JLL’s position as Ireland’s leading project management specialist was recognised at the Fit Out Awards 2019 where it was shortlisted for Project Management Firm of the Year and project managed Autodesk’s 1 Windmill Lane project which won two awards.
Launched in 2012, the Fit Out Awards celebrate excellence in the execution of world-class fit outs and also the people and clients who drive these projects. Each year, the awards have grown in scale and companies from all over Ireland come together, network, collaborate and showcase their work.
JLL is no stranger to these awards which were presented at the Clayton Hotel Burlington Road, Dublin on November 27 last. Senior Director Andrew McCracken, Director Dara Byrne and Associate Louise Dwyer are past winners of the Fit Out Project Manager of the Year accolade and last year they were part of a team, which also included Leticia Wanderley (Project Manager), Bryan Moran (Project Manager), Oliver Held (Associate), Victoria Mooney (Team Administrator), Denis Doherty (Senior Building Surveyor), James McManus (Senior Building Surveyor) and Ryan McManus (Building Surveyor), that was a finalist in the Project Management Firm of the Year category.
Disappointingly, they were pipped at the post for the award, but considerable consolation was taken from Autodesk’s success in winning the Fit Out Project of the Year – Large Office and Overall Fit Out Project of the Year for its remastering of Dublin’s iconic Windmill Lane.
“Whilst we were disappointed to miss out on the Fit Out Project Management Firm of the Year award, we were delighted to project manage the Windmill Lane project for Autodesk which stole the show on the night,” says Andrew McCracken, who has been with JLL for 30 years and formed the company’s Project and Development Services department shortly after the merger of Lang Wooton and LaSalle in 1999.
“We put a strong team together for that project and delivered on our client’s wish to create a dynamic, technologically advanced, collaborative workspace inspired by the history of Dublin. Valued at €10 million, the office fit out was completed over two phases between November 2017 and July 2019. We are extremely happy with how it turned out.”
A Fortune 500 company with an annual turnover of $16.3 billion and a global staff of 92,000, JLL is a leading professional services firm that specialises in real estate and investment management. Its main offices are located in Chicago and London, while 95 people are employed at its Dublin office on Hatch Street Upper. JLL’s vision is to reimagine the world of real estate, creating rewarding opportunities and amazing spaces where people can achieve their ambitions. In doing so, the company builds a better tomorrow for its clients, its people and its communities.
All of JLL’s procedures and processes are ISO 9001 approved, while the company is also a founder member of the Irish Green Building Council. As one of the world’s most ethical companies, JLL’s relationships with its clients, partners and contractors are above reproach.
JLL’s Project and Development Services team, which has constantly grown since its formation in 2002, is a diverse blend of cultures and skills that allows it to tailor-make teams for its clients. The team is a specialist one that focuses specifically on Fit Out and Building Consultancy Services to their clients.
The team has completed some of the largest fit outs in Ireland over the past three years and continues to go from strength to strength. It has managed 150 projects since 2013 ranging from 500m2 to 18,000m2 and budgets varying from €200,000 to €35 million. JLL’s people is its greatest asset and the blend of skills and experience has led to the success it is today. Clients continue to return year after year with repeat business – the ultimate test of service offering.
As well as winning the Fit Out Project Manager of the Year award in the three years it has entered this category, JLL has had three award-winning projects and numerous projects nominated each year. Completing 30-plus fit out projects a year for a wide range of local and multinational clients with over €50 million of annual spend confirms JLL’s position as the leader in Fit Out Project Management in Ireland.
Other notable projects the JLL project management team has completed recently include Northern Trust, Limerick Office Fit Out; Metlife, Galway; Vertium Office Fit Out; CDB Aviation Office Fit Out and CMIG Aviation Office Fit Out.
JLL completed the 10th phase of expansion in Northern Trust in Limerick in July 2019. Having started with 40 staff in 2006, the business has expanded to over 1,700, with each phase bringing new design ideas and innovations. This is the finest example of a client who has repeatedly come back to JLL for project management services.
Metlife said of JLL’s work on their project in Galway, which was completed in two phases this year: “Our experience with JLL has been absolutely superb. Despite all the challenges, they managed to deliver the projects on time and under budget in each instance.
“Andrew McCracken, in particular, has gone over and above all expectations, stepping in to solve every problem and issue as quickly and proactively as possible, even those that would normally not fall into the project management scope of work. They have been true and trusted partners throughout the project.”
With the Vertium Office Fit Out, which was valued at over €35 million and took 36 weeks to complete, the client wanted to provide a bespoke office delivering a mix of different environments to complement their diverse workforce and the nature of their business. The mix of different spaces were to be connected seamlessly with the introduction of atrium staircases and an open plan feel throughout. JLL project managed the entire process from base build project monitoring, design, procurement, construction and closeout.
JLL also project managed the CDB Aviation Leasing’s Office Fit Out in Dublin from inception to completion, achieving the client’s request for a stunning open feeling space with extravagance, fine finishing and a touch of the Chinese culture throughout. The project was completed in line with programme and budget with minimal snags.
The CMIG Aviation Leasing project was completed in Design and Build format with a brief from the client requiring a “clean, bright and modern space incorporating Aviation into design”. The CMIG team, whose experience of fit outs was minimal, noted after completion how it was an enjoyable and rewarding experience to work alongside their award-winning project management partners.
JLL Ireland
Styne House,
Hatch Street Upper,
Dublin, D02 DY27
Telephone: 01 673 1600
Web: www.jll.ie
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, April 2020, Vol 6 No 2
