• Bank of Ireland OPUS Architecture & Construction Award Winner 2005

The first issue resolved by PUNCH Consulting Engineers was to raise the 4.7 hectare site up by 2.0 metres as the site was occasionally subject to flooding. The natural flood plane was preserved between the residential blocks, and depending on the river levels, reed beds and indigenous fauna thrive thus preserving the seasonal nature of the landscape. The buildings then radiate out in a southerly direction from a central nodal point. PUNCH designed the building structure with a steel frame and pre-cast concrete planks with in-situ concrete slabs. The structural steel framework is tied back to concrete lift shafts and the residential blocks contain no internal block work for maximum future flexibility.

The University of Limerick (UL) was established in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick and classified as the University of Limerick in 1989. The University is situated on a superb riverside campus of over 133 hectares with the River Shannon as a unifying focal point. Thomond Village consists of 3 residential blocks ranging from three to five stories, comprising 106 apartments and a total of 503 bed spaces, a manager’s residence and facilities building. It is located across the River Shannon on the North Campus with access via a bridge which was also constructed as part of this development.

Thomond Village is just one of the projects which PUNCH Consulting Engineers have worked on in the UL campus. We have also provided a wide range of engineering services in the rapid building expansion including the Robert Schuman Building, the Kathleen Lonsdale Building, the Materials and Surface Sciences Institute, Plassey, Kilmurray and Dromroe Villages, in addition to the UL Millstream Refurbishment. The success of the project at Thomond Village was also highlighted when it became a Bank of Ireland OPUS Architecture & Construction Award Winner 2005.