File - John Sisk and Son

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THE IRISH TIMES SPECIAL REPORT
STRENGTH – DIVERSITY – EXPERIENCE
FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2009
John Sisk & Son Ltd.
delivering excellence in
construction on the Nation’s
buildings for 150 years.
We operate across all
sectors of the Irish
construction market;
● Civil Engineering
● Commercial
● Education
● Energy
● Healthcare
● Hotel
● Industrial
● Leisure
● Pharmaceutical
● Public Buildings
● Residential
● Retail
Mr.John Sisk, Founder
Dundrum Town Centre
2005
St.Mary’s of the Rosary,
Nenagh 1896
Cork City Hall
1936
Dept. Industry &
Commerce 1942
Central Bank, Dublin
1978
Wexford Bridge
1959
Royal Hospital, Kilmainham
(Restoration) 1980
Galway Cathedral
1965
Offices throughout Ireland:
Dublin, Cork, Dundalk, Galway,
Limerick, Sligo, Waterford & Belfast
Visit www.sisk.ie
for further information and
our anniversary website with
historical timeline and video.
Inside
Page 4
Laying the foundations Family company Sisk has traded through wars and
times of boom and bust to shape Ireland’s architectural landscape
Page 28
Docklands turnaround The revitalisation of Dublin’s Docklands has provided
Sisk with some of its most prestigous buidings
Page 8
Family values Group chief executive Liam Nagle on the Sisk Group
philosophy, and growth and continuity in a volatile industry
Page 30
Portrait John Valentine Sisk, who in 1880 began working as an apprentice at
the age of 13 with his father
Page 10
Social conscience Giving something back to the community is a core value
at Sisk, which is involved in a variety of charitable projects
Page 32
Gaelic pride Croke Park is Sisk’s most admired and renowned project. What
went into creating the iconic stadium on Dublin’s northside?
Page 14
Rich diversity Expanding the business, whether into other countries or
healthcare, has been crucial to the success of Sisk
Page 36
The Cork connection From its first appearance on a 1687 lease, the name Sisk
has had a profound influence on the urban landscape of Cork city
Page 38
Portrait John G Sisk, who opened the company’s Dublin office in the 1930s
Page 40
Medical matters Aware that the boom could not last forever, Sisk group used
the good times to make a successful expansion into the healthcare industry
Page 42
Portrait Current chairman of the group George Sisk recounts four decades in
the family business and international expansion
Page 44
The test of time Sisk’s conservation and restoration arm ensures some
of Ireland’s most important stone buildings are preserved for the future
Page 16
Portrait Sisk founder John Sisk, whose father died during the Famine
Page 18
Making history Sisk’s buildings reflect various chapters in Irish history, from
church and State to the Celtic Tiger boom
Page 20
Working together With the State’s ability to borrow to fund infrastructure
severely limited, public-private partnership has a role to play
Page 24
On home ground The rebirth of Lansdowne Road as the state-of-the-art
Aviva Stadium has provided an exciting challenge for Sisk
Page 24
Great in Britain Sisk’s UK operation is celebrating its silver jubilee, with
more than 400 people and has numerous prestigious projects to its name
SISK AT 150
EDITOR: Madeleine Lyons PRODUCTION EDITOR: Rachel Collins PRODUCTION AND DESIGN: Emma Somers
CONTACT: Special Reports Department, The Irish Times, Tara St, Dublin 2 TEL: 01-6758000 E-MAIL: specialreports@irishtimes.com
ADVERTISING: Dermot Tierney at Special Reports Bureau TEL: 01-873 4233 E-MAIL: dtierney@irishtimes.com
Image above: Construction of the American Air Museum in Cambridgeshire in the UK
Front cover images, from left: National Conference Centre, Spencer Dock, Dublin; St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin; Dundrum Town Centre, Dublin; Central Bank, Dame Street, Dublin; Centocor facility, Ringaskiddy, Co
Cork; distribution for Bosch; Croke Park Stadium, Dublin; Sisk Healthcare
THE IRISH TIMES Sisk at 150 | March 13, 2009 | 3
SISK AT 150 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS
WORDS BY EMMA CULLINAN
PHOTOGRAPH BY BRYAN O’BRIEN
04 | THE IRISH TIMES Sisk at 150 | March 13, 2009
Towering success
Since they began trading in 1859, the Sisk family’s influence has been felt right across
the country, building some of Ireland’s most iconic buildings
T
HE SISK building company was
founded in 1859, just a decade
after the famine. Since then it
has traded through wars and depressions to remain a wholly
Irish-owned company, diversifying into other fields such as
healthcare and distribution.
It all began with a young man named John
whose father Patrick died during the Famine.
Patrick was believed to have been a plasterer, taking the building line back even further. At the
age of 11, John became an apprentice to a plasterer called Richard Martin, a Quaker.
John began the building company just before
his marriage to Kate Burke in 1859 and one of
the first Sisk projects was a building for the Cork
Distillery Company on Morrison’s Island.
John and Kate had six sons, four of whom entered the building trade. Nicholas worked as a
plasterer and tiler; William was a carpenter and
woodcarver (his work can be seen in the Bunnyconnellan Hotel in Myrtleville, Co Cork); Richard was a plasterer and, later, foreman; and John
Valentine started out as an apprentice carpenter
and set up on his own in 1900.
Six years later, when his father became ill and
the original business was in trouble, John Valentine returned to the family firm and formed a
partnership with his father: John Sisk & Son. By
then the company had worked on many convents, churches and houses, including Crosshaven Convent, Bon Secours convent and offices for
the then Cork Examiner and a home for its owner, Thomas Crosbie.
“
As Ireland was getting
to grips with going it
alone, John V, too, was now
solely in charge of the
company’s destiny following his
father’s death in October 1921
After John V, as he was fondly known, became
a partner, the company grew rapidly and had a
solid grounding in Cork by the early 20th century, having worked on church buildings (including the galleries at St Finbarr’s South Chapel in
Cork in 1881 and the spire of Holy Trinity church
in 1890) and the Munster and Leinster Bank
building in South Mall.
The classical building employed the builders’
craftsmanship with materials that came from
around the world, as well as local stone, including Little Island (Cork) limestone.
In 1859, the Gothic revival was in full swing.
But when Sisk began much of its significant
work, architectural styles were changing – and,
with them, building methods.
Over its lifetime, the company has followed
the changes from cut-stone to bricklaying and
Liberty Hall in Dublin (left);
Cork City Hall (above); John
G Sisk (top centre) meets
then-president Eamon de
Valera (top left)
then reinforced concrete structures.
The Honan Chapel in Cork, a key building on
which the company worked, was both stylistically and structurally positioned at the heart of
changes in architectural styles and politics. Beside University College Cork, it was paid for out
of the Honan family bequest in 1914.
Ireland was breaking away from British rule
and the chapel drew on Celtic influences. It was
also influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement, which referenced handcrafted objects at a
time of increased industrialisation.
The chapel’s Hiberno-Romanesque style drew
on 12th-century buildings for inspiration. Its
facade is a copy of the 12th-century Romanesque
St Cronan church in Roscrea and its interior is
similar to that of Cormac’s Chapel in Cashel –
both in Co Tipperary. The building also has a
miniature Irish round tower at one end.
In October 1921, just months before the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty that would lead to
Irish independence, the founder of the business,
John Sisk, died at the age of 84. In his will, he left
money to his family and the firm to his partner
and son, John V.
As Ireland was getting to grips with going it
alone, John V, too, was now solely in charge of
the company’s destiny, although his second son,
John G, was to play a large role in the future of
the company.
John G joined the firm at the age of 20 as an
apprentice engineer. One large job at the time
was the construction of the new Cork City Hall,
which was to replace the one burned during the
War of Independence.
It was designed by Dublin architects Jones &
Kelly in a traditional style and has references to
the Custom House in Dublin, which was designed by James Gandon in 1781 (and which Sisk
was to later renovate).
The foundation stone at Cork was laid on July
9th, 1932 by Éamon de Valera, who opened the
building four years later on September 8th, 1936.
Much of the dressed limestone on the City Hall
façade was quarried in Little Island, delivered
with an early electric crane and, at the cutting
edge of technology, sliced with large circular and
swing saws.
During the build, one of John G’s tasks was to
scour the papers for jobs for which the company
could tender, but there was often nothing for
weeks on end. Once asked if these were bad economic times, he quipped: “There were no economic times.” There was no social security and
often they would have to get breakfast for men
who came to work and fainted with weakness.
John G decided to open an office in Dublin
soon after becoming engaged to Mary Magdalen
and the couple set up home in Ranelagh. As company secretary, she was to prove crucial to the
success of the Dublin operation, although it got
off to a slow start.
The company worked on a few smaller
projects, including Corpus Christi Church in
Whitehall, Dublin, before landing the prestigious job of constructing the first purpose-built offices for the new independent Irish government:
the then Department of Industry and Commerce
in Kildare Street.
A competition to design the building was held
in 1934 and was won by architect JR Boyd Barrett (Michael Scott also entered).
The design was conservative and slipped neatly
into its surroundings, staying with the neo-Classicism that predominated in Ireland at the time, despite the spread of Modernism across the world.
Continued on page 6
SISK AT 150 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS
Continued from page 5
Yet the building has elements that speak of its
time, with Art Deco and Art Nouveau constituents.
During the construction of the Kildare Street
building, Sisk won the contract to build Cavan Cathedral in 1938.
Again this involved specialist craftsmanship,
not least on the decorative stonework. Sisk established a drawing office in Dublin to predetermine the size, shape and finish of each of the
thousands of stones in the building and to identify their location in the structure.
As with the Kildare Street job, Cavan Cathedral was built during the second World War and
many of the materials were difficult to procure.
Despite that, “it was a lucky job”, said John G. “I
bought all the timber a few weeks before rationing, half from Belfast and half from Dublin. I
bought all the Portland stone before the quarries
closed, also all the copper for the roof one week
before it was controlled and under ration.
“The most amazing piece of luck was the marble. This was ordered from a very decent Italian,
Oliviero Danieli. My father rang me from Cork
one night and said: ‘I think that Mussolini is going into war, you had better do something about
the trainload of marble columns [which had
come through Belfast] or they will be seized as
contraband of war.’
“I left that evening and was on the Border at
the Great Northern Railway station soon, saw
the customs man and explained the position and
offered him a cheque for the duty of £8,000-odd.
I then saw the station foreman and gave him £5
to shunt the wagons of marble to our side of the
Border and stayed there until he did so. The next
morning Italy was in the war: some timing . . .
by the skin of our teeth.”
A couple of years before Cavan Cathedral was
completed in 1942, the structure of the company
“
His son, Hal, is proud of
his father and puts much
of the business’s continued
success down to his bravery:
‘John G ventured where others
merely speculated.’
changed and John V, then in his 70s, gave most
of the shares to his son, John G.
In 1958 John Sisk & Son began work on another cathedral, in Galway, which also involved complex craftsmanship.
A booklet to mark the opening of Galway Cathedral gives an indication of how tastes were
changing: “Many would have preferred a bolder,
more contemporary design as being expressive
of the new developments in church life. One
must remember, however, that the building took
six years to complete; its walls were already
some height before ‘conservative’ became a really bad word.”
In 1967, three years after finishing Galway Cathedral, the company won the contract to build
the Central Bank on Dame Street in Dublin,
working with cutting-edge technology and structural forms. The structure, that was effectively
hung from its apex, was designed by Stephenson
Gibney Associates.
The bank was finished in 1978 – following a
public inquiry, a few planning applications and
appeals, and Stephenson complaining about the
ferocity of attacks on his character.
As with the Central Bank, the hospitals constructed as part of the new 1948 coalition government’s building programme tended towards a
contemporary style.
At last, large-scale Irish buildings, with their
white concrete walls and rectangular plans, were
looking to modernism – and continental Europe
– for inspiration. The designers of the Sisk-built
St Vincent’s Hospital, Downes and Meehan architects, took inspiration from the Bürgerspital Hospital in Basel.
Crumlin hospital, built by Sisk in 1946, was designed in a very different style by some of the architects at Robinson Keefe Devane (RKD), who
had worked on Galway Cathedral; partner Andy
Devane had studied under Frank Lloyd Wright
in the US.
On July 20th, 1961 Sisk began building Liberty
Hall, Ireland’s first skyscraper and the tallest
tower in Dublin at 17 storeys (60m). Liberty Hall
designer Desmond Ri O’Kelly said the building
was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s Johnson
Wax building in Wisconsin but that its wavy roof
was not a reference to the nearby Busáras, designed by Michael Scott and built by Sisk between 1945 and 1953.
It was designed in the International style that
Clockwise from above:
the Arts building in UCD;
Offaly County Council; the
Central Bank on Dame
Street in Dublin; the
Department of Industry and
Commerce on Kildare
Street; Galway Cathedral
had emerged in Europe and the US before the
war – a style in which Dublin airport was also designed, by a team led by Desmond Fitzgerald.
Not long after the completion of Busáras, John
V, then in his 90s, became ill. He died on July
2nd, 1957. John G had not only lost a father but a
friend; the pair are said to have possessed something nearing telepathy when communicating at
meetings.
The Modernist work continued and included
the Arts Block and Administration Building at
UCD in Belfield in the late 1960s and early
1970s. The buildings were designed by a
27-year-old Polish man called Andrzej Wejchert, working with
local architects RKD. Sisk
also worked on the Arts
SISK 150
TIMELINE
1837
John Sisk is born on
September 30th. From
the age of 11 he learned
his trade from Quaker
plasterer Richard Martin
1845
Start of the
Great Famine,
during which
John’s father
Patrick died
1859
John Sisk starts the
building company and
marries Kate Burke –
they have six sons,
four of whom later
work for their father
1861
Civil war starts in the US
1868
John Valentine Sisk is
born. Although three of
his brothers also work
for the company, it is
John V who later goes
into partnership with his
father and is left the
company after his death
1884
Founding of
the GAA –
more
than 100
years later
Sisk will
build Croke Park
Block in Trinity College Dublin, from 1968 to
1979, Ahrends Burton and Koralek’s (ABK) second project at the university, the first being the
now iconic Berkeley Library. ABK and Sisk also
teamed up on St Andrew’s College in Booterstown, Dublin, in 1968.
When times were hard in Ireland, Sisk set up
in other countries and has worked in Africa, Germany and the UK, where it still has a substantial
business. The company also diversified over the
years, into distribution for Bosch, specialist architectural glass and healthcare.
It also set up a civil-engineering arm to build
infrastructure such as roads and waste-management systems.
When the economy picked up in the early
1990s, Sisk was well-placed to build key boom
buildings, such as Croke Park and Lansdowne
Building the foundations of society
Schools and third level
Gonzaga College (1948-1958)
Clongowes Wood College
dormitory and science block
(1958-1968)
Dublin City University library
(Scott Tallon Walker, 2000)
UCD Nova Building
(Kavanagh Tuite, 2002)
Cork School of Music
(Murray Ó Laoire, 2005)
Social projects
Sisk was involved in a variety
of council-housing projects in
Dublin as well as the
£9.5 million Ballymun project.
Industrial facilities
Sisk built many industrial
facilities following the
attraction of inward
investment by the IDA –
including Potez, Pfizer,
Hewlett Packard, Wyeth,
Bausch and Lomb, Allergan
and Johnson & Johnson
Shopping centres
Sisk built many of the
country’s shopping centres
during the boom including
Blanchardstown, Pavilions,
Liffey Valley, Whitewater,
Scotch Hall and The Square,
as well as Dundrum town
centre in Dublin’s southside.
Dundrum is Sisk’s largest
building project to date,
valued at ¤420 million. At its
peak 1600 people were
involved in its construction.
Civic offices
Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown
town hall (McCullough Mulvin
and RKD Architects)
Limerick County Council HQ
(Bucholz McEvoy)
Offaly county offices (ABK)
Athlone offices (Keith
Williams Architects)
Road stadium, which is now on site. The company also built many of Ireland’s shopping centres
and civic offices around the country.
When the recent downturn hit, Sisk was in the
fortunate position of having some large jobs on
site, including the Lansdowne project and Spencer Dock, to the north of the Liffey, with its conference centre, by architect Kevin Roche. Across
the river, Sisk is building the Grand Canal theatre, by architect Daniel Libeskind, and the compa-
“
Not long after the
completion of Busáras,
John V, then in his 90s, became
ill and died on July 2nd, 1957.
John G had not only lost a father
but a friend
ny has just won a contract for the Mater hospital.
The man who had expanded the company
from Cork to Dublin (and later beyond), John G,
died in 2001 at the age of 90, but he had already
handed over to the next generation in 1974.
His son Hal is proud of his father and puts
much of the business’s continued success down
to his bravery. “John G ventured where others
merely speculated,” he says.
1911
John Gerard Sisk
(John G), who will later
take over the company,
is born
1912
Sisk builds the Munster
and Leinster Bank,
designed by architect
Arthur Hill, in Cork city
1914
The first
World
War
starts
and
impacts
the supply of building
materials. Sisk employed
to build bunkers
1916
Sisk builds the Honan
Chapel in Cork
1921
Irish civil war; death of
John Sisk; Cork City Hall
burned down during the
fighting
SISK AT 150 LIAM NAGLE
WORDS BY BARRY McCALL
Family
fortunes
For 150 years Sisk has followed a
simple but effective strategy and the
group’s chief executive, Liam Nagle,
has no intention of abandoning this
philosophy in the future
O
VER THE past 150 years,
Sisk has been responsible
for some of the most famous
and iconic buildings in the
country – including Liberty
Hall, Busáras, Cork City
Hall, the Central Bank, the
new Croke Park stadium,
Nenagh Cathedral and many of the country’s
largest industrial plants.
Today, the company logo can be seen on landmark projects such as the National Conference
Centre on Dublin’s Spencer Dock and the new
Lansdowne Road stadium.
Sisk is also one of the largest privately-owned
companies in Ireland. In 2007, turnover exceeded ¤1.6 billion, with 2,800 people employed
across its operations.
Possibly the most remarkable thing about the
company is its longevity. In a notoriously volatile
industry that swings from boom to bust with
alarming regularity, Sisk can celebrate
150 years of near unbroken success and growth.
Group chief executive Liam Nagle has no
doubt about the key reason for that success.
“Sisk is a family business. This is vitally important as it allows us to take a long-term view in
terms of strategy,” he says.
“It also makes us culturally unique. Everyone
working in the business knows who the Sisk family are and understands the company and family
values. One of the areas where this has very visible benefits is in staff retention – when you walk
around any one of our offices or sites you’ll find
people who have been with us for 20 and
30 years – and more.”
The long-term view he speaks of is facilitated
by an ownership structure that is very different
to companies quoted on the stock market.
“I would not for a moment criticise the plc
model of ownership,” says Nagle. “But it does
help that we are not driven by quarter-on-quarter results. We are as aggressive as anyone else
in terms of growing the company, but we can af-
ABOVE: Liam Nagle, chief
executive of Sisk.
Photograph:
Brenda Fitzsimons
OPPOSITE PAGE
(from top): Busáras, which
was built between 1945 and
1953; the National
Conference Centre,
Photograph: David Sleator;
the Aviva Stadium at
Lansdowne Road Stadium
under construction
ford to take a longer-term view and I believe this
gives us a competitive advantage.”
And long term means just that. “The business
is now owned by the fifth generation of the Sisk
family and I am very much aware that my job is
not just to deliver results this year, or next year,
but to continue building the business for future
generations – that’s a pretty awesome challenge,” he says.
“Our vision is to create a diversified business
built around our historic strength and culture; a
business that delivers results for all of its stakeholders, including the Sisk family, our staff and
our clients.”
The relative simplicity of this vision is reflected in the group’s strategic plan.
“Our strategy is fairly simple,” Nagle says.
“We will continue to do what we already do well
and continue to invest in the various businesses
in the group. We will continue to diversify into
sensible areas. And we will start to behave more
as the Sisk Group and make our 10 companies
SISK 150
TIMELINE
a washing machine in Origo or tendering for a
job in the construction business, the expertise is
out in those companies and we are very conscious of not interfering with that.”
Looking to the future of the group, he believes that Sisk’s history holds the key to its longterm success.
“The Sisk group has managed its way through
civil wars, depressions, recessions and World
Wars and we have done this through diversifying and continually looking for new and different things to do,” he points out.
“We travelled abroad to the UK in the 1980s,
to Africa in the 1970s and 1980s, and to Germany in the 1980s and 1990s when work was thin
on the ground here.
“In Ireland, we constantly diversified and
moved into different areas such as civil works.
For example, we recently moved into the road
building area and were part of the consortium responsible for the new Cashel Bypass – and we
are currently involved in the construction of the
Shannon Tunnel.
“Over the decades, we have demonstrated the
ability to change in order to win work; we have a
great reputation for the delivery of good-quality
work, on time and on budget and that
reputation is now standing to us in the tougher
times.
“
The Sisk group has
managed its way through
civil wars, depressions,
recessions and World Wars by
diversifying and continually
looking for new things to do
greater than the sum of their parts.
“It is a simple story,” he says. “It is not a complex strategic plan.”
The last aim of behaving more like a group
does not herald any fundamental change in culture. On the contrary, this move is also driven by
the long-held values of the company.
“We are very consciously not creating some
kind of a corporate centre which is distanced
from the operating companies in the group. All
of our people are empowered to make decisions
and grow their businesses.
“It is out there at the coalface that business is
won and done and delivered. Whether it’s selling
“We like to think that when people want something done properly they’ll come to Sisk.”
This ability to change is particularly important in the current environment, where tender
prices have dropped by more than 20 per cent
over the past 18 months. “Even in the good
times, we were only earning profits of around
3 per cent of turnover so we have to become
even more efficient,” he says.
He cites the Lansdowne Road stadium project
as an example. “We planned that project from
the end to the beginning rather than the other
way around. This means that the porta-cabins
that we put down at the beginning of the project
haven’t been moved once – and will not be
moved until we take them off site.
“Just a few years ago, we would probably have
moved them four or five times by now, adding
cost in the project. It is strategic thinking like
this that keeps us ahead of our competitors.”
His recipe for future success includes two key
ingredients: keeping the cost base at the right
level and making the company as efficient as possible. “In addition, we aim to win a decent share
of the business that’s out there; we will make
sure that clients know about Sisk and our longevity and reliability; and we will probably look at
travelling again and looking for work abroad.
“Thanks to the growth in the Irish economy
over the past few decades, the scale of the
projects we have been involved in here at home
has grown greatly and this has given us the experience and expertise to be able to go after larger
projects in the UK and in mainland Europe.”
1929
The Wall Street Crash;
John G remembers
buying
meals for
hungry
workers during the
1930s recession
1931
John G joins the
company, having
graduated in
engineering from UCC
1936
Company incorporated,
with John V’s sons
Raymond and John G
becoming directors
1937
Sisk sets up Stone
Developments to
ensure a secure and
good quality stone
supply to the firm
1938
Sisk & Son moves to
Dublin. After a sluggish
start it lands valuable
contracts, including the
first office of the
independent
government and
Cavan Cathedral (right);
the company
lands its
highest
value job
to date,
Castlerea Mental
Hospital, at £180,000
1940
Sisk devises a way of
mixing coal duff (small
particles) and pitch
(solid petroleum), used
to fuel trains during the
Emergency; John G
becomes managing
director
1941
The Emergency (the
second World War);
Sisk is contracted to
build air-raid shelters
1946
Sisk commissions a
logo from British firm
Reynolds Stone,
which also
designed
£5 and
£10 notes.
Sisk asked for a design
that would work on
notepaper and site
hoardings. The design,
which cost £50, has
lasted to this day
SISK AT 150 SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
WORDS BY SANDRA O’CONNELL
One
good
turn
As a family business, Sisk
has always believed in
giving back to the
community. The group is
involved in a variety of
projects from community
housing to toymaking
C
ORPORATE SOCIAL Responsibility (CSR) is a new term for
an old concept; that of being a
good neighbour. It’s something
the Sisk Group has worked towards in a low-key way for decades.
In one long-running project,
staff volunteer each year to build toys in the
company’s joinery workshop in the run-up to
Christmas. These are then distributed to charitable organisations around the country.
This year, to mark the group’s 150th anniversary, Sisk is embarking on a major new CSR initiative, partnering with charitable organisations
around the country as part of a comprehensive
volunteering programme.
“We plan on recognising the great milestone
of our anniversary in a number of ways during
2009, ways which will be consistent with our
values and ethos as a family business,” says Sisk
chief executive Liam Nagle.
Representatives from across the business have
identified a number of local community and charitable organisations, as well as one overseas
organisation, to work with. “Each of these partner organisations has identified a project or
challenge they need help with that would create
a meaningful impact,” says Nagle.
Continued on page 12
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Sunflower Days
AS PART of the group’s CSR initiative, Sisk
employees will be volunteering for street
collections in aid of the Irish Hospice
Foundation’s two Sunflower Days in June. All
funds raised locally will stay local, helping
develop hospice services in that region.
Further fundraising initiatives are also planned
to collect money for the Children’s Palliative
Care programme.
“OUR COMMITMENT to CSR isn’t just about giving money to projects, it is
about using the skill base we have in Sisk to help make a difference,” says
Liam Nagle, Sisk chief executive.
One of the most tangible aspects of Sisk’s CSR activities this year will be
its help building 16 affordable homes for people in need in Ireland. Working
with international agency Habitat for Humanity, which has provided shelter
for more than one million people worldwide, the houses will be built in
Elmdale in Ballyfermot, Dublin.
“Dublin City Council is giving us the land and Sisk is helping us build
them,” says Habitat for Humanity executive director Kevin McGarry.
The three-bedroom, 92sq m houses will have front and back gardens and
will be owned by the residents, with the aid of special mortgages organised
for them by the charity and EBS.
“These are people who are working but whose income would not be
enough to be entertained by a mortgage provider ordinarily,” says McGarry.
“Each buyer will also commit to putting 500 ‘sweat-equity’ hours into their
home.”
Habitat for Humanity will work with each family throughout the term of
their mortgage, providing help and support.
“Sisk’s input makes a fantastic difference because their expertise will
ensure the houses are built professionally and to the highest standards. It
also brings down the price of the home for the buyer,” says McGarry.
“These are not houses we are building, but homes. Not estates, but
communities. What we are doing will benefit each family for generations to
come.”
Sisk’s CSR initiative not only looks at local projects but at programmes
overseas too. This year a group of volunteers will travel to Mozambique, also
with Habitat for Humanity.
The charity has built 300,000 homes around the world since its inception
in 1976. For two weeks volunteers will help build between 10 and 15 homes
in partnership with local communities there.
SISK AT 150 SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
CHRISTMAS TOYMAKING
FOR ALMOST half a century, trainees at the
Sisk joinery have manufactured and delivered
countless numbers of toys to hospitals,
hospices, women’s shelters and children’s
charitable organisations around the country at
Christmas time.
“It has been very low key, not something we
publicise,” says Dave Treacy, who heads up
the company’s training unit.
“Typically we start into toy making in
October and our aim is to have everything
delivered by the second week in December –
when the lads dress up in Santa suits and
head off in their trucks.”
Toymaking aside, Treacy believes the very
fact of having a training centre is a good
indicator of the group’s commitment to
training and development.
“It is part of our ethos. Every year we take in
a number of school-leavers and train them up
as carpenters and joiners over a four-year
apprenticeship. Most of our senior site
managers have come up through the in-house
training system this way.”
As carpenters are often among the first and
last to be on site during the building process,
they get a great overview of all aspects of
building, he said.
“Those trained up in house this way are the
best – they have the trade background and
think the Sisk way, which is to say, they
believe in quality and in getting the job done
right.”
Clean Coast
Project, Bray
SISK VOLUNTEERS are
helping to clean up the
coastline in Bray, Co
Wicklow.
Working with Clean
Coast Project organisers,
the volunteers will help
restore the cliff walk
between Bray and
Greystones.
The work involves
maintaining paths,
rebuilding walls, cutting
back overhanging bushes,
repairing fences and
cleaning up litter.
Depaul Trust
CLUID
THE SISK Group’s construction expertise makes it a perfect partner for housing organisation
Cluid. Sisk will work with Cluid to help provide practical assistance such as painting, decorating
and generally improving the standards and appearance of social housing for low-income families
and older people.
The Sisk Group is
providing resources to the
Depaul Trust, which works
with some of the most
marginalised homeless
people in Dublin and
Belfast.
The Depaul Trust
provides accommodation,
outreach services, training
and medical assistance for
homeless people.
SISK 150
TIMELINE
SCHOOLS BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMME
THE SISK Group is
participating in the
Schools Business
Partnership Programme,
which is run by the
non-profit organisation
Business in the
Community.
Through its Skills @
Work programme, staff
offer pupils “day in the
life” talks, CV
workshops, mock
interviews and company
visits for pupils.
In this way, children
in disadvantaged areas
see first-hand the link
between education
and work, helping
encourage students
who might otherwise
be tempted to leave
school early to
complete their studies.
1948
Sisk wins its first
£1 million contract, for
Galway Sanatorium
1954
Sisk is
appointed
distributor
of Bosch
powertools
in Ireland
1957
Sisk begins to work in
Africa
1958
Sisk joins with Dutch
firm HBM (Hollandache
Beton Maatschippis), a
pre-stressed reinforced
concrete specialist to
form civils company,
Ascon; Sisk works on its
first industrial project for
heating company Potez
1959
Sisk celebrates its first
100 years in business
IRISH HEART FOUNDATION
ONE OF the most important
initiatives the Sisk Group will be
involved in this year is in helping
provide cardio-pulmonary
resuscitation (CPR) training to
27,500 transition year students
around the State in association
with the Irish Heart Foundation.
“Heart attack is the most
prevalent cause of death in
Ireland but the quicker a patient
who has had a heart attack gets
assistance, the better the
outcome,” explains Conor Healy,
sales manager with Cardiac
Services, part of the Sisk Group.
According to Michael O'Shea
chief executive of the Irish Heart
Foundation: “If a person is
collapsed for five minutes, their
chance of survival could be
reduced by as much as 50 per
cent. Knowing a simple skill like
CPR could make all the
difference. The support from
(Sisk) Cardiac Services and other
donors is extremely vital to the
success of this important
project."
The CPR 4 Schools
programme has already proved
successful in the US and Norway.
“Studies show each pupil will
teach, on average, three other
people the technique, bringing
their knowledge home and
sharing it with family members,”
says Healy.
The schools programme
makes use of a mannequin,
booklet pack and a DVD, which
takes just 20 minutes to play;
Sisk is helping by contributing
funds.
“It is a very important project
for us to be involved in
because . . . awareness of CPR
will be raised in the community
and lives will be saved,” Healy
says.
Dr Ross Murphy (right)
addresses an Irish Heart
Foundation Conference on
sudden cardiac deaths.
Photograph: Bryan O’Brien
School of the Holy Spirit, Kilkenny
IN KILKENNY, Sisk is helping to create a sensory garden as an
educational, therapeutic and healing environment for the School of
the Holy Spirit, which provides education for children with special
needs. The garden will contain features such as sculptures and
interactive water features that make different sounds. Pathways and
walls will have different textures and shapes to feel. It will also grow
fragrant flowers and herbs, making for a stimulating play space for a
child’s every sense.
Sisk is also partnering with Respond! to help create community
gardens in housing estates in Drogheda, Co Louth, and Galway city.
1964
Sisk adds to its portfolio
of stone quarries by
buying a quarry at Old
Leighlin in Carlow, now
the headquarters of
Stone Developments;
Sisk builds its own
headquarters; John G
sets up a training centre
that supplies crafted
timber to many Sisk jobs
and also makes toys for
charities at Christmas
1965
Sisk finishes work on
Ireland’s tallest building,
Liberty Hall, which
opens on May 1st with a
reading of the
Proclamation of
Independence
1966
George Sisk becomes
managing director in
Cork; Sisk builds Galway
Cathedral; Sisk goes into
partnership with Cubits
to build flats at
Ballymun (below);
it establishes specialist
glazing company,
now known as
Williaam Cox
SISK AT 150 PORTFOLIO
Buildings
and beyond
Diversification and innovation have been crucial to the
continued success of Sisk here and abroad
I
N THE early 1990s, when the former East
Germany was undergoing a construction
boom following reunification, Irish visitors
to the country were often surprised to see
the Sisk GMBH sign on sites. This is just
one example of the Sisk Group’s willingness
to diversify and travel in order to sustain
and grow its business. Today the Sisk
Group comprises 10 separate companies spanning construction, domestic appliances, healthcare and property. The healthcare division typifies the way in which the company’s diversification strategy has worked over the years.
“The reason for our diversification strategy is
that it was recognised that the significant
growth which had been experienced in the construction sector was not sustainable and that we
had to look to other areas for future growth,”
says Sisk Group chief executive Liam Nagle.
“The logic of the diversification into healthcare was that the country has a growing older
population which is very health-conscious, as
well as the fact that the sector is counter-cyclical
to the construction and property areas,” he
adds. “Also, being a distribution business it was
a good fit with our existing Origo division, which
was already in that area. We already understood
what it took to make a good distribution business and we were able to bring this experience
to build the healthcare division.”
The Sisk healthcare division currently comprises four separate companies: M.E.D. Surgical, which specialises in the distribution of surgical products to operating theatres; Cardiac Services, a leading supplier of diagnostic and therapeutic healthcare equipment; Tekno Surgical, a
supplier of orthopaedic, aesthetic and general
surgical products; and Synapse, which supplies
equipment into a number of critical clinical areas, including cardiology, endovascular and neuroradiology.
“The healthcare division is very new,” Nagle
points out. “We only made the first acquisition
in 2006 and we made five acquisitions within
two years and have built up the division into a
business with ¤100 million turnover per annum
and 200 staff. Part of the reason why we were
able to do this is because Sisk is a family business. We were able to talk to other family businesses on an equal footing and they were happy
to sell some of their family jewels to us, knowing
that they would be well looked after.”
The Sisk Group also takes a different
approach to acquisitions from many other firms.
“Most firms look to generate synergies and gains
from acquisitions very quickly,” Nagle explains.
“We are different. We have what we term a soft
integration approach where we keep the acquired businesses intact and invest in them. We
believe this is better in the longer term.”
While the move into healthcare product distribution was driven by a desire not to be over-reliant on the construction and property sector, the
establishment of the Stone Developments business came about as a result of the needs of the
core business. Stone Developments is a leading
producer and supplier of Irish limestone to the
Irish, British and European markets. It operates
quarries in Carlow and Kilkenny and has production facilities in both Ireland and Belgium. It is also a leading stone-cladding contractor in Ireland, supplying and fixing Irish- and international-sourced natural stone.
“Back in the 1930s, one of our major contracts
was the construction of the mental hospital in
Castlerea in Co Roscommon,” says Nagle. “The
architect insisted on a particular limestone finish
to the building, which required a consistent supply of stone. John G Sisk, who was in charge of
the business at the time, bought a quarry in Ballinasloe to ensure this consistent supply and that
grew into the stone business. After that, a quarry
was opened in the Dublin Mountains and today
we have the Carlow and Kilkenny quarries.”
The Origo electrical and electronic goods
distribution business started out similarly from a
need by the company to import electrical equipment from Bosch in Germany for its own use.
Another division closely linked to the needs of
the core business is Williaam Cox, a 50:50 joint
venture between Sisk and CRH. Its main business is the design, manufacture and installation
of large-scale architectural glazing and cladding
solutions. It is also a leading supplier of smokeand heat-ventilation systems, daylight products
and cladding systems. Among this company’s
most significant contracts at present is the glazing for the new Lansdowne Road stadium.
Along with the Irish and UK construction companies, the group’s portfolio of businesses is completed by property investment company Korine
Property. It is mainly a “partner of choice” for
“
We were
able to talk
to other family
businesses on an
equal footing and
they were happy
to sell some of
their family jewels
to us, knowing
that they would be
well looked after
landowners or businesses that wish to develop or
redevelop their property on a joint-venture basis. Korine’s experienced management team can
help landowners wanting to realise potential
from property.
Recently Sisk also opened offices in Dubai and
Abbu Dhabi where it has had very “positive discussions” about potential projects.
In its diversification drive over the years Sisk
has consistently resisted the temptation to become a builder developer. “Our focus is on construction in partnership with our clients,” Nagle
says. “Why should we go into competition with
developers who are also our clients?
“In the past, we have looked abroad for new
business and we will do so again. We are currently on the preferred bidder list for the new football stadium in Warsaw.” If successful, this could
mean that the 2011 football UEFA Cup Final is
played in a Sisk-built stadium in Dublin, while
the 2012 football European Championship final
is played in a Sisk-built stadium in Warsaw.
SISK 150
TIMELINE
1969
UCD moves to Belfield.
Sisk wins contracts to
build the Arts block and
library
1978
Sisk builds the Central
Bank in Dublin
1979
Sisk erects the papal
cross (right) and
altar in Dublin’s
Phoenix Park
1984
Sisk sets up building
company in the UK
1989
Sisk heads to Germany
as the Berlin Wall
comes down; secures
contract to
upgrade
Schönefeld
airport
1994
Work begins on Croke
Park for the GAA
2000
Sisk consolidates its
property development
division under the
company name of Korine
2005
Sisk finishes the
Dundrum shopping
centre – its largest
single project to date,
valued at ¤420m
2006
Sisk buys MED Surgical
and Cardiac Services to
enter the healthcare
market
Diversity through partnership
THE STORY of the Sisk Group’s diversification
is nowhere better exemplified than its Origo
electrical and electronic goods distribution
company. It started life in 1954 as the LMC
Company and its core activity for some years
was importing and distributing construction
equipment, together with ancillary activities.
“Not long after the end of the second World
War,” says group chief executive Liam Nagle,
“John G Sisk was looking to bring in power
tools from Germany and visited a trade fair in
Cologne. He struck up a relationship with
Bosch and began buying their tools. A few
years later he was offered the distributorship
of Bosch power tools for the Republic . . . This
gave rise to the LMC Company.”
The company became known as Beaver
Distribution in the late 1960s, by which time
the Bosch power-tools business had grown
substantially. During the 1970s, further Bosch
products were added to the Beaver portfolio,
including domestic appliances, automotive
products and the Bosch-owned Blaupunkt
brand of car audio systems.
With the continued growth of the business,
the company moved in 1974 to a new
distribution and service centre on the
Greenhills Road in Tallaght, Dublin. This
allowed it to exploit the growing market for its
Bosch products.
Additional brands such as Skil, Qualcast,
Dremel, Stihl and Viking were added to the
company’s portfolio, along with the Toshiba
in-home entertainment range.
In 2003 the company moved again, this time
to a purpose-built distribution facility in the
Magna Business Park in City West, Dublin.
On January 1st, 2006, the company was
re-branded Origo. The new name is
synonymous with the company’s ambitious
plans for growth. “The name, which derives
from the Latin word for ‘source’, was carefully
chosen to strike a positive chord with the
company’s large customer base. Origo is a
great example of our relationship-based
business model,” says Nagle.
“Back in 2006 we celebrated 50 years of
doing business with Bosch and we have only
had written contracts with that company for 15
years.
“This shows the quality and strength of the
relationship that exists there. Bosch is another
family-owned company and although
immensely larger than Sisk, the relationship is
one of equals. We very much punch above our
weight because of our family-owned status.
We can pick up the phone here and speak
directly to some of the top people in Bosch. We
would not have that level of access were we a
different type of company.”
2007
Healthcare expands with
the purchase of Tekno
Surgical, Beaver Medical
and Synapse Medical
2009
Sisk (as part of a
consortium) is
building a 675m
tunnel beneath
the Shannon;
building
continues
on the Aviva
stadium at
Lansdowne Road; work
continues (with Treasury
Holdings) on Spencer
Dock scheme of offices
and apartments in
Dublin’s docklands
SISK AT 150 PORTRAIT
FamilyFocus
John Sisk
T
HE FOUNDER of Sisk & Son was
born to Patrick and Mary Sisk on
September 30th, 1837. Tragedy
came to him early in
life when his father died during the
famine. At the age of 11 he was
apprenticed to a Quaker plasterer,
Richard Martin, and Quaker traits were
brought to bear on the building company
he established in 1859, just before he
married Kate Burke.
John Sisk had a social conscience (he
cared for the less fortunate through
various societies) and he was anti-alcohol
and anti-smoking.
Employees who smoked were quick to
hide their pipes when the boss
approached, although one of them was a
bit slow off the mark and, as Sisk came
close, he quickly put the pipe on to a brick
course and mortared over it.
John and Kate had six boys: Nicholas in
1860; Maurice, 1863; Richard, 1865; John
Valentine, 1868; William 1869; and
Thomas Francis, 1871.
Sadly, just as Sisk had lost his father
when he was young, the boys were to lose
their mother Kate early; she died in 1885.
Four of the sons went into the building
trade, while Maurice studied medicine and
Thomas died young.
Nicholas worked as a plasterer and tiler
in the family firm and then rose to
foreman on a salary of six shillings and
sixpence a day.
William was a carpenter with Sisk and a
talented woodcarver. Richard began his
career with the firm as a plasterer’s
apprentice on four shillings a day and later
became a foreman.
He then set up his own building
company but returned to Sisk in 1911.
John Valentine also began his career
as an apprentice carpenter and set up
on his own, in 1900.
However, six years later, when his
father became ill and the
original business was in trouble, he
returned to the family firm and it was
he who became the son in the name,
John Sisk & Son.
The founder of the business, John Sisk,
died at the age of 84, in October 1921. In
his will, he left money to his family and the
firm to John V.
SISK AT 150 HISTORY & SOCIETY
Building
society
Whether ecclesiastical,
symbols of independence,
or temples of industry
and trade, Sisk’s buildings
tell the story of 150 years
in Ireland
F
AR FROM just bricks and mortar,
architectural landscapes can
reveal a country’s history, mapping the path of politics and the
economy, reflecting the personality of a nation. Because of the company’s longevity and geographical
spread, Sisk buildings reflect the
various chapters in modern Irish history.
Many of its early buildings in Cork were
churches. Although Ireland was a relatively poor
country, the Catholic Church was able to provide
the finance for substantial buildings made from
hand-crafted materials. Construction of churches continued well into the 20th century and Sisk
has the distinction of building three cathedrals:
one in Africa and two in Ireland (Cavan in 1938
and Galway in 1966).
Galway and Cavan were some of the last leviathan church buildings commissioned by the
church in Ireland and the bishops of both buildings were aware they were reaching the end of
an era. It is believed the then Bishop of Kilmore
Patrick Finegan accelerated the Cavan cathedral
project in the knowledge that war was coming
and funds for the build would be difficult to get
afterwards. He was responsible for much of the
fundraising and his successor Bishop Patrick Lyons, who took on the role in 1937, dedicated himself to the project. As a later bishop wrote in a letter: “I frequently thank God, because if he had
not built then we could never have done it
since.” The choir sang a hymn of thanksgiving as
the large bronze cross was hoisted through
200ft of steel scaffolding to the top of the spire.
The Bishop of Galway instigated a campaign
to build his cathedral in 1922, years before its
construction. He went as far afield as the US and
Australia to seek finances, returning from Boston with £30,000 and from Melbourne with
£8,860. Work began in 1958.
An earlier church built by Sisk linked religion
with the country’s move towards independence:
the Honan Chapel at University College Cork.
The building’s Hiberno-Romanesque style
looked back to traditional Celtic churches.
In Cork, Sisk continued its involvement in
The Administration Building
at UCD, Belfield; the laying
of the foundation stone at
the Honan Chapel, UCC on
May 18th, 1915, by Dr
O’Callaghan, Bishop of Cork;
Dundrum Shopping Centre
in Dublin, Photograph: Matt
Kavanagh; Noel Browne
(right) signing the contract
for the Galway TB
Sanatorium in 1948, with
John G Sisk. It was the first
£1 million contract in the
Republic
structures that marked Ireland’s move away
from Britain with the new City Hall. (The previous City Hall was burned down during the War
of Independence.) The company then went on to
construct the first building for the new independent government, the Department of Industry and
Commerce. Such buildings marked a change of
emphasis from the church to the State as a
source of building finance.
In the 1940s TB spread across Europe and devastated Ireland, instigating a large governmentled building programme. “I am faced in Ireland
today with a problem of gigantic proportions,”
said then minister for health Noel Browne in
May 1948. “I am faced with a waiting list of over
1,000 persons who are awaiting admission for
treatment to sanatoria.”
While the Irish government addressed the
issue, it could not raise all of the finances needed
and controversially opted for sweepstakes to help
pay for the building of sanatoria. Sisk constructed
many of them, such as the Blanchardstown sanatorium and the Southern Regional sanatorium.
When the cure for TB was found, these buildings
were converted to standard hospitals.
Bespoke hospitals were also constructed, including Mount Carmel in Dublin, St Luke’s in
Clonmel, Cork Regional, St James’s in Dublin
and the new St Vincent’s Hospital in Merrion,
which replaced that in the centre of Dublin.
Schools and colleges also moved out of the city
centre, including University College Dublin,
which transferred to the Belfield campus in the
late 1950s. Sisk built a number of the early structures there including the Arts Block and the
library by architect Andrzej Wejchert. “Sisk
maintained a consistent moral profile and reliability right through the project. They embraced
the project with great gusto. They were masters
because, in addition to precast technology, they
also had in situ concrete and the quality of the
white concrete by Sisk was astonishingly beauti-
ter and pharmaceutical companies, were far
simpler in profile and more complex in terms of internal spaces, with their dust-free clean-room environments. Since the 1960s, Sisk has built more
than 250 industrial buildings across the State.
When construction picked up again during the
1990s the Celtic Tiger years were marked by the
explosion in shopping centres; Sisk’s concentration on religious buildings had, over 100 years,
transferred to the new religion of shopping.
The boom years were also characterised by
the emergence of talented architectural practices and a new – if minority – interest in good
“
The Celtic Tiger years
were marked by the
explosion in shopping centres;
Sisk’s concentration on religious
buildings had transferred to the
new religion of shopping
ful,” says Polish-born Wejchert
As modern Ireland emerged, and education
and industry became the drivers of growth, Sisk
was behind many of the key buildings that
sprung up through the 1960s and 1970s, including St Patrick’s teacher training college in Drumcondra, Dublin; St Flannan’s School in Ennis,
Co Clare; St Andrew’s College, Booterstown,
Dublin; Alexandra College, Milltown, Dublin;
and, in a sign of the times, a spate of comprehensive schools in 1970 in Cork (Mayfield and Millstreet) and Kerry (Tarbert).
While many early-20th-century Irish church
buildings clung to the past in their design, these
new hospitals, schools and colleges brought a new
style of architecture into the Irish mainstream.
In the 1980s recession, construction practically
halted and Sisk essentially stopped building schools
between 1979 and 1996. This trend was reflected
across the board, with hotel building almost stopping between 1977 (Imperial Hotel, South Mall,
Cork) and 1990 (Waterville Lake Hotel refurbishment, Kerry). It was a similar story with offices and
banks. Sisk got around the problem by building
overseas, and in time it also benefited from a policy
that encouraged foreign investment here.
The Lemass government’s policy for economic
development included attracting funds from
abroad. “When the country attracted overseas
businesses to establish offices and factories in
Ireland, Sisk was well-placed to help build
them,” says Padraic White, formerly of the IDA
(Industrial Development Authority), the State
agency responsible for seeking foreign investment. “Ireland managed to encourage such
investment by delivering on its promises and one
of those was to have buildings completed on the
date agreed. Sisk, with its track record, picked
up a number of these contracts.”
The buildings were a long way from the early
hand-crafted stone and timber buildings created
by Sisk. These structures, for the likes of compu-
design. Certain local authorities and government
departments played a huge role in commissioning good architects and Sisk built many architecturally significant buildings, such as Limerick
County Hall by Bucholz McEvoy; Athlone Civic
Offices by Keith Williams Architects; and both
the Marine Institute and Civic Museum in Galway by OPW architects. Commercial projects
included Hanover Quay by O’Mahony Pike Architects, and Croke Park stadium by HOK, Lobb
and Gilroy McMahon Architects.
Other modern landmark buildings Sisk was
involved in include Busáras by Michael Scott and
the quirky Met Offices in Glasnevin by Liam
McCormick. Added to this was Ireland’s tallest
tower at Liberty Hall; Sisk was later to build
down river from it at George’s Dock in 1996.
Over the years Sisk’s buildings have mapped
the economic growth of Ireland, and today many
of these structures form core parts of our built
environment. The landscape of the two cities
where Sisk has its main offices – Cork and Dublin
– is defined by Sisk buildings. Along the Liffey,
there is Busáras, Liberty Hall, the new Guinness
visitors’ centre and, further back, the Central
Bank. The company also carried out conservation work on the Royal Hospital Kilmainham and
the Custom House.
In Cork, Sisk buildings are weaved throughout
the city and have a large presence on the river
with City Hall, by Jones and Kelly, and the new
School of Music, by Murray O’Laoire architects.
There are few people in Ireland who have not
at some point stood in a Sisk-constructed building, be it a school or third-level institution, a
hospital, a church, or – perhaps more in keeping
with recent trends – a shopping centre.
SISK AT 150 PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS
Part of the
solution
Public-private partnerships could play a major role in addressing the construction downturn
P
UBLIC-PRIVATE
Partnership
(PPP) transactions have been used
as a means of funding public infrastructure for a number of years.
Roads and education have been
the mainstays of PPP activity to
date. PPPs are not a particularly
new concept. At their most simple, they involve
the private sector funding a particular piece of infrastructure that would normally be funded by
the State.
The private-sector partner will usually design,
build and operate the piece of infrastructure for
a set period of years – usually 30 or more – until
it is handed back to the State.
The payback for the private partner comes in
the form of tolls on roads or annual fees paid by
the State or public body for the road or building
concerned. They have been likened to off-balance-sheet borrowing, where a company can
raise funds without declaring it as borrowing.
With a PPP, the State gains access to funding
from the private sector for a specific project
without having to account for it as borrowing.
Another gain for the State is the fixed-price na-
ture of the contract. There should be no hidden
costs or price variations to be faced during the
lifetime of the contract. The private-sector partner takes on all of those risks. In fact, the penalties for poor maintenance or performance can
be quite onerous on the operator, meaning that
the State is very much in a winning position.
Up until recently the key driver for PPPs in
Ireland was the need to accelerate the pace of
infrastructure development. However, this is
now changing to the urgent need to source
private finance.
While the attractions for a cash-strapped
government of such finance are fairly obvious,
there is another very compelling economic reason why PPPs are now at the top of the agenda,
according to John Sisk & Son managing director
Tom Costello. “The potential job losses in the
construction sector have been greatly understated up until now,” he says. “The Construction
Industry Council (CIC) estimates that the job
losses could be a multiple of the 55,000 figure
recently quoted by the Construction Industry
Federation.”
The CIC is an umbrella body for the sector
The Cork School of Music is
one of the Sisk Group’s
many PPP projects.
Photograph: Anew
McKnight/Murray Ó Laoire
Architects
“
We have to
manage
this decline in
construction by
defining an
optimum level of
activity
that includes representatives from the various
professional bodies, such as Engineers Ireland
and the Institute of Chartered Surveyors, as well
as leading construction companies, such as Sisk.
“We estimate that the construction and directly related industries at their peak were running
at ¤38 billion turnover annually and that this will
fall to ¤14 billion in 2010,” Costello explains.
“Peak employment was about 380,000 to
400,000 and the fall in activity will translate
into at least 200,000 job losses. We have to manage this decline in construction by defining an optimum level of activity for both the industry and
the economy generally and smoothing out the
curve as we approach that target.”
A key part of the CIC recipe for managing this
decline is for the Government to maintain capital
spending on projects for which there is a clearly
identified need. “Where there is a need for
schools, hospitals, roads, water schemes and so
on, these should continue,” Costello argues. “But
the Government shouldn’t fund anything that isn’t
needed. That wouldn’t make economic sense.”
SISK AT 150 PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS
The CIC is realistic about the parlous state of the
public coffers and is offering some alternatives
to direct State spending.
The first of these would be for the State to establish a specific infrastructure fund, which
would be invested in by pension funds and others.
The second mechanism that could be used to
bridge the funding gap is the pure PPP solution.
“Roads PPPs have worked very well in Ireland,”
says Costello. “As, indeed, have many other PPP
projects, such as schools and so on. However, the
fundamental starting point for these things is value for money. We need a more streamlined and
standardised bidding process for PPPs which
would eliminate much of the pre-construction
cost from the contracts.”
Sisk has already been involved in a number of
successful road PPPs, including the recently completed Cashel Bypass and the new Limerick Shannon Tunnel, which is currently under construction (see panel, below).
The firm is also involved as one of the partners
in the MetroExpress consortium, which is bidding for the contract to construct, operate and
maintain the controversial new Metro North
line, which is planned to run from St Stephen’s
Green via Dublin Airport to the north of Swords.
At an estimated total cost of more than ¤3 billion, the project is the largest PPP currently out
to tender in Europe and easily the largest such
project to date in Ireland. Due for completion in
2013, an estimated 35 million passengers a year
are expected to travel on the service, with trains
every four minutes, increasing to every two minutes as demand builds.
The journey time from St Stephen’s Green to
Dublin Airport will be about 20 minutes. The
journey time from Swords to St Stephen’s Green
will be approximately 30 minutes.
The MetroExpress consortium comprises a
wide range of partners, including: John Sisk &
Son; the Macquarie Group, a global expert in
investing in and managing infrastructure
projects; Bombardier Transportation, a specialist in rail-equipment manufacturing, systems
and services; Transdev RATP, a key operator of
public-transport systems; Alpine, an internation-
“
The
fundamental starting point is
value for money. . .
We need a more
streamlined
bidding process
which would
eliminate much of
the preconstruction cost
Right: The N8
Fermoy-Rathcormac road,
completed nine months
ahead of schedule in
October 2006: Sisk, as part
of the Directroute
consortium, constructed
17.5 km of tolled motorway.
al tunnel construction firm; FCC, a Spanish construction firm; Mercury Engineering and AIB.
The consortium recently submitted its bid to
the Rail Procurement Agency (RPA), which is
now assessing it and other competing bids. The
next stage in the process will see the RPA select a
preferred bidder and then enter into discussions
and negotiations with that consortium in order
to finalise a contract.
This could take several months and it will be
some time before the start date for the project is
known. Costello says that Ireland could lose a lot
more than jobs if the project doesn’t go ahead.
“Ireland is now a model for Europe in terms of
how we build our roads,” he says. “We are 10 to
20 per cent cheaper for road building than the
UK, which has been acknowledged as the most
competitive market in Europe . . . We have
achieved this position because of the skills and
the capability the industry has developed and
built up over the past number of years.
“We cannot afford to lose these skills and go
back to where we were in the 1980s and early
1990s. This is why it is absolutely vital that investment in infrastructure be maintained.”
A miracle of engineering
T
HE ¤350 million Limerick
Shannon Tunnel is very much
a marvel of modern
engineering technology, with
the elements of the 675m tunnel
section constructed on site and
floated out onto the river and sunk into
place.
The Direct Route consortium – John
Sisk & Son (Holdings), Strabag AG,
Lagan Holdings and Roadbridge – was
selected as the successful PPP
consortium for the construction of the
Limerick Southern Ring Road Phase II
project in 2006 and work started in
August of that year.
“
By combining
international
expertise with local
capability we can be fully
aware of all the risks when
bidding
The project incorporates a 675m
tunnel crossing of the River Shannon.
It also involves the construction of
9.75km of dual carriageway, along
with associated link roads and side
roads, linking the N7 Limerick
Southern Ring Road Phase 1 and N20
Cork Road with the N18 Ennis Road. It
is envisaged that the new link will
remove around 40,000 vehicles per
day from Limerick city centre.
The river crossing uses an
immersed tube tunnel. This type of
tunnel construction is carried out in a
number of phases. Firstly, the
elements are manufactured in a
casting basin on site. They are then
floated out and sunk in the river
channel.
After that, the portals or entrances
to the tunnel are built at either end.
Each tunnel element is approximately
the length of a football pitch (100m),
as high as a two-storey house (8.5m),
wide enough to accommodate two
lanes of traffic in each direction (25m)
and weighs in at 20,000 tonnes, giving
a combined weight of 100,000 tonnes.
The tunnel elements had to be
floated out onto the River Shannon, as
no crane is capable of lifting 20,000
tonnes.
“This is a very complex project,”
says John Sisk & Son managing
director Tom Costello.
“Strabag has the technology for
immersed-tube-tunnel construction . .
. they had done it before in other
countries and this was very important.
This is an example of how PPP
consortiums can deliver real value to
the State. By combining international
expertise with local capability we can
be fully aware of all of the risks when
bidding for contracts and develop
realistic proposals for them.”
The good news for long-suffering
motorists in Clare and Limerick is that
the project is on schedule and due for
completion next year.
ONSITE SISK
AS GENERAL manager on the Limerick
Shannon Tunnel Project, Tom King
(pictured, on left) is relishing a new
set of responsibilities.
“There is a lot of interest in this
project, so part of my job is to liaise
with the public,” he explains. “This is a
new dimension to my job; I’m really
enjoying it. We’ve been publishing
newsletters packed with information
and updates, which are distributed
around Limerick city and county. We
also host tours of the project for
groups.”
The Limerick Tunnel is a
collaboration between four
contractors, including Sisk, who
collectively form a Public-Private
Partnership Company (PPP-Co). The
project has a ¤360 million capital cost
and consists of 10km of dual-lane dual
carriageway and 2.3km of single-lane
dual carriageway. It passes under the
River Shannon, connecting Rosbyrne
and Cratloe.
King, a qualified civil engineer with
an honours degree from University
College Dublin, has worked in the UK,
the West Indies, Canada and Ireland.
However, the Limerick Shannon
Tunnel presents new challenges for
Sisk.
With regard to financing, one of
King’s roles is to liaise with lenders
and technical advisors to maintain a
good credit rating for the project.
Capital was raised through the issuing
of bonds. In 2006, the project won a
Financial Services Award for
innovative financing. Meanwhile,
health and safety concerns require the
creation of complex transport
management and engineering
systems.
“I like that there are a number of
dimensions to this project; I manage
all these disparate elements and draw
them together,” says King.
The Limerick Tunnel is scheduled
for completion in September 2010.
For more information,
see limericktunnel.ie.
Super
bowl
The reconstruction of
the world’s
oldest rugby stadium
has created a
formidable challenge
and a fascinating
project for the Sisk
team
C
ommuters on the Dart have
enjoyed a unique sight for the
past 15 months: the rapid reconstruction and rebirth of
Lansdowne Road Stadium.
The ground, which was famously the oldest rugby stadium in the world, was demolished in 2007 and work began at the end of that
year on its replacement, the newly titled Aviva
Stadium, which is due to open next year.
For Sisk, this presented an original challenge.
Not only was it dealing with a piece of Irish sporting history, but the task ahead would present
many logistical issues. The stadium is on a compact site, with natural and man-made obstacles
to overcome. Timing was also an issue, meaning
delays were not an option.
Given the nature of the stadium’s two primary
tenants, the Irish rugby and soccer teams, it was a
fitting challenge – one that put Sisk under pressure, but that the firm met head on.
The construction firm brought in staff with a
wide range of backgrounds in order to manage
the project. “We had worked on all different
kinds of projects, such as apartments, hotels,
shopping centres, and a couple of guys were involved in Croke Park,” says Maurice Flynn, assistant contracts manager with Sisk.
“We had two months before we came onsite – from October to December 2007 – to plan
and sequence and schedule the project as a
The Aviva Stadium at
Lansdowne Road in Dublin
as it will look on completion
team,” he says. “There were a lot of challenges,
logistics was one of them. We developed plans
on a weekly basis and try to manage each subcontractor as efficiently and safely as possible.”
Room for manoeuvre at Lansdowne Road was,
and remains, substantially limited. On one side
lies the River Dodder, on another is the Dart line,
while the ground is located in a heavily residential area.
Working around these geographical obstacles
required precise planning. “The site is so small
and compact that we don’t have the storage
room that you would have on a lot of other
projects,” says Padraic Egan, site agent.
“We’re so near the road that the planning of
all the deliveries and logistics is very important,” he says. “Each contractor is allocated different times and places within the site. There
are areas where they take ownership for the
week ahead.”
With the Dart line running right along the
back of the West stand and through part of the
entrance area to the ground, Sisk’s team had to
take particular care in handling this challenge.
“Most of the work in close proximity to the
Dart line was carried out at night. We put control measures in place to deal with any safety hazards,” says Flynn. These included erecting a podium to protect the Dart from any works being carried out in the stadium. The logistical management has proven successful, as the new ground
has sprouted up at a rapid rate.
SISK AT 150 LANSDOWNE ROAD
WORDS BY EMMET RYAN
ed. There are more than 600 people currently
working on site and this will peak at 700 before
the stadium is completed. Despite these large
numbers, the site has passed the one-millionhour mark without a single reportable accident.
“With this job, all the sub-contractors were on
board from the beginning regarding safety issues. It was very much a group effort,” says
Amanda Cullen, safety officer on the site.
In addition to a large workforce, there’s also
some hefty material being moved around. A lot is
required in order to complete the four-tier
50,000 seater stadium, which will include
10,000 premium seats.
This includes 35,000 cubic metres of concrete, 2,500 columns – of which 250 are individually designed – 3,000 tonnes of roof steel and
four mobile cranes. One of the cranes being used
is among the biggest in Europe.
The historic importance of a task this size isn’t
lost on the staff working on the site. “We’re very
conscious of the size of the job. It’s almost a oneoff for the Irish economy. We mightn’t get to
work on a job of this scale again,” says Richard
McRedmond, a senior engineer on the project.
There’s a personal side to this project for
many of those involved, some of whom also
worked on Croke Park.
“It’s nice to be able to go back to Croke Park to
“
It’s nice to be able to go
back to Croke Park to a
match knowing that you were
involved in that – it will be nice to
do that here too
“From October 2007 until now we’ve been
working on the concrete frame of the bowl.
We’ve started on the roof on time, everything is
going well so far,” says Robert Young, project
planner of the Aviva Stadium development. “All
the milestones that we set at the start have been
met and we are still on target for our April 2010
completion date.”
When complete, this will be more than just a
ground for sporting events. Conference facilities
will be built in. The stadium’s role as a concert
venue will be improved with the North stand’s
structuring specifically designed to cater for the
erection of a stage.
“It’s going to be a meeting point, similar to
what Croke Park is,” says Flynn.
The scale of the project can’t be underestimat-
Tom Costello (left),
managing director,
of the Sisk Group,
presenting a small
memento to FAI chief
executive John Delaney
(centre) and IRFU chief
executive Philip Browne to
mark one million
accident-free hours worked
on the Lansdowne Road site
a match knowing that you were involved in that,
it will be nice to do that here too,” says Frank Fallon, foreman on the site.
On top of the memory, the project gives the
team a chance to work on facets not typically
found in most buildings.
“There are a few interesting systems that we
get to put in that we might not see again for
some time, such as outside broadcast systems,”
says David Bradley, building services engineer.
To complete this kind of undertaking, Sisk has
sought out international assistance to ensure the
right result when the project is completed.
“Although it’s a stadium based in Dublin, it’s a
global enterprise,” says Colm Walsh, a senior engineer on the project. “Some of the design team
work from America and England, some of the
sub-contractors come from Italy and we have
supplies coming in from China and Australia.”
For the stakeholders in this project, the new
stadium will create opportunities for the future.
“There’ll be a massive economic benefit to the
city. We’ll attract more high-prestige events,”
says Martin Murphy, stadium manager of the Aviva Stadium. “The IRFU [Irish Rugby Football
Union] and FAI [Football Association of Ireland]
will have an investment that will present revenue
streams that they can plug back into the grassroots of the game.”
If Murphy is proven right, then completion of
construction, for the Aviva Stadium, will only be
the beginning.
ONSITE
WILLIAAM COX
THE REDEVELOPMENT of the
Lansdowne Road Stadium is a
milestone for Ireland. For those at the
coalface of the project, it’s an exciting
time. Robert Collins, director of
operations at Williaam Cox, an
architectural glazing, daylight and
ventilation specialist, is delighted to be
playing a part in this transformation of
Irish sport.
Collins has worked with Williaam
Cox for four years. He initially joined as
plant manager, with responsibility for
the distribution side of the business.
“Lansdowne is currently our largest
contract,” he says. “It’s a beautiful
building with complex geometry. We’re
on site at the moment, installing
internal architectural glazing for
corporate and VIP boxes, and are due
to be finished by May 30th. From April
20th, we will begin creating the facade
and roof of the stadium.”
Work on the stadium began in 2007
and is due for completion in early
2010. There are currently 34 workers
on site, but this will rise to 146 when
the project is at its peak.
There are, Collins explains, three
distinct aspects to the company:
architectural facades; Coxdome™
roof-light and smoke and ventilation
products; and the distribution of
plastic sheeting, cladding and signage
materials.
In addition to the Lansdowne
Stadium, Williaam Cox – which is
half-owned by Sisk – has plenty of
other work to keep it occupied. It is
involved in a number of commercial
projects, including Douglas Village
Shopping Centre just outside Cork city,
Block G in Sandyford in Dublin and the
Montevetro Building in Barrow Street
in Dublin.
SISK AT 150 LONDON
WORDS BY ÉIBHIR MULQUEEN
W
HILE SISK Group
marks 150 years in business, the story of its UK
branch is also cause for
celebration. This year
Sisk UK celebrates its
silver jubilee, and a period for the business that
represents another success story for the familyrun company.
Paul Wilson, managing director of the UK
operation since November, has watched it grow
over most of the past 25 years. Unusually for an
Englishman in the late 1970s, he had experience
of working in Ireland, for a Cork-based contractor, between 1978 and 1983. He joined the fledgling Sisk UK operation in London in 1985, just a
few months after it had been set up.
Twenty-five years later and the operation has
achieved a £250 million annual turnover and has
more than 400 employees. Its headquarters are
now in St Albans but it also has offices in
Birmingham, Manchester, and, most recently,
Bristol, as well as having Major Projects and Rail
divisions.
It has been associated with prestigious
projects such as the Wembley Arena refurbishment, the Living History Museum in Basingstoke
and the American Air Museum at Duxford in
Cambridgeshire. The museum won the Royal
Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize for
its innovative design, which includes the largest
unsupported concrete arch in Europe.
“
The use of innovative
methods in the early
projects helped to build Sisk’s
reputation as a major player in
the UK hotel construction
industry
According to Wilson, the project involved
fitting together thousands of pre-cast concrete
slabs, each weighing a couple of tonnes, to form
the roof.
Sisk UK has also made a name for itself in the
booming hotel construction sector in recent
years where meeting building deadlines is paramount. It has built 50 hotels in the London area,
becoming one of the first users of concrete
cellular construction methods when it built a
168-bedroom hotel in Croydon for the Hilton
Group in two months in 1992.
The project involved the use of tunnel-form
concrete construction, enabling the building of
four bedrooms a day. Pre-finished bathroom
pods were introduced on the same ¤10 million
project.
The use of innovative methods in the early
projects helped to build Sisk’s reputation as a
major player in the UK hotel construction industry. Other notable hotel projects include the
Four Seasons Hotel near Canary Wharf, the
Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington and the Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane. It has also been
involved in major refurbishments at Kensington’s Copthorne Tara Hotel and Hyde Park’s
Royal Lancaster and it had the contract for converting the iconic County Hall, the home of the
former Greater London Council, into two hotels,
for Marriot and Travel Inn.
“We have always found a really good match
Great in Britain
As Sisk Group looks back on a century and a half of success, its UK arm
is celebrating 25 years in the business
between the Sisk values and performance ethos
and any client with a time-related income
stream,” says Wilson.
These modular techniques are now widespread and Sisk is introducing them to the residential sector, making, according to Wilson, for
cheaper, better insulated, fire-proofed and
sound-proofed homes.
Sisk UK has also been strong in the industrial
and commercial sectors. Wilson points out that
business ebbs and flows between the three areas
from year to year. Big transport projects the company has been involved in include the North
Greenwich Interchange Station – alongside the
Millennium Dome – and the transport interchange for buses, trams and cars at Manchester
Airport. Among other innovative projects com-
pleted in recent years are village schemes such
as the Dickens Heath Village, in Solihull, and a
holiday village at Penrith comprising 700 timberframed chalets.
A former commercial director for the
company, Wilson points to a number of factors
contributing to its success. He finds the informality and openness of the Sisk model, which is combined with a hard business edge, to be a winning
formula.
“A big part of the culture is you do not stand
and look and tut about a problem. You embrace
it and try to solve it.
“Sisk is about performance. If you can perform and deliver and it is done in a safe manner,
with the end result one of high quality, then you
will constantly get repeat business.” In fact,
the UK Mariott County Hall;
the Telstar building
adjacent to Paddington
station, built on the site of
the former London
Underground building which
was damaged by fire;
the award-winning
American Air Museum in
Cambridgeshire
Opposite page: the
15-storey Chancery Place
building in Manchester
repeat business is a hallmark of the firm’s success. “Probably 70 per cent of our work is with
repeat clients. We look to a client with a view to
a long-term relationship,” Wilson says.
The structure of the overall company is an
enabling factor for repeat business. Because Sisk
is family owned, it can take a long-term view,
resisting the temptation of making a quick buck
on the first contract and, instead, focusing on
building the relationship.
“In fact, your own costs go down when you are
dealing with someone on a second- or third- or
fourth-time basis,” he adds.
Supply-chain management is also a major
part of the business and the geographic spread
of the operation helps manage this by building
relationships with local suppliers.
With the vast majority of the business in
design and build, risk management is now a key
part of project management, ensuring the processes are in place to anticipate problems. It is all
part of being a major player and Wilson is confident that, with a healthy balance sheet, the
company will be able to weather the current
recession. “In the past we have gone through
two recessions in the UK and actually grew
through them rather than shrunk through
them.”
Sisk UK is now targeting larger contracts,
learning from the expertise of the Irish operation in how to handle them, and is developing
the civil engineering and process engineering aspects of the business, again gaining synergies
from the parent company. A joint-venture operation is also being considered with a modular hotel room company. The net effect of these new
techniques is to increase off-site construction
and decrease on-site time while maintaining the
quality of the product.
Currently Sisk UK is examining three £70 million plus projects – two of which are residential –
with a view to tendering for them. “The pipeline
is as strong in those major projects as it is anywhere else but I think there are less contractors
that work at that scale.
“We are sitting outside the top 30 contractors
in the UK and I would say we are ready to push
through the door.”
ONSITE SISK UK
EXPERIENCE BREEDS new
experience. At Sisk, an open,
innovative workplace culture
encourages long-serving
staff to help newer
employees find their feet.
This, as Suzanne Hussey
(right) of Sisk UK attests,
makes Sisk a great place to
work. Hussey studied
engineering in Trinity College
Dublin and, after a year
working in Dublin with
another contractor, she
decided it was time to move
on. She has been with Sisk
UK for more than three
years.
Hussey has worked on a
string of projects with Sisk
UK, including the Wembley
Arena and major residential
developments W01 and W04.
She outlines a typical day
at work: “Normally, I get on
to the site and I have a list of
things to do from the day
before. I’d review progress
with the sub-contractor, deal
with problems in the morning
and take on various roles
during the day, such as
health and safety
management.
“There are great strengths
and a great culture within
Sisk; this comes from their
commitment to nurturing
people and realising their
potential.
“It has a diverse workforce,
with employees from all over
the world, as well as
mentors who we can go to
for help if we have any
problems.” According to
Hussey, the use of more
experienced managers as
mentors is a very worthwhile
initiative.
“There’s so much interest
and investment put into
quantity surveyors,
engineers and managers.
There’s an open-door
approach, where the
directors know the rest of the
staff by name. How many
other big companies can say
the same?”
SISK AT 150 DUBLIN DOCKLANDS
WORDS BY DAVID LABANYI
Under the
boardwalk
Sisk’s flagship projects in the Dublin Docklands are
among its most prestigious. Now, with a surplus of skills
and a competitive market for buyers, Ireland Inc needs to
capitalise
S
ISK FACES one of the most challenging trading environments
in its 150-year history due to the
unprecedented slowdown in the
Irish construction sector.
According to Tom Costello,
Sisk managing director, the
company now faces a very different operating environment, having reached a
record turnover of ¤1.3 billion in 2007. He acknowledges the industry is moving into a very difficult period.
Sisk has been involved in some of the more
high-profile developments in the capital over the
last five years. But in terms of scale, the series of
developments in the docklands in Dublin rank
among the company’s largest, with the combined value of projects on four sites reaching
over ¤1 billion.When Sisk joined Park Developments to bid for the first of these projects – to
construct 300 apartments, an office block and retail units at Hanover Quay – it had no master
plan to concentrate on projects in the Docklands
region, he says. “It is hard to believe now but at
the time we started down in Hanover Quay
[2003] there were no buildings from the Ferryman pub [on John Rogerson’s Quay] to the
docks,” Costello says.
“We are pretty happy with Hanover Quay. It is
a fantastic location. It has an aspect onto the river Liffey and the Grand Canal Basin on to the
southside. That building was awarded Building
of the Year in the property awards and it also got
an RIAI [Royal Institute of the Architects of
Ireland] award in 2007.”
While work on Hanover Quay was ongoing,
The Dublin Docklands with
the Riverside One building in
the centre. Photograph:
Dara Mac Dónaill
“
The skills
we have
built up in the
country match
anything in the
world. These skills
are a fantastic
resource
Sisk started construction on a second docklands
project at Spencer Dock on a combined project
of 500,000 sq ft of office space, 600 apartments
and the National Convention Centre, due for
completion in mid-2010.
The construction company CMP (Construction Management Partnership) is a joint-venture
with Treasury Holdings.
Sisk has also built the 120,000 sq ft headquarters for legal firm McCann Fitzgerald on the corner of Sir John Rogerson’s Quay and Macken
Street. “It is a splendid building, beautifully designed by Scott Tallon Walker. Whenever we are
trying to impress clients we are always very glad
to bring them to see it.”
The fourth docklands project for Sisk is a
500,000 sq ft office building on Macken Street
and Grand Canal Square for Chartered Land,
the company owned by Joe O’Reilly, who built
Dundrum Shopping Centre.
This development includes the Grand Canal
Theatre, designed by architect renowned Daniel
Liebeskind. “It is a typical Liebeskind building –
there are no straight lines on the design,” says
Costello. While this element of the project
makes construction of the 2,000-seat theatre
more complicated, Costello is very proud of it.
“It is quite a complex structure but it will be a
very worthy addition to the built environment in
Dublin. When people look back and say you
were involved in the best 10 years ever in construction and say, ‘What’s the legacy?’ it is nice
to have that.”
Costello believes one reason Sisk has been successful in its bids for some of the more complex
projects is its approach – particularly its contribution to pre-construction and design development. “The current environment is moving a little bit away from relationships to lowest cost,
but I still think relationships are very much fundamental to business,” Costello says. “In the
longer term, the relationship model will prove
more valuable to the client.”
While he is used to the cyclical nature of the
sector, Costello believes this downturn is different. “Certainly the cycle we got into over the last
15 years was unprecedented. At our peak we got
very close to ¤1.3 billion in turnover, which is
just extraordinary. In the longer term, the reality for the next five-plus years is very different.”
For the wider industry, Costello believes what
is at risk are skills built up over the last 15 years.
“What we have done at Lansdowne Road in
the past 15 months couldn’t have been done a
Sisk developments in the
Dublin docklands include
Grand Canal Square (top
right) and the National
Conference Centre (bottom
right) at Spencer Dock.
Photograph: Eric Luke
decade ago. The skills we have built up in the
country match anything in the world. These
skills are a fantastic resource.”
Costello is involved in a construction industry
council that includes the Construction Industry Federation, the Society of Chartered Surveyors and the
Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland, among others, which is compiling a report on the future for
the industry. It indicates that the industry, which
peaked with an output of ¤38 billion in 2007, is likely to contract to under ¤14 billion by 2011.
“If you were to apply European norms we
Sisk projects in the Docklands
HANOVER QUAY
Client: Dublin City Council,
Dublin Docklands,
295 apartments, 4500 sq m office
space, 500 sq m retail space
Value: ¤100 million
GRAND CANAL SQUARE
Client: Chartered Land,
two office blocks,
Daniel Liebeskind-designed theatre
SPENCER DOCK
Client: Treasury Holdings,
42,000 sq m office block,
620 apartments,
National Conference Centre (due for
completion 2010)
RIVERSIDE ONE
Client: McCann Fitzgerald,
office block
Value: ¤42 million
should be around 12 per cent of GDP – which
would suggest an industry output of ¤18 billion
per annum is sustainable.” Costello is not naive
enough to suggest the construction industry is
without fault: “Things had gone a bit crazy; we
over-developed on the residential side.”
But he believes the Government could achieve
significant value for money in provision of badly
needed infrastructure by taking advantage of
the excess construction capacity.
“Construction prices are now 20 per cent less
than they were two years ago. Land prices are
cheaper: we estimate you can build 5km of road
for the price of what you would have paid for
3km just three years ago. It is very rare that you
have the combination and abundance of highly
productive skilled resources and a very competitive bidding environment,” he says.
“However we remain positive about the future
and some of the initiatives being undertaken in
the company. For instance we have relaunched
our special projects division to manage projects
up to ¤5 million. This division will apply suitable
management structures and procedures to
projects in this range, thereby giving clients the
benefit of Sisk experience and market knowledge at costs appropriate to the project size.”
FamilyFocus
John
Valentine
Sisk
J
OHN V’S school career was cut
short at 13 when the Presentation
Brothers in Cobh asked that he not
return to their school after the
Christmas break of 1880, and it was with
regret but necessity that his father took
him on as an apprentice.
But John V was to prove a good builder
and businessman and, by the time he was a
foreman at the company, he had
developed interesting ways of getting
employees to speed up their work – on the
Clonakilty Industrial School project, he got
the country builders to construct one
course of bricks and the city builders to
construct another course at the same time
in a race.
After he became a partner in John Sisk
& Son, the company grew rapidly. He had
a tenacity and knack for business and
helped secure the Munster and Leinster
Bank contract in Cork, even though the
company was not at the top of the
tender list. The architect apparently
thought that John Sisk was too old for the
job, but described John V as “a pretty
clever young fellow”.
John V’s penchant for detail can be seen
in the plasterwork of the Munster and
Leinster building.
The specification called for plaster that
was similar to that on the Morning Post
offices in Aldwych, London (the Post was
later bought by the Daily Telegraph). John
V was given a sample of the plaster but
found it difficult to copy (it did not rub off
onto dark fabric, whereas local samples
did) and so he went to London to find out
the secret.
One of his grandsons, Hal, remembers
him as “a small man with big hands.
“He was a fiery individual who loved
poetry and – standing there in his
collarless grandfather shirt – used to recite
it for hours. He loved sport and playing
cards but would not go to the pub.”
This was a trait running through the
first three John Sisks, says Hal. They were
all “respectable, upright, Victorian
gentlemen”, a characteristic instilled by
Quaker principles learned by young John
from the age of 11.
Such characteristics, says Hal, have
been key to the success and survival of the
business for more than 150 years.
SISK AT 150 CROKE PARK
WORDS BY RONAN McGREEVY
Field of
dreams
The redevelopment of Croke
Park, an icon of Ireland’s boom
years, and the prestige of the
project – more than the
monetary gain – boosted Sisk’s
position at the fore of the
construction industry
T
HERE IS no more iconic statement or legacy of the now
lamented Celtic Tiger than the
redeveloped Croke Park.
It was first mooted in 1988 by
then president of the GAA, Peter
Quinn, during a severe recession
when few believed it was possible; its ultimate construction coincided with a
time when everything seemed possible in Ireland.
Nothing on this scale had ever been attempted
in Ireland before and there were few templates
internationally for the project. Only the redevelopment of Blackburn Rovers’ Ewood Park
ground at the time was in any way similar – and
that was on a much smaller scale.
The last time Croke Park had been developed
was in the 1950s, when the Nally Stand was built.
Crowd trouble, which nearly led to disaster during the All-Ireland football final of 1983 between
Dublin and Galway, resulted in a drastic fall in capacity and, when the Hillsborough Stadium disaster happened in the UK in 1989, the
redevelopment of the stadium became a priority.
Following an international competition, the
GAA appointed former Tyrone footballer Des
McMahon of Gilroy McMahon as the architect in
1989 and the finished plans were delivered in
1991. Sisk was chosen as the main contractor to
redevelop the stadium and the bulldozers moved
on site after the All-Ireland football final of 1993.
“I was probably the first person there,” says
Sisk regional director Ken Aherne who was the
senior engineer on the construction side of the
Cusack Stand and then the contracts manager on
the Canal End and the Hogan Stand side. He remained with the project until it was finally completed in 2002.
“It was hugely difficult trying to understand
the drawings and what you were trying to
achieve. The scale and quality of the building
was unknown in those times,” he says.
“It looks fantastic now, but can you imagine
what it was like back in 1991 when we first saw
the drawings? It was unbelievable, but there
were huge architectural and huge engineering
issues to be dealt with.”
The challenges were manifold. There were
severe restrictions on site as the pitch remained
sacrosanct throughout the construction and it
was both a building site and a working stadium,
necessitating a complicated handover every
weekend. The most difficult part of the engineering project was putting on the 40-metre cantilevered roof structure that surrounds the three
ends of the ground.
Croke Park’s location near Dublin Bay posed
more problems, as the sea air can corrode the
steel girders used to uphold the massive
concrete structures and Sisk had to meet the
highest-quality standards in relation to the
finished concrete product.
SISK AT 150 CROKE PARK
The old Cusack Stand was the first to be demolished, a process which took around three months
and proved more difficult than envisaged. “The
Cusack Stand was in ropy condition, but it was
hard enough to knock at the same time,” recalls
Sisk director Jim Touhy, who worked on the
early part of the project.
“There were asbestos sheets on the roof and
there were issues with dust control and noise
control and the residents were watching us to
make sure that we kept to the stated hours,
which were between 8am and 6pm.
“
We have developed a
reputation for being able
to deliver on new stadia. It is the
most difficult project I’ve ever
done. It would rank as one of the
most difficult that Sisk has done
in 150 years, yet it is probably the
one we are most recognised for
“Those restrictions are on many sites, but the
residents were fighting with the GAA at the time
and they hadn’t them on side, so we had to work
with them the best we could.”
Workers on the Cusack Stand had the advantage of having the old Belvedere grounds to use
for site management, something that was not
available on the other parts of the stadium that
were redeveloped.
But there were many challenges with matchday handovers and the co-ordination of services,
such as light and drainage, took longer than expected.
The new Cusack Stand was finally opened in
time for the National Football League final between Derry and Donegal in 1995 at a cost of
IR£70 million. It was 180m long, 35m wide and
seated 25,000 people.
The next phase of the development, at the
Canal End, proved the most difficult of all.
Unlike the Cusack Stand, where there was
ample access on site, the Canal End was
hemmed in by the canal and the railway line that
straddles it. Access could only be attained from
the rear as there was no access from the pitch
area.
In order to build the new Canal End, Sisk
brought in what was the biggest crane in Ireland
at the time. It had a 70m-long jib and a lifting
capacity of more than 20 tonnes. The length of
the crane was necessary to move materials to the
front of the stand.
The Canal End, now known as the Davin
Stand – after the first president of the GAA
Maurice Davin – was finally completed in time
for the All-Ireland finals in 2000.
The Hogan Stand was taken down in October
1999. By that time, Sisk was a veteran of the process and the stand’s construction proved straightforward, despite the fact that it was the biggest
section, thanks to its extended media facilities,
restaurants and VIP area.
However, it was not without its difficulties.
The Hogan Stand was built at the height of the
boom and the demand for construction workers
was at a premium at a time when there were few
eastern European workers in Ireland to fill the
skills gaps.
At one stage, when Sisk was building the
heavy concrete frame, the company was down
100 workers on the complement it needed.
There were also severe shortages of plywood,
which had to be pre-ordered from Canada.
ABOVE: Croke Park before
its redevelopment began in
1993. Back then the
stadium had a capacity of
around 70,000; today it can
hold 82,300 people
PREVIOUS PAGE: Croke
Park during last month’s
fireworks and laser light
display to mark the GAA’s
125th anniversary
celebrations
Photograph: Matt Kavanagh
“There was a massive shortage of skilled
labour in regards to the heavy construction workers. It was a different world we lived in back
then,” recalls regional director Ken Aherne.
“The Celtic Tiger started, in my mind, the year
after Croke Park but in general we benefited
hugely from it.”
The new horseshoe structure was finally completed in 2002, with the relatively straightforward redevelopment of the Hill 16 area. In total,
the stadium cost ¤260 million, has a capacity of
82,300, and is now the third-biggest sporting
venue in Europe, after Barcelona’s Nou Camp
and Wembley Stadium in London. It is also one
of the State’s biggest conference centres and a
major concert venue.
Not only is Sisk the main contractor on the
Lansdowne Road redevelopment, with many of
the same personnel involved in it, but the company is also pricing a job to redevelop a new national stadium in Warsaw, to be built in time for the
European Championships in 2012.
“We have developed a reputation for being
able to deliver on new stadia,” Aherne says.
Of all the billions of euro worth of development carried out during the Celtic Tiger years,
no one project is as well-known or as admired as
Croke Park.
“It is the most difficult project I’ve ever done.
It would rank as one of the most difficult that
Sisk has done in 150 years, yet it is probably the
one we are most recognised for,” says Aherne.
“It was beyond state-of-the-art for the time.
The major benefit for the company is the prestige in having it built. That goodwill catapulted
the firm forward in the Celtic Tiger years. When
you have nights like the opening of the Special Olympics and the 125th anniversary celebrations
for the GAA, you can’t help but be proud of what
was achieved.”
SISK AT 150 CORK CONNECTION
WORDS BY BRIAN O’CONNELL
T
HE STORY of Cork’s evolving
landscape from the 19th to 21st
centuries is intrinsically linked
with the story of the Sisk family
during the same period.
While the family name originates in either Holland or
Germany, the first mention of a
Sisk in Ireland appeared on the lease of a Cork
house, signed by one Thomas Shisk in 1687.
By the time John Sisk was born in 1837, the
family was well rooted in the area. John founded
the business in Cork city in 1859 and the second
John Sisk – the “son” in Sisk & Son – worked to
build on the foundations laid by his father.
The company became a well-known general
contractor, operating throughout Munster. John
expanded the company significantly with one of
the company’s earliest projects in Cork, which
included the first building of the Cork Distillery
Company on Morrison’s Island in 1868.
Later work included convents, churches, houses, hospitals, as well as the offices of the then
Cork Examiner. In the early years, the company
worked on many significant banks and churches,
and by the late 1800s had increased its activities
in conservation and additions to existing churches – including the spire of Holy Trinity church in
1890 and the rebuilding of St Luke’s in 1892.
The third John Sisk also significantly grew the
company on a national and international scale.
After graduating as a civil engineer, he joined his
father on the building of Cork City Hall in 1930.
“
The company has a long
history with the region,
from the Honan Chapel to the
Industrial School in Clonakilty –
with every project we take on,
we’re aware of that heritage
Rebel, rebel
From the origins of the Sisk family in Cork to the most recent additions to
the city’s built landscape, Sisk and the Rebel County go back a long way
The building, designed by Dublin architects
Jones & Kelly, was traditional in style, with much
of the stone façade quarried in nearby Little
Island. From there, it was delivered via an electric crane. Despite its classical front, the building
had modern touches, including comprehensive
fire-resistant measures. Given that the previous
City Hall was burned down during the War of Independence, the Sisks were not taking any risks.
Later, John G Sisk (grandson of the company’s
founder) and his son George would both study engineering at University College Cork, beginning
a long tradition of graduates employed by the
family business.
The Honan Chapel on the grounds of that college is one of Sisk’s most important architectural
legacies to the city. Paid for by a Honan family bequest, the building was started in 1914 in the
Hiberno-Romanesque style. The aesthetic
grounding is a particular 12th-century Irish one,
while borrowing heavily from the Romanesque
movement. The building also carries its own miniature Irish round tower at one end.
John Sisk & Son also created some of the furniture in the chapel, including oak work, carvings
and a Celtic cross. The company built the pews
and an oak lectern.
In recent times, as well as continuing conservation efforts, Sisk has been involved with some
more progressive and modern additions to Cork
city. Liam Walsh, Sisk regional director for the
southern region, started as a site engineer with
the company in Cork in 1969. He has witnessed,
first-hand, the evolution of city and company.
“From a construction point of view, in the late
1960s, the city and the surrounding area were
vastly different to what they look like now,” says
Walsh. “The suburbs weren’t as well developed
and the large industrial areas like Ringaskiddy
and Little Island were in their infancy. To my
mind, the first big job of that era would have
been the Regional Hospital, now known as Cork
University Hospital. The company has such a
long history with the region, from the Honan
Chapel to the Industrial School in Clonakilty,
that with every project we take on, we’re aware
of that built heritage.”
Clockwise from above left:
the Holy Trinity Church in
Cork, Honan’s Chapel in Cork,
Cork County Hall and
Centocor in Ringaskiddy, a
flagship project for Sisk that
was completed in 2007 one
month of ahead of schedule
for ¤159 million
Left: Cork School of Music
Craftsmanship has also been at the fore of the
company’s approach. “Well before 1969, there
was a great tradition of work in churches, with a
particular emphasis on stone work,” says Walsh.
“The Sisk family had a great interest in the use of
natural stone. It’s no coincidence that the great
Cork sculptor Seamus Murphy worked for Sisk
in Cork at one point.”
A recent project that required a high degree of
craftsmanship was the now iconic Cork School of
Music, built to a Murray Ó Laoire Architects design. The challenge was to create an acoustically
sound and architecturally striking building in the
heart of the city with a world-class performance
space. The building has gained wide recognition
for both its high-spec interior and quality build.
In recent decades, the growth of the pharmaceutical industry in Cork has provided Sisk with
the opportunity to work with international companies such as Pfizer, Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline to build and develop some of the region’s
most important industrial infrastructure.
Says Liam Walsh: “From a management and
safety point of view, working with the pharmaceutical industry over several decades really
brought up the standards and quality in all sectors of our operation. But we are continuing to
evolve. At most times we would have a prestigious building in progress, or one of great local interest, which is a mark of our commitment not
just to the region, but to continuing our proud
tradition for quality building.”
ONSITE ORIGO
JOHN EGAN, senior business
development manager at
Origo has worked at the
company for 14 years. Origo
is the distributor of the Bosch
brand in Ireland and employs
around 85 people here.
Egan’s job entails liaising
with electrical retailers, big
and small, throughout the
country. “My role has
changed and developed over
the years,” says Egan.
“Traditionally, we were a
niche brand, but now we are
focused on growing a
long-term sustainable
partnership with customers.
“This is going to be a
difficult year, but we will
emphasise the quality,
reliability and energy
efficiency of Bosch products.
In addition, we have a
reputation for supporting our
clients, and they will be
asking themselves if other
brands and suppliers can
match that.
“It's hugely important to
keep focus on the direction of
the business – this is how we
see the business
developing.”
Egan enjoys the diversity
of his job: “It varies all the
John Egan (left) with Wally Knowles of Knowles Electrical
time and I’m always dealing
with different people at
different levels. One day it
could be the managing
director of Power City; the
next it could be the owner of
an independent retailer such
as Knowles Electrical in
Dún Laoghaire. We could be
carrying out in-store
demonstrations, focusing on
helping customers to grow
and add value to their
business, or organising a new
product launch – we’ll have
one of these in a few weeks
time.
“All in all, you don’t stay
somewhere for 14 years
unless you are happy with
what you are doing,” he
concludes.
FamilyFocus
John G Sisk
J
OHN V’S son was born in Cork in
1911, and went to school in
Clongowes Wood College, Co
Kildare, before studying
engineering at University College Cork
(UCC). He joined the family firm at 20 as
an apprentice engineer.
When the economy hit hard times in the
1930s, he decided to open an office in
Dublin and move to the capital with Mary
Magdalen, whom he married at the age of
26. They had four children: Hope, George,
Hal and John. The couple visited Cork
often though, and John G would often call
into the Cork office and chat with Tommy
O’Connell, an estimator based there, who
says: “He was a very shrewd man who
knew how to pick a good team and he
would then look after them.”
John G would often be quoted praising
his staff. Of one Herbert Dennis he said:
“It was due to his untiring efforts that the
Kildare Street job was a complete
success.” His sense of decency extended to
charitable works and he instigated the
Christmas toy-making tradition at the
company’s timber workshop, in which the
workers would stop work and make toys
for various charities – something that
continues today.
Yet he was a canny businessman and an
optimist who, like his father, would pitch
for jobs that were considered unlikely
prospects, such as Cavan Cathedral in
1938. “We had priced the job as a forlorn
hope. My father had had a row with Ralph
Byrne, the architect, over a job in Mallow,
and Byrne told him he would never give
him a job.” So he was surprised when the
architect called him to his office and said:
”I told your father your firm would never
work for me but I am told you know your
job, and I am prepared to trust you.”
John G’s canniness extended to making
jobs run smoothly – he once paid a station
worker to shunt a train carrying marble
columns for Cavan Cathedral over the
Border from Northern Ireland on the day
before Italy joined the war (after which the
marble would have been seized). Later,
during the war, when coal was scarce,
John G devised a method of mixing coal
duff (tiny pieces of coal) and pitch (solid
petroleum) briquettes to fuel CIE trains.
He took the business into new areas,
such as establishing the dealership for
Bosch products in Ireland.
John G paid close attention to his
projects. At Cavan, he said: “I visited the
job twice a week and left the house [in
Dublin] at 6am, visited the job and was
back in the Phoenix Park at 1pm eating my
sandwiches and then on to the office to
estimate until 6pm.”
John G died in 2001 at the age of 90.
While he had retained a close interest in
the company in his latter years, he handed
it over to the next generation in 1974.
What was remarkable about John G was
that he built up the business despite being
a shy man, says his son, Hal. “My father
was the least clubbable man you could
imagine. He dreaded and hated standing
at a bar buying rounds. He was always
home in the evening, listening to the radio
and sketching. For a man like that to
establish one of the largest companies in
Ireland was astonishing. It shows how you
can turn a weakness into a strength.”
stroke
SISK AT 150 HEALTHCARE
WORDS BY DANIELLE BARRON
Health
matters
Sisk Healthcare marks a
new departure for the
group but one that is
delivering many benefits
T
HE SISK group – along with others in the construction industry
– benefited from and capitalised
on the property boom. But to
avoid focusing too much on one
area, Sisk expanded and diversified the company interests.
“The family would have recognised in 2004, and even before that, that while
the construction sector in Ireland was very successful, it was disproportionate in terms of the level of GDP [gross domestic product] it was contributing to the economy,” says Liam Nagle, chief executive of the Sisk Group. “The family decided to
use the good times to diversify and expand.”
It immediately looked to the rapidly growing area of healthcare. “We chose healthcare because
it’s a growth sector. It’s a very dynamic area but
equally, as we are getting more successful, there
is a desire for better care and we felt it was a good
sector for us to participate in,” says Nagle.
In less than 18 months, Sisk acquired five medical-device companies, launching Sisk Healthcare.
The first acquisition was M.E.D. Surgical in
March 2006. Cardiac Services came next, followed by Tekno Surgical in January 2007.
Beaver Medical was acquired shortly afterwards and subsequently integrated into Cardiac
Services. The fifth and most recent acquisition
was Synapse Medical in July 2007.
The family ethos of the Sisk Group was an advantage when it came to making the acquisitions,
says Nagle. “We have a strong sense of being a
family business and that made the acquisitions
easier – for them as well as for us.”
In addition, and in marked contrast to their
competitors, Sisk Group has continued to retain
the companies’ original brands.
“We took a soft approach to the integration,
with each company continuing to exist and retain its name and identity. We believe this is fairly unique,” says Nagle.
Since joining Sisk, Cardiac Services has been
able to grow its business “significantly”, says
Paul Hannigan, managing director.
“Beaver Medical was acquired, effectively doubling the size of our UK business and our key suppliers, such as Philips Healthcare, Laerdal and
Keymed Olympus, which has given us access to
additional product lines,” he says. The company’s top products now include defibrillators, endoscopes, and obstetric equipment and supplies.
“We are also very excited about the increased
“
We took a soft approach
to the integration, with
each company continuing to
exist and retain its name and
identity. . . We believe that this is
fairly unique
focus on clinical information systems in the hospital sector. We expect this to be a major growth
area given the focus on stopping the ‘paper
chase’ within hospitals,” explains Hannigan.
M.E.D.Surgical works with well-known names
such as Boston Scientific, Rusch and KimberlyClark, dealing in laparoscopic and urological surgical equipment. Colin Dolan, managing director
of M.E.D. Surgical, says the company has developed a “bigger and better” profile since becoming part of Sisk Healthcare.
“Sisk is a well-known family company – to be
affiliated with it, that has to be good,” he says.
A Stryker Integrated
Theatre Suite, which is
provided by Tekno Surgical,
within the Sisk Group
John Osborne, joint managing director of Tekno Surgical, explains there are “natural synergies” between Tekno Surgical and the Sisk
Group. “The fact that we are part of a bigger
group now gives us more scope for developing
further as a total healthcare-solution provider –
the sum of the whole is greater than the constituent parts.”
Tekno Surgical focuses on three key areas, of
which orthopaedics is the largest. It also has significant interests in the areas of aesthetic and
general surgery, explains Osborne. One of its current projects has staff working on the provision
“We are all aiming to identify and operate in
growth markets, to maximise our existing supplier base and ultimately deliver excellent solutions
for our customers. As a result the interaction between the companies is very stimulating and rewarding,” he says. “We have a great working relationship with the three other companies and we
would have known each other in the business for
many years. Now we work incredibly well togeth-
“
We are all aiming to
identify and operate in
growth markets, to maximise
our existing supplier base and
ultimately deliver excellent
solutions for our customers
of a new technique known as balloon sinuplasty,
a non-invasive procedure for the treatment of sinus disease.
“That is a very exciting area and we see it developing into quite a significant business, with
tremendous patient benefits,” says Osborne.
Managing director of Synapse Medical, Willie
Costello says that, while there were several attractive features of the offer made by Sisk, they
were convinced by the similarities in core values
between the two companies.
“Their proposition was very attractive because
Sisk has stepped beyond its
traditional business and
now owns companies that
have a long history in the
healthcare industry: an
ante-natal foetal monitoring
device (above right)
it allowed us to maintain ourselves as a family
business, but with the Sisk powerhouse behind
us,” says Costello, adding that Synapse now represents 15 different healthcare principals, including pharmaceutical giant Abbott.
Costello adds that, in negotiations, Synapse
was assured it would be allowed continue in its
entrepreneurial fashion. “They didn’t come in
with a ‘rank and file’ attitude,” he says.
According to Hannigan, the companies share
the common objective of maximising growth in
their respective areas of expertise.
er.” Dolan says the four companies “complement” each other. “We are not in competition –
we are part of a team. Learning about their businesses helps us.”
Despite the economic downturn, the security
of being part of a large, successful group such as
Sisk means that the four companies all remain
optimistic about their future. “We are very confident that the rapid growth of the company will
continue and flourish under the Sisk umbrella,”
says Hannigan.
According to Nagle, the foray into healthcare
happened at just the right time for the Sisk
Group. “Our construction company is very successful and even in these strange times it continues to be. But, from an overall group point of
view, we are more balanced.”
ONSITE TEKNO SURGICAL
SISK IS well known as a
construction company, but
the company’s diversity and
strength lies in a range of
areas, including healthcare.
In 2007, it expanded to
acquire Tekno Surgical,
which distributes specialist
medical products.
Now, Sisk has been
contracted to build the new
Mater Hospital in Dublin.
According to Brendan
Murray, marketing director
of orthopaedics at Tekno
Surgical (pictured right),
this is a terrific opportunity
for Sisk.
Murray has worked with
Tekno for three years. He
trained as a general and
psychiatric nurse, joining the
commercial side in 1991 and
working with a number of
medical companies.
As marketing director,
Murray’s role is wide and
varied. “I focus on business
development and new
opportunities,” he explains.
“I communicate with
customers, staff and the
agencies we represent in
Ireland. I have educational
responsibilities for both
customers and staff. A
portion of my time is spent in
the office, but spending time
in the theatres with our
customers is much more
important, and it’s what I
enjoy most.”
Tekno Surgical has a
number of projects in the
pipeline. “We are in
discussions with a number of
hospitals regarding offering
complete theatre suites, in
other words a ‘turn key’
solution for complete
operating theatres, while
maintaining competitiveness
and high standards in the
day-to-day orthopaedic
implant business is an
ongoing project.”
Murray is confident that
being part of the Sisk
Healthcare group will help
the firm through the current
difficult economic situation.
“The future is certainly a
challenge for us, but one that
we relish.”
FamilyFocus
George Sisk
G
EORGE SISK was one of four
children born to John G and
Molly Sisk. He began his
schooling in Dublin and
completed his education at University
College Cork, where he studied
engineering as his father had done
before him
“I was told that I would become an
engineer by my father and I had no
objection to that,” says George. “Civil
engineering is one of the better ways
into the building trade as it is a direct
professional training for construction.”
Not only does it help you in knowing
how buildings are put together but also
“in how you think methodically”.
He has known the building trade from
an early age: “My father didn’t stop
working and at the weekends he would
take us out to visit projects such as
Blanchardstown Hospital, which was a
very big job when I was a boy.”
From that time he was destined to
join John Sisk & Son: “I always wanted
to go into the family business. It was a
no-brainer, it is in the genes.”
His early career at Sisk was spent in
Africa, after which he worked in the
Cork office, moving to the city with his
new wife Anne. He rose to the position
of managing director and then, shortly
after the birth of his children he moved
to the Dublin office.
His father handed control of the
company to his three sons in 1974
and George was to become chairman of
the Sisk Group. He talks of changing
tack from “building buildings to building
a business”.
George inherited his father’s nous for
business, being comfortable with
decisions to diversify into new countries
(such as the UK, Germany and Africa)
or into new business areas (such as
healthcare) when the need arose.
“When a company gets to a certain
size, market share becomes a limiting
factor and so you have to seek new
markets.
“We spent time building in Europe
and building with our closest neighbour,
which we still do.”
Having spent more than 40 years in
the business, he can see clearly how
government policy has an effect on the
building trade.
“At different times we had
governments that led very well and we
could follow the lead of those
governments – whether that be on the
development infrastructure, hospital
buildings and following through to the
IDA’s [Industrial Development Agency]
foreign investment thrust.”
Colleagues describe George as a deep
thinker whose management style puts
the group and company first but in a
way that is consistent with a family
business and the Sisk family ethos. He
managed the business with his brothers
in a partnership model, always trying to
achieve consensus but, if needed, was
not afraid to make the right decision, as
the leader of his generation of the
family.
His vision for the business has always
been focused on growing and
developing capabilities but in a
conservative and controlled way.
He is described as a competitive man,
whether in business or personal
activities (he loves rugby and sailing),
and yet in his dealings with people
(clients, employees and other
stakeholders) he is always fair, full
of integrity and strives to have a
trusting relationship, just as his
forebears did. His stills plays an active
role and says the decades have flown by.
“It doesn’t seem that long. I’ve enjoyed
it – oh yes, I’ve enjoyed it and I continue
to wake in the morning with ambitions.
“We have got this far and want to go a
hell of a lot further,” he says, displaying
a tenacity that was passed on by his
forebears.
SISK AT 150 RESTORATION
WORDS BY SANDRA O’CONNELL
Stone
mad
For Alan McGrath, the man behind Sisk’s
restoration projects, every day is different,
and every job unique
F
“
People
now
realise we have a
built heritage that
we need to
protect, and there
are a lot of
heritage grants
and funding
available as a
result
EW PEOPLE get to work on castles one day and cathedrals the
next. For Alan McGrath, who
heads up Conservation and Restoration at Sisk, the variety only
adds to what is already a labour of
love.
Conservation and Restoration
is the recognised trading name under which
Stone Developments, a part of the Sisk Group,
helps restore old buildings to their former glory.
“Generally we do facade restoration – focusing
on the outside of buildings – and roof work on
any period or listed building, from castles to cathedrals and everything in between,” says McGrath, a quantity surveyor by training who has
worked around the world with the Sisk Group.
He is currently working on the restoration of
the Church of the Assumption in Callan, Co Kilkenny. “The support structures beneath the
spire were found to be unstable. We had to take
the spire down, stone by stone, mark them,
provide a new underpinning and build it up,
again stone by stone,” says McGrath.
His most high-profile job was the refurbishment of the 14th-century Minot Tower and spire
of St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, using what
was, at 250 feet, the highest scaffold in the city
last year. McGrath had to repair previous work
that was carried out badly.
“Throughout the 1960s and 1970s repointing
of stone buildings was routinely done using sand
and cement,” says McGrath. “Cement was
thought to be good for old buildings but what
they didn’t realise is that it actually damages the
stone, not allowing it to breathe, and over time
eroding it.”
For St Patrick’s, this meant replacing sand
and cement mortar with a breathable lime-based
mortar. “By doing that you stop the stone
deteriorating further, particularly Caen stone, a
beige stone commonly found in old buildings
which is quite soft,” he says.
The firm also recently rebuilt the Browne Clayton Memorial, a 94-foot Corinthian column in
Wexford. “It is a beautiful and unique granite
column built to honour a local man who was an
officer in the British army and who fought and
was killed in battle in Egypt,” said McGrath.
“In his lifetime he had been very good to the
locals and so they built him this memorial. But it
was struck by lightning and a large section of it
was knocked out some years ago. We were
brought in for the rebuilding phase, which
meant carving all the old features on the stone to
match what was there.”
There is an enormous craft element to what the
firm does. “Much of our work is matching what
was originally used,” says McGrath. “To achieve
that we have our own stone masons in Stone Development, as well as specialists we can hire in
from abroad, who work on the often incredibly detailed and intricate carvings involved.”
A personal favourite of his is the recent restoration of the original facade of the Ulster Bank
on O’Connell Street in Dublin. “On that job we
got rid of a mid-1970s facade and got it back to
the way it was built in the 1920s. It’s right beside
the bridge and well worth seeing because it looks
fantastic,” he says.
Stone has also become a more common
material in new builds, he says. “Improved
transport and logistics means we are now able to
source stone from around the world
economically. It is a much more viable option for
clients than it was in the recent past and the
quality of buildings built in Ireland has improved
in the past 20 years,” says McGrath. “I believe
they will stand the test of time alongside the
buildings we in Conservation and Restoration
work on.”
In the meantime, he says conservation has
become an important issue in Ireland, albeit only
recently. “People now realise we have a built
ABOVE: at work on the
restoration of St Patrick’s
Cathedral (also left) in
Dublin. Photographs:
Warner Photography
Rescuing great buildings
John Cotter, who began working in
the stone business in 1955, worked
on a number of conservation and
restoration projects with Stone
Developments over the years.
Now aged 72 and still offering his
services to the firm as a consultant,
he cites Carton House, just west of
Dublin, as his particular favourite.
“I always feel I’ve been extremely
lucky to have worked on so many
buildings connected with history and
Carton House is a very important
building,” says Cotter.
“It’s a source of great pride to me
to think that there’s a little bit of me
left in it.”
Despite his love of history, the fact
that stately homes such as Carton
House have been reincarnated as
hotels rather than kept as museum
pieces is something of which he
approves.
“The purists say stately houses
should be left in mothballs, and that
golf-course developments and the
like shouldn’t happen, but I don’t
agree. Too many great buildings
were left derelict. It took people with
money to put life back into them.
“In 20 years the golf course may
be gone, but the house will have
survived where perhaps it wouldn’t
have otherwise.”
heritage that we need to protect, and there are a
lot of heritage grants and funding available as a
result,” he says.
Every local authority in the country now has a
conservation officer, a good indicator of the
importance placed on the subject, he says.
“Some of what happened to buildings in the
1970s – in terms of demolition or new
facades – simply wouldn’t be allowed now and
that’s a good thing.”
Ireland still lags behind other countries in
terms of the importance we place on our old
buildings. “There are many more heritage buildings in the UK, for example, because its National
Trust has placed such a huge emphasis on protecting its built heritage for so long. And of
course as a nation they have a greater stock of
buildings and more money for preserving them,”
he says.
The lack of value Ireland placed on its heritage
for so long may have been a post-colonial hangover. “Possibly we didn’t think of such buildings
as ours, but somebody else’s. As a nation, we
were immature in that respect.”
Others were lost simply through negligence,
and a significant number remain at risk, he says.
“I know of old military barracks, for example,
that are being left to disintegrate. If not addressed they will go beyond the point of repair.”
SISK AT 150 RESTORATION
On a more positive note, the firm is currently
working for a private individual restoring a castle in Westmeath that had only parts of its exterior walls standing. Now one half of it at least is
habitable. In that job, the key for McGrath is
working as closely as possible to the methods
originally used. “We go out of our way to use
stone that matches that which was there originally. Very often the actual quarry used has been
closed down but we have staff who can tell just
from looking at a stone where it was quarried
and where a similar stone is most likely to be
sourced now.”
He is a connoisseur of stone, his favourite being the Portland stone so prevalent in Dublin.
“Very many Dublin buildings, such as City Hall,
are made of Portland stone. It comes from the
UK and was originally used as ships’ ballast and
was just left sitting on the docksides until people
came up with a better use for it,” says McGrath.
A significant part of his work is cleaning up
such buildings as they become sullied by pollution. “Carbon deposits from car fumes eat into
stone. Cleaning always destroys the stone a little
but it looks better and stops further erosion,” he
explains. “The introduction of smokeless coal
helped buildings enormously in this respect.”
In the meantime, there’s plenty of other restoration work to be getting on with. But for McGrath, few projects will match his time spent at
the top of St Patrick’s Cathedral spire. “Every job
is different and unique, and that’s what makes it
such great work generally,” says McGrath. “But
the view from up there was simply spectacular.”
The recently rebuilt Browne
Clayton Memorial in
Wexford (right) and the
94-foot Corinthian column
as it was before restoration
(left). Photographs: Donal
Murphy Photography
Company profile
Conservation and Restoration is a
trading name of the restoration
division of Stone Developments, a
Sisk Group firm. The company, run
by managing director Phil Meaney,
has its own quarries and supplies
Irish blue limestone to the domestic
and overseas markets. It also runs a
contracting side, supplying Irish
builders with Irish and imported
materials. The company is currently
looking to open up markets in the US
and Middle East.
Conservation and restoration
work is the third-largest element of
its business, but one in which
Meaney takes great pride. “We have
worked on some of the landmark
buildings of Irish life, such as St
Patrick’s Cathedral,” he says. “As
much of this work depends on the
availability of State aid and funding,
the immediate future will present a
challenge, but our plan is to grow
the restoration side of the business
significantly over the coming years.”
ONSITE STONE DEVELOPMENTS
IN 1986, Tommy Roe joined
Stone Developments for
work experience. He hasn’t
looked back, moving swiftly
from design technician to
design manager, general
manager, and now
estimating manager.
“When I started, Stone
Developments was working
on the restoration of the
Customs House,” he says.
“Today, a separate wing of
the company carries out this
conservation and restoration.
Alongside that, we have had
contracts such as the
ornamental façade on
Leinster House, around nine
years ago. This was an
ornate façade with classical
columns.”
Roe’s position involves
producing estimates,
tendering for projects and
negotiating contracts. An
in-house design office works
with the architects and
develops the designs a step
further. The team has
specialisation and expertise
in stone-work.
From 1993 to 1998, Roe
lived and worked in
Zimbabwe, overseeing major
operations there, with design
and contracts among his
responsibilities. Stone
Developments is currently
involved in the development
of cladding at Heuston South
Quarter, a mixed-use
development.
The company is not
immune to the recession.
But, as Roe points out, it has
weathered many economic
storms since its inception in
the 1950s. Last year, there
were about 220 people on
site. Now, there are about
half that amount. “We’ve a
good ethos in this company
and it’s helped us through
tough times before; there is
never a need to compromise
on quality or anything else,
and the job must be done
correctly. On a good deal,
everybody wins.”

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Transcription

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