Industrial
The project is one the
first phases at the IDA
Technology Park in
Dundalk
Packaging factory is
all in the frame
10 NSC
February 19
Leading pharmaceutical packaging
company Wasdell Group is building
a new production facility in the
Republic of Ireland that will service
the local and international healthcare
industries.
The new steel-framed facility, located in
Dundalk, has a floor area of approximately
6,500m2 and will house 12 bespoke
production suites within a large production
area, separate goods-in and despatch zones,
offices and will eventually employ 300 staff.
Commenting on the facility, Wasdell
Group Managing Director Martin Tedham
says: “We have always had a strong customer
base in Ireland and we are certain that this
trend will continue with the impending
Brexit situation as companies, typically from
the UK and USA, look to securing a base to
service their European markets.
“We have always been a business that
changes to accommodate the needs of the
market and its customer base. Having a
facility in Ireland and the European market
makes sense and we are very excited about
this new opportunity, as well as extending
our geographical footprint.”
The project is being built on a 2.9-hectare
greenfield site on the IDA Science &
Technology Park on the southern outskirts
of the Irish town.
Main contractor Kilcawley Construction
started work on the project last summer
and began with a six-week bulk excavation
programme to prepare a flat plot on the
previously sloping site.
“During this programme we excavated
10,000m3 of rock and moved 40,000m3 of
soil, before installing the pad foundations for
the steelwork,” says Kilcawley Construction
Contracts Manager Sheamus Tierney.
The steel frame has been designed as
three separate structures that are linked
together and feature precast fire walls to
divide up the main spaces.
Central to the facility is a large columnfree
production area, which has been formed
with a series of 48m-long trusses. A twostorey
office block is attached to the front
elevation of the production area, and this
12m-deep structure gains all of its stability
from its larger neighbour. Meanwhile,
running the entire length of the production
area’s rear elevation is an attached plant
mezzanine.
Either side of the production zone, two
attached portal frames, one with a 28m
span and the other measuring 42m wide,
accommodate the goods in and despatch
areas.
“Because the project features three
long span column-free spaces, steel was
obvious choice of framing material,” says a
spokesperson for Malachi Cullen Consulting
Engineers.
“Steelwork also offered us the quickest
and most versatile method of construction,
as well as the convenience of having the
elements fabricated offsite.”
Steelwork contractor Walter Watson
began its programme by erecting the large
production area first and then building the
attached portal frames at either end.
The 48m-long trusses that create the
roof and the column-free space for the
production area were fabricated in three
sections, which consisted of a 12m-long
centre section and two outer 18m-long
sections.
“To erect these large elements, our
methodology involved having six large skids
laid out on the ground and levelled. Three
truss sections were then laid out horizontally
on top of the skids and the splice
connections fully bolted-up using tension
control bolts, explains Walter Watson
General Manager Structural Division Trevor
Irvine.
“Two of our own 80t-capacity cranes then
lifted each assembled truss into the vertical
position before hoisting it into its final place
as a tandem lift. After it was connected to
Speed of delivery and ease of construction are just two of
the reasons why a steel-framed solution was chosen for a
manufacturing facility in Ireland.
FACT FILE
Wasdell Production
Facility, Dundalk
Main client:
Wasdell Group
Architect:
OCA Architects
Main contractor:
Kilcawley Construction
Structural engineer:
Malachi Cullen
Consulting Engineers
Steelwork contractor:
Walter Watson
Steel tonnage: 1,020t
Impression of the
completed facility
Photo courtesy of Grey Acre Surveying
/Single_storey_industrial_buildings
/Single_storey_buildings_in_fire_boundary_conditions
/Concept_design#Structural_options_for_stability
/Single_storey_industrial_buildings#Mezzanines
/Single_storey_industrial_buildings#Flexibility_and_adaptability
/Single_storey_industrial_buildings#Speed_of_construction
/Construction#Steel_erection
/Portal_frames
/Fabrication
/Preloaded_bolting#HRC_method
/Preloaded_bolting#HRC_method