The luxuriously finished Fairways Hotel, on the old Dublin Road in Dundalk, reopened for Christmas 2019, following a major reconstruction headed up by Brian Byrne and Denis Williams of O’Callaghan Holdings. Over the course of two years, the hotel was completely rebuilt from the ground up, aiming for a whole new experience which meets the demands of 21st century guests.
With such a large mechanical aspect of the project to manage, Denis Williams Design Services were fortunate to be able to turn to local Louth-based company M&P Mechanical. With offices just a 10-minute drive from the site in Castlebellingham, Mark O’Rourke, Managing Director of M&P Mechanical, was delighted to work on such a prestigious project. “My company has been working in hotels around the country over the last number of years and to get the opportunity to bring all that knowledge closer to home is great,” says Mark. The hotel first opened in the 1960s and is a very valued spot in the area, with many cherished memories of weddings, graduations, christenings for nearby residents – it really has been the talk of the town, so there was a lot of pressure to make sure everything went smoothly.
The right know-how
M&P Mechanical has carried out work in many hotels across Ireland: Cork, Wexford, Belfast, Sligo, Galway, Clare and Limerick. With a very impressive portfolio in the hospitality sector, it’s no surprise the company were the first stop for Denis Williams Design Services when it came time to appointing a knowledgeable contractor.
With so much experience, Mark O’Rourke and his team knew exactly what would be needed to meet the clients vision for the re-opening: “When I first met Denis and Brian, it was very clear they wanted a hotel that used the latest materials, controls and equipment that would allow the hotel to run as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible for the operators. I sat down with my design team, headed up by Anthony O’Conaill, and we tabled some ideas. From there it was about delivering the project for the grand opening.”
The hotel now makes use of the latest chiller equipment for the bar, restaurant and conference hall, which are all ran on R32 gas. R32 gas is the next generation refrigerant that efficiently carries heat and has lower environmental impact, which is something always kept in mind for new buildings. This supplies chilled water to the fan coil units concealed in the ceiling to bring the rooms and areas to the required comfort levels. The fan coil units were selected specifically by M&P Mechanical to keep the running noises to a minimum resulting in a noise level that wouldn’t disrupt guests to the hotel. M&P were very successful in expertly tailoring their services to meet all requirements of a hotel and client alike.
Proof is in the products
With all the electrical power needed to keep the hotel operating, M&P Mechanical felt the use of a CHP (combined heat and power unit) was an ideal solution for the building. Located in the plantroom at the rear of the hotel, the natural gas-powered CHP supplies the hotel with nearly 70kW of electrical and over 120kW of thermal heat load each hour it runs. This installation will reduce the electrical and heating running costs of the hotel.
Along with the CHP and new chiller, the hotel plantroom was completely overhauled with gas-fired condensing boilers supplied by Hevac.
The boilers installed were four De Dietrich Innovens Pro MCA160, complete with a full hydraulic cascade kit and total boiler output of 640kW. Hevac were delighted to be the chosen supplier and look forward to working with M&P Mechanical again on future projects.
SONAS Bathrooms were delighted to supply all bathroomware to the project, including all sanitaryware, shower trays and enclosures. All bathrooms in the hotel were fitted out with SONAS Bathrooms including guest bedroom ensuites, function room public areas, staff areas and accessible bathroom solutions. Products included on the specifications for the project were put forward by the SONAS commercial team in collaboration with the design team and developer for the Fairways Hotel.
Mark says, “It was a great honour for M&P Mechanical to get to deliver this project, and with a client as professional as Denis Williams Design Services, we would look forward to doing continued business in the future.”
Project Team
Client: O’Callaghan Holdings
Main Contractor: Hollywood Developments Ltd
Architect: Denis Williams Design Services
Mechanical Contractor: M&P Mechanical
Consulting Engineer: ISD Engineering
Derrycammagh,
Castlebellingham,
Dundalk,
Co. Louth.
T: +353 (0)42 9379 090
E: info@mandp.ie
W: www.mandpmechanical.ie
