As Ireland’s leading independent Consulting Engineers, Homan O’Brien have specialised in designing mechanical and electrical building services for many decades. The company is as committed on every assignment regardless of size to providing innovative sustainable designs as they were when the business was first formed.
When it comes to advice and consultation, few can rival the expertise that Homan O’Brien deliver on every project that they are involved in.
Homan O’Brien Associates has been firmly established as a company that provides excellence in its design concepts and its commitment to delivering the highest standard or work possible.
These days joint managing directors Brian Homan and Simon O’Brien are joined on the board by directors James Reilly and Gerard Keating.
For this month’s edition of Building Ireland, we profile the Dublin based company and speak to Electrical Engineer Alvin Cassidy about a prestigious project they were involved in recently.
Homan O’Brien Associates have been involved in projects in the healthcare, laboratory buildings, residential, retail, hotels, education and commercial sectors.
“We are a leading Consulting Engineering Practice specialising in the design and management of mechanical and electrical services to all building types,” said Alvin.
In December 2017, Minister for Health Simon Harris formally “Turned the Sod” on Peamount Healthcare’s New 100 Bed Development in Newcastle, Co Dublin. This €24 million development was funded by the sale of lands belonging to Peamount Healthcare and a significant capital investment from the Health Service Executive.
Homan O’Brien were appointed Consulting Engineers on the project which saw Duggan Brothers as the main contractor. From the start, Alvin revealed that all parties involved worked very closely together.
“We were involved on the project from concept through to final handover. There was a great working relationship between all teams on the project including Main Contractor Duggan Brothers, M&E contractors Murphy & Kelly and Mac Electrics, plus the design team Scott Tallon Walker Architects, Arup Consulting Engineers, Jeremy Gardner Associates, Linesight and the client Peamount healthcare and the HSE.”
The length of the project took about 18 months (construction duration was 18months) and the new 100 bed healthcare and nursing facility at Peamount Healthcare has been officially handed over. The works involved the construction of a new two storey (R.C. Frame) healthcare unit, with an internal link to the existing rehabilitation unit. The new facility will provide accommodation for 100 individuals, ancillary healthcare services, along with catering, pharmacy and staff facilities.
The build is arranged over two floors in two interlocking squares with private courtyards, all set within a parkland environment. The service provided by the new facility will be split equally between rehabilitation and elderly care residents, with a special emphasis being placed on dementia care.
“The needs of residents and their families are central to the work of Peamount Healthcare’s Residential Services. They enable and empower their residents to achieve their optimum potential while providing them with the help and support they require, so it was essential that we gave them a building that allowed them to do that and everybody was happy with the end result.”
Homan O’Brien are enjoying a surge in business like all connected to the construction industry are. However, they are not just experiencing growth in Ireland. In the past, they have been involved in projects as far away as Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Africa.
“We are very busy at the moment and have a number of projects ongoing at present. The majority of our work is in Ireland, but we have obtained more work abroad.”
The company employs 30 highly skilled employees across a range of disciplines and Alvin admitted that currently one of the biggest issues in the industry is the lack of skilled workers in the country.
“There is a gap in the industry that was caused by the recession. A lot of skilled workers left the country to seek work elsewhere and they have never been replaced. Anyone going to college was staying away from anything to do with construction as the work just wasn’t there for them, so now there is a big gap that needs to be filled.
“I think something needs to be done like more promotion of the careers available in the construction industry through the schools and explain to school leavers that there is a future in the industry.”
Homan O’Brien provide a vast range of services which allows them to carry out may duties on any given project, these services include Hospital Engineering, HVAC, Low Energy Building Design, Building Dynamic Simulation, Building 3D Modelling, Building Energy Rating (BER), BREEAM Assessments, Vertical Transport Analysis and Design, Building Energy Audits and Expert Witness.
“We provide a wide range of services to a large customer base. Our client list would include the top construction and architectural companies in the country. This experience that we have allows us to tender for some of the most prestigious contracts that have been carried out in Ireland in recent years.”
Some of these contracts included the Mater Hospital extension and the renowned Sports Surgery Clinic, Santry as well as the Merrion Hotel extension, nationwide Dunne Stores upgrade, Bank of Ireland Burlington Plaza and many more.
Of course, Health & Safety and environmental management are a massive part of the business and their management systems have been registered to NSAI standards.
In Quality Management they have the ISO 9001:2008 and for Environmental Management they have the ISO 14001:2004. And OHSAS 18001 Health & Safety management.
Homan O’Brien Associates have committed to ensure that continued improvement in every sector of the business is sought.
Their work has been recognised time and time again at various award functions and they are regular winners in their nominated categories.
Contact Details:
Homan O’Brien Associates
89 Booterstown Avenue,
Blackrock
Co. Dublin,
Ireland.
Tel: +353 1 205 6300
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.homanobrien.ie
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/homan-o’brien-associates/
Taken from Building Ireland Magazine, October, Vol 5 No 10
