Building Category and Overall Winner
Winner:dlr Lexicon Library
Project Client: Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County CouncilProject Architect: Carr Cotter Naessens Architects
Project Engineer: Horganlynch
Project Contractor: John Sisk and Son
Major Suppliers: Kwik Structures / Banagher Precast Concrete / Kilsaran
In this civic building, the use of large elements of concrete was a choice rather than a requirement. Having made this choice the architect and design team have exploited the use of concrete to the full. The large, open well finished concrete elements appear a near-perfect material for the spaces created – finished in areas with oak slats. The massive pre-cast roof beams were a complex piece of construction well delivered. The contractor is also to be congratulated for the overall quality of finish achieved. The extensive use of concrete in this building clearly shows what concrete can add to an award winning building.
Infrastructure Category
Winner:Doolin Pier, Co Clare
Project Client: Clare County CouncilProject Engineer: Malachy Walsh and Partners / Punch Consulting
Project Contractor: L&M Keating
Major Suppliers: Banagher Precast Concrete / Cairealacht Cill-Bhride Teo / Ryan Bros (Ennis) / McGrath Quarries
This exposed maritime site provided a significant challenge in constructability and in complying with environmental constraints. Concrete is an obvious choice for this structure in this exposed location, combining strength and durability. The innovative step was to use precast construction techniques to construct large fully interlocking sections off site. This reduced the on-site construction time, limiting difficult working conditions and allowing better quality control for the elements which were to be submerged or below the high water line. The overall quality of finish of the in-situ above water deck and wave wall is good, and precast concrete was also very successfully used for wave dissipating x-blocs.
Elemental Category
Winner:Canal House, Galway
Project Client: PrivateProject Architect: lid architecture
Project Engineer: Robert Barry Consulting Engineer
Project Contractor: Duane Construction
Major Suppliers: Cannon Concrete Products
Concrete is successfully used in this extension of a 1920’s townhouse with very challenging site conditions. The boundaries between inside and out are blurred using the plasticity of concrete to create sculptural space and forms that are both functional and beautiful. The complexity of the in-situ concrete construction, coupled with the quality of the finish for this relatively small project is a credit to the contractor and adds significantly to the overall built project.
3rd International Award
Winner:Crossrail C310 – Thames Tunnel
Major Suppliers: Shay Murtagh PrecastTo construct two complex tunnels with a total length of about 5.5km, almost 30,000 high quality precast concrete tunnel segments were delivered from Ireland to a site in East London. The judges were impressed with the scale and complex logistics of this prestigious project, with pre-construction full scale verification testing, export of a total of 38,000m3 concrete in over 3,500 articulated loads, and featuring demanding quality control management and with an important research collaboration.
