The fit-out of two floors of the Investec building on Dublin’s Harcourt Street in April 2020 presented two unique challenges – one 20 years old, one never seen before.

Firstly, our new mechanical system had to be incorporated seamlessly with the existing system, which also had to be kept live throughout the work. No small task.

The other was Covid-19, which created extremely difficult working conditions and limited the numbers allowed on-site at any one time.  However, despite these obstacles, and with incredible organisation, we managed to keep our teams safe, while completing the project on schedule and within budget.

Our thanks to both Hickey Electrical Services and Connect Construct for partnering with us on another great project!

A lesson in determination
Parents, families and teachers fought a long, tough campaign to secure the building of a new school for children with learning and other difficulties in Enniscorthy. Finally, their efforts paid off and work began on the new school in late 2018. Having waited so long, everyone was eager to see it completed, and an ambitious deadline was set.

Best in class
With its cutting-edge design, the building itself was also ambitious – 5,940 square metres, consisting of 20 classrooms with en-suite toilets, two dining areas, a general purposes hall, specialist teaching rooms, clinician facilities and dedicated sensory spaces. Special emphasis was placed on student safety and how the building would ‘feel’ in terms of lighting and noise.

The fit out also involved the installation of a Black Bulb Sensor. This super-smart thermostat constantly monitors the temperature in every room, and through the Building Management System, adjusts it to maximise the comfort of every pupil at every moment.

Learning together
The main contractor, Mythen Construction, appointed McKeon Bros. to handle the mechanical installation and we worked closely with all parties to ensure the equipment and fittings were as safe and as quite-running as possible.

Satisfying results
Of course, we care about ever project we’re involved in. Whether it’s a new build or a revamp, a complete fit-out or a specialist mechanical or electrical element, we put everything into it. That’s what we’re known for.

However, there are moments when it’s easier to appreciate the positive impact high standards and work ethic make; when you know that what you do and how well you do it are contributing to something extraordinary. Helping to provide high quality, safe facilities for the students of St Patrick’s was one such moment.

 

McKeon Bros have worked on many projects in the past that had a really positive impact on their communities and we are very proud to have stepped up again and played a major role in getting the Steeples Primary Care Centre in Clondalkin to where it is today.

The facility will be vital to the area in order to support the HSE and the community at this time. It was an incredible team effort with our partners UHPC, Portal Architects, Contrail Fitout, Hickey Electrical Services and JV Tierney & Co. Consulting Engineers

A huge thanks to our own team led by Pat Lawless who pulled out all the stops in order to reach the very tight deadline whilst maintaining the highest standards.

Steeples PHCC is just one of a number of Primary Health Care Centres that have been fast tracked to support the HSE in their fight against Covid-19.

Perfect harmony required

Close to the city centre, just to the south of St Stephen’s Green, Dublin’s Earlsfort Terrace is best known for the National Concert Hall. Thanks to its location and its prestigious address, it has long been a popular business district. However, recent years have brought a massive increase in demand for quality office space, and as a result, there has been considerable development and redevelopment activity in the area.  While Earlsfort Terrace is an ideal location for a high-profile financial company, it presented considerable challenges to those involved in this construction and fit-out project – particularly as the site was in a tight space on a street with high-traffic and footfall. For instance, access was limited during certain hours and noise controls were in place.

 

Planning and co-ordination strike the right note  

As the mechanical and electrical contractors on this CAT B fit-out project, McKeon Bros was tasked with providing and fitting all the electrical, data, air-con and ventilation infrastructure. Turnaround time was just six weeks.  Knowing that meticulous planning and careful co-ordination are key to the successful delivery of all fit-outs, upon appointment we immediately established contact and clear lines of communication  with the other contractors on the site, Connect Construct and SLMD.

 

Perfect timing

We successfully wrapped up the project on the agreed date, which happened to be a Friday. That same weekend the client moved in, making the space fully operational the very next week.

The recent appointment of McKeon Bros to take charge of the large scale, mechanical services retrofit project at Belfield Blocks 7 & 8 reflects the confidence that main contractors and design teams have in our ability to deliver work of the highest standard; work that delivers their promises.

However, we believe our experience at two similar office blocks at the Belfield campus was another significant factor in McKeon Bros being selected for this high-profile project.

Challenging on so many levels

McKeon’s were awarded the contract for the fast-track retrofit of Belfield Blocks 7 & 8, to make them suitable as a corporate HQ for a prestigious client. This work involved decommissioning and stripping out the existing services across 6,000 square metres of office space on eight floors and upgrading them to a high spec CAT B standard… and all within 16 weeks.

Planned to succeed

Success in any project requires meticulous planning, experienced and focused management, high levels of teamwork and full co-operation between all parties. Put a very tight deadline into the mix, and lines of communication become vital. With a multidisciplinary workforce onsite, everyone needed to know exactly what was required of them – and when.

The seemingly impossible, made possible

What our client needs, our client always gets. Over the decades, we’ve earned a reputation for our ‘can-do’ approach; meeting critical deadlines, delivering as required by clients, and as promised by McKeon Bros.  We’re pleased to report, that in true McKeon Bros tradition, the project was completed within the timeframe and handed over to our client.

 

Read: Hybrid AHU in Belfield – A first in Ireland