There was double delight for Clancy Construction at the 2025 Irish Construction Excellence Awards (ICE Awards) at the Convention Centre, Dublin on May 1 last when it took home two major awards.
No stranger to winning coveted accolades, Clancy scooped the Healthcare Project of the Year for its successful delivery of The Mater Private Hospital Theatre 9 and CCL4 projects, and Commercial Project of the Year for the Innovation Centre in Tallaght. Founded in 1993, the ICE Awards are the original and premier recognition of performance excellence for the construction 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.
For Contracts Manager Paul Ferns and everyone associated with the Mater Private Hospital projects, it was both humbling and gratifying to be recognised with such a prestigious award.
“We’re absolutely delighted. It’s testament to the work of our amazing team,” Paul enthuses.
“It was one of the most logistically challenging projects I’ve ever been involved with as all the work was carried out internally, and therefore made the judges’ task in picking a winner all the more difficult. It was an example of how a project using Lean Construction should be delivered. We leveraged Lean Construction principles for cost control and schedule adherence, ensuring efficient resource utilisation.
“There was outstanding collaboration and communication between all stakeholders throughout the build. We enjoyed an excellent working relationship with MCA Architects, JB Barry & Partners and CSD Engineering as well as the Mater Private Network, which was key to the success of the projects.”
The Mater Private Hospital Theatre 9 and CCL4 (Cardiac Catheterization Lab 4) projects represent a transformative expansion of the hospital’s surgical and cardiac care capabilities. Delivered in a live hospital environment, the works involved significant structural modifications to create a state-of-the-art operating theatre and advanced cardiac catheterization lab.
Clancy’s team navigated complex challenges, including stringent infection control, patient safety and uninterrupted hospital operations, by employing innovative techniques like prefabrication, Lean Construction and Modern Methods of Construction (MMC). These approaches ensured on-time, within-budget delivery while maintaining the highest standards of quality and compliance. The upgrades enhance patient care, optimise staff facilities and improve hospital efficiency, providing cutting-edge medical environments for the community. The project stands as a benchmark in healthcare construction, showcasing seamless collaboration, innovative practices, and a commitment to safety and excellence.
The purpose of Theatre 9 project was to deliver a state-of-the-art operating theatre, complete with staff and equipment facilities integrated seamlessly into the existing hospital infrastructure. The scope of works included structural reinforcements, demolition of existing spaces and construction of new wards, utility areas and storage, while the enabling works focused on safety and infection control during demolition, temporary facilities for uninterrupted operations and environmental measures to mitigate risks.
The client’s requirements for CCL4 were to expand the hospital’s cardiac services with a cutting-edge catheterization lab and support areas. The scope of works included the development of a new lab, patient care areas, technical upgrades and reconfiguration of adjacent spaces for specialised use. The enabling works included infection control measures, service continuity during construction and separate construction access to minimise hospital disruptions.
“The Theatre 9 and CCL4 projects successfully balanced technical complexity, stringent safety standards and operational continuity, delivering impactful upgrades to the Mater Private Hospital,” the affable Contracts Manager explains.
“The projects demonstrated adherence to healthcare construction best practices. The result is a facility designed to meet modern healthcare demands while setting a benchmark for construction excellence in active hospital environments.”
He adds: “The project followed a phased programme to align with hospital schedules, ensuring critical services remained uninterrupted. A collaborative procurement route was adopted, emphasising coordination with hospital staff, compliance with stringent healthcare standards and quality assurance throughout the construction process.”
Client engagement, design team coordination along with contractor and supply chain engagement were central to the award-winning project’s success. To this end, regular workshops with hospital management to align on infection control, noise mitigation and continuity of services were conducted. Bespoke solutions were also developed in conjunction with the client to address the unique challenges of a live healthcare environment.
Design team coordination involved integrating hospital-specific requirements into design reviews to ensure functionality and compliance, and streamlined design handovers to construction teams, ensuring clarity in execution. Furthermore, early engagement with contractors was fostered, aligning prefabrication efforts with site-specific constraints. Clancy also ensured that all subcontractors received tailored training on infection control, fire safety and crane lift management.
“We conducted nine phased handovers, enabling early access to critical areas such as CNM offices and changing rooms,” Paul says.
“Seamless integration of new facilities with existing hospital operations was provided, allowing for preparatory use before final commissioning. It was only after we relocated the staff canteen to the top of the existing plant room on structural beams that we could commence works on the operating theatre. A four-bed ward and nurse management office were also constructed during this phase.
“With dust and noise being a huge issue in a live healthcare environment, we had to be airtight in all our work.”
One of Ireland’s leading building companies, Clancy’s motto is ‘Built on Partnership’. This partnership approach reinforces collaboration and teamwork, and lends itself to an air of inclusivity between all parties involved in the project.
The long-established main contractor has raised its profile within the industry to compete at the highest level. This has resulted in increases in turnover which the company expects will continue in the years ahead. Clancy’s continual investment in technology ensures that the client benefits from the efficiencies gained by it, and that they have access to important innovations such as BIM, Lean Construction and Offsite Construction.
Clancy Construction
Ballylusky,
Drangan,
Thurles,
Co. Tipperary.
Telephone: 052 91 52166
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.clancy.ie
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, August, Vol 11 No 9
