Highfield Hospital is located on the site of the existing Highfield Hospital Group facility in Whitehall, Dublin, which has been operated by our clients (The Eustace Family) for over 150 years. The major expansion at the site is a 200-bed 2 and 3-storey nursing home facility which caters for a range of patient types from low to high dependency units, including Alzheimer’s. This mix requires the design to be varied and include open space courtyards as well as more restricted units to reflect the needs of the patients.

The project was constructed on a live hospital site, which posed many challenges for the design team in relation to health & safety, coordination of traffic and pedestrians, and suppression of noise and dust. The building structure consists of precast floor units on loadbearing masonry, as well as reinforced concrete beams and columns, supported on spread foundations.

An unusual aspect of the project is that the site is located over the Dublin Port Tunnel. Any development over the port tunnel is restricted in weight to ensure it does not affect the structural integrity of the port tunnel unless demonstrated otherwise. As this development exceeded this loading restriction a geotechnical analysis and assessment on the port tunnel was carried out. This analysis demonstrated that the chosen structural scheme and overall building weight did not impact on the port tunnel integrity.

Hence, PUNCH Consulting Engineers have had extensive dealings with Dublin City Council, Dublin Port Tunnel designers and the NRA with respect to gaining approvals for the development from these bodies.