Thomas Burgh House is shortlisted in one of the principal categories in this year’s Structural Awards.

These International awards showcase the world’s best engineered structures and the 2018 winners will be revealed on Friday 16 November at the iconic London venue, The Brewery. Thomas Burgh House, the location of the JJ Rhatigan Dublin Office, is a three-storey office development constructed within the confines of the Renovated St. Luke’s Church in Dublin 8.

The original church was built in 1716, but at the start of this project was derelict, roofless and in disrepair. One of the major challenges of the brief was to convert this into a modern office facility but without the addition of structural load on ground floor due to the presence of a sensitive vaulted crypt. This use of hangers up to the node points of the light truss roof structure transferred the first and second floors and stair directly to the external masonry walls. The structural solution maximises structural efficiency as demonstrated in the efficiency of materials in a design that manifests as a fully visible hanging steel structure, which provided three office floors. Additionally, it sees the sympathetic restoration of a very old church to keep our structural engineering heritage whilst aligning to the future redevelopment of this area of Dublin, which was only economically viable with three new floors.