The 0.6 acre Gardens International Office Development is not merely a building but an assembly of buildings, marrying the old with the new.
Originally the General Post Office Building, Roche’s Hanging Garden and the Mercantile Building located in the heart of Limerick City constructed in the early 1800s. Only two of the original brick vaults of the Hanging Gardens remain, having been replaced in the early 20th century by a courtyard complex of red brick buildings to accommodate the expansion of the General Post Office. In 2007 the courtyard area buildings were demolished and a 5 storey concrete frame over a single storey basement was partially constructed. It was to be a commercial office development.
The 10,400m2 Grade A office development is Limerick’s first city centre LEED Gold certified office scheme comprising:

1. A five storey concrete office block (floor area approx 6,500m2) over a (965m2) single storey basement,

2. The historic structures of the General Post Office building, Mercantile building and the stone vaults of the Hanging Gardens (floor area approx 900m2)

3. The corner building, a new development (Hanging Gardens No.19) of contemporary masonry construction and RC frame required the demolition of an existing structure (floor area approx 3,000m2)

4. Upgrade of 95m length of watermain on Henry Street, one of the busiest streets in Limerick City Centre, which required traffic management and PUNCH ability to be on site when needed of the utmost importance.

PUNCH initial task was to carry out an appraisal of the existing historic buildings, reinforced concrete frame and drainage system. This primarily consisted of CCTV surveys, testing the conservation buildings structures and testing of the existing concrete frame from a durability perspective, as this building was exposed to the elements since 2007.

To fast-track the construction works, the project was broken down into an enabling works package and main development works package. The enabling works concentrated on repairs to the concrete frame and conservation buildings. This reduced the overall program and allowed for the design to be fully coordinated into the existing buildings and therefore minimise coordination issues during the main construction works. The works required underpinning  of an adjacent five storey building. The buildings were detailed in Revit.