Established in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, Bridgewater Construction Ltd has enjoyed a meteoric rise which has seen it shortlisted for its second Irish Construction Excellence Award and is now embarking on a massive 275-home development at Waterfall Heights in Bishopstown.
Specialising in property development, design & build contracting, project management & consulting, the Cork-based company is delighted to be a finalist in the ‘Residential Private Development €10-€50m’ category for its successful delivery of Arlington, Kerry Pike. 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.
For Arlington, Kerry Pike, Bridgewater Construction’s services were tailored to its client’s (Bridgewater Homes) exact requirements in a flexible and bespoke fashion to deliver the project on time and within budget. This project in the North Co. Cork village of Kerry Pike was Bridgewater’s fourth development and comprised 21 A2-energy rated three and four bed semi-detached and four-bed detached homes.
“It’s our second time to be shortlisted for an ICE Award – we were previously nominated for Bessboro Park which was our first major development consisting of 143 units and a creche in Blackrock – so we’re very happy about that,” says Paul Barrett, who runs Bridgewater Construction along with Dave Walsh.
“We are very proud of the team working within the different developments and bringing their own different skills which combined, led to a high-quality housing project in the North Cork region. We are delighted to have built Arlington which is becoming a new small community within Kerry Pike, providing a sense of connection, support and a high quality of life for its residents.”
Bridgewater Construction worked closely with Dave Butler and the design team at O’Shea Leader to ensure that the final design was both aesthetically attractive and structurally sound, while also identifying cost-saving and value engineering opportunities. It also enjoyed an excellent relationship with subcontractors and suppliers on the project. Effective collaboration helped Bridgewater to understand the client’s needs and expectations.
The co-directors leveraged their team’s extensive construction expertise to ensure successful delivery of the Arlington project. This involved a multi-faceted approach encompassing detailed planning, resource management, quality assurance, budget management and adherence, time management and problem solving. Bridgewater also introduced innovative construction methods to increase efficiency and sustainability.
Successful collaboration and interfacing with the key stakeholders were achieved by implementing the principles of Lean Construction. Effective communication throughout each phase was established at the outset and was founded on a client-centric approach, along with Bridgewater’s commitment to quality and risk management. Regular meetings and reporting schedules were agreed with the client, while official communication channels were also agreed with all stakeholders at the beginning of the project.
With four prestigious private housing developments under its belt – Bessboro Park, Baker’s Field in Watergrasshill (16 units), Lisnagar Gardens in Rathcormac (62 units) and Arlington – Bridgewater Construction isn’t resting on its laurels and recently commenced its largest project to date in Bishopstown. The 275-unit Waterfall Heights is an exceptional development offering residents the perfect place to call home, with its superior quality finishes, irresistible charm and unmatched class, all in a great location on the outskirts of Cork City.
“We finished Arlington last summer and have since moved on to Waterfall Heights which is one of the biggest developments taking place in Cork at present,” Paul explains.
“We’re also building 98 new homes in Glenwood, Fermoy and 30 apartments in Glanmire for the approved housing body, Focus Ireland. The new housing market is buoyant at the moment. There are currently 30,000 units per year being built in Ireland, but the Government wants to double that amount to 60,000 between now and 2040.
“The demand for housing is at an all-time high.”
Although Bridgewater is a relatively new name in property development / main contracting, the company can draw on a wealth of construction experience. By combining their expertise in construction, development and investment, Paul and Dave have been able to create a diverse company which serves as one point of contact for all-inclusive development, design & build and main contracting solutions as well as offering keen investment opportunities.
Employing 25 people directly and over 300 tried and tested subcontractors, Bridgewater has protocols in place to ensure its team have thorough sustainability awareness. The company has adopted a sustainability system to align its sustainability actions with its core objectives.
Furthermore, Bridgewater Construction has been assessed and approved by QAS International in management systems, standards and guidelines: ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001. From concept to completion, its architects and engineers utilise Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Lean Construction methods to increase efficiency and improve upon each project’s value. Bridgewater is also registered with Homebond and Construction Industry Register Ireland (CIRI).
The Bridgewater team are not only compliant with expected norms, but are ahead of the curve. All safety measures, from assessing risk to training and day-to-day troubleshooting, are acted upon with the utmost importance. On the Arlington project, the project team’s goal was to ensure zero injury or harm by eliminating and minimising so far as was reasonably practicable, the causes of hazards inherent in the working environment. That goal was duly achieved.
As an organisation, Bridgewater attaches the greatest importance to the Health & Safety of all those employed on its projects and facilities. The South Douglas Road-headquartered company has a team of advisors who continually ensure that the highest Health & Safety standards are implemented and maintained across all projects.
“Since our inception in 2020, we have had to overcome a host of challenges, including Covid, spiralling inflation, Brexit and the war in Ukraine. The pandemic was particularly challenging, not least because we were in lockdown for the first three or four months of business. But we have come out on the right side of it and are eager to remain on an upward trajectory over the coming years,” Paul concludes.
As Bridgewater Construction continues to go from strength to strength, Pual and Dave would like to take this opportunity to thank their clients, suppliers and design teams for their continued support as well as their direct employees and subcontractors for their hard work, dedication and expertise.
Bridgewater Construction Ltd
Unit 2,
South Douglas Road,
Cork,
T12 HFE0.
Telephone: 021 242 7072
Email: [email protected]
Web: bridgewaterconstruction.ie
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, June 2024, Vol 10 No 6
