Two major building projects in Ireland have been recognised at the recent Irish Construction Excellence (ICE) Awards.

Sligo County Council's Cranmore Regeneration Project (Phase I) and Harbour View Apartments Social Housing Development were triumphant in their respective categories.

Kilcawley Construction, main contractor of Cranmore Regeneration Project (Phase I) was named the winner in the category of Residential – Social & Affordable Housing €3m-10m and Sammon Developments Ltd, as the main contractor of the Harbour View Apartments, won in the category of Residential – Social & Affordable Under €3m at the ICE Awards.

The ICE Awards took place in the National Convention Centre, Dublin on Saturday 14 May.

Harbour View consists of 14 apartments located at Rosses Point Road, Sligo. The site is located at a prominent and scenic location at the confluence of the N4, the N5 and the N16 overlooking Sligo Bay and the Copper River against the backdrop of Cartron Hill. The development provides 8 no. 2 bedroom and 6 no. 1 bedroom social housing apartments over four floor levels. It is located near the City Centre and is within walking distance of all amenities. All apartments have an A3 BER Rating and are heated by an Air Source Heat Pump providing a high comfort factor for residents. The apartment building was completed in March 2020 and is fully occupied. Funding for the scheme in the amount of €2.8m was provided by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage under the Rebuilding Ireland Programme.

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Sligo County Council Architects Department designed the development and brought it successfully through the planning stages before transferring the tender and on-site management to VanDijk Architects.

A key element of the Regeneration Programme is the upgrading of the housing stock in the Cranmore Estate. The first phase involving works to 96 homes in Cranmore Place, Cranmore Drive and Cranmore Villas. The residents, who agreed to take part, were moved by Sligo County Council to alternative accommodation for the duration of the works, which included the installation of state-of-the-art air-to-water heat pumps, as well as the removal of chimneys to ensure airtightness and maximise heat retention.

Sligo County Council and the Cranmore Regeneration Project are on track to complete by 2024 a €15million scheme to improve the energy efficiency of 350 houses on the Cranmore Estate in Sligo Town with 160 local authority houses set to achieve up to an A2 BER rating.