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.

Sligo Rotary Club

This year's annual Sligo Rotary Club Dinner Dance was presided over by Rotary President Barry Cannon, of Hamilton Young Architects.  Over eighty members, partners and guests attended at the Sligo Park Hotel, raising funds for the Jaipur Limb Project charity.

Joseph Martin, Barry & Grainne Cannon, Andrea Martin, and Trevor McDaid

Trevor & Imelda McDaid with Fiona McCarthy & Andrew Judge

The Rotary club comprises approximately 50 men and women, drawn from the professional, business and service community in Sligo. Membership of Rotary provides an opportunity for friendship, within a club dedicated to the betterment of society through humanitarian, vocational and educational service both locally and internationally. Find out more at http://sligorotary.com/

The Big Draw

The Big Draw event which took place in Sligo on Thursday, 4th November and Saturday, 6th November, attracted over 60 people who took part in a guided tour of the town centre followed by a drawing session. Participants were encouraged to think about, re-create and re-invent Sligo's public spaces the way they'd like to imagine them.

Hamilton Young Architects took part in guiding the participants on a circuit of the town before helping out in the workshops over the course of the two days.  The aim of The Big Draw is to encourage people of all ages to explore ideas and express their creativity, and we were delighted to help artist Lucy Brennan-Shiel in achieving this with the enthusiastic crowds.

The Big Draw took place in conjunction with the Walking Matters conference in the Glass House Hotel in Sligo on 5th November. Hamilton Young director, Andrew Judge, was invited to speak about his experience with The Big Draw alongside other guest speakers including Minister of State Ciarán Cuffe and Senator David Norris.

Find out more about The Big Draw at www.campaignfordrawing.org.

Blue Raincoat Theatre Company

Congratulations to the Blue Raincoat Theatre Company on their 20th anniversary this month.  Based in the heart of Sligo, the Blue Raincoat is one of the few theatres in Ireland with a permanent venue to its name, along with The Abbey, Gate and Druid Theatre Companies.

Hamilton Young Architects involvement with the Blue Raincoats extends back more than a decade.  The development of the Factory Performance Space in Sligo was overseen by former director David Lawlor and was completed in 2000.  The Blue Raincoat Theatre Company were the outright winners of the national AIB Better Ireland Awards for the development project in 1999 and Hamilton Young Architects won the national COTHU Business Sponsorship of the Year award for our contribution to the project.

So, happy birthday Blue Raincoats, from all at Hamilton Young Architects!

Forbo Visit to Amsterdam

As part of their annual visit to the Netherlands, Forbo Ireland Ltd. invited Andrew Judge as part of a 23 strong contingent of building professionals to visit their manufacturing plant in Krommenie. An impressive tour of the plant showed the natural materials used in the manufacture of the Marmoleum flooring material being processed from the raw state to finished product, as well as a visit to the highly automated distribution centre which handles orders worldwide.

An architectural highlights tour of Amsterdam included a number of recent buildings in which Marmoleum was used to great effect, including the OZW university building and the Zuwe Hofpoort Ziekenhuis hospital.

OZW by Jeanne Dekkers Architectuur

ING Bank by Meyer & Van Schooten Architecten