A County Tyrone-based modular buildings specialist is aiming to ramp up work in Scotland after delivering a milestone project on behalf of Fife Council.
JDC Building Works has been delivering bespoke modular buildings in the commercial, education, health, and transport sectors for over two decades in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Recent projects include the delivery of a 1,200 sqm, two-storey steel framed building at the HQ of Irish Rail, a two-storey extension at University Hospital Limerick, and a tranche of school builds.
Modular solutions are becoming increasingly popular in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland’s education sectors due to the need for quick solutions to increasing class sizes.
Education Authority NI recently awarded JDC the contract for its flagship project to deliver the country’s first two-storey special educational needs school.
Frank McGurk, director at JDC, told Project Scotland there is a growing understanding of how much modular builds have advanced over the last decade.
“20-30 years ago people were taught in box portacabins with little to no insulation, noisy floors, low ceilings – it’s been totally revolutionised in the last 10 years. Everything we deliver is guaranteed for 60 years if it’s well maintained.”
Revealing that the firm has delivered emergency education solutions in as little as eight weeks, Frank said the offering also allows for a reduction in costs for clients and meets all statutory regulations.
JDC’s portfolio of education projects led to Fife Council identifying the company as being able to quickly provide a solution to the extension of Newburgh Primary School, after the initial project was hit by delays.
The local authority required the creation of a versatile space that could serve as a kitchen and dining area, and also include storage and washroom facilities – and it had to be delivered without disruption to the school’s daily operations.
JDC manufactured the 270 sqm facility in its Tyrone factory and had it installed and handed over to Fife Council within 16 weeks. The solution had the added benefit of enabling the dining area to be used as an assembly space and the inclusion of accessible washrooms to cater to all staff and students.
The building features Cedar Cladding and Kingspan Micro-Rib panelling, which JDC explained enhances the aesthetic by complimenting the existing surroundings and complies with local planning regulations, whilst also providing additional insulation, and ensures the building is energy efficient.
Like Scotland, Northern Ireland is grappling with construction skills shortages. Frank said modular solutions are becoming an increasing draw for operatives.
“The work is 80% factory-based – it’s all done in a controlled environment,” he explained. “There’s no more heavy lifting; we’ve got overhead-gantry heavy cranes, we’ve got the full range of plant and equipment to make the construction process simpler and less demanding.”
Project Scotland spoke to Frank at the recent Learning Places Scotland event at Glasgow’s SEC, where the firm’s stand received a ‘really positive’ reaction – reiterating his belief that the firm can make further inroads into Scotland.
“If I didn’t believe it, we wouldn’t have been here for the past two days,” Frank said. “It would have been a lot harder to come here if we hadn’t already carried out a project in Scotland and carried it out so successfully. I sincerely believe that it’s only a matter of time before modular construction kicks off (here), and once it does, it’ll only go one way.”
