Frank C Murray & Sons Construction Ltd was thrilled to win the Judges Silver Award in the ‘Leisure Tourist Project – Up to €5m’ category at the 2024 Irish Construction Excellence Awards for its successful delivery of Portlaoise Library.
Trading for over 60 years, the Roscrea, Co. Tipperary-based family-run business is one of the Midlands’ leading heritage, commercial and renovation specialists. No stranger to winning prestigious accolades – it scooped the Opus Architectural & Construction Award on two occasions for Abbeyleix Library and Birr Civic Offices – Frank C Murray & Sons was the main contractor on the new-look Portlaoise Library for client Laois County Council.
The works consisted of the demolition and site clearance of the old Shaws Department Store at the junction of Main Street and Church Avenue in Portlaoise town centre, and the provision of a new library building. The development consisted of the construction of a mainly two-storey and part three-storey building.
The main contractor collaborated with the design team of MCOH Architects, Jason Redmond & Associates (Engineers), T5 (Services Engineer) and MJ Turley and Associates (QS) along with all stakeholders to make the project a reality. The Irish Construction Excellence Awards (ICE Awards) are the original and premier recognition of performance excellence for the contracting sector in Ireland, and provide an opportunity for the industry to showcase and reward best practice across the full range of construction disciplines and project categories.
“We were delighted to receive the nomination and then win the Judges Silver Award. We were even more delighted to hear that the CEO of Laois County Council was behind it,” Frank C Murray & Sons Contracts Manager John Joe Hartnett says.
“We enjoy every project we build, but the Portlaoise Library is one we are extremely proud of. It compares to only two previous libraries we built for Laois and Offaly County Councils. This award is great recognition for our entire team.”
The new building stands on a series of tubular steel mini piles with a concrete frame. The roof is a mixture of composite flat insulated roof panel with zinc cladding to Main Street, and felt flat roof to Church Avenue. Internal finishes are of a high specification with composite tile raised access floor system, CasoLine feature vaulted ceilings, oak glass screens and bespoke joinery all complimented with a fair face concrete finish.
The mechanical and electrical packages utilised the latest technologies available to them. The library now operates with a ‘My Open Library’ system, meaning after-hours access is available to all members throughout the year. With the exception of delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, there was little or no impact on the client for handover. The original town library remained open throughout the build.
Since the opening, there has been a dramatic increase in footfall on Main Street which has benefited local businesses. The library is used by all, from school children and students to local historians and Age Friendly groups.
The project wasn’t without its fair share of challenges. It was a logistically tight one with little or no room for site compound, storage or deliveries. Adjoining properties also restricted the construction works, with condition / dilapidation surveys and temporary works solutions to the fore at the initial stages of the project. Vibration monitors were in constant use for demolition and piling activities.
Prior to starting the building, Frank C Murray and Sons carried out an assessment on the crane location and found that there was an existing stormwater culvert located where the proposed crane was to be installed. The site team was tasked with mapping the exact location of this culvert by GPR survey and established that it once serviced the old mill to the rear of the site boundary. After multiple consultations with the design team, client and project archaeologist, Frank C Murray & Sons were required to change the crane location from the external footprint of the building to inside the building. This had a knock-on effect on finishing multiple trades within the crane footprint on all levels of the building.
The site was of archaeological significance due to the location of the old fort wall. An archaeologist carried out regular site visits for all excavation and substructure works. On the site side of this fort wall, there was a moat which had been covered in over time. The archaeologist felt that excavation with care was required in all areas in close proximity to this wall.
Prior to the piling activity, Frank C Murray and Sons also encountered a significant amount of contaminated soil to approximately one-third of the building footprint. This was as a result of the existing underground line from the boiler to the oil tank leaking for a number of years without detection. This delayed the project further and involved a huge effort from specialist contractors in assessing and removing the contaminated soil, as per the necessary guidelines.
Another major challenge was Covid-19 which struck the project within the first three months. The subsequent lockdowns hampered progress even further, but also significantly forced the price of materials to soar to levels never experienced before. These challenges had a huge impact on program costs, continuity of work and availability of contractors and workforce.
The project was a traditional method of construction. All materials were brought to site in their raw state and fabricated on site. Limited storage space resulted in restrictive movement around the site perimeter. Multiple road closures were implemented when deliveries were made such as piles reinforcing, concrete, roofing material, mechanical and electrical equipment.
Frank C Murray & Sons has a long and successful history in construction dating back to 1962 when it was founded by Frank Murray. It is now run and managed by his son Francis. Francis is assisted by a strong team, many of which are family members. His sister Gail is the Tendering Manager and also manages BCAR and safety administration within the company. Trish Delaney is the Office/Accounts Manager who looks after accounts and purchasing along with general office management duties. Martin Murray, an uncle of Francis, was Site Manager of the Portlaoise Library project, and John Joe Hartnett, Contracts Manager, is a first cousin of Francis. The family members are supported by up to 20 direct employees and a further 40 tried and trusted subcontractors.
“We have over 30 years’ experience with many parties of the design team and this assisted hugely in ensuring Portlaoise Library was delivered to the satisfaction of all stakeholders. The diligence shown between the design team and Frank C Murray and Sons throughout the construction process was a key factor in the successful completion of this flagship project,” John Joe continues.
“We also have a long-standing working relationship with Laois County Council through its various departments over many years. We have carried out multiple projects for them and continue to work very closely with them today.
“As the main contractor of this build, we are enormously proud of the performance of our subcontractors. They were central to its success. The key to a project of this scale is to place a strong emphasis on safety, quality and production. We can proudly say that our site management team and sub contractors made this a priority throughout the construction phase.”
‘’Our company’s main clients are various local authorities, HSE, OPW and Department of Education as well as multiple private clients. We are currently engaged in a multi-million euro conservation and restoration project at Parkmore Convent, Roscrea for a private client, and another multi million euro project for our long established private client, Camida.
“We also have a number of projects with the OPW, Department of Education and various private clients. We carry out a mixture of heritage, restoration and new build projects,” the affable contracts manager concludes.
Frank C Murray & Sons Construction Ltd
Ballybritt,
Roscrea,
Co. Tipperary.
Telephone: 057 913 1217
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.frankcmurray.ie
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, August 2024, Vol 10 No 8
Frank C Murray & Sons Construction
