Summerhill College official sod turning ceremony

Extract from the Sligo Weekender:

Work on the new €7.5 million Summerhill College building is set to start at the end of this month with a completion date of July 2012.  It is expected there will be up to 120 jobs on the site at its peak stage. The main contract with John Sisk and Son Ltd. was signed last week.

The job involves the demolition of the newer section of the existing college with the older original stone building remaining in place. The three storey school is designed around a central courtyard and double height general purpose hall. It will have a capacity for 900 students.

Frank Pastor of Hamilton Young Architects said: "The exterior has been designed to harmonise in scale with the old 1890s building while providing a contemporary facade. The new teaching facilities will contribute to the excellent education already provided by the teachers and staff at Summerhill College".

Hamilton Young Architects designed the new 7,463 square metres building in conjunction with Jennings O'Donovan and Partners Engineers, White Young Green Engineers and Mulcahy McDonagh and Partners Quantity Surveyors.

Bishop Christopher Jones performed the official sod turning ceremony at the site on Monday of last week.

 Artistic impression of the new Summerhill College building

Summerhill College old and new 

Summerhill College: the gateway to Sligo  

Project Profile: Castlerock National School

This is Castlerock National School in Co. Sligo which is nearing completion on site. The new school comprises three classrooms, a general purpose hall, library/resource room, a staff room, an office, as well as all the usual ancillary accommodation. The project also includes a new grass playing field, a ball court and play areas, as well as a staff/visitor car park and a lay-by at the front of the school for the safe set-down and picking up of the pupils. The site will be well landscaped in a combination of shrubs and trees providing an attractive overall environment for all the users. It is intended that the new school will be fully ready for occupation by Easter.

 View of the new school from the road with the lay-by in front

Main entrance to the school

The General Purpose room

A typical classroom

Project Profile: 'Teach Jimmy'

Teach Jimmy is traditional farmhouse which was completely renovated and extended recently to take advantage of the magnificent views to the north of the site and the natural light to the south & west. The house retains its vernacular look from the public road while opening the living space to the vista and light without compromising privacy. See more of our residential projects at www.hya.ie

Teach Jimmy before the building work started

Teach Jimmy undergoing some "minor" changes

View of house near completion

Teach Jimmy nearly complete

 Living room, near completion

 Rear view of house, near completion

RTE Radio Morning Ireland

Frank Pastor, a director of Hamilton Young Architects, was invited to take part in a feature on RTE's Morning Ireland radio show to discuss business in Sligo and the North West.  The interview also featured Terri Scott, president of IT Sligo and an IDA board member.

Frank highlighted the fact that many of Hamilton Young Architects current large scale projects, such as Summerhill College and Nazareth Sheltered Housing, started as far back as 2006 and 2003 respectively. The importance of planning for future building projects now was emphasised, particularly in light of the current value in fees and construction costs.

You can listen to the interview below:



Or alternatively listen directly here:
http://www.rte.ie/podcasts/2011/pc/pod-v-170211biz5m54smorningireland-pid0-354384.mp3

Signing of Nazareth Housing Contract

Barry Cannon (Hamilton Young), John Hanley (Nazareth Housing Assoc.), Padraig Rhatigan and Patrick Regan (JJ Rhatigans), Pat Gaughan (Nazareth Housing Assoc.), Ronan McNabb.

The contract for a landmark project at the entrance to Sligo was formally signed in Feb 2011 between the Nazareth Housing Association and JJ Rhatigan Construction Ltd.

The project, to be overseen on site by Hamilton Young Architects, will involve the construction of 49 sheltered housing units for older people. These are to be built in the grounds of the Nazareth House building at Church Hill in Sligo. The project represents a revolutionary approach to providing lifetime homes within a campus of facilities dedicated to the care of the elderly.

Work on site is due to begin in March 2011.

Summer Works Scheme 2011

Lyndsay Road School, Glasnevin, Dublin

Following the announcement by the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills of the school's Summer Works Scheme for 2011, Hamilton Young Architects made ten applications on behalf of schools in Sligo, Mayo and Dublin before the deadline in January.

The purpose of the Summer Works Scheme is to provide funding to individual school authorities to undertake small-scale building works which, ideally, can be carried out during the summer months to avoid disrupting the operation of the school. Under the terms of the Scheme, school authorities are empowered to manage these works with guidance from, and minimal interaction, with the Department.

Over the past number of years HYA have helped schools successfully obtain funding for a wide variety of projects including the replacement of windows, re-roofing works and upgrading toilet facilities. The publication of the successful list of applicant schools is expected in March 2011.