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Author Archives: Peter Bluett

Employment position for Senior architect / Conservation architect Grade 1/2

Posted on December 14, 2020 by Peter Bluett

Employment position for Conservation architect Grade 1/2

Our  firm is a busy medium sized multi-disciplinary
consultancy in the Irish built environment sector. we are currently seeking the following:-

CONSERVATION PROJECT ARCHITECT (Grade 1 or Grade 2) required for our Chancery Dublin 7 office.

  • Excellent remuneration and prospects for the right candidate.
  • Our practice is an Architect-led multi-disciplinary practice with a strong emphasis on encouraging and facilitating her staff members to constantly mature and upskill professionally in the practical environment of a busy collegial multidisciplinary office.
  • We have a varied, interesting, and steady workload on conservation projects and conservation consultancy services. . It includes protected structures and settings of local, regional, and national importance.
  • Our areas of practice include Institutional, residential, commercial, industrial, and healthcare projects and consultancy work.
  • The successful candidate will have the opportunity to shape the candidate’s role in the office and build the team.
  • The role of Conservation Architect in our office is one which involves participation and leadership and collegiality on several projects in different design team configurations at any one time for public and private clients.

Please send your CV with enclosing application letter
by email to marie.flahive@boda.ie or post to Marie
Flahive Financial Controller at 2 John St, Kilkenny

Posted in News | Tagged architect, conservation, employment, opportunity

Open for Business

Posted on April 15, 2020 by Peter Bluett

We hope this message finds you well. While our walk-in office receptions are closed due to the current Covid 19 restrictions, Bluett and O’Donoghue Architects are open for business.

You can continue to contact us at (056) 7762907 / (01) 8656265 or alternatively at (086) 2567685 (if there is any difficulty with the landline)

Our email is mail@boda.ie

Posted in Uncategorized

Cavan Town Hall wins Gold

Posted on February 21, 2020 by Peter Bluett

Cavan Town Hall regeneration (Cavan County Council)


Cavan Town Hall wins Gold as best Heritage project  2020 at the recent All Ireland Community and Council Awards presented by IPB insurance and LAMA.

The premises, built in 1909, designed by Architect William Scott is a landmark municipal building and home to Arts in Cavan. Cavan County Council commissioned Bluett & O’Donoghue  to lead the complete refurbishment of the building to secure its long term sustainability. It now serves as an important focal point for Civic life in Cavan.

Posted in Conservation, Fire safety, General, News | Tagged 2020, arts, cavan, gold, winner

Recent article on the Enterprise Hub for Wicklow County Campus, Rathnew for the film industry

Posted on January 7, 2020 by Peter Bluett

Wicklow County Campus

Myles Buchanan

December 28 2019 0:00 AM

Nearly €3 million worth of funding is being pursued by Wicklow County Council to create an enterprise hub at Wicklow County Campus to complement the film industry.

Members of Wicklow Municipal District were informed of the plans at December’s monthly meeting through a presentation by Vibeke Delahunt, Head of Enterprise and Film commissioner for Wicklow, and James O’Donoghue of Bluett and O’Donoghue Architects.

An application has been submitted to Enterprise Ireland seeking close to €3 million to carry out the works, which will include the development of the courtyard, private offices and a state-of-the-art conference centre.

Ms Delahunt explained: ‘It will be specifically for the content creation industry and will be centred around the courtyard. Wicklow County Council has a close relationship with the film industry. We have Ardmore Studios and Ashford Studios and a lot of production takes place in County Wicklow. It’s an important economic driver and globally the demand for content is growing. Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Wicklow has been working with small providers so we know how important the industry is and how many are feeding into it.’

The works will include the alteration and refurbishment of the courtyard cottages and their conversion to office use.

It is further planned to upgrade the courtyard storage outbuildings, including re-slating and improvements to the roof structure and demolish redundant farm outbuildings to the north of the courtyard to facilitate construction of new two-storey office building with main entrance to the enterprise hub.

A former dormitory on the second floor level will be refurbished and turned into office use. A new foul effluent pumping station will serve Wicklow County Campus with rising main to the public sewer.

The chapel at Wicklow County Campus, formerly the home of Clermont Lady’s School until its closure in 2005, will be turned into a conference centre.

‘Once we get the funding we want to be ready to go,’ advised Ms Delahunt.

Mr O’Donoghue said the site was in pole position for plenty of development over time.

‘If there is any need to expand again in the future then you can plug in another block. It will all work together as an extendable hub so it is geared up for expansion.’

The elected members warmly welcomed the plans, which will be presented to the full County Council chamber in February.

Cllr Irene Winters said: ‘Seventy per cent of all filming which takes place in Ireland happens in Wicklow. Additional facilities to train people and upskill people puts Wicklow in a great position. It is a growth area we can really capitalise on.’

Cllr Shay Cullen, Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council, also pledged his support to the project.

‘This is massive for this district. The film industry is very important to this area. Rather than hoping this will happen, we want it to happen.’

Cllr John Snell said he was ‘delighted’ as Chair of the County Wicklow Heritage Foundation, while also appreciating the historical importance of Clermont.

‘It’s important to be mindful of the historical value of the building. It has always been an important part of our community and for the county and was one of the leading schools of its day in all of Ireland. There have been previous talks about enhancing what is already there at Wicklow County Campus, such as making it a centre of excellence in renewable energy, and things probably haven’t moved as quickly as we would have liked. The courtyard is an essential part of the whole essence of Clermont. I am delighted something like this is happening to add to what is already there.’

Cllr Mary Kavanagh felt the creation of an enterprise hub would further strengthen Wicklow’s position as a leader in the field of audio-visual production.

‘There were fears that the movie industry might move to Limerick, which made me start to feel nervous because this is one of our few growth industries. This news further cements the film industry here and helps tie it to Wicklow,’ said Cllr Kavanagh.

Cllr Gail Dunne said he had a close family connection to Clermont as his late grandfather was once the gardener for the school.

‘There is a lot of work to be done but Wicklow is the hub of the film industry in this country. This will only enhance that.’

Cllr Paul O’Brien stressed the close-ties Wicklow has already built up with the film industry down the years.

‘I hope this is the start of a new and exciting project. Vikings was shot here, we have had lots of movies made around the town, including Taffin back in the day. I also look forward to visiting the hub once it is completed.’

https://www.independent.ie/regionals/wicklowpeople/3m-sought-for-enterprise-hub-to-complement-film-industry-38803756.html

Posted in Uncategorized

Cork Courthouse “Public Building of the Year 2019

Posted on December 4, 2019 by Peter Bluett

We are proud to announce that Cork Courthouse won the award for ‘Public Building of the Year 2019’ at the Irish Building and Design Awards at the Clayton Hotel Burlington Road, Dublin.  Michael O’Boyle attended the ceremony and collected the award together with Wilson Architecture and BAM Building.  This complex and high profile project required the conservation and adaptation of the nineteenth century former Model School in Cork and the introduction of a modern courthouse extension on a tight inner city site to the rear.  Our work on Mullingar Courthouse was also shortlisted in the ‘Heritage and Conservation’ category at the ceremony.

Posted in Conservation | Tagged Cork Courthouse, Public Building of the Year 2019

Irish Georgian Society Awards – Highly Commended Tubbrid Castle

Posted on October 15, 2019 by Peter Bluett

Castles and cottages with an edge in the conservation game

The 2019 Irish Georgian Society awards went to humble homes and grand projects alike

Sat, Oct 12, 2019, 06:00
Frank McDonald

Tubbrid Castle

Tubbrid Castle

What do 1830s almshouses in Co Waterford, an “off-the-peg” Swiss cottage in Co Leitrim, a Tudor-era tower in Co Kilkenny and a mid 18th-century house in Dublin have in common? Not much on the face of it, but they all feature prominently in the 2019 Irish Georgian Society Conservation Awards.

Having served on the jury for these biennial awards for more than a decade, I’ve learned not to be so bowled over by the grandeur of stately homes as to overlook modest vernacular buildings. And this year, once again, we selected four restoration projects that infused elements of Ireland’s architectural heritage with new life.

The rescue by Aughey O’Flaherty Architects of long-derelict Boyce’s Almshouses in Tallow, Co Waterford, transforming them into four cheerful social homes for tenants of Waterford City & County Council, won a commendation not least because it was done so well, even with a limited budget of €475,000 (only €118,750 per unit).

With its beautifully lime-rendered exterior, careful landscaping and cosy interiors given more daylight by plate-glass windows at the rear, the Tallow project is an object lesson for other local authorities in how to make good use of neglected historic buildings. Indeed, it was intended by Waterford to be an “exemplary conservation project”.

Inspiring project
Next up was Tubbrid Castle, not far from Kilkenny city. A once gaunt and roofless 16th-century tower house, it was brought back to life by Bluett O’Donoghue Architects for holiday lets on behalf of the late John Campion; he had dreamed of its restoration for years and lived to see the project virtually completed before he died last year.

Project architect Cormac O’Sullivan took us up steep stone stairs with rope handrails to a great hall on the first floor, explaining how the tower house had been restored and supplied with under-floor heating and modern bathrooms as well as having its battlements reinstated to their original profile and height. It’s a really inspiring project.

Full article; https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/castles-and-cottages-with-an-edge-in-the-conservation-game-1.4045070

Posted in Uncategorized

Cork Criminal Courthouse receives 3 awards.

Posted on June 8, 2019 by Peter Bluett

We are very proud to announce that the Cork Criminal Courthouse by OPW Architects with Wilson Architecture and Bluett O’Donoghue  received three awards at the 2019 RIAI Architectural Awards.. This is a fantastic result following tough competition from 41 shortlisted projects.

  • Winner of  the Innovation award
  • 2nd place in the RIAI Public Choice Awards
  • 2nd place Cultural – Public Building award

Congratulations to Michael O’Boyle  who lead the Bluett & O Donoghue Team.

Posted in Conservation, Facility management, Fire safety, General, News | Tagged 2019, awards, buildings, Criminal  Courthouse, employment, Irish Architectural Awards 2019, Irish Public Choice, RIAI

Employment opportunities at Bluett & O’Donoghue

Posted on May 27, 2019 by Peter Bluett

Currently there is the opportunity to join our team with the following employment positions available.

ARCHITECTURAL TECHNOLOGISTS
General practice experience for Dublin and Kilkenny Offices.

FIRE ENGINEER / TECHNOLOGIST
Fire Safety Design from initial design and Fire Safety Certificate stage to completion. Primary or Post Grad’ diploma qualification advantageous.
For Dublin or Kilkenny Offices.

Attractive package for the right Candidates to work on a broad range of project types. Please send C.V. and enclosing letter by post to No.2 John st Kilkenny or email to : marie.flahive@boda.ie.

Posted in News | Tagged Architectural technologist, employment, fire engineer, opportunities

Irish Architectural Awards 2019

Posted on May 17, 2019 by Peter Bluett

Bluett & O’Donoghue are honored to  have the Cork Criminal  Courthouse shortlisted in the  – Irish Architectural Awards 2019.

The prestigious  development  was completed in conjunction with  OPW Architects  and Wilson Architecture.

Why not vote for  this project:   link to the following RIAI site:  https://www.irisharchitectureawards.ie/public-choice-2019#

Voting closes at midnight on Friday, 31st May

 

Posted in Conservation, General, News | Tagged 2019, Architectural Awards, cork, Cork Criminal  Courthouse, Courthouse, Criminal  Courthouse, Irish Architectural Awards 2019, Irish Public Choice, Irish Public Choice  Awards

Tubbrid Castle, Co. Kilkenny, Irish Times, February 2019

Posted on February 26, 2019 by Peter Bluett

A Castle earns its keep in Kilkenny

John Campion Jnr: “Dad put so much effort into saving it from falling down, I felt it would be a shame not to complete the task.”

Many of us dream of being king or queen of the castle but one Co Kilkenny man, a doctor by day and restoration man by night, picked up where his father had left off and turned a tower house, a structure built some 500 years ago and uninhabited for over a century, when it was used as a shed for his family’s dairy herd, into a warm and comfortable home. It took two generations of Campions, a father and son, both named John, to make it happen. Their people have farmed the rich lands of northwest Kilkenny for generations. Tubbrid Castle has always been in their lives. It was constructed in the 1500s reputedly by Margaret Fitzgerald, Eighth Countess of Ormond, and is one of about five in this part of southwest Kilkenny. Skirmishes saw the property pass into the hands of the Shortalls who owned at least three similar structures in the area and then to the local landed gentry, the St Georges. It was still in their ownership when a Catherine Campion, John’s great, great grandmother, is listed in the Griffith Valuation of 1851 as residing in the castle as a tenant of Sir R.B St George.

Tubrid Castle, Portlaw, Co Waterford. Photograph: Dylan Vaughan

His great-grandparents bought the lands on which Tubbrid Castle stood around the turn of the 20th century, when the Land Acts allowed tenants to buy the lands they were renting from their landlords. It was a bleak house, Campion recalls, devoid of a roof and no glass in the windows. Around the same time the family moved into a farmhouse a couple of hundred metres from the historical house and they took a limestone fireplace from it with them. Carved in two pieces, each bore the numerals 15 and 96 marking 1596, possibly the year the tower was built.Growing up, John Campion Snr had plans to rehabilitate the tower house. When he had reared his family he started turning those dreams into a reality and began works in 2004 when he was in his mid-50s. He hired a conservation engineer, Ivor McElveen, who suggested he repoint the exterior, put a roof on it and even employed professional stonemasons to rebuild the door and window lintels.He applied for planning permission in 2016 and had to submit archaeological impact reports, and retain an archaeologist throughout the works.

“But the efforts to make it safe and habitable are eclipsed by the original physical effort it took to erect it. In an era of mechanised cranes and power tools the effort is unimaginable.” With his architect, Cormac O’Sullivan of Bluett & O’Donoghue Architects, he went through every detail which meant by the time Murphy Brothers Building Contractors came onto the site much of the problem-solving had been done.

One of the bedrooms in Tubrid Castle, Co Kilkenny. Photograph: Dylan Vaughan
One of the bedrooms in Tubbrid Castle, Co Kilkenny. 
One of the bedrooms, Tubrid Castle, Co Kilkenny. Photograph: Dylan Vaughan
One of the bedrooms, Tubbrid Castle, Co Kilkenny. 
Under th eaves at Tubrid Castle, Co Kilkenny. Photograph: Dylan Vaughan
Under the eaves at Tubbrid Castle, Co Kilkenny.

Full Irish Times article ….. Tubbrid Castle

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