Coming up on 120 years in business, Dunwoody & Dobson Ltd is one of Ireland’s longest-standing and most-respected building contracting and project management companies.
Established in 1905 by William John Dunwoody as a plumbing and heating business, Dunwoody & Dobson evolved over the years into a mid-sized, multi-disciplined main contractor with expertise in commercial, healthcare, pharmaceutical, industrial, educational, fitout and heritage projects. Based in Dublin 2, the fourth-generation firm is fronted by Managing Director Tim Dunwoody who is joined by fellow directors Darren Quinn, William Moran and Dan Bolger along with 30 direct employees. The Dunwoody & Dobson team is supported and supplemented by the same tried and tested subcontractors, many of whom are long-term.
Dunwoody & Dobson is built on a firm foundation of experience, knowledge, commitment and pride in its achievements. Ongoing success and expansion can be attributed to its committed and highly-qualified management and technical staff who ensure delivery of projects to the highest standards on time and within budget.
The family-run business’ reputation for quality construction is borne out by the high volume of repeat business it receives from satisfied clients. This is upheld by its Quality Management System which is accredited to ISO 9001:2015.
“Repeat business has been key to our longevity. That along with attention to detail, quality workmanship and value-for-money. There’s always a next job with our commercial clients. We rarely do one-offs,” Tim Dunwoody explains.
“Our people are our greatest asset. They constantly provide a thorough, flexible and proactive approach to all projects and continue to pursue excellence at every level of the industry. Several of our site managers and foremen have been with us for over 35 years. We’re extremely proud of the loyalty shown by our team, and their contribution to the success and growth of the company.”
Health & Safety are top priorities, with significant resources in supervision and training being deployed to maintain a safe environment for all workers onsite. Dunwoody & Dobson holds an ‘A’ Grad Safe-T-Cert and continues to place Health & Safety at the forefront of any project planning.
Dunwoody & Dobson provides a full range of construction services, including management contracting, PSCS, alliance / partnership and turnkey contracts in addition to traditional building arrangements by whatever procurement methods clients may require. The Dublin contractor has built up an impressive portfolio of repeat clients across the full spectrum of Irish business, ranging from An Post, ESB, Dublin City Council, Fingal County Council and Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to Coca-Cola, Diageo, Trinity College Dublin, UCD, DCU, St Vincent’s Private Hospital, Mater Private Hospital, Coombe Hospital, Rotunda Hospital and Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin.
“We’re currently working for An Post on their new depots across the country and carrying out stabilisation works to St Mary’s Church in Ballsbridge which was recently purchased by the RDS. We also have ongoing works in UCD and a number of hospitals across Dublin,” Tim adds.
“Many people identify us with the iconic old wooden gates at Trinity College which we restored at our city centre joinery workshop in 2014. That project received a lot of publicity at the time and has stuck in people’s heads.”
Dunwoody & Dobson’s exceptional workmanship and finish has been recognised by its peers through inclusion in such prestigious competitions as the Opus Awards, Dublin City Council Awards and the World Building Awards. More recently, it was proud and delighted to be associated with the renovation, restoration and redevelopment of Dublin Port’s Redbrick Substation. Dunwoody & Dobson were the main contractors and PSCS for the project which was shortlisted for ‘Architectural Project of the Year’ and ‘Heritage / Conservation Project of the Year (Under €10m)’ at the 2024 Irish Building & Design Awards.
The finished building is the latest addition to Dublin Port’s distributed museum, a key part of their Masterplan 2040’s strategic objective to integrate the Port with the City. The Redbrick Substation was built in the early 20th century and played a pivotal role in the early electrification of Dublin Port.
Dunwoody & Dobson worked closely with Darmody Architecture, DBFL Consulting Engineers and client Dublin Port Company on the project which included the stabilisation of the existing structure and the complete renovation of the substation with an extension to the footprint. The existing building had significant structural defects and was braced with a temporary external steel frame.
Significant temporary works design was required in consideration of the work sequence. The project also involved collaborating with a multi-disciplinary team to uncover, expose, record and stabilise Dublin City’s 18th century sea wall over which the substation had been built. The historic sea wall is now on permanent display beneath a glass floor.
The official opening of the restored Redbrick Station was performed by the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform Paschal Donohue in September 2023.
“What started off as a nine-month project became an 18-month project due to the sea wall find and the subsequent excavation and stablisation works,” says Dunwoody & Dobson Project Manager Mark Hughes.
“We were very pleased with the finished product. It was a real team effort involving all the stakeholders. We enjoyed an excellent working relationship with the architects, engineers, subcontractors and the client, Dublin Port Authority. Their Head of Special Projects Jim Kelleher and Project Manager Declan Sullivan couldn’t have been any more helpful.
“They really bought into it, even with all the obstacles that were put in our way. Their passion for the project ensured it was successfully completed.”
As Dunwoody & Dobson continues to go from strength to strength after almost 120 years, the family business would like to take this opportunity to thank its clients and suppliers for their continued support as well as its direct employees and subcontractors for their hard work, dedication and expertise.
Dunwoody & Dobson Ltd
10 Grattan Street,
Dublin 2.
Telephone: 01 676 5811
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.dunwoody.ie
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, July 2024, Vol 10 No 7
