Celebrating excellence in the execution of world-class fit outs, and the people and clients who drive these projects, the 2023 Fit Out Awards were staged in the Clayton Hotel on Wednesday, November 22nd last and Cogent Associates director / PM Glen Roche was one of the night’s big winners as he was honoured by his industry peers with the prestigious Fit Out Project Manager of the Year award.
Recognised industry-wide as a diligent, passionate, and collaborative Project Manager, Glen Roche, who has been part of the exceptional, 50-strong Cogent Associates team since 2012, came up trumps at the 2023 Fit Out Awards, where he was named Fit Out Project Manager of the Year.
Glen’s award came as no surprise to anyone who has worked with him. He has an enviable wealth of knowledge and experience, acquired over the past decade delivering Project Management services for a who’s who of keynote clients including; Google, Davy, Central Bank of Ireland, Verizon, Hibernia REIT and SquareSpace, to name but a few.
“I was delighted to receive this award. It’s also nice to be recognised amongst my peers and industry leaders for doing something I really enjoy,” said Glen.
It was a night to remember as Cogent Associates were also shortlisted for the Fit Out Professional Consultancy of the Year Award. Glen credits Cogent’s success to the support of his colleagues and the wider team in Cogent. “We are proud to foster an environment for people to develop their skillset and grow and I appreciate the opportunities, support and training I received.”
Glen oversees the delivery of Cogent’s PM services for a range of local and global clients. His in-depth knowledge of all aspects of commercial fit outs, from inception to completion has forged his expertise in the delivery of commercial office fit outs, in excess of 1.8mft2 to date.
In addition to fit out projects, Glen has extensive experience in other sectors including, residential, civil and industrial sectors. He recently led Project Management services for over 1,800 residential units, and his wider experience includes both new builds and the renovation/conversion of existing buildings.
“To be an effective Project manager is about having the respect of your client, project team and stakeholders. Good communication skills are essential and the ability to make timely decisions while leading the team.”
One keynote project that Glen is currently leading is Boland’s Mills, Dublin for Google. He has been involved in the project since 2018 which is due for completion later this year. When complete, this development will comprise the remodelling of nine buildings, to deliver 235,000ft of state of the art, commercial office space. This project also involved connecting two tower buildings at levels 04 & 11 with new bridge links.
More recently, Glen is advising another keynote client to develop 150,000ft2 of Grade A offices in Dublin City.
Glen has a particular interest and passion for creating sustainable asset for his Clients. Since 2012, having been part of the Cogent team to obtain Irelands first LEED platinum certification, he has gone on to develop his expertise and interest in sustainable design. He is also working on various projects with WELL, Wired, SmartScore and Passivhaus certification requirements, which demonstrates his wide range of knowledge in sustainability deliverables.
“There is a trend emerging to encourage the refurbishment of existing buildings in the city,” the 2023 Fit Out Project Manager of the Year concludes. “Refurbishment is a big focus area as Central government and local authorities want to retain existing buildings which is something we support and can use our expertise to help make this happen.
“As an industry, we need to examine how we build responsibly in the future, and this is challenging to do in the current climate. Working for a leading multi-disciplinary consultancy has given me a thorough understanding of project and cost management issues, particularly in relation to sustainability and energy use. This is an area I am passionate about and proud to have contributed to our Cogent Retrofitting Considerations paper – the Cogent guide to retrofitting and refurbishment of commercial buildings.”
Cogent Associates,
Hyde House,
65 Adelaide Road,
Dublin 2.
Tel: 01 6344850
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, June 2024, Vol 10 No 6
