When an Ireland building contractor sought products to manage the stormwater runoff for 14 new primary care facilities, they found a solution manufactured by CULTEC, Inc., an American family-owned and -operated firm based in Brookfield, Conn.
The 14 centers are based in the following regions: HSE West, HSE South, HSE Dublin Mid Leinster and HSE Dublin North East. Balfour Beatty and JJ Rhatigan contracted with CULTEC to supply stormwater chambers for five new project locations. All five projects that utilized the CULTEC chambers were completed between December 2016 and March 2017.
Ireland’s then-Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin, announced in July 2012 the government’s intention to build 14 primary care centers to help address the nation’s health needs. The facilities provide comprehensive medical care, including community nursing services, general practitioners, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and home help/support staff. The new clinics also provide dental services, mental health services, early intervention teams and on-call doctor services.
CULTEC chambers were used in the construction of centers in Ballymote, Westport, Tuam, and Waterford City. In Waterford City, about 100 miles south of Dublin, two new primary care centers were constructed.
Crews used CULTEC’s Recharger 902HD stormwater chambers in the construction of the five facilities. In total, Balfour Beatty used 352 CULTEC chambers to manage the stormwater runoff. With a bare chamber storage capacity of 17.66 ft³/ft the ultra-high capacity 902HD model offers the benefit of minimizing project costs by maximizing storage volume in a specific footprint.
“CULTEC chambers were considered for use on nearly every project”, according to David Newman, a stormwater attenuation specialist at SEWES, an authorized CULTEC distributor. “The 48-inch tall 902HD was chosen in part because it reduced the overall footprint of the project compared to other chambers that were available,’’ Newman said.
Newman said he uses CULTEC’s chambers exclusively when he is involved in these types of projects. “They have great diversity,’’ Newman said. “Their chambers cater to different ground conditions and water levels.”
“The product is recognized in the market as being superior in terms of structural performance,’’ Newman added. “You know what you’re putting into the ground is not going to collapse. The service and technical assistance are also excellent. CULTEC’s service was an important consideration in choosing them for this project.”
Many construction project managers have noted additional benefits of CULTEC’s chambers, including their easy storage, transporting and assembling capabilities. The individual units stockpile on pallets and are then configured according to design at the work site. “CULTEC trained us on doing the installation and their products met our expectations 100 percent,’’ Newman said.
The new facilities are a public private partnership (PPP) that aims to shift some of the healthcare burden from hospitals to community facilities. European Investment Bank helped fund the project, its first healthcare investment in Ireland and its first support of any primary healthcare program in Europe.
Ireland’s government built the new centers as part of an economic stimulus plan and as part of a response to increased need to handle health issues in areas in which the population is expanding. The primary care centers had been originally proposed in 2008. A lingering economic crisis delayed construction of many public projects.
Prior to the construction of the primary care centers, Newman said less densely populated areas in Ireland were suffering from a lack of updated infrastructure. Now, with the help from CULTEC, residents in some of Ireland’s growing regions have much better access to contemporary healthcare.
“Our client is very happy,’’ Newman said. “We performed what we said we were going to do. The primary care centers are now brand spanking new and residents are very pleased with what they have in their communities.”
About CULTEC
CULTEC, Inc., manufacturer of the Contactor® and Recharger® plastic septic and stormwater chambers, is a family-owned and operated company with experience in the drainage industry dating back to the 1950’s. Introducing its Contactor and Recharger chambers to the industry in 1986, CULTEC helped begin a revolution toward using plastic construction products. Since then, several product developments and strategic alliances have made CULTEC a cutting-edge R&D-based manufacturer.
