McCabe Architects celebrated 10 years in business with the recent opening of a second office in Sligo to cater for its growing customer-base along the west coast.
It’s been an eventful year for McCabe Architects who, due to continued growth, opened an office at Finisklin Road, Sligo. The opening comes a decade after architect Declan McCabe (MRIAI) founded the highly-regarded practice at Old Laghey Road in Donegal Town.
“We have a lot of clients in Sligo so it made sense for us to open there. We had the official opening in April and it’s been a great success so far. We’re getting enquiries from as far away as Galway, which probably wouldn’t have happened before this. The Sligo office will allow us to expand our service to Leitrim, Roscommon, Mayo and Galway,” the affable practice principal enthuses.
Specialising in architecture planning, interior design, building survey reports and energy consultation, the RIAI-registered practice has undertaken a number of award-winning projects nationally and internationally, and has gained national acclaim in recent years for the architectural and cultural success of its ecclesiastical projects. The uniqueness of many of its residential, commercial and mixed-use projects has been met with excellent levels of client satisfaction, commercial success and media praise.
The progressive practice aims to produce contemporary design, responding to and respecting the history of the contextual architecture whilst delivering practical and sustainable solutions. McCabe Architects is one of only a handful of practices in the north-west accredited in conservation, and specifically qualified to provide expert advice on conservation and adaptation of historic buildings and protected structures.
Exceeding clients’ expectations, taking concepts where they’ve never gone before and discovering singular design solutions for discerning patrons, all put high demand on the practice. Declan and his team have carved a niche for approaching ideas from new perspectives, with a serious respect for emerging technologies. The ongoing success of this approach is best demonstrated by the large number of repeat clients, and those who are referred by happy past customers.
While the principal service provided by McCabe Architects is architectural design and consultancy, its services also include interior design, building surveys, energy consultation, conservation, project management, mapping, 3D visualisation, service to law firms and agricultural consulting. The practice’s team of qualified architects and designers can plan and manage your entire project from start to finish, handling both large and small projects, including domestic, commercial and industrial builds.
“We employ nine staff, including three registered architects. Our professional and friendly staff are committed to providing complete customer satisfaction,” Declan says.
While most of the company’s work is concentrated in the north-west counties of Donegal, Sligo, Derry and Leitrim, it caters for clients throughout Ireland and the UK, including Dublin, Galway, Cork, Belfast and London. The practice’s approach to all projects is to firstly arrange a meeting with the client prior to the stage of planning in order to get to know them and hear their ideas. During this informal meeting, a brief based on the client’s needs, wants and budget will be created.
As McCabe Architects’ design process is deeply influenced by the site’s context, a site visit is essential before commencing the design stage. This is crucial as each project is tailored to consider its setting as well as the client’s brief and the building regulations. Once the brief has been created and the site has been chosen and visited, the McCabe team can begin formulating the design. They will meet with the local planning authority to ensure that they have the ‘go-ahead’ for the proposed build. McCabe Architects have vast knowledge of relevant planning regulations in Ireland and can therefore assist with designing a hassle-free construction.
McCabe Architects provides a comprehensive planning service relating to all building matters, from small-scale rural developments to multi-million euro urban developments. The practice enjoys an excellent working relationship with many local authorities in Ireland, and the high success rate of planning permissions granted to its clients is a measure of the extensive dialogue it has with the relevant planning departments.
When detailed drawings have been completed to the client’s specifications, the practice can then agree a price and ensure that the build the client gets is the one they had in mind. Once the building begins, the team will continually review and inspect the site to ensure that all work is being carried out as planned. Following a site visit, a detailed report is sent to the client to keep them up to date with how the project is progressing. These inspections ensure that the build is being constructed according to the building standards required by law.
Once these steps have been completed, McCabe Architects will provide all necessary certificates of compliance and an owner’s manual which helps the client understand how to run their new build efficiently.
As an accredited RIAI conservation architect, Declan McCabe offers expert skills in researching and analysing protected structures and buildings of historical significance, liaising with local authority conservation officers and preparing Conservation Reports and Architectural Heritage Impact Assessments. All staff at McCabe Architects have expertise in traditional building techniques and specifications. In addition to completing major conservation projects for clients, the company also provides specialist consultancy services to other architectural practices.
McCabe Architects has designed and project managed numerous projects in both the private and public sectors. It is currently working on a €1 million autism and special services unit for St. Brendan’s National School in Sligo, and the extension and refurbishment of offices for Ballybofey & Stranorlar Credit Union Ltd, having recently completed a similar contract for Donegal Town Credit Union Ltd, which was valued at €1.5 million. Upwards of 20 local building contractors avail of the company’s architectural services every year.
So why do so many people continue to choose the north-west practice? Declan replies: “We put a lot of emphasis on the design. We have a modern, clean, contemporary and unique style that appeals to the public. We also provide a prompt, quality and value-for-money service.”
Here’s to the next 10 years of McCabe Architects!
McCabe Architects (Donegal office)
Ardeskin,
Old Laghey Road,
Donegal Town,
Co. Donegal
Telephone: 074 9743012
McCabe Architects (Sligo office)
Brooks Business Centre,
Finisklin Road,
Sligo.
Telephone: 071 9300554
Web: www.mccabearchitects.ie
Taken from Building Ireland Magazine, October 2016, Vol 2 No 6
