our team became a very positive place to be.’

Partly that's because we all want to feel we are a meaningful part of something bigger than ourselves, and that our contributions are valued.

However small, the more contributions you can make the more valued you can feel.

But the contagious nature – in a good way – of embracing the rule of 1 percent also taps into a powerful aspect of motivation.

Improvement feels good.

Improvement is fulfilling.

Motivation Fulfilment provides the motivation to seek further improvement. The

result is an endless cycle of effort, success, fulfilment, motivation, effort, success.

Increase sales by 20 percent?

For some companies, that's a goal that might take months or years to accomplish.

But finding a way to improve the CRM data entry accuracy might take only minutes.

Finding a way to improve RFP turnaround times might take only minutes.

Finding a way to improve the speed and quality of responses to certain types of customer inquiries might take only minutes.

Yet the gains can last forever.

And, when aggregated with all the other 1 percent improvements you make, could make a substantial difference for your business.

And for you.

The opinions expressed here by Inc. com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com. @JEFF_HADEN

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Power Generation & Utilities

Summer 2021 | Construction Management | 45

PERSONAL & FINANCE

T

he Competition & Consumer Protection Commission has been liaising with us again on a number of useful and informative pieces for our Personal and Finance section. First off we go back to basics with a special piece from their spokesperson, Doireann Sweeney, Head of Corporate Communications, on spring cleaning (or early-summer cleaning!) your finances.

A step-by-step guide to managing your personal finances Knowing where to start when it comes to taking control of your personal finances can be difficult.

Task From how to make a household budget, to picking the right savings accounts for you, money management can sometimes seem like an overwhelming task.

To help you through the steps you can take to get your finances in order, Doireann Sweeney has these top tips to get you started: Start budgeting: taking the first step toward sorting your personal finances can be scary, especially if you’re not sure where to begin.

One of the simplest ways to start managing your money better is to create a household budget.

To help you get started, the CCPC’s budget planner at ccpc.ie is an easy online tool that, with only a few clicks, will show you all your regular income and expenses.

Cutting costs: Has your daily coffee fix become a twice daily fix? Are you a regular online shopper?

To show you what you are spending every month on items that you might not really think about, or budget for,

the CCPC has a handy spending calculator.

This will help you figure out where you can cut back, and what you can cut out, to help you save a little extra.

Make a savings plan: Once you’ve established how much you can afford to save, you might consider setting up a savings account.

There is a better chance that you will keep to your savings plan if you have a separate savings account and set up a monthly direct debit.

In addition, savings accounts usually offer higher annual interest rates than a current account.

The CCPC’s savings Money Tool will

help you compare interest rates as well as other benefits on savings accounts from all the main financial providers.

Limit your credit card spending: Try not to use your credit card to cover your day-to-day expenses unless you can pay your credit card bill in full regularly e.g. on a monthly basis.

The temptation can be to only pay off the minimum balance on your credit card each month, which will cost you a lot in interest and could take several years for you to pay off a large balance.

Manage credit card debt: Start by figuring out how much you can pay each month. It is important that you pay as much as you can afford, and not just the minimum repayment.

Paying more than the minimum repayment, by even a small amount, will reduce the time it takes you to clear your debt and will save you money in interest. The CCPC has a free credit card calculator, available at ccpc.ie, to show you how long it will take you to clear your debt.

For example: If you have credit card debt of €1,000 and the interest – known as APR – on your card is 17%, it will take you two years to clear your debt if you pay off €50 a month and you stop using the card completely.

It will also show how, if you increase your repayments to €100 per month, you could clear your balance in eleven months.

So, the debt is paid off thirteen months earlier and you save in interest repayments.

Check out if switching could save you money: Have you checked to see if you are availing of the best interest rates and benefits on the market when it comes to your current account, savings account and mortgage?

If not, it could pay to switch. Check out the CCPC’s credit card comparison tool at ccpc.ie to see what’s on offer across all the main financial providers, with only a few simple clicks! ccpc.ie

Has your daily coffee fix become a twice daily fix? Are you a regular online shopper? To show you what you are spending every month on items that you might not really think about, or budget for, the CCPC has a handy spending calculator.

4 6 | Construction Management | Summer 2021

Tech Talk

Geoscience is a highly technical area, which incorporates a number of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The business cluster Geoscience Ireland, (GI), assists member companies in winning business overseas.

Construction Minerals supply chain: the geoscience expertise M

inerals and their products are essential to modern-day living and are a key component in the construction of our towns, cities and societies.

The data, maps, interpretation and advice provided by Geological Survey Ireland in the production of minerals informs several aspects of the minerals value chain and the society we build.

The Geological Survey sponsors the Geoscience Ireland (GI) industry cluster which comprises over forty Irish companies.

The companies have expertise across this supply chain while the GI cluster team focuses on assisting these Irish companies in winning business overseas.

The expertise has evolved over generations from designing and delivering Ireland’s infrastructure projects and natural resource developments.

In internationalising this skillset, GI is supported

by Enterprise Ireland and its network of overseas offices, and the consular network of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Supply and demand Raw materials are required for almost every good we use and to support the way we live.

As Ireland works toward the future, ‘Project Ireland

2040’ will require 1.5bn tonnes of aggregates to be produced and the Irish Concrete Federation noted in its ‘Essential Aggregates’ publication (2019), that the identification, quantification and protection of Ireland’s reserve of these essential raw materials is required to assist in the delivering of the 2040 ambitions.

major and emerging economies, yet whose supply may be at risk due to geological scarcity, geopolitical issues, trade policy or other factors.

The World Bank anticipates the production of minerals will soar as the demand for clean energy increases while the technologies that will underpin smarter cities

The EU-wide lowcarbon pathway to meet future targets in 2030 and 2050 will also expedite the sustainable access to resources (including the ‘rare earths’ required for renewable energy, EVs and battery technology) and the strategic security of supply.

As Ireland and Europe continues to move toward lower carbon and smarter cities, the European Commission (since 2011) has evolved a list of thirty critical raw materials.

Critical minerals are metals and non-metals that are considered vital for the economic wellbeing of the world's

will demand essential materials for their delivery.

Indeed, datacentres are the backbone of such developments.

Irish companies have demonstrated strong capabilities in this space and export this expertise in partnership with key tech clients; the Nordics is a prime location.

The Geoscience expertise Ireland is home to over 500 commercial quarries and Europe’s largest zinc mine (Tara mines) is near Navan, Co Meath.

The forty-two companies comprising the GI cluster

have worked on many of these extraction and production sites.

Consultancy expertise includes services from the geological (and geophysical and geochemistry) surveying, planning and environmental due diligence, to the monitoring and reporting on environmental and water impacts during operations.

The design of project sites from concept to closure and aftercare is a further strength that GI companies deliver in Ireland and export successfully to overseas markets including Africa, the Middle East, the Americas and across Europe.

The contracting companies deliver contract mining, drilling, construction, site closure and remediation services; several contractors – much like the consultancy firms – have established a strong base in the UK. Drilling services are critical to site investigation, groundwater, mineral exploration and development, directional drilling and geothermal energy and GI proudly supports the Geo Drilling Apprenticeship at IT Carlow.

For further information on GI – or to see the projects and case studies of our members – please visit www.geoscience.ie

Summer 2021 | Construction Management | 49

facilities management

Over the past year+ Facilities Management teams have demonstrated an agile and flexible response to COVID-19, playing a key role across all sectors of industry. This was celebrated on World FM Day, as Pat Gaughan from Advanced Workplace Solutions and Fionnuala Byrne, of Google, explain.

‘Celebrating FM: standing tall beyond the pandemic’

T

he IWFM Ireland Region and Ibec (Irish Business & Employers Confederation) came together on World FM Day to reflect on this extraordinary year and discuss the future of Facilities Management with an expert panel who shared their experiences, challenges and successes.

Challenge and opportunity A central message was that the past twelve months had challenged the FM industry but had equally brought great opportunity.

From enabling the mass transition of homeworking to ensuring healthcare professionals can work in clean, safe environments, to maintaining and securing buildings – though empty of people – and more, workplace and facilities practitioners worldwide have played a key role in the response to this global crisis.

As we look with hope to the future, we can be proud of the crucial contribution our profession has made as we explore new possibilities beyond the pandemic.

We looked forward to celebrating the profession standing tall on World FM Day and beyond.

Recognise and celebrate World FM Day is a global day to recognise and celebrate the vital work that

highlighted the possibilities for the future of the profession.

It was about recognising the FM teams who quickly became essential workers, ensuring that our built environment continued to remain open – healthcare settings including nursing homes and hospitals, manufacturing, essential retail including supermarkets, pharmacies and banking.

It noted the importance placed on enhanced cleaning, sanitation and health and safety protocols so that everyone felt safe in our workplaces and in the wider community.

We also heard of the rapid and evolving nature of many aspects of the services delivered by FM teams – whether in our local parks, which have been a vital resource for so many or in healthcare settings ensuring that our most vulnerable were kept safe.

Pivot

ABOVE: Fionnuala Byrne

workplaces and facilities managers and the wider industry, contribute to business and the Irish and global economy.

It aims to raise awareness of the facilities professions anywhere that its practitioners influence the health, safety, productivity and wellbeing of people who use the built environment.

This year’s event saw a celebration of the FM profession and a recognition of the work carried out by a broad range of services throughout 2020 and 2021.

It was honest and candid but overall positive on the challenges that our industry has come through and it

Facilities Managers pivot – its what we do. This was the action of an entire community of professionals.

As Ireland was gripped by the virus, workplace and facilities professionals stepped forward and spun around to support organisations and wider communities in so many different ways.

Reflecting on the FM profession over the past year, whether it be a cleaner or a technical service provider, we can really help to understand and learn from what makes these inspiring individuals stand apart.

We can take the many examples of where our profession went above and beyond as an inspiration to others in the sector to build back stronger and better; to inspire young people to choose workplace and facilities management as a career; and encourage everyone to move our profession forward.

‘The past twelve months+ has challenged the FM industry but has equally brought great opportunity.’

5 0 | Construction Management | Summer 2021

The panel of experts included: Fionnuala Byrne, Director of Facilities EMEA, Real Estate & Workplace Google Vincent Harrison, Managing Director, Dublin Airport Chris Kane, Advisor, Advocate & Author of Where is my Office Reimagining the Workplace for the 20th Century Stephen Lynch, Global Health & Safety Lead, LinkedIn Danny McCoy, CEO, IBEC Martin McMahon, Managing Director Accent Solutions Jim Meade, CEO, Irish Rail Áine Mulcahy, Managing Director, OCS Ireland & Aviation UK Eileen Slamon, Workplace Programme Lead, LinkedIn Leo Varadkar, Tánaiste, Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment

Commission Following a request from the Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar, TD, the Low Pay Commission has formally begun work on examining how Ireland can move towards a living wage.

In his statement he talks about redefining the traditional role of essential workers to include those who work in the FM sector.

‘The pandemic has caused us to redefine frontline or essential workers and

to reconsider the value we place on their work and the reward they should get for that work.

‘Traditionally, when we thought of frontline or essential workers, we thought of nurses, doctors, Gardai or firemen.

Generally, people working in the public service with relatively well paid, secure and pensionable jobs.

‘Now we think also of retail workers, drivers, security guards, transport workers and cleaners.’

Recognise and celebrate In celebrating ‘World FM Day – standing tall beyond the pandemic’, it was important to recognise and celebrate the work carried out by those in the FM sector during the pandemic: • In particular those in roles who operate in the front line, keeping our built environment operating, safe and secure • The immediate response by the FM sector and teams across the country was significant, as the pandemic began to take hold in March 2020 – pivoting their operations and introducing enhanced health and safety protocols • There was tremendous effort by the sector in assisting in the procurement of vital PPE for workplaces • The development and implementation of new technologies in the industry to ensure that workplaces could be

maintained, either by onsite teams or virtually • The support of Irish local businesses; as many operations were forced to close or reduce their workforce, the FM sector in Ireland stepped in to support those businesses. Examples include commercial workplace furniture companies sourcing and providing necessary PPE and event companies moving to supplying workfrom-home furniture • FM companies whose workforces quickly provided their teams to organisations most in need, eg. airport staff being deployed to supermarkets and logistics chains • Workplace, OHS and Facilities professionals have been instrumental in helping their organisations confront unprecedented challenges. The sector is also at the forefront of new opportunities around the evolution of work and workplace during and post-pandemic

Far-reaching The impact from COVID-19 will be farreaching. World FM Day was a moment for us to recognise the positive impact that we have played.

It was also a chance to consider how the workplace will continue to evolve post-pandemic and how the FM sector can continue to lean in and support that change.

Summer 2021 | Construction Management | 51

LEGAL view

LK Shields Solicitors are one of our go-to companies for matters legal and this time out Ian Lavelle and Darragh Killeen write on the topic of risk management for consultants.

Managing risk for construction consultants: concurrent wrongdoers and the 1% rule

A

s the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, construction consultants should keep the provisions of Part III of the Civil Liability Act 1961 in mind when negotiating terms of appointment and collateral warranties.

These provisions can lead to disproportionate levels of exposure for consultants when projects go wrong.

The Civil Liability Act 1961 (the Act) Pursuant to section 11 of the Act, two or more persons are ‘concurrent wrongdoers’, ‘when both or all are wrongdoers and are responsible to a third person … for the same damage, whether or not judgment has been recovered against some or all of them’.

Section 12 of the Act imposes joint and several liability on ‘concurrent wrongdoers’.

Often referred to as the 1 per cent rule, these provisions could result in a concurrent wrongdoer who is found to be responsible for only 1% of a third party/ plaintiff's loss having to pay 100% of the damages awarded to the plaintiff.

Case law The case of Lynch v Beale (High Court, 23 November 1974) demonstrates how section 11 of the Act can operate in a construction context.

In that case, an architect, building contractor and subcontractor were defendants in a claim

brought by a hotel owner for loss and injury suffered by him following the internal collapse and partial subsidence of his hotel in Middleton, County Cork.

The High Court found that there were two major causes of the defects in the building, namely: (i) foundation failure with consequent settlement in one corner of the building; and (ii) the failure of the pre-stressed concrete beams at first floor level.

Counsel for both the architect and the subcontractor submitted that, as there were two separate and distinct causes of the defects, they were not ‘concurrent wrongdoers’ for the purposes of the Act. If they were liable, such liability ‘should be limited to the actual loss resulting from the particular wrong committed by any Defendant’.

The Court disagreed with their arguments and held that, as the damage claimed in the case against all the defendants was the same, they were concurrent wrongdoers within the meaning of the Act. The focus of the legislation is on the damage caused rather than the role played by each defendant.

The Court apportioned one-third of blame on the architect and twothirds on the contractor and its subcontractor.

As a result of section 12 of the Act, the hotel owner would have been entitled to look to any one of the defendants to recover all of the judgment sum.

5 2 | Construction Management | Summer 2021

The legislative rationale for this is that a plaintiff who has suffered should not be left out of pocket in the event that one or more of the defendants does not have the means to meet their proportion of the judgment.

As stated in the judgment of the Supreme Court in Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail) v Ireland, 16 July 1996: ‘As between defendants, it is provided that there can be an apportionment of blame but if a deficiency has to be made up, in the payment of the damages, it is better it should be made up by someone in default than that a totally innocent party should suffer anew.’

Risk management The COVID-19 pandemic increases the risk of insolvencies in the construction sector.

This in turn increases the risk of consultants having to pay in excess of the proportion of damages for which they are responsible in disputes involving concurrent wrongdoing.

For example, in a Lynch v Beale type scenario, if the

ABOVE: Ian Lavelle

building contractor and subcontractor were insolvent and did not have the benefit of insurance cover, the plaintiff could look to the architect for 100% of the judgment sum, regardless of the level of blame apportioned on the architect.

What, if anything, can construction consultants do to protect themselves against the potentially onerous effects of the Act? We often see ‘net contribution clauses’ appearing in appointments and collateral agreements.

These are a contractual attempt to defeat joint and several liability by limiting the consultant’s exposure to the consequences of their own breach of duty.

The compatibility of these clauses with the Act has not been considered by the Irish courts, but we consider it prudent for consultants to seek to include them in their contracts, nonetheless.

At the very least, the clauses should strengthen the consultant’s hand in any attempt to negotiate a settlement of a dispute involving concurrent wrongdoers.

This article is for information purposes only and is not intended as, and does not constitute, legal advice.

ABOVE: Darragh Killeen

GREEN BUILDING

TACKLING THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF BUILDINGS ACROSS THEIR LIFE CYCLE

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his year started as 2020 ended, with many announcements on climate action and sustainable buildings. In Ireland, (at time of writing) the Climate Action Bill will soon enshrine into law the objective of reaching climate neutrality by 2050. In Europe, several directives affecting the built environment will be reviewed in 2021 and are expected to be more ambitious. These include the cornerstone of buildings policy in the EU, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). These developments are welcome, and the Irish Green Building Council (IGBC) are working on several initiatives to support the transition to a more sustainable built environment.

Summer 2021 | Construction Management | 53

GREEN BUILDING

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ost of the focus to date has been on addressing operational carbon – i.e., the emissions associated with the energy used to operate buildings (e.g., lighting and heating).

Buildings and construction activity account for 36% of greenhouse gases emitted in Europe.

But they also account for half of raw materials used and more than 40% of solid waste produced on the continent.

Climate neutrality is hence not achievable without tapping the full potential of the sector.

Launched In December 2020, the IGBC, alongside other European Green Building Councils, launched the #BuildingLife campaign.

Explore The roadmap to be developed by the IGBC will explore policy and legal changes needed, including the role of public procurement.

It will also look at training and educational needs, and at developing tools and guidance documents for the industry.

The IGBC is already offering an introductory whole life carbon training course to help practitioners understand the methodology of life cycle assessment.

In 2021, with the support of EPA Green Enterprise and the Land Development Agency, we are launching a free cloud-based Carbon Designer tool to allow whole life carbon measurement.

The tool uses typical Irish assemblies for wall, floor, roof and foundations and generic data created specifically for Ireland.

The roadmap to address whole life carbon in the built environment will be released in Spring 2022. It is being developed with support from the Ikea and Laudes foundations.

Organisations interested in learning more or in being involved in its development should contact the IGBC.

Towards more sustainable homes and neighbourhoods

ABOVE: Pat Barry, IGBC

The aim of the campaign is to develop national roadmaps to tackle the environmental impact of buildings across their lifecycle. This means looking at both operational and embodied emissions.

Embodied emissions result from mining, quarrying, transporting and manufacturing building materials, in addition to constructing buildings.

With an estimated half a million homes to be built in Ireland by 2040, this conversation needs to happen.

In fact, these 'embodied' emissions will be each year equivalent to bringing a new Moneypoint coalburning power station online.

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To support a more holistic approach to sustainability in the built environment, the IGBC developed the Home Performance Index.

This is Ireland’s first national certification for quality and sustainability in new residential developments.

The Home Performance Index goes well beyond the Building Energy Rating (BER).

It addresses all the environmental impacts of new homes, from the production of building materials, to biodiversity loss, water consumption, land use and flood risks.

It also encourages home builders to improve the health and wellbeing of homeowners, by improving daylight and acoustics, and minimising harmful chemicals such as radon and Volatile Organic Components (VOCs).

The Home Performance Index certification gives a third-party verified seal for financial institutions, procurers, homebuyers and developers.

It is encouraging to see a growing number of investors are

placing a high importance on sustainability credentials, such as the Home Performance Index.

The European Taxonomy Regulation should also impact investments in green homes in the coming years.

The taxonomy spells out detailed technical criteria to identify sustainable activities going beyond energy efficiency.

Home Building Finance Ireland (HBFI) have already launched a green loan product offering a discount of up to 0.5% on loans to home builders for developments certified with the Home Performance Index.

The HBFI Green Funding Product is the first Irish green financial product fully aligned to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and EU taxonomy regulation.

Scaling up energy renovation The Climate Action Plan and Ireland’s Long-Term Renovation Strategy set very high targets for energy renovation.

Half a million homes must be retrofitted to a BER of B2 by 2030, and a third of the non-residential stock must be brought to a BER B by then.

potential of their dwelling, including a roadmap, as well as grants and finance available.

‘With the support of EPA Green Enterprise and the Land Development Agency, we will launch a free cloud-based Carbon Designer tool to allow whole life carbon measurement.’

‘The roadmap to address whole life carbon in the built environment will be released in Spring 2022.’

These targets are critical in providing the certainty the industry needs. Nevertheless, increasing the depth and rate of energy renovation present significant challenges.

The IGBC is currently developing an energy renovation framework to support local authorities with their retrofit programmes.

The Framework will allow local authorities to track and measure the benefits of renovation works, from energy efficiency to tackling energy poverty and creating jobs.

This in turn, should allow them to better identify and share retrofit best-practice. It should also support much needed citizen engagement.

The Framework is currently tested

by Dublin City Council, with additional feedback provided by Cork City, Kilkenny and Laois County Councils.

Developed as part of the H2020 Build Upon project, the Framework will be launched at the COP26 UN Climate Change Summit in November.

Many retrofit SMEs have attempted to scale up services, with the largest currently delivering up to 250 retrofits a year.

Individual suppliers lack the capacity to create a single digital place that links homeowners, suppliers and finance at scale.

After extensive stakeholder engagement, the IGBC is proposing a digital platform and marketplace to connect homeowners with end-to-end services.

A first version of the website will be launched in September.

It will provide homeowners with information on the renovation

Building capacity within the industry To support the industry in the transition to net-zero carbon, sustainable buildings, the IGBC has released new training courses.

These include an introductory whole life carbon training course and a green innovations webinar series focusing on innovative building materials and systems.

Other training courses available include LEED GA (Green Associate) and Home Performance Index Assessor.

Past webinars can also be accessed at any time on the IGBC learning hub.

Topics covered include nZEB, zero carbon buildings, circularity, indoor air quality, green building certification (e.g., LEED, BREEAM and WELL) and much more.

Beyond courses run by the IGBC, building professionals and construction workers can identify all energy renovation training courses that suit their needs in one click through the Build Up Skills Advisor application.

The app is available on Android and Apple mobile phones.

The fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is expected to agree in the autumn a Parisstyle agreement for nature.

To celebrate this crucial year for biodiversity, the IGBC launched a 'Nature and Biodiversity in the Built Environment' course mail in February.

This course mail is made of a series of four informative, easy-to-read emails.

Conferences Finally, the IGBC is hoping to cover all these topics at live conferences in the autumn. On 24 September, our Re-source conference will explore construction and circularity.

Retrofit and building greener homes and neighbourhoods will be discussed at the Renovation Wave (15.10) and Better Homes (03.12) conferences.

Update: At time of writing the Climate Action Bill passed in the Dáil. It is currently before the Seanad.

Learn more at www.igbc.ie.

Summer 2021 | Construction Management | 55

GREEN BUILDING

‘The Climate Action Plan and Ireland’s Long-term Renovation Strategy set very high targets for energy renovation.’

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pat o'donnell

Spotlight on:

Pat O’Donnell & Co

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familiar industry name, Pat O’Donnell & Co has been in existence for over fifty years!

Here, we find out a little more about the organisation…

Pat O’Donnell & Co. was founded in 1970 on a small site at Richmond Avenue, Fairview, Dublin with an initial staff of three and the acquisition of the sole agency for the Swedish-built Volvo range of wheel loaders and articulated dumptrucks.

The company employs almost 100 people in purpose-built branches in the four provinces, located at Dublin, Cork, Galway and Portadown.

Commitment Pat O’Donnell’s approach to his business demands total commitment to customer care and the logistics of carrying this philosophy through to a daily reality means substantial and ongoing investment programmes.

Three out of every four members of staff are involved full-time in aftersales aspects of the operation: spare parts, workshop repairs, field service and technical training.

Pat O’Donnell has been successful at matching quality, proven products to the needs and demands of the Irish

ABOVE: 2006 launch of Volvo EC700 at Head Office Demonstration Area

ABOVE: 1970s Fairview premises Dublin

Irish-owned The company remains wholly Irishowned, with a history of success spanning more than four decades in one of the economy’s toughest and most competitive sectors: a position which has been built and consolidated in spite of the cyclical downturns to which the sector as a whole is prone.

Pat O’Donnell & Co.’s products are to be found working in an almost endless array of Irish businesses, including civil engineering projects, sawmills, quarries, materials handling and mushroom composting.

Pat O’Donnell has built up personal relationships over the years with customers all over Ireland, now often extending to the next generation in many family-owned operations.

Unique perspective

Number one Pat O’Donnell & Co. brought the Volvo wheel loader from a 5% market penetration to an undisputed No. 1 position in Ireland within ten years.

In 2005 the company moved to a purpose-built Head Office at California Heights, Chapelizod.

market.

The product portfolio has been expanded over the years by the addition of world-renowned brand names from Finland, Italy and the U.S., complimentary to Volvo and ranging from cranes to crushers.

Pat O’Donnell & Co.’s current product portfolio includes Volvo, Volvo Penta, Rammer, Avant and Sennebogen.

ABOVE: Pat O`Donnell, MD, at his desk in Fairview 1990s

He is therefore daily conversant with the views and needs of Irish business, allowing him an almost unique perspective on the problems, concerns and aspirations of senior management in both our traditional and new industries, whether import- or exportoriented.

‘Successful at matching quality, proven products to the needs and demands of the Irish market.’

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PRODUCTS & SERVICES

Expanding access - mast climber & hoist growth in Ireland

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he Irish family-owned business, Brogan Group have been at the forefront of re-introducing mast climber and hoist access solutions to the Irish market in recent years with significant take-off over the last eighteen months, utilising their extensive experience in powered access, combined with traditional scaffolding solutions on some of the largest construction projects in the UK and UAE. Mast climbers are fast becoming clients’ preferred method of access and clients are recognising the efficiency benefits offered over conventional scaffolding access.

The group’s experience in designing, installing and maintaining mast climbers is now evident in Ireland on several largescale developments in Dublin.

Working Currently, Brogan Group are working on the Charlestown development, a scheme consisting of six residential blocks housing 374 apartments in Finglas for John

Paul Construction.

This project, one of the largest mast climber projects in Ireland, sees Brogan Group install over eighty drive units, (an investment of over €2.5m) on the €75m development.

Hoists have also become more prevalent in Ireland, with clients appreciating the cost and production benefits when transporting materials and personnel.

These trends, along with solid client relationships and a track record for scale, expertise, reliability and quality have once again led to high demand for Brogan’s specialist capabilities and technical prowess, backed by a mighty fleet of new and almost new machines and equipment.

Fleet Their fleet of machines includes goods only, goods / personnel hoists and Transport Platforms ranging from 1500kg capacity through to the Colossus 4000kg hoists.

With its international presence and huge plant resources, the company can match project requirements

on the largest contracts.

Key to Brogan Group’s success is the quality of machines, with a good age profile, along with the dedicated support from the servicing and maintenance crew.

Brogan Group have not only invested in the latest machines, but also, the maintenance and service engineers to install and service them.

Keeping ‘down time’ to a minimum, plays a crucial part in the overall success of the project and an effective maintenance crew is essential to achieving this.

Importance Early engagement from the Brogan Pre-Construction Team on strategy, scope and design has highlighted the importance of input on planning and design from the experts.

Digital designs, schematic drawings, calculations and loadings were provided to ensure access meets with the various trade requirements, whilst optimising production and client costs.

Brogan Group also provide traditional scaffolding, and there are distinct advantages with choosing one specialist provider from a site management perspective, with one point of contact responsible for the entire access package.

Very positive For Brogan Group the rest of 2021 looks very positive according to Kerri Brogan: ‘We are currently building on our operations at our yard to extend capacity to support the growing mast climber and hoist business here in Ireland, along with our growing workforce.

‘On completion of the project, we will have improved capabilities to service mast climber and hoist maintenance as well as fabrication for bespoke site applications.

‘This will provide us with a strong backbone to continue our growth and fulfil demand in the burgeoning market for powered access here in Ireland.’

Find out more about the benefits of mast climbers. https://www. brogangroup.com/ie/ services/mast-climbers/ s1841/

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PRODUCTS & SERVICES

‘Cash is King’ in pandemic times

First, it is a measure of true profitability and second it allows and supports the continuation of the company.

Ultimately, it is a critical business performance metric which determines an enterprise's long-term success.

A company may have a very high turnover but without the ability to generate cash it can easily fail.

Cash is king in the time of Covid-19 and the fact is it will be a key criterion by the surety market in assessing the financial strength of any company looking to obtain bonds or bonding facilities.

Viability As we look forward to the remainder of 2021 and beyond that term is going to ring loud and true – not just for bonding requirements but for the very viability of any business in any industry.

Cash is the lifeblood of any enterprise.

First, cash is the king because it cannot be changed. You cannot lie about cash.

There are some numbers on the balance sheet or the business plan that can be manipulated to reflect opinions.

Cash is not an opinion: the amount of cash you have is written in the summary of your bank account.

Focus Each company, especially new ventures, have to have a continuous focus on cash for two reasons.

ABOVE: Colm McGrath

Support Currently it does not feel like we are in a recession or about to enter one because we are in a bubble of government support, that support is propping up jobs, balance sheets and cashflow.

But this is a short-term measure that cannot last. Central Bank figures show an increase of deposits by c.€14bn in savings deposits by the end of 2020.

While consumers have not been able to spend money in the short-term due to lockdown there is no indication of a spending spree as restrictions are lifted later in the year, indicators are that consumer confidence is low and are preparing for a couple of tough years

with uncertainty around employment.

All levels This feeds through to all levels of businesses, for consumers less eating out, less going to the cinema, will I or won’t I buy a house, upgrade my car etc.

From a business perspective they will hold back on investment for growth and may even contract in order to survive.

However, this can be a precarious time for companies as Government stimulus plans are reduced over the next six to twelve months or so, for those that have not managed cash or built up a cash surplus stimulus withdrawal or any other economic surprise maybe a shock too far.

Uncertainty All in all, uncertainty in 2021 is still abound, the pandemic has not gone away and may take more protracted containment measures further stalling growth until vaccines are fully rolled out.

Brexit, the EU-UK trade agreement while a very positive result the impact on our economy has yet to be fully realised.

Finally, the possibility of financial market stress, doubtful in 2021 but cannot be discounted if there are any unforeseen global shocks 2022 or beyond.

Advice The best advice I can give at this juncture is to make sure you prioritise the importance of cash.

For a business, its availability is essential to not only avoid the possibility of bankruptcy, but also to take advantage of various expansion and growth opportunities which are sure to arise.

Colm McGrath – managing director, Surety Bonds

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SPOTLIGHT ON: IFS

IFS secures €2million in expansion funding

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nvestment to support company’s expansion plans into targeted markets in Europe and US, with the creation of up to 100 new jobs by 2024.

Irish digital buildings information management company, Integrated Facilities Solutions (IFS), has raised €2m in equity through The Davy EIIS Fund, an employment and investment incentive scheme which is managed on behalf of investors by BES Management DAC, a joint venture between BDO and Davy.

Plans The multi-million Euro investment will support IFS’ growth and expansion plans into targeted markets in Europe and the US, which will see the company double revenue and headcount this year and next, with the creation of 100 new jobs by 2024.

IFS is a client company of state agency Enterprise Ireland and recently secured funding from a Bank of Ireland SBCI scheme and Enterprise Ireland, which has acted as a catalyst for the company’s continued growth in the years leading up to this latest round of investment from The Davy EIIS Fund.

IFS, which builds and provides access to validated and secure Digital Building Information for design, construction and facilities management teams, was founded twenty-two years ago by George Harold and Kieran Beggan who were both graduates of Dublin Institute of Technology, Bolton Street.

The company works with blue-chip firms in the public and private sectors to provide a more streamlined approach to buildings and property management.

Its software and value-added services provide a secure environment for managing building information from planning and design stage, construction and handover to operations and maintenance for the building owner and operator.

6 2 | Construction Management | Summer 2021

Top: Sinead Heaney (BDO); James Doody (IBI); Kieran Beggan and George Harold (IFS)

Productivity gains IFS’ cloud-based applications and services, which support the adoption of an enterprise-wide building information management process and enable supply chain effectiveness, resulting in vast productivity gains and savings throughout the Asset Lifecycle, have been specified and implemented across Ireland, the UK and Europe on landmark sites such as Aviva Stadium, Croke Park, Dundrum Town Centre and Irish Rail.

The company counts Bank of Ireland, Children’s Hospital Ireland, University College Dublin, University of Strathclyde, Dublin Zoo, Fingal County Council and multi-national technology companies among its clients.

Milestone Kieran Beggan, CEO and co-founder said: ‘This funding represents an important milestone for the business and is testament to the significant growth potential of Digitisation across AEC and Facilities Management (FM) sectors.

‘Our technology platform and expertise support Digital Project Delivery through to Operations and FM, and we are currently extending our footprint in rapidly growing sectors that have seen accelerated growth despite challenges presented by the pandemic.

‘This funding will enhance our executive team and expertise as will our capability to drive customer success and acquisition in European and US markets.’

Forefront George Harold, both CEO and co-founder said: ‘IFS has been at the forefront of the Digital Transformation of Building Information over the past twenty years.

‘When we set up the company, we could see there was a gap in the marketplace with the construction handover to building owners, especially in relation to how information was traditionally provided in unmanageable hard-copy format to clients at the end of the build.

‘We are thrilled to have secured this funding from BES Management as it will help to expand our software and footprint into new global markets.

‘We very much look forward to continuing to develop our position with blue-chip firms as they invest in strategic building projects and infrastructure in the years ahead.’

Pioneering Sinead Heaney, partner at BDO Ireland said: ‘The team's pioneering digital approach to building lifecycle management has delivered significant growth with blue chip customers in Ireland, UK, Europe and the US. ‘The €2m investment will allow the business to leverage this success and accelerate growth in new and existing markets.

‘We are delighted to be on board to assist the business achieve its ambitious plans in the coming years.’

This new funding will ensure IFS is well positioned to support mission critical building owners with regional and global footprints as the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry embarks on an accelerated digitisation journey and makes significant advancements over the next five to ten years.

These markets are considered to be heating up and will accelerate at pace as the pandemic eases and remote management capability expands under Industry 4.0 and includes process automation, IOT and robotics, whereby building owners will utilise the digital technologies available to them to create a continuous ‘digital thread’ through the Asset Management Lifecycle.

Delighted James Doody, director at IBI Corporate Finance said: ‘We were delighted to assist IFS in securing its recent growth capital investment under the EIIS scheme.

‘This form of structured financing is attractive as it allows the company to focus on what it does best, delivering innovative software solutions for building owners.

‘We look forward to tracking the company’s progress as it embarks on this exciting growth journey.’

IFS employs sixteen staff at its Blanchardstown office and is supporting client sites in the UK, Europe, the US and the Middle East.

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THE FINAL SAY...

People who adopt a selfcompassion mindset in 2021 are more likely to achieve their goals Contradictory as it might sound, research shows you should go a little easier on yourself –especially if you set lofty goals, writes Jeff Haden.

• Fixed mindset: The belief that intelligence, ability, and skill are inborn and relatively fixed – we ‘have’ what we were born with.

People with a fixed mindset typically say things like, ‘I'm just not that smart’, or ‘Science is not my thing’.

• Growth mindset: The belief that intelligence, ability, and skill can be developed through effort – we are what we work to become. People with a growth mindset typically say things like: ‘If I keep working, I'll get it’, or: ‘That's OK. I just need to try again’.

No matter how great your selfesteem is, when you assume that you are what you are and the going gets tough – as the going inevitably does – you start to feel helpless because you think what you ‘are’ isn't good enough.

And when you think that, you put things off. Or even stop trying.

Why try, when trying won't matter?

Focus Consider these two perspectives: 1. When I make a mistake or perform poorly, I'm my own worst critic. I'm better than that.’

2. ‘When I make a mistake or perform poorly, I go easy on myself. Nobody's perfect.’

Over the long-term, which mindset do you think leads to higher levels of achievement?

If you're like the vast majority of the people I polled on LinkedIn, you chose number one: Hard on yourself.

Striving for perfection. Ambition, resolve, and self-regard are keys to self-improvement.

Not being too hard on yourself?

Accept anything less than excellence?

Saying: ‘That's OK. I tried. Nobody's perfect?’ No self-respecting, hardcharging, success-oriented person thinks that way.

Or not.

According to this 2012 study published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, treating yourself with self-compassion – seeing weaknesses, failures, and mistakes as a natural part of life – better motivates people to improve weaknesses and improve performance.

Improve As the researchers write: ‘These 6 4 | Construction Management | Summer 2021

findings suggest that, somewhat paradoxically, taking an accepting approach to personal failure may make people more motivated to improve themselves.’

Granted, mental toughness builds the foundation for long-term success.

But being hard on yourself won't develop mental toughness.

This 2014 study found that the increased stress that comes from self-criticism actually increases procrastination.

That's the kind of ‘mental toughness’ no one can afford.

What's a better approach?

Self-compassion and a growth mindset I struggled with the idea that selfcompassion is the better road to improvement.

Self-respect and self-regard, constantly reminding ourselves that we not only could but should do better, keeps us pushing forward.

Self-compassion? Sounds a little too warm and fuzzy, especially for someone from my generation.

Then I realised self-compassion fits perfectly with a mindset I've long embraced.

According to research on achievement and success by Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, people tend to embrace one of two mental approaches to talent:

That's why people with a growth mindset tend to go easier on themselves, but without easing their focus on improvement or achievement.

Instead of saying to themselves: ‘I should be better than this’, people with a growth mindset think, ‘Bad news? That didn't go perfectly.

Good news? I worked hard, learned some things, and know what to do differently next time’.

Embracing self-compassion doesn't mean relaxing standards or seeking to achieve ‘smaller’ goals.

Embracing self-compassion just means accepting that failure is a natural step on the road to eventual achievement.

And risks, especially risks to your self-esteem, aren't something to avoid.

Keep trying Because everyone makes mistakes.

Everyone fails. The people who succeed, in whatever way they define ‘success’, are the people who find the motivation to keep trying.

Which, according to science, are the people who set hard goals. And, counterintuitive as it may sound, go easy on themselves along the way.

The opinions expressed by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.