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SURVEYOR MAKES EXTRAORDINARY FIND

AMAZING FIND Pictured at the launch were (from left): Minister of State Seán Canney TD MSCSI; Brendan Arrigan FSCSI, who found the fossil; Councillor Jimmy McClearn, Mayor of Co. Galway; and, Dr Matthew Parkes, National Museum of Ireland – Natural History.

RARE AND SPECIAL The rare example of Phanerotinus Cristatus was found in a stone wall outside Tuam in Co. Galway, and is approximately 400 million years old.

When Chartered Surveyor Brendan Arrigan stopped for a cuppa while carrying out a survey outside Tuam in Co. Galway last autumn, he made an extraordinary find – a large fossil embedded in a limestone wall. Says Brendan: “My studies at NUIG Adult Learning and Continuing Education

in geology had given me some insight into fossils, so I knew that it was something special once I had a closer look”. The fossil, known as a Phanerotinus Cristatus, is approximately 400 million years old, dating from the Carboniferous Period, and is very rare. Worldwide, only 15 of these unusually large fossils have been discovered to date (10 in Ireland), and they are only to be found in a band of limestone stretching between Ireland and Britain. Phanerotinus Cristatus was a gigantic snail with spiny flanges around the outside. It lived on the sea floor at a time when Ireland was situated close to the equator and covered by a warm tropical sea. Brendan’s find is also special because it comprises both pieces of the rock, which was originally split by a stonemason to expose both the fossil itself and also the counterpart impression. The fossil was placed in the Galway County Council Office, High Street, Tuam, in an exhibition that was officially launched by Councillor Jimmy McClearn, Mayor of Co. Galway, and Seán Canney TD, Minister of State for Community Development, Natural Resources and Digital Development. Minister Canney is also a Chartered Surveyor. The fossil will be on public display in Tuam for a period of time, and also at a branch of the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

MASTERCLASS At the SCSI’s event to mark International Women’s Day were (from left): SCSI CEO Shirley Coulter; Natasha Fennell, Stillwater Communications; and, Johanna Gill, SCSI President.

To mark International Women’s Day on March 6, SCSI President Johanna Gill hosted a ‘Breakfast and Networking Masterclass’ in 38 Merrion Square. Over 50 members attended the booked-out event, which was presented by Natasha Fennell from Stillwater Communications. Feedback from all who attended was extremely positive.

MEET THE TEAM IN MERRION SQUARE

Gwendolyn Wilson Gwendolyn is the Society’s Director of Regulation and Registrar. She has both legal and regulatory qualifications and is currently undertaking a Master’s in Leadership and Strategy. As Director of Regulation, Gwendolyn plays a key role in the Society’s disciplinary process with responsibility to monitor and investigate complaints made against members and apply sanction for CPD non compliance. She played a key role in the development and launch of the Society’s new CPD policy in 2018: “We are in the second year of that new policy and there are notable improvements in CPD compliance rates among the membership. Members understand their requirements and recognise the importance of CPD to their business and careers. In addition, dual SCSI/RICS members no longer have the onerous task of duplicating CPD

ICMS FOR GLOBAL CONSISTENCY

The International Construction Measurement Standards (ICMS) are a global standard for benchmarking and reporting of construction project cost, and cover both capital and whole-life costing, while providing a way to present costs in a consistent format. Research from the World Economic Forum has shown that improvements in the design and construction process can be achieved by using international standards like the ICMS to gain comparable and consistent data. The ICMS provides a high-level structure and format for classifying, defining, measuring, recording, analysing and presenting construction and other life cycle costs. This will promote consistency and transparency across international boundaries, which in turn will lead to more confidence to increase global investment in construction projects. Examples of where the ICMS would be used include:

n global investment decisions; n consistent data to go into a building information model (BIM); n international, national, regional or state cost comparisons; n feasibility studies and development appraisals;

n project work including cost planning and control, cost analysis, cost modelling, and the procurement and analysis of tenders; n dispute resolution; n reinstatement costs of insurance; and, n valuation of assets and liabilities.

The use of the ICMS will be of benefit to SCSI members and their clients in public and private projects across the domestic and international markets. Adoption of the ICMS will also facilitate the formation of a global cost database for construction and life cycle costs in the future. The SCSI has agreed to mandate the use of the ICMS within one year of publication (the current edition was published in September 2019). records to the RICS portal as was the case in previous years”. Gwendolyn also has a keen interest in alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and one of her 2020 initiatives is to develop an ADR scheme that members will be able to offer to customers to resolve disputes at an early stage. Gwendolyn was appointed Statutory Registrar, in accordance with the Building Control Act, in July 2019, and as a result is responsible for maintaining the Statutory Register of Quantity Surveyors and Building Surveyors, as well as ensuring awareness of and compliance with statutory registration. On behalf of the Registration Body, she has initiated its first prosecution to the District Court, which relates to misuse of the statutory protected title ‘Building Surveyor’. It is expected that the Court will rule on the matter later this year.

COVID-19 – SCSI MEASURES

The Society has described the challenges posed by the coronavirus to the personal and professional lives of all Irish people as unprecedented, and says that it will have a very significant immediate impact on the property and construction sector here. In its communications to members, the Society stressed that its key priority at this extremely challenging time is the health and safety of its members and staff. It has called on members to stay safe and to play their part in containing the virus by following Government and HSE guidelines. The Society has taken a number of measures to minimise the risks to members and staff, and to contain the virus. These include:

n setting up a coronavirus webpage; n drafting and circulating ‘Guidance Sheets’ for members, their staff and clients;

n drafting and circulating ‘Guidance Sheets’ for facilities managers and property managers; n providing health information on Covid-19; n providing information on the impact of Covid-19 on businesses; n postponing numerous events and meetings;

n stipulating that all SCSI meetings will be dial-in only until further notice; n postponing Valuer Registration review visits and exploring alternative arrangements for reviews to be carried out remotely; n communicating up-to-date information on how the virus affects the property, construction and land sectors;

n hosting webinars on coronavirus and the workplace; n ensuring that services are maintained to members by facilitating staff to work remotely; n encouraging members to engage with staff on any issues of concern; and, n circulating details of the LionHeart Benevolent Fund to members.

The SCSI will continue to update members on the latest developments as they impact their work, and will do everything in its power to continue to support members in these very difficult times.