As part of a major lighting upgrade, SNBTS partnered with MITIE Lighting and Dextra Group to deliver a solution that balances sustainability, operational reliability, and minimal disruption to vital clinical services.

Read the full article here.

Cian Long, an Arup bridge engineer with a track record of design work in complex infrastructure, has won the Excellence in Engineering award at the 2025 EFCA Future Leaders’ Competition.

Cian’s nomination was submitted by the Association of Consulting Engineers of Ireland (ACEI), a member association of EFCA. The award was presented during the EFCA General Assembly and Conference, held in Luxembourg between 14-17 May.
Cian, who joined Arup in 2013, was honoured for his leadership and technical expertise on the New Harbor Bridge in Texas – a 506m main span precast segmental cable-stayed structure spanning the Corpus Christi Shipping Channel.

Now in its 16th edition, the EFCA Future Leaders’ Competition recognises young professionals under the age of 35 who exemplify leadership, innovation and excellence within Europe’s consulting engineering sector.

As a senior member of the project leadership team, he oversaw global structural analysis, superstructure design and construction engineering support, ensuring adherence to safety, durability and sustainability standards.

Over the past decade, Cian has significantly contributed to Arup’s bridge design team, with notable projects including the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge in Ireland and Kirjalansalmi Bridge in Finland. His ability to manage multidisciplinary teams across continents, design codes and time zones has distinguished him as a leader capable of navigating the intricate demands of modern infrastructure delivery.

Speaking about his award win, Cian Long, Associate, Bridges and Civil Structures at Arup, said, “Receiving this award is a tremendous honour and a reflection of the incredible team I’ve had the privilege to work with. Our goal has always been to push the boundaries of bridge engineering through innovative, sustainable solutions. I am proud to have played a role in creating infrastructure that will serve communities long into the future.”

Cian’s recognition highlights his dedication to creating resilient infrastructure solutions.

Commending Cian’s award win, ACEI’s Director General, Shane Dempsey, said, “Cian’s achievement is a remarkable endorsement of his capabilities and integrity. He fully deserves to be recognised as a future leader of the European consulting engineering sector; his work shows he is leading our sector today into that future. It should be a great source of pride for our sector that a young Irish engineer has been awarded this prestigious European award. Indeed, Ireland had four entries at European level – showing that, as ever, we can compete on a global stage. Well done to Cian and the team at Arup for their ongoing work that reflects so well on the Irish consulting engineering sector.”

Tim Murnane, ACEI President, congratulated Cian, saying, “This is a fantastic achievement for Cian, Arup and consulting engineering in Ireland. This recognition of the excellence of Cian’s work, at European level, is wonderful and Cian now takes his place in a very long line of outstanding bridge engineers from Arup. I wish Cian all the best in his future career”.

 

 

Luxembourg – Leading voices from the European built environment design community came together
on the 15th of May for the joint conference “Architects + Engineers: Partnership for Resilient Design”.

Read about it here.

The Association of Consulting Engineers of Ireland is delighted to welcome Tim Murnane, Managing Director at PUNCH Consulting Engineers, as our new President for 2025.

With a wealth of experience in structural and civil engineering and a deep commitment to excellence in consulting engineering, Tim brings strong leadership and insight to the role. His focus on innovation, collaboration, and sustainable infrastructure will guide ACEI’s continued work in championing our industry and supporting our members.

We look forward to working alongside Tim as we continue to advocate for consulting engineering and shape the future of the profession in Ireland.

Read Tim’s Presidential speech – Press release – Tim presidency – Copy

The ACEI Future Leader Award recognises a consulting engineer as a potential leader with excellent communication skills, business acumen, technical capabilities and strong ethical values.  ACEI congratulates the 2025 Derrick Edge Future Leader Award Winner Declan Haugh, DBFL Consulting engineers

Declan is pictured above receiving his Award from Anne Marie Conibear, ACEI President and Future Leader adjudicator John Purcell, at the ACEI Awards dinner on Friday 28th March.

Declan and his fellow Future Leader nominees Cian Long and Darragh Noble are entered into the EFCA 2025 Future Leader Award, which will be presented during the EFCA Conference on 16 May in Luxembourg.

ACEI is delighted to announce the winners of the 2025 Engineering Excellence Awards.

Anne Marie Conibear, ACEI President presented certificates on Friday, 28 March to the award winners at a gala dinner in the Intercontinental Hotel, Dublin.  Kevin Rudden, CEO of Garland Ireland was also presented with the 2025 President’s Award on the night.

Congratulations to all our winners and nominees—your innovation and dedication continue to shape the future of engineering, our communities and our lives.

🏆 ACEI Awards 2025 Winners:

🏅 Project of the Year – Fehily Timoney and Company. for the Dunkettle Interchange Upgrade Scheme
🏅Civil Category (Large) – Roughan & O’Donovan, Clontarf to City Centre Project
🏅 Civil Category (Medium & Small) – Clifton Scannell Emerson Associates Consulting Engineers for the Snugborough Interchange Upgrade Scheme
🏅 Structural Category (Large) – PUNCH Consulting Engineers for The Distillers Building
🏅 Structural Category (Medium & Small) – Cronin & Sutton Consulting for 9-12 Dawson Street
🏅 Sustainability – Built Environment (Large) – JV Tierney & Co. Consulting Engineers, for DCU Polaris
🏅 Sustainability – Built Environment (Medium & Small)- RPS, Uisce Éireann National Water Laboratory
🏅 Sustainability – Natural Environment – Ryan Hanley in partnership with Stantec, for the Kilkenny Regional Water Supply Scheme Upgrade
🏅 Project Management – Donnachadh O’Brien & Associates for St Conleth’s Park Redevelopment
🏅Innovation – Roughan & O’Donovan, Clontarf to city Centre Project
🏅 Overseas Project – Roughan & O’Donovan for Herring Bridge, Great Yarmouth, UK
🏅 M&E Category – Varming Consulting Engineers Ltd. Consulting Engineers for Block J, Garda HQ

A huge thank you to all our members, sponsors, judges, and guests who made the night so special.

Dublin, [Monday 10th March 2025] – DBFL Consulting Engineers is proud to announce that it has been awarded the prestigious Gold Investors in Diversity standard from the Irish Centre for Diversity, making it the first fully Irish-owned engineering consultancy to hold this prestigious award and one of only 27 organisations out of over 300,000 companies  in Ireland, to be accredited with Investors In Diversity Gold.   This achievement places DBFL among Ireland’s top-ranking firms for workplace inclusion, solidifying its commitment to fostering a diverse, equitable, and supportive work environment.

The Gold Investors in Diversity accreditation is the highest standard awarded by the Irish Centre for Diversity, recognizing organizations that go beyond compliance to embed equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in their culture, leadership, and operations.

Speaking about the milestone, Tracy Kearney Director and EDI lead at DBFL, said:
“At DBFL, we believe that diverse teams drive better innovation, collaboration, and outcomes for our people and our clients. Achieving the Gold standard is a proud moment for us and a reflection of our ongoing efforts to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive.”

Coincidentally, the same month that DBFL heard the good news about their Gold accreditation, one of the members of DBFL’s EDI team, Transportation Engineer Helen Gendy was also celebrating, having been granted Irish citizenship. Helen, originally from Egypt came to study at Trinity College in 2012. Speaking of her experience she said “I came here just to study, and I never thought I’d stay so long. It’s the home I never realised I needed.” In a time when Ireland is facing a critical engineering skills shortage, attracting and retaining overseas talent is a necessity, so DBFL was delighted to have a double celebration.

DBFL recognises the fact that a diverse workforce enhances productivity, fosters innovation, and leads to better engineering solutions, and by taking proactive steps to ensure inclusion, DBFL are playing their part in building a stronger, more resilient engineering sector that benefits all of Ireland particularly in a time of unprecedented demand for housing.

@Caroline Cummins – Managing Director, Irish Centre for Diversity commented:

“DBFL Consulting Engineers’ progress to Investors in Diversity Gold has been impressive.  Investors in Diversity Bronze laid firm foundations to build on, Investors in Diversity Silver listened to the voice of all colleagues to ensure that there is a shared sense of #Belonging, and now they are proud holders of Investors in Diversity Gold.  @Christina Haney winning ‘Employee of the Year’ in the National Diversity & Inclusion Awards 2024 was another notable milestone along the way.  Very well done to everyone at DBFL.  We look forward to sharing more of your D&I journey of continuous progress.”

As DBFL continues to lead the way in workplace inclusivity, the firm hopes to inspire others in the industry to prioritize diversity and equity, recognizing them as key drivers of business success and community development.

About DBFL Consulting Engineers

DBFL is a fully Irish-owned firm specializing in the planning, engineering design and delivery within the property, infrastructure, environmental & energy sectors, dedicated to delivering innovative, resilient and sustainable engineering solutions. The  organisation’s core values, Sustainability, Integrity, Adaptability, Excellence, Innovation, and Inclusivity, are the foundation of everything they do, guiding their approach to each project and helping their teams to stay true to their mission of Engineering Sustainable Futures.

ENDS

For further information, interviews, or media inquiries, please contact:
Leonie Lawler
leonie.lawler@dbfl.ie
01 4004000/087 2817397

www.dbfl.ie

We’re thrilled to highlight the incredible achievements of Anne-Marie Conibear, our ACEI President, in her recent feature in Irish Building Magazine!

Anne-Marie, Director for Energy and Sustainable Cities at Egis in Ireland, is currently leading a major dam and hydro-electricity project in Africa. Her vast expertise in international projects and sustainable development is an inspiration to us all.

Anne-Marie’s leadership exemplifies the power of diversity and inclusion, and we are proud to have her as the president of the ACEI.

Check out the full article to learn more about her journey and the impact she’s making on both the local and global stages! Read about here.

A public consultation has commenced on a review of Building Regulations, Technical Guidance Document L (Conservation of Fuel and Energy) Dwellings and Technical Guidance Document F (Ventilation).

Calculations in 2023 resulted in advanced cost optimal levels for major renovations to dwellings. In accordance with the EPBD, where more than 25% of the surface area of the building envelope undergoes renovation, the energy performance of the whole building should be improved to cost-optimal level in so far as this is technically, functionally and economically feasible.

In order to achieve the 2023 Cost Optimal requirement for major renovations it is intended to implement the performance requirements of a BER of “A3” or cost optimal equivalent works for major renovations to existing dwellings through amendments to TGD L (Conservation of Fuel and Energy) Dwellings and TGD F (Ventilation)

Further information including the proposed revised Technical Guidance Documents, a Regulatory Impact Analysis and templates for submission of comments may be found here.

Submissions and comments on the review should be sent by email to climateaction@housing.gov.ie The closing date for the receipt of submissions and comments is no later than 5:30 p.m. on Monday 03 February 2025 .