For their stunning achievement in expertly overcoming numerous challenges and obstacles to successfully deliver the landmark NYX Hotel, Portobello, Stewart Construction have been deservedly shortlisted for a 2024 Irish Construction Industry Award.
As well as being a historic building in that it is Ireland’s first-ever hotel opened under the new NYX brand, the magnificent NYX Hotel, Portobello is also a wondrous feat of engineering and construction ingenuity, delivered to the highest standards of excellence, on time and within budget by the industry-leading team at Stewart Construction – an award-winning and innovative construction company with a long history of accomplishment and integrity.
Unsurprisingly, this exemplary, standard-setting project has been shortlisted as a finalist in the prestigious ‘Contractor Tourism & Hospitality Project of the Year – Hotel’ category at the upcoming 2024 Irish Construction Industry Awards, which will be staged in the Dublin Royal Convention Centre on Thursday, November 7th.
Demonstrating remarkable consistency, Stewart Construction will be in the running for no fewer than three ICI Awards on the night, having also been shortlisted in the ‘Contractor Industrial Project of the Year’ category for Integer, Parkmore East, Galway while Mercy Secondary School, Kilbeggan, County Westmeath is nominated for the ‘Contractor Education Project of the Year’.
The NYX Hotel, a brand coming for the first time to Ireland, is owned by Leonardo Hotels (formerly Jurys Inn). Delivered on a Design & Build basis, this history-making project comprised the construction of a new six-storey, 175-bedroom hotel overlooking the Grand Canal in Portobello on the south side of Dublin City, within a five-minute walk of Camden Street and Iveagh Gardens. Works included demolition of the existing Portobello Harbour House building and a light industrial warehouse.
Rory Harte, who was Contracts Manager on the project, is understandably pleased that the impressive new Dublin 8 hotel has been recognised by the ICI judges: “We are absolutely delighted to be shortlisted. As a company, it’s always nice to have the work that you’ve done recognised.”
It was a complex project, with many challenges presented, not least in relation to location. “The façade of the building is located just metres from the Grand Canal and a foundation solution had to be found and implemented as well as a solution to avoid water ingress into the basement. It was also an extremely tight site, with limited space to operate within. The site was effectively the footprint of the building.”
Stewart Construction in collaboration with the design team reviewed all options available in relation to the most optimal foundation design solution. Through careful review and further testing carried out by Stewart Construction, it was determined that CFA piling would have the least impact on local residents. The Eastern elevation of the building was within four metres of the Grand Canal, resulting in the need for secant piles to prevent water ingress into the basement.
The structure is predominantly in-situ reinforced concrete frame with block work infill and pre-formed wind posts to provide wind stability. SFS and structural steel were also utilised. The external envelope is a combination of traditional brick work, brick slips, stone cladding, curtain walling and window systems, all of which required intensive coordination.
The project involved the demolition of the existing two-to-four-storey buildings at the site and the construction of a new six-storey-over-basement, 175-bedroom hotel of approximately 5,775m2 with terraces at the fourth floor facing south and east, as well as a setback terrace (non-public access) at the fourth floor (northern elevation); all ancillary areas including staff areas, external service yard to the west, welcome / reception, bar, licensed restaurant, gym, meeting room / business library, laundry and electric substation and transformer all located at ground floor level; 16 cycle spaces at ground floor levels, hotel bedrooms at ground floor (fronting onto Grand Canal) and from first to fifth floor levels across the building; ancillary basement areas include plant room, staff-room / kitchen and changing areas; canopy to entrance onto existing plaza, roof plant area and green roof and all ancillary site development / boundary works all on a site of approx. 0.13ha at 17 Portobello Harbour and Portobello College, Portobello Harbour, Dublin 8.
NYX Portobello was delivered within budget, on time, safely and in exceedance of the client’s expectations satisfying the four pillars of construction industry metrics. Delivering this project required great personal effort and dedication from all members of the Stewart Construction team in order to meet and surmount the challenges of the project build phase.
The most pleasing aspect of the project? “The quality of the finish is something we are immensely proud of,” says Rory. “This was realised through a collaborative approach. We used a combination of our repeat supply chain members as well as sourcing some new supply chain members with a proven track record of delivering a high-quality finish in the hotel sector.”
The project took 23 months to complete and the new hotel opened to the public on schedule in January, 2024. At the height of the works, there were up to 200 personnel onsite, all working closely together to achieve the same vision, with innovation, sustainability and exacting craftsmanship always front and centre.
The contracts manager attributes the success of the project to four factors: “We had an excellent collaborative relationship with our client, a key requirement to successfully deliver any D&B project from design concept to a turnkey handover. Secondly, we had strong design team who delivered a well thought out design keeping pace with a tight programme.
“In addition, we had an first class supply chain with a proven track record of delivering to the highest standards in the hospitality sector. Finally, we had a highly committed site management team with everybody understanding their roles and performing them to an exceptionally high standard.”
Stewart Construction is proud to be one of Ireland’s longest established building contractors, having been in business for 122 years and counting. As a fourth generation, family managed company, Stewart prides itself on its reputation for consistently delivering quality projects with an innovative approach.
Covering all sectors of the industry – Commercial, Industrial, Residential, Healthcare, Data Centres, Conservation and Education – Stewart Construction is a forerunner in innovative Design & Build and turnkey projects. Their people collaborate well with design teams and encourage flexibility and communication, often resulting in alternative design solutions which produce cost, programme and environmental benefits.
Stewart Construction,
43 Lower Salthill,
Galway.
Tel: 091 524 455
Email: [email protected]
Web: stewart.ie
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, January, Vol 11 No 1
featured, Stewart Construction
