The East Tip Haulbowline Island Remediation Project by Cork County Council, RPS, PJ Hegarty & Sons and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has been awarded the title of Engineering Project of the Year.

The transformation of the East Tip of Haulbowline Island has been voted national Engineering Project of the Year for 2019, it has been announced.

Transformed from a desolate, toxic, industrial site

The remediation project, delivered on time and under budget, has seen 22 acres of the island’s East Tip transformed from a desolate, toxic, industrial site into a magnificent public recreational facility for local residents, workers and visitors in what has been one of the biggest environmental works in the history of the state.

The site at Haulbowline Island in Co Cork, formerly the home of Irish Steel, has been used for waste disposal for decades, with an estimated 650,000 cubic metres of slag and other waste metal from the steelworks deposited on the site from the 1960s until steel making ended at the plant in 2001.

Adopting the most innovative and customised engineering solutions throughout to overcome many challenges, the East Tip now boasts new playing pitches, walkways, cycleways, seating areas and the planting of hundreds of trees, woodlands and wildflower areas.

Undertaken by Cork County Council, RPS, PJ Hegarty & Sons and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the project won out in the flagship category of the tenth annual Engineers Ireland Excellence Awards, held in association with ESB, at a ceremony in the InterContinental hotel in Dublin.

The Engineering Project of the Year category is sponsored by Transport Infrastructure Ireland and is voted for by a panel of judges and the public.

'Immensely challenging'

Dr Cormac Ó Súilleabháin, the project’s manager from Cork County Council, said: “This was an immensely challenging project considering the extensive risks presented by the uniqueness of the site, nature and characteristics of the waste material involved, and location within Cork harbour.

"However, despite all this, the project was delivered in a timely and cost-effective manner and very much provides a template for the successful delivery of transformative public sector projects.

"Cork harbour has been transformed by the remediation of the East Tip, and we believe this is a great civil and environmental engineering achievement. It’s great to see this recognised by Engineers Ireland and we are very appreciative of this award this evening.”

The East Tip Haulbowline Island Remediation Project was also awarded the ‘Local Authority Engineering Initiative Award’, sponsored by Colas Bitumen Emulsions, and with two awards in this category, this award was jointly won by Cork City Council, Keating and Arup for the Mary Elmes Bridge project.

In other award categories, Dr Cristina Paduano, an aerospace engineer, won the prestigious ‘Chartered Engineer of the Year Award’, sponsored by Arup.

The professional title of Chartered Engineer, considered to be the gold standard of the profession, was established in Ireland 50 years ago this year.

Rigorous review process

Within the Republic of Ireland, Engineers Ireland is the sole authority to award the title, which is granted to professional engineers who, through a rigorous review process, have shown their ability to apply their professional competencies in the workplace.

Pat O’Doherty, ESB chief executive, said: “This year’s awards once again highlight the outstanding and diverse achievements of engineers across Ireland who have demonstrated exceptional engineering skills through their work.

"Building a progressive, sustainable Ireland is of paramount importance and with engineers a critical part of making this a reality, now more than ever we must ensure Ireland has a ready supply of skilled engineers to safeguard our society’s future development.

Aerospace engineer Dr Cristina Paduano has been named Engineers Ireland’s Chartered Engineer of the Year having won the prestigious Arup sponsored category award at the Engineers Ireland Excellence Awards, held in association with ESB.

"We are proud sponsors of the Engineers Ireland Excellence Awards now for many years and it is events like this that inspire and encourage further innovation in the area. I commend all the participants in the various categories of this year’s awards.”

GFG Alliance, Overburden Beneficiation Plant SIMEC Mining by CDE Meta won the ‘Geoscience Ireland Award’, while the ‘Fernhill Park & Gardens by Arup and Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council’ won the Irish Water sponsored ‘Sustainability Award’.

Fiachra O Muíneacháin, Kevin McHugh, Stephen Walls and Pat Egan of MACE Technology (Ireland) Ltd won the ‘Best Presentation Award’, sponsored by Beale & Co and Griffiths and Armour, for their submission on Lean Management Systems applied to Hyper-scale Data Center Construction.

Swords Castle – East Tower Consolidation by Fingal County Council, David Kelly Partnership and CORA Consulting Engineers, won the ‘Heritage and Conservation Award’, sponsored by the OPW.

While the Limerick headquartered H&MV Engineering won the ‘CPD Employer of the Year Award’, sponsored by IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland and supported by the Department of Education and Skills.

'Making the impossible a reality'

“Engineering is about making the impossible a reality, it is about thinking beyond the conventional to tackle the biggest challenges in society and this year’s projects once again exhibit the best of our sector in this regard,” said Caroline Spillane, Engineers Ireland director general.

“The initiatives recognized by our annual Excellence Awards make a vital contribution to Ireland’s sustainable future and showcase the talented and creative engineers we have across the country.

"I offer my congratulations to each of the project teams and engineering leaders involved, with a special word of mention for the overall Engineering Project of the Year winner East Tip Haulbowline Island Remediation Project, which has been remarkable in its success transforming what was an environmentally toxic waste ground into a magnificent eco-friendly public park of significant amenity value.

"This has been done through high quality engineering design, construction and project delivery. This project will hugely benefit the region for generations to come.”

Also honoured at the Engineers Ireland Excellence Awards 2019 were: Martin Naughton, chartered engineer, chairman of the Shareholder Supervisory Board of the Glen Dimplex Group, who was presented with the ‘ESB Outstanding Contribution to Engineering Award’; Connor McGrath, who received the ‘ESB International Engineer of the Year Award’ for his work in in Ladakh, India on an upgrade programme at the Druk White Lotus School; and Tom Costello, head of construction at IPUT, who won the ‘President’s Award’, sponsored by CRH.

The Edge Programme by CONNECT Centre at Trinity College Dublin won the Accenture sponsored ‘Engineering Education Award’ while brother’s Nick and Jack Cotter from Limerick, who won the Siemens ‘Innovative Student Engineer of the Year Award’ earlier this year, were also recognised at the event.

For further information about the Engineers Ireland Excellence Awards 2019 visit this page.

Find out more about each project below and cast your vote today.

IAA Visual Control Tower, Dublin airport, by Arup

IAA Visual Control Tower, Dublin airport, by Arup. Photo: Paul Tierney

At 87.7m high, the new Visual Control Tower (VCT) in Dublin Airport is Ireland’s tallest occupied building and is a worthy symbol of welcome to Dublin.

International best practice in areas of structural design, sway control, geotechnics, fire safety, vertical transport, wind testing, lighting, facade design and mechanical/electrical resilience were all incorporated in the total design of this iconic new addition to the city’s skyline.

The VCT is a vital element in safeguarding the delivery of the new parallel runway in Dublin airport and was completed within budget in April 2019.

The facility will be ready to provide single runway operation during the first half of 2020, transitioning to provide parallel runway operations by 2021, when the new runway becomes operational.

The new tower is a powerful visual reference point that impacts on people’s experiences both near and far from the aerodrome.

The design includes the tower shaft, the 5-level cab at the top and area control functions within the base building. The tower is visible from a range of locations, throughout Dublin city, bay and mountains.

Cruiserath Biologics by Bristol Myers Squibb
For more than 50 years, BMS has maintained a significant manufacturing presence in Ireland, and their new multi-product manufacturing facility continues to build on that legacy through the completion of Cruiserath Biologics.

Cruiserath Biologics by Bristol Myers Squibb.

The Cruiserath Biologics start-up is a multi-product facility which was designed, built, commissioned, qualified and put into production in three years – this is among the best in the world for a manufacturing facility of its size.

The single and most powerful element of the success of this start-up is the team that has delivered it. It is through their hard-work and adaptability that BMS has continued to deliver innovative medicines for patients with serious disease.

Louis Schmukler, senior vice-president of BMS’s global product development and supply group commented that the team behind the successful Cruiserath Biologics project “made and continue to make the extraordinary look ordinary”.

The BMS Cruiserath Biologics project was completed safely, on time and on budget. The one-team ethos and related aspects resulted in a very successful project for BMS, for Ireland, for all those that worked on it, and ultimately for BMS’ patients. Each day, our employees around the world work together for patients – it drives everything we do.

East Tip Haulbowline Island Remediation Project by Cork County Council, RPS, PJ Hegarty & Sons and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
The remediation of the East Tip on Haulbowline Island has seen 650,000m3 of steelworks waste, a negative legacy of the island’s industrial past, transformed into a magnificent public recreational amenity for the beneficial use of local residents, the local workforce and visitors alike (www.magnifly.ie/thejourney).

East Tip Haulbowline Island Remediation Project by Cork County Council, RPS, PJ Hegarty & Sons and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

With Haulbowline’s history as the location of the only steelworks ever to operate in Ireland this was a unique journey fraught with many challenges. It required the application of innovative and bespoke engineering solutions from project initiation through to completion.

Delivered comfortably under budget the project provides a template for the successful delivery of public sector projects.

Considering the extensive contractual risks presented by the uniqueness of the site, nature and characteristics of the waste material and location within Cork harbour this is a significant achievement.

The project is a true testament of the power of civil and environmental engineering to lift the human spirit. Cork harbour has been transformed by the remediation of the east tip and it is a landmark project for excellence in Irish engineering and its positive impact on society.

Ocean Pier Berth 31-34 by Keating
Dublin Port Company are implementing their 2040 masterplan with the first phase of work focusing on the redevelopment of Alexandra Basin.

Keating as part of the Roadbridge Keating joint venture has been working with Dublin Port under a Single Party Framework to deliver a major share of the required capital infrastructure, including Ocean Pier Berth 31-34.

Ocean Pier Berth 31-34 by Keating.

The first section of this project, ‘Berth 31/32’ was commissioned in February 2017 and involved the design and construction of 90m of deepwater combi-quay wall under a challenging delivery programme.

The complex quay structure included two linkspan bankseats for a novel interchangeable linkspan solution. This section of works was programmed, budgeted, designed and constructed in less than 174 days all while keeping the port operations active and while working within strict environmental rules.

‘Berths 32-34’ were subsequently commissioned. Remarkably, this highly technical 340m quay wall structure was programmed, budgeted, designed and constructed all within a 197-day off-season possession, improving on the previous record set by ‘Berth 31/32’.

Dublin Port RoRo Jetty by Keating
Dublin Port Company are implementing their 2040 masterplan, with the first phase of work focusing on the redevelopment of Alexandra Basin.

Keating as part of the Roadbridge Keating joint venture has been working with Dublin port under a single party framework to deliver a major share of the required capital infrastructure.

Dublin Port RoRo Jetty by Keating.

One such commission is the Dublin Port ABR Ro-Ro Jetty project – which is a critical element of the overall Alexandra Basin project. Ro-Ro, short for roll-on/ roll-off, refers to shipping services and activities where freight vehicles are driven on and off ferries.

The ambitious project has delivered a new jetty which is future proofed to cater for the largest in class Ro-Ro vessels in the world.

Delivered in a truly collaborative fashion from concept to construction, this 273m long jetty was delivered on time and within budget using highly innovative solutions and bespoke construction techniques.

Center Parcs Longford Forest by ORS
The unique Center Parcs Longford forest is the single largest private tourism investment ever on the island of Ireland. The 466 lodges and the 30 apartments provide accommodation for up to 2,500 guests.

At full capacity, the forest resort will have a population equivalent to five per cent of that of Co Longford. With more than 10km of internal roads and a purpose-built wastewater treatment plant on-site, the scale of this project is such that it could be considered as Ireland’s newest small town.

Center Parcs Longford Forest by ORS.

The development and construction project delivery team consisted of ORS, Edmond Shipway, JDA Architects, Holder Mathias Architects and PBA Consulting Engineers.

The project was split into three main contracts. Roadbridge was appointed as design and build contractors for the infrastructure contract and Sisk as design and build contractors for the lodge and centre buildings contracts.

ORS acted as the principal Irish consultant for the Center Parcs team from conceptual design stage right through to project handover.

To view each shortlisted category in detail and to vote for the Engineering Project of the Year Award, visit: http://www.engineersireland.ie/Awards.aspx

Swords Castle – East Tower Consolidation by Fingal County Council, David Kelly Partnership and CORA Consulting Engineers.

1.) Swords Castle – East Tower Consolidation by Fingal County Council, David Kelly Partnership and CORA Consulting Engineers
Swords Castle is a complex of early and late medieval remains. It is a National Monument and a site of national cultural significance under the care of Fingal County Council.

Since 2013 a multi-disciplinary team of conservation engineers, archaeologists and architects have been carrying out conservation works under National Monument Ministerial Consent 450.

One of the major conservation challenges was the consolidation of the East Tower. The overall stability of the ruins was a matter of concern considering the pronounced lean on the tower, extensive cracking, and surface erosion of the Dublin calp limestone.

Following the removal of vegetation temporary propping was installed. The permanent solution was developed and implemented in the most recent works phase.

The unique design solution the team devised combined modern methods alongside traditional to conserve as much of the medieval fabric as possible.

An honestly expressed, functional concrete plate ties the three remaining walls together and a traditional lime-based shelter coat protects the vulnerable masonry.

The visual impact is striking, clearly differentiating the new insertion from the original, as well being respectful of the historic setting.

2.) Kilmallock West Wall Walkway by Limerick City and County Council
Kilmallock is a remarkably intact medieval walled town. The western defences are particularly impressive. Protection of the monuments, their enhancement and exposure within the public realm have been key drivers for Limerick City and County Council since 2008.

Kilmallock West Wall Walkway by Limerick City and County Council.

The local authority worked throughout the project with Jack O’Leary, Conservation Engineer, Malachy Walsh & Partners.

The project was achieved over a ten-year period and included 8 separate conservation projects (largely funded by the Irish Walled Towns Network/Heritage Council) and land acquisitions culminating in the consolidation of 544m of masonry wall and the construction of a 526m pathway through a 3½ acre park on the exterior of the defences.

The engineering challenge was to respect the historic construction methodologies while, at the same time, to bring modern construction know how to the project.

The engineering inputs included structural assessment, design of temporary propping works, grouting, flaunching, pointing and local rebuilding.

The consolidation of the wall achieved the difficult delicate balance of making a sometimes-fragile monument structurally stable while respecting and maintaining its antiquity.

3.) Cork Courthouse 'Model School', Anglesea Street, Cork by Malachy Walsh & Partners Civil & Structural Engineers
The Cork Model School was constructed in 1862 and is an iconic building adjacent to Cork City Hall. Pitched roofs are capped by red clay cockscomb ridge tiles.

Cork Courthouse 'Model School', Anglesea Street, Cork by Malachy Walsh & Partners Civil & Structural Engineers.

External brick walls include sawtooth limestone eaves on brick brackets with finials to gables. At roof level, gabled roof vents, decorative brick chimneys with sawtooth limestone caps compliment the detailing of the main elevations.

The striking Italianite building facilitated primary and maritime schools, and its 18m tower was used as an observation point for shipping coming to Cork quays.

In conjunction with other project team members, Malachy Walsh & Partners researched, designed and supervised the refurbishment works using best practice conservation techniques which included reusing all serviceable ridge tiles and roof slates, and replacement of up to 50 per cent of ‘modern’ façade brickwork with carefully selected natural brickwork and lime pointing.

Works included rebuilding sections of gable walls, underpinning, structural stitch repairs and intricate bespoke repairs to sections of original main timber roof trusses.

Great care was taken to ensure that supplementary materials reflected the original materials to bring the building back to its original condition.

4.) Hillsborough Castle and Gardens by O’Connor Sutton Cronin & Associates (Belfast) Ltd
Hillsborough Castle, a beautiful late Georgian mansion set in 100 acres of idyllic grounds today is a working royal palace functioning as an official residence of the royal family and the secretary of state for Northern Ireland.

Hillsborough Castle and Gardens by O’Connor Sutton Cronin & Associates (Belfast) Ltd.

Historic Royal Palaces became the estate’s new management in 2014 led a major refurbishment programme in a bid to make this Grade B+ listed property more accessible to the public.

This £20 million redevelopment utilised the site’s unique heritage, increased accessibility, provided an additional 800 parking spaces, conserved historic features such as the estate buildings, walled gardens and created new water features, footbridges and board walks.

It also included the restoration of the Upper Stable block, creation of new visitor facilities, retail space, and an estates operation base.

This complex project required the expertise of 71 companies to achieve the massive restoration works involved. O’Connor Sutton Cronin & Associates (Belfast) Ltd (OCSC) provided Civil and Structural Engineering Services for this prestigious project.

OCSC and the design team worked closely with Historic Royal Palaces and Historic Environmental Division ensuring they met all guidelines and standards.

The Heritage and Conservation Award is one of 13 award categories which will be presented at the Engineers Ireland Excellence Awards on Friday, November 15, at the InterContinental hotel, Dublin.

To view each shortlisted category in detail and to vote for the Engineering Project of the Year Award, visit: http://www.engineersireland.ie/Awards.aspx