An Cliathán, is a 15 unit sheltered housing scheme for Galway City Council.

Description

An Cliathán consists of two residential buildings on a narrow suburban site. Block 1 to the rear of the site contains 12 no. units which are primarily intended for the elderly. Block 2 to the front of the site contains 3 no. units which are intended for families with a member with special needs. The buildings are in a linear, terraced arrangement on the site with a communal courtyard open space to the south prioritised and both building levels stepping up the site, responding to site constraints. The building fabric is traditional masonry construction with particular attention being paid to robust and durable detailing.

Galway City Council engaged an Architect-led Design Team, led by O’Briain Beary Architects to provide full design services for the project and OCC Construction were awarded the contract for the works. Construction commenced in March 2022 and was completed in early December 2023.

Galway City Council have worked collaboratively and cooperatively with OCC Construction and the Design Team to construct and deliver a high-quality housing scheme that provides much needed housing units, designed to satisfy the requirements of elderly persons and persons with disabilities in a small-scale, carefully designed and well-integrated community setting.

Aim of Initiative

The aim of this housing scheme is to broaden the range of housing stock available to GCC. An Cliathán recognises the need to provide a more adaptable housing stock which reflects the demographic makeup of GCC’s tenant base. It allows for elderly occupants of existing units to downsize within their communities, with the added benefit of freeing up larger homes for younger families on the housing waiting list.

Who is it aimed at

An Cliathán aims at satisfying the housing needs of elderly persons and persons with disabilities within GCC’s tenant base. Block 1 to the rear of the site contains 12 no. units which are primarily intended for the elderly. Block 2 to the front of the site contains 3 no. units which are intended for families with a member with special needs.

3 Steps critical to success

1. The first step that was critical to the success of the delivery of An Cliathan was the purchase and amalgamation of the sites by Galway City Council.

   The Site:

   The site, which measures 0.4Ha, is located on High Road (Old Monivea Road) in Ballybaan More, in the eastern suburbs of Galway City.

   The front portion of the site was acquired by Galway City Council through two separate Compulsory Purchase Orders under the Derelict Sites Act. This was then augmented through the strategic acquisition of another residence to the rear.

   It is hoped that this approach and the subsequent development will set a benchmark and can become a precedent for similar interventions at appropriate locations. It provides an excellent opportunity to deal with urban decay and associated negative consequences, at the same time delivering housing units in an efficient manner within existing communities.

   Adjacent development is a variety of traditional suburban development of single storey bungalows, two storey semi-detached houses and two and three storey apartment blocks. The lands were zoned for Residential Use in the Galway City Development Plan 2016-2023, as are most of the lands in the immediate area.

2. The second step that was critical to the success of this housing development was the appointment of the Design Team and development of the brief by Galway City Council.

   The Design Team:
   Through the Capital Works Management Framework (CWMF) and in accordance with public procurement legislation, Galway City Council engaged an Architect-led Design Team to provide full design services for the project on their behalf.

   The Design Team include:
   Architects – O’Briain Beary Architects
   Civil and Structural Engineers – DBFL Consulting Engineers
   Mechanical and Electrical Engineers – Varming Consulting Engineers
   Fire Safety and DAC Consultant – Fire Element Engineers
   Quantity Surveyors – O’Reilly Hyland Tierney and Associates
   Landscape Architects – Cunnane Stratton Reynolds
   PSDP – OLM Consultancy
   Energy Consultants – Evolusion Innovation

   The brief:
   The twelve sheltered housing units for the elderly in Block 1 are 2-bedroom, 3-person apartments with the second single bedroom intended to allow a family member or carer to stay over. Two of the units in Block 1 include Universal Design standards to suit tenants that are wheelchair users.
   The three units for families with a member with special need in Block 2 are 3-bedroom, 5-person apartments which are fully accessible units and include Universal Design standards.

   The Schedule of Units is as follows:

   TYPE DESCRIPTION NO. AREA M2

   Block 1
   P 2 Bed Apartment 2 71.8
   Q 2 Bed Apartment 3 70.5
   Q UD 2 Bed Apartment to Universal Design 2 70.5
   R 2 Bed Apartment 5 72

   Block 2
   S 3-Bed Apartment to Universal Design 1 101.5
   T 3-Bed Apartment to Universal Design 2 99.4

   All ground floor dwellings are own door access and have their own private outdoor space.

   The five Type R units located on the first floor of Block 1 accessed via a shared entrance hall and access corridor. There is lift access to the first-floor units which is large enough for a mobility scooter and/or stretcher.

   The dwellings have been designed in accordance with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH) guidelines in the “Quality Housing for Sustainable Communities” and the “Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments” publications.

   The scheme recognises the need to provide a more adaptable housing stock which reflects the demographic makeup of GCC’s tenant base. It allows for elderly occupants of existing units to downsize within their communities, with the added benefit of freeing up larger homes for younger families on the housing waiting list.

   Planning permission was lodged through the Part 8 application process with the drawings going on public display in August 2020. Part 8 planning approval was granted by GCC at a Council Meeting on 14 December 2020.

3. The third step that was critical to the success in the delivery of An Cliathán was the procurement and appointment by Galway City Council of OCC Construction for the construction of this housing scheme.

   An Cliathán was procured through the Capital Works Management Framework (CWMF) and in accordance with public procurement legislation.

   OCC Construction were awarded the contract for the works following a public procurement tender process using the Restricted Procedure via e-tenders. The Contract commenced with the issue of the Letter of Acceptance by GCC on 1 February 2022.

   The contract period was 15 months, and the contract is the Public Works Contract for MINOR Works or Civil Engineering Works designed by the Employer (PW-CF5).

   OCC Construction are Galway based and are becoming one of Ireland’s fastest growing construction companies. OCC utilised their local base and knowledge to maximise sub-contractor and supply chain availability on the project and to minimize the inflation, labour and material challenges in the construction industry during the course of the works.

   OCC Construction are committed to developing and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships with clients by providing a superior, innovative, proactive and responsive service. Through regular on-site and on-line meetings and effective communications, OCC Construction maintained an open, cooperative and collaborative dialogue and relationship with Galway City Council including the Clerk of Works and with the Design Team. This positive engagement was maintained throughout the course of the works and allowed all challenges that arose to be dealt with as openly and efficiently as possible.

   The project was handed over in a single phase in December 2023.

3 Challenges in Planning / Delivery

1. One of the main challenges on An Cliathán was the physical constraints of the site itself. The site is long, narrow and steep which proved to be challenging for both the design and the construction of this project.

   The site previously contained three free-standing bungalows. It is a long and narrow site which only has a narrow, splayed boundary to the public road and an approximate width of only 30 metres. The site falls a total of 7.5metres from the rear boundary to the road, resulting in an existing site gradient of 1:15 over the length of the site. The site is bordered by existing residential properties on all sides in a mix of low-density dwelling types of one or two storeys. There are existing rear and side blockwork boundary walls to the adjoining neighbours to three sides of the site.

   The design challenge with these site constraints was to provide fifteen units with good quality and compliant internal living accommodation as well as high quality and well landscaped external community open space while maintaining the required fire services access and achieving the required development plan and building standards.

   The construction challenge with these site constraints was the impact on the machinery and construction methods that could be used and the requirement for careful consideration of the ordering and storage of materials on site, the sequencing and construction techniques to be used as well as the difficulties with deliveries and site car parking provisions.

   The principal drivers of the urban design strategy for An Cliathán were the desire to provide a central active and overlooked social space for the community, while minimising overlooking of adjacent properties and ensuring all units are level access.

   One design challenge was to modify the existing 1:15 site gradient and to provide a compliant design slope of 1:23 (a combination of 1:21 gentle slope and 1:50 level areas) to ensure that all units are accessible, while minimizing excavations and retaining walls. The construction challenge was to carry out extensive rock breaking and excavation on a narrow and challenging site while avoiding damage to the existing boundary walls and while minimising the noise and disruption to the adjoining neighbours.

   To mitigate this challenge, the design levels were kept as high as possible to achieve compliance. During construction, the mitigation measures included noise and vibration monitoring as well as echo sound reduction barriers during rock breaking. Regular information bulletins were also distributed to the adjoining neighbours by OCC Construction, giving notice of noisy and disruptive works and giving updates on progress.

2. Another design challenge was to provide a sheltered housing scheme that was residential rather than institutional in character. This was partially in response to the client brief and for the benefit of the future elderly tenants but also to achieve a suitable scale and massing for the adjoining residential buildings and suburban setting. An Cliathán successfully achieves this design objective and nestles comfortably into the site and environs. However, these design objectives did result in additional complexities and installation challenges during construction.
3. Commencing in early 2022, the Construction of An Cliathán was impacted by Covid, Brexit and the Ukraine war inflation and supply chain delays that impacted the whole construction industry at that time.

   Galway City Council and OCC Construction approached these challenges collaboratively and cooperatively in an effort to minimise their impact on the project. This includes engagement in the OGP Inflation and Supply Chain Delay Framework Agreement.

   An important learning on this project was the significant benefits of mutual cooperation between the client, contractor and design team in minimising delay and unnecessary cost increases.

3 Outcomes / Benefits

1. An Cliathán has successfully satisfied the client brief and provided much needed housing units specifically designed to satisfy the requirements of elderly persons and persons with disabilities in a small-scale, carefully designed and well-integrated community setting.
2. An Cliathan has achieved the main design objective to make An Cliathán a small-scale residential scheme that is suitable for its intended elderly tenants and families with members with special needs. The intention was to allow for older tenants spending more time at home with particular consideration given to quality of space and light and sense of community.

   The site strategy was to provide an active and overlooked, south facing social space for the community that has a distinctive and rich sense of place, that ages well; that gives pleasure to its residents and that enriches its immediate context. In so doing, the hope is to meet the criteria outlined in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH) guideline document “Quality Housing for Sustainable Communities”, namely “the main considerations underpinning the approach to the overall design of a housing scheme should be the need to facilitate a good quality of life for the residents, secure long-term sustainability of the development and enhance the environment of the area as a whole”. The design also seeks to work with the advice outlined in the above document and DHLGH documents “Sustainable Development in Urban Areas” and the “Urban Design Manual: A Best Practice Guide for Planning Authorities 2009” with regard to passive surveillance, permeability, design of home zones and the design of quality open space as the focus of neighbourhood communities.

   The sheltered housing units for the elderly in Block 1 face onto and are accessed from the shared home zone/communal courtyard space. This shared external space is south facing to maximize quality and usability and is designed to provide a shared communal space with appropriate landscaping and group seating areas to facilitate and encourage common activities. All sheltered housing units are accessed off and face onto the shared communal space to enhance sense of safety through visual supervision of open spaces.

   Externally the design intent in Block 1 was to break down the form of the apartment block by differentiating between solid walls and blocks with mono-pitched roofs similar in scale to the adjacent semi-detached houses infilled with light weight glazed and panel screens with a low flat roof over the access corridor and first floor living rooms to the terraces to create an appropriate residential scale and character to the proposed development. A mix of brickwork and render external finishes were used to further breakdown the scale of the block.

   The private terraces to the upper floor units are also south facing to maximise quality and usability. The units for the elderly located on the first floor are accessed via a central entrance hall with a stair and lift large enough for a mobility scooter and/or stretcher.

   In Block 2, the three accessible units for families with a member with special needs are located in a simple single storey terrace to the front of the site. This three-unit terrace has three prominent elevations, one facing the public road, one to the new access road and one to the homezone/communal courtyard space; with an entrance to one unit located on each frontage. The form of this terrace is simple with brickwork to the front and gable elevations, mono-pitch roof and glazed and panel screens to the rear elevation to the south facing rear gardens.

   The kitchen/dining room of these units open on to and have direct access to the south facing rear gardens while the living rooms are located to the front external corners, helping to activate and provide a sense of safety through visual supervision of the access road.

3. An Cliathán complies with all relevant planning and building control standards and regulations including the recommendations of Age In Place Strategy.

   Development Plan and Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage Standards:
   An Cliathán complies with the requirements of the Galway City Council Development Plan 2016-2023 and with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH) guidelines and standards.

   An Cliathán has a density of 38 units/Ha and a plot ratio of 0.29, both of which are within the limits stipulated by the relevant Development Plan as well as the “Guidelines on Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Areas” (2009) by the DHLGH.

   The individual units comply with internal and external space standards of the DHPLG guidelines in the “Quality Housing for Sustainable Communities” and the “Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments” publications.

   The private open spaces of all units comply with the requirements of the Development Plan and the standards set out in the “Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments” and the public open space provisions exceeds the minimum Development Plan requirement of 15% of the net site area.

   Age In Place:
   The overall design is residential rather than institutional in character. The 12 sheltered housing units include Age in Place strategy allowing older persons to live independently in their own homes and communities. The 12 sheltered housing units include double bedroom and a second single bedroom to allow for a family member or carer to stay over. This ageing in place objective aligns with the policies and objectives of the City Development Plan, the National Planning Framework, and Age Friendly Ireland.

   Building Control:
   An Cliathán is designed and constructed in accordance with the requirements of the Building Regulations and the Building Control Regulations. The twelve units for the elderly in Block 1 are compliant with their Fire Safety Certificate and Disabled Access Certificate.
   The units have air to water heat pumps and are designed in accordance with Part L achieving Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB) standard and achieved a Building Energy Rating (BER) of A2.