There was double delight for general main contracting firm Murcom recently when it was announced as a finalist in two categories at the 2023 Irish Construction Excellence Awards.
Murcom was shortlisted in the ‘Fitout or Refurbishment Up to €5m’ and ‘Conservation or Restoration’ categories for RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland) Hybrid Office Fitout and TCD (Trinity College Dublin) Museum Roof Restoration respectively. 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.
The nominations are a tremendous honour for the Dunboyne, Co. Meath-based company which was founded in 2009 by Michael and Miriam Murray, and has a proven track record in medical, educational, commercial and residential development throughout Dublin, Leinster and across Ireland.
Murcom has grown to employ 20 people directly and many more on a subcontract basis. Boasting a wealth of experience, Murcom has the necessary knowledge and resources to be able to undertake projects of all complexities. The Murcom team goes above and beyond to ensure their projects are delivered to the highest possible standards. This approach has enabled the contractor to maintain strong relationships with numerous clients over the years.
“We’re delighted with the nominations. It’s fitting that they are for projects we did for the Royal College of Surgeons and Trinity College who have been loyal clients of ours since our inception in 2009,” Murcom commercial director David Nelson says.
“The two projects couldn’t be any different. They’re at opposite ends of the spectrum. One is a modern office fitout and the other is the restoration of a roof on a 185-year-old museum building. It demonstrates our diverse range of building services.
“We faced lots of challenges on both projects, especially the one in Trinity where we procured thousands of slates from Wales and the deliveries had to be made before 7am each day. John Kieran led the slating job brilliantly.
“Conor O’Brien was site manager on the RCSI job and he and his crew also rose to the challenge magnificently. It’s a credit to Michael (Murray) that we have retained such good staff at a time when skilled tradespeople are hard to come by. It’s a real team effort where everyone takes pride in their work.”
The five-storey 1,800 sqm office fitout for the RSCI in St Stephen’s Green was expertly completed in a four-month period last summer. The client wanted to redevelop the building into a modern mixed-use space of open plan and enclosed offices, teaching spaces, breakout spaces, tea stations, tutorial rooms, reception areas and training rooms. The existing building was fully stripped out, including all mechanical and electrical services, in preparation for a full ‘grey-box’ fitout.
The multi-million fitout had an extremely tight programme – 20 weeks in total. Murcom was given possession of the building in May and had to have it handed over fully by the end of August in time for the new academic year. The strip-out works were completed in three weeks across all five floors, leaving 17 weeks to fit out fully. Any delay in the teaching of classes would have been disastrous for the RCSI Estates team, but thankfully Murcom was able to complete the works on time.
The high-end finish, intricate paint finishes, glazed partitions, complex joinery and M&E were all key components of the fitout. The Murcom team hopes that this project will put them in the shop window of more potential clients and showcase them as one of the leading fitout contractors in the Dublin area. They are proud of this work and hope that the finished fitout is a happy home for the thousands of students that will pass through the teaching spaces in years to come, and a comfortable and inviting office space for the RCSI staff. Murcom collaborated with McCauley Daye O’Connell Architects, engineers FDA & Associates, quantity surveyors Buildcost, Ascough CE (M&E Services) and BB7 (Fire/DAC) on the project.
The Museum Building at TCD was built between 1853 and ’57, and was designed by celebrated architects Deane & Woodward. It houses the Geology faculty of the University and accordingly is constructed from a wide and varied selection of different forms of stone – calp, Ballyknockan granite, Irish marbles, Portland stone, Cornish serpentine, natural Welsh slate and copper on the roof. The site is located between New Square and College Park in Trinity College Campus.
The scope of works included replacement of slate finish to entire roof area – both inner and outer pitches; replacement of all copper and lead work; repairs and replacement to cast iron rainwater goods; replacement of hardwood timber external doors onto roof; replacement of flat roofing membrane; replacement of four rooflights, two apex / conical rooflights and two 18-metre long linear pitched rooflights; and repairs to chimney pointing and flashings throughout.
Having tendered for this project in April 2020 – in the middle of the first Covid-19 lockdown – Murcom was awarded the contract in October 2020 with works scheduled to commence in May 2021. Large format slates were ordered in November 2020 to allow for their 16-week lead time.
The challenges presented in terms of procurement of materials, getting materials to site and then the actual carrying out of the works were overcome by careful management, planning and good communication lines between all stakeholders. Careful collaboration with the design team on control samples of work allowed for careful discussion and deliberation on each element, and resulted in the end product being of the utmost standard of conservation practice.
The TCD project was under close scrutiny from the design team and the client at all times due to the nature of the work, age of the building and the prestige of the building. The completed works surpassed all expectations. Murcom worked hand-in-hand with architect Fitzgerald Kavanagh & Partners Ltd and FDA Consulting Engineers throughout the project.
Murcom has since commenced the restoration and refurbishment of the TCD Printing House which will house the famous Book of Kells when completed. The company also has live projects in DCU, LMETB Training Centre in Navan, Maynooth University as well as in Rathmolyon, Co. Meath where it is involved in a residential development. Another current project is in the Phoenix Park for the OPW where Murcom is restoring an old building that suffered extensive fire damage. In addition, Murcom has just commenced another multi-million commercial office fitout for a private client in North Co. Dublin.
“Our turnover is increasing every year and that’s largely down to repeat business. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our clients, suppliers and design teams for their continued support, and our staff and subcontractors for their hard work, dedication and expertise,” David concludes.
Murcom
Unit 12,
Dunboyne Business Park,
Dunboyne,
Co. Meath,
A86 RY95.
Telephone: +353 (0)1 505 4999
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.murcom.ie
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, June 2023, Vol 9 No 6
