The Treasury Building, Lower Grand Canal Street, Dublin 2 with structural design by CORA Consulting Engineers is a major refurbishment and extension of a protected 1946 industrial building, delivering nine storeys of Grade A office accommodation. The project involved the addition of two new floors, mezzanines, rooftop and basement plantrooms, and a significant atrium extension, all carefully integrated within the existing riveted steel frame structure.
The careful dismantling, testing, recertification and re-use of 85 tonnes of original structural steel broke new ground in Ireland, maintaining continuity with the building’s historic fabric while dramatically reducing embodied carbon.
Strengthening and extending the existing structure within tight spatial constraints required detailed finite element modelling, innovative foundation design and close collaboration between contractor, fabricator and design team. The resulting building combines heritage retention with exemplary low-carbon structural innovation.
The Beamish and Crawford Bridges, Cork, with structural design by Arup, form a central element of the regeneration of this area of Cork. Commissioned by Cork City Council, the project comprises two architecturally distinctive pedestrian and cycle bridges that reconnect the historic city core with its education and commercial districts.
The asymmetric arch and curved deck of the Northern Bridge, combined with the tied arch form of the Southern Bridge, introduce visual variety, while the finishing treatments unify the scheme into a coherent whole. Responding to complex flood constraints, sensitive heritage assets and a restricted urban environment, the structures integrate innovative active and passive flood protection measures within elegant, materially efficient forms.
Advanced modelling and digital coordination optimised geometry, fabrication and installation. The bridges exhibit a high standard of creativity and establish enduring civic landmarks that promote active travel, enhance the public realm, and anchor the wider Beamish and Crawford Quarter regeneration.
180–187 Townsend Street, Dublin 2 with structural design by DBFL Consulting Engineers represents a significant renewal of a long-vacant early 20th-century housing block. Originally constructed in 1909 as one of Dublin Corporation’s first social housing schemes, the masonry building had fallen into severe disrepair before this transformation into 20 modern one-bedroom apartments addressing homelessness.
The project combines minimal intervention with maximum retention of the original fabric. It includes repair of clinker concrete floors, conservation of brick façades and sensitive timber roof restoration. New steel terrace walkways, box frames and a reinforced concrete core were carefully integrated within a constrained city-centre site.
The project is commended for its sustainable re-use ethos, rigorous investigative approach and inventive structural solutions that safeguard heritage while delivering value.
Cronin and Sutton Consulting for 9 – 12 Dawson Street, Dublin 2
9 – 12 Dawson Street, Dublin 2 with structural design by Cronin and Sutton Consulting results from an unusual and welcome approach to the sustainable re-use of older office stock, fronting a significant and re-vitalised Dawson Street which has been energised by the Luas Green Line. The corner building [9-10 Dawson Street] dates from 1964 and features relatively ornate Celtic motifs, representative of its heritage as the headquarters of New Ireland Assurance Company. Its immediate neighbour [11-12 Dawson Street] was built in 1971 to house the affiliated Irish National Insurance Company. It is sympathetic in its proportions and beautiful in the detailing of its bronze curtain walling. Together and taking into account the new, recessed penthouse floors, they represent a harmonious and permanent partnership in the Dawson Street
In engineering terms, it is remarkable for its sustainability credentials, inherent in the retention and re-use of these buildings, and for the careful construction planning alongside the Luas Green Line and in a busy and tight urban environment.
The Distillers Building, Smithfield, Dublin 7 with structural design by PUNCH Consulting Engineers is a mixed-use development of c.20,000 sq.m. that occupies a key location, framing the Smithfield plaza and bounded by New Church Street, Bow Lane and Phoenix Street North. It ranges from 4 to 7 stories with its mass successfully disaggregated to provide variety and appropriate scale on the differing elevations.
The dismantling, careful retention and re-use of the Bow Street boundary wall provides continuity of memory and urban fabric and links the development to its 20th century neighbour.
In engineering terms, the double-basement construction close to active Luas lines required imagination, assurance and close co-operation with TII. The narrow but impressive atrium has an impressive cantilever at its base, enlarging its footprint at ground level and it is capped by a deceptively simple glass roof.
Waterman Moylan Consulting Engineers for Clerys Quarter. Located on the main thoroughfare of Dublin, the Clerys Quarter project involved the repair, restoration, and extension to the historic Clerys Building, originally constructed in 1922. The development also saw the construction of a new six-storey building. The completed development provides 32,000m2 of mixed-use space for retail, cafe, office, and hospitality use. The project involved the conservation of existing building fabric and retention of the 1922 concrete structure, with the addition of an independent large-span steel structure to support three new additional floors and roof. The consultant C&S engineers were appointed from concept to completion for the development. The scheme demonstrates an innovative and sensitive design approach to the delivery of a project involving a building of cultural significance on a challenging site. The project is an example of engineering excellence, with an innovative design utilising BIM. This redevelopment will form an integral part of the regeneration O’Connell Street and the wider north city centre.
Garland for 16 St Stephen’s Green.
The project comprised the restoration and redevelopment of no. 16 St Stephen’s Green; a four-storey Georgian Townhouse connected at the rear with a four-storey 1960s-built concrete framed office building. The consultants were C&S engineers and PSDP from project inception to building handover. Works included the conservation and repair of the protected structure. The 1960s rear block was partially demolished and subsequently redeveloped as a 7-storey office building. On a restricted city centre site, the project saw the sensitive restoration of the original Georgian townhouse connected via a new glazed bridge to the new office development to the rear. This included the restoration of damaged cantilevered limestone stairs. The completed scheme obtained an A3 BER rating as well as LEED Gold accreditation. This project represents an excellent example of how the existing historic street fabric of Georgian Dublin can be conserved and adapted for reuse.
A project of significant scale occupying almost the full length of Fitzwilliam Street. Comprising two 5/7 storey blocks over triple basement, with an overall floorspace of 42,000 m2 above a semi worked-out quarry. The outcome of an International Design Competition, conceived to complement its Georgian core setting, it features hand laid brick walls as the primary load bearing element along Fitzwilliam Street. Innovative structural details include large Vierendeel trusses offering clear spans up to 15m, slip formed cores, and GGBS to reduce embedded carbon footprint. The project is a worthy winner of a competitive category.
A 48,000 m2 ultra-modern, precision engineered, biologics plant for which GDCL Consulting provided Civil & Structural Engineering services. At a cost of €350 million the project was delivered at high speed over a short time period meaning the consultant had to be on hand with just in time design solutions across a range of areas. The main building is a complex steel structure accommodating state of the art pharmaceutical processing equipment, with extremely high operating tolerances, feeding back into strict structural engineering design requirements. The site employed 2,000 workers at peak.
Located in the historic heart of Dublin, this former stables and forge was turned into three storey offices by DCC in the 1990’s. The current project added a further two floors which, through inspection, historic drawing review, and analysis, were supported off existing walls and foundations. The project is a worthy winner given its attention to detail, reuse of existing historic structure and the successful marriage of old and new. The concept of exposing the primary structure of the new project is considered a welcome expression of engineering form and function.