Sisk celebrated a hat-trick of successes at the Irish Construction Excellence (ICE) Awards 2026, including the Healthcare award for its work on the new Acute Inpatient Ward Block – Phase 1 at University Hospital Limerick (UHL).
The 96-bed Acute Hospital provided an incredibly unique challenge and is one of Sisk’s flagship projects as it required building a hospital on top of an existing hospital, within a live hospital campus. The project required the vertical and horizontal extension over the existing 24-hour Emergency and Renal departments. This involved multiple interfaces across logistical, structural, fire integrity, architectural, mechanical and electrical whilst maintaining the on-going operations of the hospital.
The project was delivered successfully by Sisk who will shortly commence work on a second adjoining 96-bed unit at the Dooradoyle campus. A company statement for the opening of Phase 1 read: “A huge thank you to the HSE, HSE Capital & Estates, University Hospital Limerick, the design and professional team, campus stakeholders, and our supply chain partners for their collaboration and commitment throughout the delivery of this important project.
“Their shared expertise and dedication were key to its success. We also wish to thank the hospital staff, service users, and visitors for their patience, cooperation, and understanding during the works. Their support and tolerance were invaluable to the successful delivery of the project.”
UHL was one of three winning Sisk projects at the ICE Awards which were held at Dublin’s International Convention Centre recently. The Tier 1 contractor was also delighted to win in the Residential Private Over €80m and Civil Engineering €20m-€50m categories for Belmayne and Killaloe Bypass, Shannon Bridge Crossing and R494 Improvement respectively.
Founded in 1993, the ICE Awards are the original and premier recognition of performance excellence for the construction sector in Ireland, and provide an opportunity for the industry to showcase and reward best practice across the full range of construction disciplines and project categories.
“It was a difficult and challenging project with 43 live interfaces. The new four-storey acute inpatient ward extension was designed to significantly increase the HSE bed capacity and improve patient flow in the Mid-West region,” contracts manager Roy Browne says.
The project commenced in September 2022 at a tender value of €77m and was completed in October 2025 at a final cost of €80m via a traditional Employers Design Government Form of Contract following a two-stage tender procurement process. It was a significant undertaking for the hospital and surrounding area given the portfolio which already existed in terms of patient numbers, traffic congestion, parking availability and the urban environment.
Developed in a new block linked to UHL’s critical care facilities, the beds are configured in four storeys of 24 en-suite single rooms and bring the hospital’s inpatient bed capacity to 650. Providing two new wards for older persons, one renal ward and one trauma ward, the single rooms maximise protection for patients with infection prevention and control requirements. Each of the four wards has purpose-designed specialist rooms, including a bariatric room, two isolation rooms and one disabled-access room.
Rooms on each ward are arranged in three groups of eight, with one nursing and support station for each group. All rooms have views either across Limerick city or over landscaped courtyards, benefiting from natural light and ventilation for patient wellbeing. The spacious rooms are designed to better facilitate family contact, and each ward has its own waiting area and family meeting room. Meanwhile, the new bed capacity has also facilitated redesignation of two new medical wards within the wider hospital and will allow for improved patient flow across the hospital.
Sisk appointed a public liaison officer to ensure all external stakeholders requirements and concerns were addressed. Green Travel Plans, Park & Ride, Just in Time deliveries, Working Hours tracking, Monitoring (Noise, Dust, Vibration) and Visual Impact assessments were implemented with continual compliance auditing completed for ensuring concerns were addressed.
Due to the logistical challenges the project presented, the campus haul road was re-routed from an anticlockwise to a clockwise direction with a new exit formed onto Nessans Road. Satellite clinics and offices were relocated for site works and hospital parking requirements. Ambulance blue routes, emergency department access roads, staff and public traffic routing had to be maintained throughout all works.
The success of delivery can be attributed to the practicable techniques applied. The basics of workshops as opposed to correspondence, site walks as opposed to virtual meetings and a continual open door communication process ensured that all parties were collaborative, innovative and above all trusted that the project goals were being achieved.
A key challenge to the project was the integration of the live hospital. This was in various forms, but the key areas were structurally in the form of the main frame and facade, mechanically and electrically in the form of the hospital services.
The existing hospital was built with the capacity for the four-floor extension designed into the structural frame. The structural steel frame connection point on the existing frame was within the live hospital environment. Each individual connection involved the removal of the roof membrane, temporarily weathering the connection point, installing the new steelwork and re-sealing in the temporary condition until the permanent works were completed. Each connection point was itemised on an access schedule agreed with the hospital, out of hours works were required to sterilise areas within live wards for the installation of temporary protection measures and all works were carried out in a precise and controlled manner.
Sisk is synonymous with excellence and quality, guided by its values of care, integrity and excellence. Founded in 1859, it has grown from a small local builder into an international construction company. Five generations later, Sisk remains a private family-owned business, employing 1,500 people in Ireland and over 5,000 supply chain partners across Ireland, the UK and Europe.
Sisk is proud to have played a key role in the development of modern Ireland and continues to lead some of the most iconic building projects as well as delivering homes and major road and rail infrastructure projects. The company trusts in the skills and vision of its people to drive a relentless spirit of innovation, and to care about how it builds and what it leaves behind, so you can too.
What makes Sisk stand out is its belief in real client collaboration and driving value in every project without any compromises on safety. The Tier 1 contractor works extensively with the FDI sector across Data and Technology, Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences as well as Infrastructure, Transportation, Healthcare, Commercial, Residential, Retail, Industrial, Leisure, Education and Energy.
Sisk promotes safety, welfare, training, non-discrimination and charity to support confidence and morale across a healthy diverse community. It is acutely aware of the impacts of construction projects on the local environment and engages with all stakeholders, including the local community, clients, end-user groups, regulatory and professional bodies at an early stage as part of the project design, and throughout construction.
The company’s contribution to social progress ranges from its inclusive recruitment and career development opportunities, safety system, training and recruitment of apprentices, donations of time and finance to charitable causes, providing training to local schools, providing local employment and trade, and supporting local community organisations.
Sisk is active in Ireland, the UK and several countries across Europe, including Sweden, Holland, Denmark and Croatia. One of the construction sector’s social highlights each year are the John Sisk & Son Supply Chain Awards, which recognise excellence among the company’s supply chain partners across Ireland and Europe, and show appreciation for all the great work done together.
Sisk spends over €1b annually across its supply chain of almost 8,000 companies. Over 70 sub-contractors and suppliers are shortlisted for awards, being nominated by each of Sisk’s business units and procurement respectively. Each business unit then selects its ‘Best Supply Chain Partner of the Year’ from the proposed shortlist following a thorough evaluation process.
Sisk (John Sisk & Son)
Dublin Head Office:
3007 Lake Drive,
Citywest,
Dublin 24,
D24 N2HR.
Telephone: +353 (0)1 409 1500
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.sisk.com
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, Autumn 2026, Vol 12 No 10
