Overcoming challenges to deliver a winning project at the Irish Construction Industry Awards.17 February 2023

The Irish Construction Industry Awards celebrate innovative contractors, consultants and projects that demonstrate excellence in the built environment. And at the 2022 awards event on Wednesday, December 7th in The Clayton Hotel on Burlington Road, MCA was celebrating too. John Paul Construction won the Tourism & Hospitality Project of the Year for the Townsend Street Development on which we collaborated with them.

Judged by an expert panel, this very competitive category included the Wren Urban Nest hotel and Avondale Tourism Development. This award is not just recognition of the design and architectural language in this project, but the challenges faced throughout it.

Location challenges

Being a highly populated area of the city centre surrounded by homes and businesses, it was important to ensure there was zero or minimum disruption to the residents who lived and worked in the neighbourhood. Project scheduling was carefully managed to complete the works in a timely manner, with delivery planned to limit any inconvenience. The scheme also needed to deliver and create public spaces and promote pedestrian permeability.

The design was cognisant of the city centre location in Dublin, with a focus on using complementary materials such as stone and glass, and references in the architecture and façades to Georgian Dublin.

The end-user objectives

The design also had to consider the requirements and objectives of the three end users for the project who would be Travelodge, Staycity Aparthotels and Dublin City Council apartments. This required a carefully planned engagement and management process to ensure stakeholder satisfaction.

The eight-storey, 393-bedroom Travelodge hotel at the centre of the Townsend Street Development is a key component in the rejuvenation and reimagination of the George’s Quay area. MCA successfully partnered with John Paul Construction on this project; this award is a recognition of this approach.

If you're considering your next architectural partner, and want to deliver a project that makes its mark, not just on the landscape, but in the hearts of minds of those who recognise award-winning building design, contact the team at MCA.