Celebrating 35 years in business, ML Quinn Construction is thrilled to be a finalist in the Irish Construction Excellence Awards in the ‘Residential, Social & Affordable Housing Up to €5 million’ category for Cox’s Demesne, Phase 2 in Dundalk.
Established in Newry in April 1988, ML Quinn Construction is a family-run business that offers a full range of construction services to the residential, education, healthcare, leisure and industrial sectors. The company is fronted by Larry and Rosaleen Quinn who employ 20 people directly and many more on a subcontract basis. Larry and Rosaleen’s sons Caolan, Fearghus and Ruairi are involved in MLQ Construction Ltd, which is a sister company based in Omeath, Co. Louth.
Boasting a portfolio of over 350 projects across the Republic of Ireland, ML Quinn Construction prides itself on developing excellence in all aspects of building construction. The work it undertakes varies in type and size from small projects up to €20 million. The company is constantly evolving to best meet the needs of its clients, who it has developed long-lasting relationships with over the years.
The Quinn team delivers projects of the highest standards on time and within budget. Their nomination for the Irish Construction Excellence Awards (ICE Awards) in 2019, 2020 and now in 2023 is testament to their level of commitment to their Quality Management Program, making them the builders of choice for so many. Founded in 1993, the 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’re delighted to be shortlisted for these prestigious awards once again. It reflects well on the whole team,” Rosaleen enthuses.
Cox’s Demesne is an urban area in Dundalk that has been developed over the last 70 years. It comprises mostly social residential housing accommodation, a church, a few shops and a garage. There are a number of businesses located in an industrial area on Ecco Road. ML Quinn Construction was tasked by Louth County Council with removing / modifying the existing boundary walls and developing 22 new residential units consisting of 14 apartments (six one-bed and eight two-bed), four two-storey three-bed houses, two two-storey four-bed houses and two single-storey two bed units.
In addition, a new internal distributor road providing access to the site from Patrick Tierney Crescent / Ecco Road to the Aisling Park was also constructed along with new raised table junctions on Ecco Road and pedestrian access from Aisling Park, Ecco Road / Patrick Tierney Crescent and the Castletown Road. ML Quinn Construction worked hand-in-hand with Louth County Council, engineer Donal Higgins of Hayes Higgins Partnership and architect Donal Walsh of Walsh Associates to deliver the project.
The area where the works were undertaken was an old landfill site, which prior to development was being used as a dumping ground. Needless to say, this project has had a very positive impact on the environment. The entire area has been regenerated and cleaned up.
“We worked with an excellent design team, ensuring the budget and programme was kept on target while delivering a housing scheme that was pleasing for the environment and had a positive impact on its residents. We achieved the required levels of quality, sustainability and regulatory requirements of the client,” Rosaleen adds.
The Cox’s Demesne project provided many challenges, all of which were overcome by ML Quinn Construction with the minimum of fuss. As a landfill, there was an increased risk of high levels of Radon and Methane Gas. Highly specified technical details were followed to mitigate against increased exposure to these gases. Piling was also required.
Special detail was also given to mitigate against flooding with each ground floor accommodation being provided with a flood barrier protection system. Furthermore, unrecorded existing services were found during initial excavation. This required all areas for excavation to be scanned prior to any works being undertaken. Health & Safety was a priority – daily toolbox talks were undertaken with all operatives to inform them of the risk of working with underground cables.
The project was within a confined space within an existing housing estate. A public pedestrian walkway went through the middle of the site, which was maintained at all times for use by local residents. This walkway was kept safe for public use.
Keeping noise, dust and disruption to a minimum was essential for good relations with local residents. Start times and working hours were agreed and maintained throughout the project. With Covid-19 still at large during the build, all Health & Safety policies and guidance from the HSE and CIF were adhered to. A Covid-19 compliance officer and deputy were appointed to deal with any issues that arose onsite with regard to the virus.
ML Quinn Construction is currently building 31 social houses in Lusk, Co. Dublin for Túath Housing and will shortly commence works on another social housing scheme for Louth County Council in Drogheda consisting of 72 units. Once again, the Co. Down-based contractor is collaborating with the design team at Donal Walsh Architects on the Lusk project.
“We’ve carried out many social housing projects for the likes of Louth County Council, South Dublin County Council, Fingal County Council and Túath over the years. We’ve also undertaken a number of school projects for the Department of Education,” Rosaleen explains.
As it continues to go from strength to strength, ML Quinn Construction would like to take this opportunity to thank its clients, suppliers and design teams for their support as well as its top-class team and subcontractors for their hard work, dedication and expertise.
Here’s to the next 35 years of this successful family business!
ML Quinn Construction
108 Carrickgollogly Road,
Belleeks,
Newry,
Co. Down,
BT35 7QS.
Telephone: 0044 (0)2830 879300
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.mlquinnconstruction.com
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, August 2023, Vol 9 No 8
