James Lohan Consulting Engineers are a multi-disciplinary team of engineers and architects who offer a complete service ranging from initial assessment and conceptual drawings through planning applications to construction and supervision.
Located in the heart of Ireland, the practice serves Roscommon and the surrounding counties, including the midlands, west and south of Ireland. James Lohan Consulting Engineers is a medium-sized firm with 10 staff members who have expertise and a wealth of experience in the design, supervision, certification and legalities of all projects.
The Roscommon-based practice prides itself on having the knowledge and professionalism to drive your engineering or construction project from start to finish. In an ever-changing industry, it has invested in top-class technology and specialises in cutting-edge 3D visualisation solutions to visualise designing your dream home or extension. James Lohan Consulting Engineers are committed to providing the highest quality service and solutions at the most competitive of prices.
Structural reports, 3D Modelling, ICF (Insulated Concrete Formwork) and Insulated Passive Raft Foundation are the main services provided. James Lohan Consulting Engineers has earned an enviable reputation for supplying top engineering drawings / structural drawings raft design and ICF drawings. The consultancy deals with all the major ICF and insulated raft companies in Ireland, including Amvic, Castleforms and Thermohouse systems as well as KORE insulated raft.
ICF is an increasingly popular method of building construction using lightweight and hollow insulation forms that fit together and are then filled with concrete. Once set, the concrete becomes a high-strength structure and the formwork remains in place as thermal insulation.
A building constructed using the Amvic, Castleforms or Thermohouse ICF systems will achieve far higher thermal, sound and fire performance standards than traditional construction methods such as block or timber frame, and at a much lower cost for comparable performance than any other building system available today. A house built with ICF systems will easily meet the building regulation’s requirements for air-tightness, junction thermal bridging minimisation and U-Value needed for an A3-rated home as standard.
The ICF systems can be used to construct any kind of building, including residential developments, self-build homes and extensions, basement and earth-sheltered development, commercial units and industrial buildings. KORE has been providing Ireland and the UK with high-quality expanded polystyrene solutions since 1997.
KORE’s Insulated Foundation System offers many benefits over building with traditional raft or strip foundations. The foundation system wraps an entire ground floor in a continuous layer of EPS insulation, virtually eliminating the critical wall-to-floor cold bridge while reducing the amount of concrete required by approximately 40%. The unique system provides U-values as low as 0.10W/m2K.
The on-site benefits of the system include speed of construction, allowing companies to build 25% or more units per year at a cost comparable or below that of a traditional foundation. The system provides confidence to builders, increases the safety and welfare of workers on-site, reduces the embodied carbon by eliminating block work from the substructure and by reducing the overall concrete required by approximately 40%. Furthermore, the system reduces waste on site by about two-thirds.
KORE’s Insulated Foundation is suitable for most ground conditions and build types, including masonry, timber frame, ICF, SIPs and steel frame.
“We deal with all the main ICF companies in Ireland in overseeing the structures. In many cases, we pick up from other engineering firms who secured planning permission left off and see projects through to their completion. We offer the full package,” says Aaron Gill, who is a BIM engineer / architectural technologist with James Lohan Consulting Engineers.
“ICF and Insulated Passive Raft Foundation is a hot topic within our firm and now accounts for 60% of all building projects we are involved in compared to 40% traditional build. We’re currently working on 150 different projects which are a mix of ICF and traditional builds.”
While James Lohan Consulting Engineers are a leading name in the residential sector, they are also engaged in a number of commercial projects, including a proposed 80,000 sq. ft. unit for a mixed engineering firm in Ballinasloe, Co. Galway, for which planning has recently been lodged. They are currently also involved in the supervision of a small student accommodation block in Galway city.
In addition, James Lohan Consulting Engineers provide structural reports for many clients. A structural report is strongly recommended when you intend to purchase an old building or check on the quality of a build before your purchase a new property. The report will highlight any areas of concern and provide information, conclusions and recommendations should any defects be identified, saving thousands of euros to potential buyers.
James Lohan Consulting Engineers is fronted by James Lohan who is a chartered building engineer by profession. He would like to take this opportunity to thank his clients and suppliers for their continued support, and his team members for their hard work, dedication and expertise.
James Lohan Consulting Engineers
Unit 5,
Ballypheason House,
Circular Road,
Roscommon,
F42 C982.
Telephone: 090 6634365
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.jlce.ie
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, January 2024, Vol 10 No 1
