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18th August 2008

How do you build a two-floor extension on top of a single storey licensed premises without calling ‘time’ on your customers during construction work?

That was the challenge faced by developer Kevin Walsh when he decided to build 16 student apartments on top of his Concorde Pub in Dublin’s Raheny district.

Kevin’s novel solution was to keep the weight of the new structure to a minimum by using a timber frame clad in Novabrik – the innovative mortarless brick system manufactured by Acheson & Glover.

The approach meant that there was no inconvenience to his clientele and the project was completed more quickly and at a lower cost than a comparable brick and block structure.

One of Novabrik’s major attractions is that it weighs up to one third less than traditional brick. Because add-on structures built from it are therefore lighter, this minimises the need for alterations to the existing building – and their cost.



For the Concorde pub extension, this meant that the only structural work required was the addition of steel beams across the building’s existing flat roof. This allowed the bar to remain open during the entire project. Once the two-storey timberframe structure was secured to the beams, installation of the Novabrik system got underway.

The cladding system comprises brick sized slips that lock together to prevent water from penetrating the wall. This creates a weather resistant breathable skin that promotes free flow of air, removing any moisture entering the cavity.

One of Novabrik’s key benefits is that it is an entirely dry form of construction requiring no mortar or conventional bricklaying skills to put up. This makes it quicker and therefore cheaper to install.

Kevin Walsh – a director of Walsh Brothers, a Dublin-based construction firm - is understandably delighted with the successful completion of the project.
“It was the first time we had used timberframe so we had been on the lookout for innovative cladding products that would keep the weight of the new structure down to a minimum.

“We’ve been very impressed by Novabrik. Because it is fitted directly to the timberframe there is no need to allow extra space for a cavity as you would have to do in normal brick and block construction. This meant that less steel was needed for the beams supporting the timberframe structure and that helped us keep project costs down.

“As the product is clean and easy to fit, the rest of the rest of the building was able to function as normal during the construction process. That’s because you don’t need wet trades so there is no mess and very little wastage. Novabrik also goes up really quickly – much faster than we had imagined - and that helps to keep costs down. From an aesthetic point of view it looks great too.

“Because of all of these factors – together with the on-site help provided by Acheson & Glover - we’ve been delighted with our first experience of the product. We’ll definitely be using it again,” says Kevin.