The installation of the glulam glass gridshell canopy structure, designed by architect Benjamin Thomas of MOLA Architecture and fabricated off-site by Dutch specialists Octotube, can only be described as the crowning glory of a unique project that contains several innovative and exciting elements.
ClearyDoyle started work on-site at The Campus, Cherrywood, for client Spear Street Capital in March 2020, with the project completed in July 2022.
The brief
The brief called for the creation of a sunken garden at the main entrance to the Dell Building in Cherrywood. This sunken garden was to be fully landscaped and covered with a glulam and glass canopy, under which were several different seating arrangements for people to gather.
The final element of the canopy is a brise soleil over the entire façade of the entrance, which enhances the solar performance of the elevation.
The space is also designed so staff can access an existing underground car park, passing through the sunken garden in all types of weather.
Highly experienced team
As the main contractor, ClearyDoyle put in place a highly experienced site management team for the project, including a contracts director, contracts manager, project manager, site managers, document controller, engineer and safety officer.
The job required a considerable amount of design coordination and development, all of which was led by the site management team under the direction of Eoin O’Suilleabhain, Contracts Manager and Denis Connolly, Project Manager, with Contracts Director Brian Byrne also directly involved on the project.
Glulam glass gridshell canopy
The canopy of approximately 25×19 metres was constructed off-site by Octotube and comprises a mix of in-situ concrete columns, glulam timber and curved glass.
The elegant and transparent canopy, made of laminated glued wood, glass and steel, rises on the site of The Campus, Cherrywood.
The structure consists of three V-shaped columns supporting a double curved timber grid covered with cold bent glass.
When the temperature changes and the wood expands, the glass moves slightly on its profiles – so the roof can breathe. This movement is accommodated in the columns, which were produced, transported and assembled as single V-previous pieces.
Challenges
Like many other projects in the country over the past two and half years, Covid-19 was the main challenge to the delivery of this project. Work was stopped on site in line with government Covid-19 restrictions. Covid also resulted in supply chain issues, particularly in dealing with overseas suppliers.
Much of the project’s success can be attributed to early engagement with the local businesses and users of the campus, close coordination with the utility companies and regular design and progress reviews on site.
ClearyDoyle team
ClearyDoyle subcontractors and suppliers also played an essential part in the successful delivery of the project.
The key ClearyDoyle project team members included Project Director – Brian Byrne, Contracts Manager – Eoin O’Suilleabhain, Project Manager – Denis Connolly, QS – Sean MacNamara, Engineer – Andrew Watson, Document Controller – Veronica Curmei, and Site Managers – Jimmy Harpur, Lee Doyle, and Martin Hawkins.