Goldsmith Engineering offer specialist Fire Engineering design solutions to the Construction Industry and have been involved in some of Ireland’s most prestigious and exciting building projects. They also offer an expert Assigned Certifier service through their highly experienced building inspection team. Building Ireland touched base with founder / managing director Luke Goldsmith to find out more about the range of services provided.
Working with the client, architect and design team to develop a dedicated fire strategy design, Goldsmith Engineering have amassed an extensive, impressive portfolio spanning all building types including retail, office, residential, educational, institutional and manufacturing.
The fire strategy ensures compliance with Part B (Fire Safety) of Building Regulations while realising the architectural vision for the project. Outside of dwelling houses, the majority of buildings in Ireland must apply for a Fire Safety Certificate to proceed with construction works. Once the fire strategy has been designed, Goldsmith Engineering will prepare the Fire Safety Certificate application and carry out all negotiations with the Fire Prevention Officer to ensure a swift, hassle-free application process.
The Fire Engineering team also carry out fire safety audits and risk assessments in existing buildings. A fire safety audit investigates the existing standard of fire safety in a building and highlights any areas where there may be deficiencies in the standard of safety or a lack of compliance with Building Regulations. They will then design and specify a schedule of remedial works, engage with suitable contractors and project manage the works on site. Once complete, Goldsmith Engineering – who are Chartered Engineers with Engineers Ireland – will provide certification of compliance.
Boasting many years of experience working on building sites with contractors, architects, structural engineers, M&E engineers and fire stopping specialists to ensure that fire safety systems are designed and installed correctly, Goldsmith Engineering provide a complete Fire Engineering solution, assisting in the design of construction details to achieve the most efficient and effective means of fire protection in a building. They also provide all necessary ancillary certification for design, inspection and completion of a building project.
In addition to Fire Engineering, they offer a dedicated Assigned Certifier service during the construction of any building project. The Certification Team have extensive inspection and surveying experience across all types of construction. The Assigned Certifier is a hands-on role that requires an in-depth understanding of construction and excellent project management skills. The goal is to deliver a safe, compliant building within the tight timeframes associated with the Construction Industry.
A mechanical engineering graduate from Trinity College, Luke Goldsmith has been working as a fire engineer in Ireland since 2005 and took the logical step of setting up his own firm in 2014. “During the last building boom, when work was coming thick and fast in the construction sector, the sole role of a fire engineer was often seen as getting the Fire Safety Certificate so that buildings could go ahead,” he reflects.
“For the most part, the fire engineer had little involvement in detailed site inspections but, since the Building Control Amendment Regulations came about in 2014, the fire engineer now plays a far more prominent role in specifying how buildings are designed and monitoring how they get built.
“Fire engineers took a far more active role in building design and, for me, this was a very exciting development. I became interested in the role the Assigned Certifier and we now have our own Certification Team in-house. This was a natural progression as I believe fire engineering and Assigned Certifier roles go hand in hand and are very much entwined.”
Goldsmith Engineering can act as the Assigned Certifier on any construction project. The Assigned Certifier’s responsibility is to coordinate the inspection roles of the design team, contractor and subcontractors, ensuring that all works are inspected and signed-off at the agreed project milestones.
As Assigned Certifier, they create an inspection plan and manage the online Building Control Management System on behalf of the client, ensuring that the Local Building Control Authority are provided with all necessary certification at commencement, during and upon completion of construction works.
Upon satisfactory completion of the works and the inspection plan, and once all necessary ancillary certification has been received, they submit the Certificate of Compliance to Building Control for entry onto the register.
Thus, Goldsmith Engineering assist the client through every step of the project, from inception to completion. “Our first involvement is before Planning,” Luke notes. “We get involved at Planning stage and carry out a Planning review to make sure there’s nothing there that will fail to get through Planning.
“Once that comes through, we carry out the fire strategy design work with the architects and M&E engineers to make sure it fits. After design stage, we prepare and submit the Fire Safety Certificate application and will act as Ancillary Certifier on site, making sure the building is constructed to comply with the Fire Safety Certificate that has been issued.”
Goldsmith Engineering has worked on projects for major clients such as Audi, the Royal College of Surgeons, Davy Real Estate, Oakmount, Office of Public Works, Ulster Bank, Melcorpo and Brown Thomas with some of the recent projects including The Stella Theatre in Rathmines, Florentine Shopping Centre in Bray, the new Audi HQ in Sandyford and a large education and research facility for the Royal College of Surgeons at Beaumont Hospital.
Although the vast majority of work is undertaken is in the capital, a nationwide service is provided and Goldsmith Engineering have also worked internationally, including the UK, Belarus, Rwanda and the Caribbean. Full-time employment is directly generated for eight engineers and certifiers, along with supporting administrative staff and the company is growing all the time.
Goldsmith Engineering was founded on the desire to offer a personalised, bespoke and responsive service, with flexibility throughout the life of a project. Fire strategy designs move with the project as it grows and develops. Their added-value fire engineering designs will always be the most advanced, innovative and efficient, taking into account the long-term cost-effectiveness of systems with a focus on low maintenance and high energy efficiency.
“It was the right time to set up the business because things were quiet. Thankfully, we have gone from strength to strength,” Luke concludes. “I started off on my own from a room above the garage but now we have a modern office in Ranelagh with an excellent team of engineers working for us.
“There’s a skills shortage in the industry and it’s not easy to get good engineers, so I try to offer them the best package and create a modern working environment with a lively atmosphere. We have all the latest technology and we offer our engineers flexitime and work-at-home opportunities, to keep their work as exciting and interesting as possible.
“These are very exciting times for Goldsmith Engineering and we are still growing. The project list grows by the day and we’re getting better-quality projects all the time – due to our ability to act fast and be flexible and responsive. We appreciate that everybody is busy and that time is of the essence on all construction projects, so we get to site and offer a prompt, personal and professional service.”
Goldsmith Engineering,
Mount Pleasant Business Centre,
Ranelagh,
Dublin 6,
D06 K762.
Tel: 01 9073222
Email: [email protected]
Web: goldsmithgroup.ie
Taken from Building Ireland Magazine, November 2018, Vol 4 No 10
