Quality and Speed Guaranteed in all Weather with Datum ICF Crews
Client
Cluain Dara Estate, a low-density residential development located on the outskirts of Derrinturn, Co. Kildare, was led by Alder Homes. The main building contractor, Capcon Building, required the skills of experienced ICF installation teams to deliver best-in-class, A-rated homes.
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ProjectCluain Dara Housing Estate
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LocationDerrinturn, Co. Kildare
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ClientAlder Homes
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Completion2021
Challenge
Winter construction in Ireland is often plagued by poor weather conditions. In this case, the developer wanted to proceed with the programme of works but needed to ensure timeframes were met and quality homes could still be delivered.
ICF is recognised as a fast, highly efficient way to build but it can be hard to find experienced teams. After careful consideration, Datum BCE was chosen as the specialist partner to provide experienced ICF installation teams on the Cluain Dara project.
Work
Work on the development began in autumn 2018 and proceeded through the 2019 autumn- winter season which included some particularly bad weather. The ICF system can be deployed in most weather conditions and a result, despite the conditions, there were no weather-related delays.
From faster building times to maximized energy efficiency, building homes through Datum’s preferred ICF method offers many advantages. Costs can also be reduced without compromising on quality and lighter building materials means increased Health & Safety on-site too.
It typically took our team of specialist ICF installers just ten days to construct a semi-detached unit from foundation to super structure. Initially, our team were so efficient that the only delays onsite were due to other services, who were initially not experienced with the speed ICF.
The super structure consisted of starting with poured foundations, before installation of ICF block, including cavity closures, fixing steel, and pouring concrete. Our team handed over the super structure at roofing stage – averaging one semi-detached unit in ten days.
As a lighter and cleaner material to work with, ICF sites are much less impacted by poor conditions so weather-related downtime can be almost eliminated.
Results
- Homes were completed using an accelerated, expertly managed methodology, with one semi-detached unit going from foundation to roof in just ten days.
- Substantially faster site management resulted in moving from green field to dry building in approximately 15 days.
- ICF is a more flexible material to work with than traditional methods and offers more flexibility for beams and other structural elements
- On this site, the Irish weather did not pose any problems and the use of ICF meant no weather-delays were experienced during construction
- The project also demonstrates the value of specialist expertise and the impact of seasoned installation crews on key projects as supplied by Datum BCE
- Overall, as a less labour-intensive approach, there was minimum attendances on construction crews required
