construction

Michael,William,Matthew

MDY Construction Ltd. was established in 1985. The company is based in Kildare. MDY is an experienced general contracting company within the Irish construction industry. Since its establishment the company has grown and developed under the direction of founder and Managing Director, Patrick Cosgrove , to become an established and recognised company in all sectors of the building industry. The company is experienced in a wide range of construction for all types of building projects, both public and private. MDY Construction have been involved in numerous constuction projects throughout the industry from educational and leisure facilities, industrial and commercial buildings, building refurbishment, heritage works, food production and distribution facilities, to large scale residential developments and small engineering projects such as drainage schemes, mains water networks, and waste-water treatment plants.

Many projects have been completed in the 25 years since their establishment, with contract values ranging from €1m - €50m. These such projects include commercial buildings, residential and housing developments, large-scale warehousing and distribution facilities, schools and educational facilities, food production facilities, waste-water treatment plants, civlil works including drainage systems and roads, heritage works, leisure and sport facilities, demolition and refurbishment and nursing homes.

Contracts have been undertaken successfully all over Ireland by MDY Construction, with the main area of concentration being the Greater Dublin and Leinster areas. These are easily serviced due to MDY’s base being located in North Kildare.

Cookstown Way in Tallaght was the location chose for the Respond! and St. John of Gods housing project. The project was given its formal go-ahead in July 2008 after several months delay pending resolution of legal matters.

The development itself consists of 161 units in eight buildings comprising 5 multi-storey apartment blocks, independent living/communal services block, one créche/community building and one independent living/St. John of Gods Menni Services block.

The development uses a wide range of materials which has proved both convienient and essential to the high quality finish to the apartments and the development itself.

MATERIALS AND SOURCES

On the Cooks town way the construction site that MDY are constructing, there are various different materials and sources that they are using.

The foundations in most of the apartment blocks where ‘’pile drive’’ foundations where put in place, there was also raft foundations used on the site. On these foundations a radon barrier was put in place to stop radon gas causing radioactive poisoning to people.
RAFT FOUNDATION

The walls of the apartments were essentially concrete walls most of which were poured on site; this consisted of making the formwork i.e. the walls and integrating steel mesh to strengthen the concrete. There was one apartment block which was precast before it reached the site. Also in the walls there was a type of concrete used which had a ‘’fibre mesh’’, this was fibres in the concrete which when the concrete hydrated increased the strength yet again extending the life of the building.

The windows were made by the company called Carlson and the i plus model of the windows were installed. These windows are double glazed with low e technology incorporated in them aswell, with this incorporation of low e in the glass it stops heat loss through windows. Because the windows are double glazed they would also be filled with argon gas which would help prevent heat loss and stop cold bridging through windows.

DOUBLE GALZED WINDOWS

The heating systems in the apartment blocks mainly consist of a Sanyo heat pump which similarly acts like a fridge but the difference is the unit takes the warm air and heats the water with it rather than taking the cold air. These units are placed outside in the open so a guard will be put in place to prolong the life of the units. This type of heating system is in place in blocks b to h but in block A the heating system in the building consists of gas boilers run on natural gas.

The roofing on the apartment blocks is steel roofs.

The external rendering of the apartment blocks is a monocouche render which has been around the last number of years and this render is becoming very popular as it is a simple process of applying the product and it is based on a spray on method so its application is relatively rapid compared to the traditional methods. This plaster is anti bacterial so it is hard for fungi or any organic materials to grow on it, but if it does the render is easily cleaned with the use of a power washer and the materials come straight off without any damage to the plaster and does not require painting after. This type of plaster is very low maintenance and ideal for apartments.

Another method the apartment blocks use to help the environment is they have a attenuation tank which help prevent flooding in times of heavy rain and the water from these systems can also be used to flush toilets and for use in garden sprinkler systems.

ATTENUATION TANK

HEALTH AND SAFETY ON SITE

Over the last number of years health and safety has become a major concept of the construction industry. Many new regulations have been implemented into the industry and must be properly adhered to. Accidents on building sites are far from uncommon and can be down to many simple errors, improper use of machines, unauthorised personnel on site etc. However the new regulations introduced have led to a decline in national construction site accidents/fatalities. The site we visited had a trained medic and an onsite safety officer and contained many warning notices. The following is a detailed look at these regulations and how they can be implemented into such an important area of construction.

SAFETY WORKING CLOTHES

This is a major concept of health and safety as protecting workers is a huge concern. In modern sites workers must follow a code of practice in relation to their clothing on the site. On the site we visited a safety officer was located on site. If a person is not wearing the correct safety equipment then he/she may not enter the site.

This includes simple but compulsory objects that include some of the following materials, hard hat, high visibility jacket and steel toe cap boots. In the following I will take a look at the above items.

The high visibility jackets are a reflective fluorescent jacket and are very simple but a effective part of clothing in construction. High visibility jackets enhance safety in a number of ways whether it is on site or on roads they have an excellent record. They are not that expensive and it is required by safety regulations that every person on a building site has one.

Steel toe boots are another piece of clothing that is extremely important. They are durable boots which are reinforced around the toe, most commonly with steel. They prevent workers toes being broken from objects falling on their foot also the sole’s protected.

Hard hats are probably the most important piece of safety equipment in construction. They are very durable and strong which is essential. The main objective of a hard hat is to protect the workers head. In a busy site falling material is common and can be fatal if it hits a worker without a hat on the head. The hard is compulsory and must be worn in every site.

Work gloves and goggles they are not essential on the site but can be a help. Gloves will protect the hands eg installing insulation and goggles protect from small particles eg using a consaw.

The safe pass system was introduced into Ireland to promote a safer industry. It was designed to present workers with the basic but essential knowledge of how to remain safe on a site. Every worker on a building site must now by regulations have a safety pass before he/she can enter a site. Without a pass they may be refused entry to a site by the safety officer etc. In order to obtain this compulsory pass the person must pass the safe pass test. This is carried out by FAS and has a cost of around €90. Once a person has passed this exam which takes place over one day, they are allowed access to all construction sites.

http://www.fas.ie/en/Training/Employee+Training/Safe+Pass/

Common safety notices-

The following are a few signs that are common on every site to alarm workers or other people authorised or unauthorised of the various dangers.

HIGH VOLTAGE........