Concrete Today June 09

Magazine of the Irish Concrete Federation June 2009 Concrete Built is Better Built concrete today - ics awards From the Editor Irish Concrete Society Awards he winning entries at the Irish Concrete Society’s Awards, Twhich took place recently, came from all over Ireland and ranged from private houses to community buildings to road, rail and harbour developments. Concrete School Buildings The Awards Evening has been running for 30 years and is a highlight in the construction industry’s calendar. The Awards In late 2008, Labour Party spokesman on Education, Ruairi recognise excellence in both design and construction in Quinn, raised a question in the Dail in relation to the number of concrete. The jury reviewed a total of thirty one projects ‘prefab’ school buildings in use. Addressing the Minister for entered in three categories. The jury were impressed by the Education and Science, Batt O’ Keefe, he questioned the rationale quality and high standard of detail exhibited by all entries behind a reliance on such temporary accommodation. entered in three categories – Elemental, Building & Infrastructure. They also made an award for the use of concrete RTE’s Primetime programme recently raised the same issue, in a sustainable context. reporting that reliance on light gauge steel prefabs had spiralled in recent years. In many schools, temporary accommodation is the norm and in some instances teachers are teaching in the same temporary classrooms in which they themselves were taught as students. Some schools are comprised entirely of steel prefabs and have been promised permanent accommodation for many years. In 2008 alone, the rental costs to the taxpayer for steel prefabs reached €50 million, almost 13 times the €4 million spent in the year 2000. An additional spend of €35 million was made on ‘other temporary accommodation’. School managers interviewed on the Primetime programme called for the provision of proper ‘bricks and mortar schools’ which they said could be provided at a lower cost than the temporary rented accommodation. Steel prefabs they argued are designed as temporary accommodation only and are ‘too hot in summer and too cold in winter’. There is an ongoing national debate as to where government capital spending should be concentrated and there is no shortage of ‘good advice’. However, the fact that enormously expensive rental accommodation can be taken out of the equation with the provision of a more permanent form of accommodation, lends strength to the argument that the schools building programme should be further accelerated. From the perspective of the concrete industry, the long overdue replacement of light gauge steel prefabs with masonry/precast concrete built classrooms, makes good sense at the present time. Thermal mass, sound and vibration absorption, fire resistance, inertness and incredible durability, makes concrete by far the best structural option. Brian Ó’Murchú Marketing & Technical Manager. Lake House, Co. Kerry Winner – Elemental Category Lake House, Co. Kerry was the Elemental Category Winner where the jury considered 9 entries. The winning scheme demonstrated an excellent understanding of the importance of attention to detail at all stages through design to construction. It is evident that Client, Designers and Contractor worked as a concrete today 2 concrete today - ics awards Lake House, Co. Kerry Project Team Overall Award (Infrastructure) Award- Caladh Mór Sheltered Harbour Development Client: Galway County Council Engineer: RPS Consulting Engineers Contractor: SIAC Construction Major Supplier: Cairealacht Chill-Bhride Teo Elemental Award – Lake House, Co. Kerry Client: Private Architect: Clancy Moore Architects team. The aesthetic and structural qualities Engineer: Malachy Walsh & Partners of the concrete remain exposed in the Contractor: S & T O’Shea Contractors completed element and the result is a Major Supplier: John A Wood pleasant blend where old and new integrate seamlessly. Building Award – Sean O’Casey Community Centre Client: Dublin Docklands Development Authority Winner – Building Category Architect: O’Donnell + Tuomey Architects Sean O’Casey Community Centre was the Engineer: Casey O’Rourke Associates Building Category Winner from amoung Contractor: PJ Hegarty & Sons 13 entries were considered. The quality and Major Supplier: Roadstone variety of entry impressed the jury. The winning entry was chosen as it exudes simplicity and clarity of detail which is achieved using a minimal palette of materials – primary concrete. This building illustrates how simple ideas well resolved can make a strong statement of community spirit. Building Award Sean O’Casey community centre Pictured above Back Row L to R, Paddy Smith (Roadstone), Cyril Sweett (QS), Edward Hanlon, Darren Gavin (PJ Hegarty) Front Row L to R, Susan Cogan (Dublin Docklands Development Authority), John Casey (Casey O’Rourke), Laura Harty (O’Donnell + Tuomey) Sean O’Casey community centre concrete today 3 concrete today - ics awards Caladh Mór sheltered harbour development, Inis Meáin, Aran Islands Overall Winner of the 2007 Irish Sean De Courcy Student Award make a commendation in addition to the Concrete Society Awards The award is in honour of the late Sean De above award. The Overall Winner was in the Courcy, Professor of Engineering at UCD, Infrastructure Category where there were 9 Chairman and Friend of the Irish Concrete The Highly Recommended entries. The jury considered that the Society, Author and Historian. The Sean Project is: winner demonstrates how in adverse de Courcy Award is given to an “Formwork Striking Times of GGBS conditions nature’s raw materials can be undergraduate for the best final year project Concrete using Temperature Matched excavated, reconstituted with the addition relating to concrete. The winning project Curing” by Sean Griffin of DIT Bolton of cement to form concrete elements and was entitled ‘Development of the flexible Street. reassembled in the same place in a way that concrete arch system’ and has been won absorbs the forces of nature and provides a by Ross Johnston of Queens University European Concrete Award welcome place of refuge and safety. With a Belfast. An Irish Entry in the European Concrete commendation in the Sustainability Society’s Network Awards Scheme received Category, the overall winner of the Irish The project was awarded on the basis of: an “Honourable Mention” in the Building Concrete Society Wards 2008 is ‘Caladh • This thesis has relevance in a Category. The entry was The Sillogue Mór Sheltered Harbour Development, Inis developing area. Water Tower, which was a winner in the Meáin, Aran Islands’. • It deals with an efficient and sustainable Society’s Awards scheme in 2007. form of construction which in our view Presentations were made to representatives moves the subject area forward. of the clients and contractor who attended • It is practical in its application, the the Awards Evening. subject was well researched and the report continually made reference to Project Team the application of the research and Client: Dublin City Council testing involved. Engineer: McCarthy Hyder • The report was well presented in a clear Consultants logical manner and was of very high Architect: Michael Collins & quality. Associates Contractor: John Craddock Ltd This year, due to the very high quality of Major Supplier: Roadstone the submitted reports, the Jury decided to concrete today 4 concrete today - techrete Techrete’s New HQ & Production Facility Balbriggan, Co. Dublin Space between office building and canteen concrete today 5 concrete today - techrete Techrete’s office building, canteen and factory echrete have completed the construction for ‘self finishing’ with precast concrete and Tof a new ‘state of the art’, purpose built, also for incorporating services within the production facility and head office on a 15 precast units. acre site in Balbriggan, North County The construction of the entire complex Dublin. The company have invested €25m took less than 12 months, commencing in in the new development. October 2007 and completed and The move from the original premises in operational in September 2008. Howth, Co. Dublin presented a unique The new facility comprises a production opportunity to design a series of buildings hall, ancillary offices, product yard, canteen to showcase a wide range of precast and headquarters office building. The products. The emphasis throughout has overall development is in excess of been to create a high quality development, 10,500m2. Careful consideration went into but at reasonable cost, using the principles the planning and layout to ensure of repetition and simplicity of detail and maximum efficiency, from delivery of raw construction. material to batching plant, casting tables, A number of innovative precast concepts finishing and storage. A landscaped berm were incorporated in the design to produce was located on the eastern boundary to act a complex of buildings that set a new as a buffer to the houses along White Hart benchmark for industrial buildings. The Road. complex is visually attractive and was built with remarkable speed and within budget. Production Hall The designers, JSA Architects, were The new 9,100m2 L-shaped production hall, already experienced in precast concrete is mainly single storey, except for a two storey design, however, the opportunity to work section containing the production office and with one of Europe’s leading precast staff welfare facilities. The building has been cladding manufacturers provided a

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