Collins Maher Martin Architects

21/12/2023

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from Everyone at COMMA Architects!

19/12/2023

With the week that's in it, we thought we'd have a look back at some of our Christmas cards past, from the cheesy 90's Autocad to the 2020 Covid Christmas Zoom card! Working on this years effort as we speak. May involve gingerbread persons!

24/11/2023

Award News! - Hot on the heels of the official opening of the ISPCC new National Hub in Dun Laoghaire, came the welcome news that the project had won the Fit-out Project of the Year – Small Office – Under €500k at the Fit-out Awards on Wednesday. We were ably represented by Mahrukh Shah and Katie Ryan at the Awards ceremony at the Clayton Burlington Hotel. The success of this project is down to working with a great client, design and construction team; credit to ISPCC, McCreery Office Furniture, Colman Reynolds, Factfire Ltd, BCW Specialist Joinery, designfolk ltd

22/11/2023

Here’s a post about the official opening of one of our fit-out projects for ISPCC last week.
Photo credits Marc O’Sullivan, Mark Reddy photography

The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) has opened a new national hub in Dun Laoghaire and revealed that its 24/7 volunteer call service logged over one million hours since its foundation 35 years ago.
As they celebrated the opening of their new national hub in Dun Laoghaire with Minister Roderic O’Gorman they say they remain as dedicated as ever to their mission of supporting children and young people.
ISPCC staff and volunteers are a united team, determined that there will always be someone to listen if a child or young person needs to talk.
John Church, CEO ISPCC (pictured above with Minister John Church and Minister Roderic O’Gorman) said: “Our new national hub is a tangible demonstration of our continuing commitment to the needs of children and young people and reflects our desire to provide the best possible working environment for the teams delivering Childline’s full suite of services.
“The contemporary space enables us to continue to pursue and deliver a digital-first strategy, ensuring that we are there for every child or young person in Ireland.
“Anytime and for any reason.
“The ISPCC has played an important role in the support and protection of children and young people in Ireland over many years.
“It has created an anonymous and non-judgemental space for children and young people to be heard and to be listened to, and I hope ISPCC staff and volunteers enjoy many productive years in their new national hub,” said Minister O’Gorman.
Staff and volunteers are at the very heart of Childline. They give back in the most generous spirit. One million hours is a phenomenal amount of time, equating to 114 years or 41,666 days. And yet that is the amount of time that ISPCC’s amazing volunteers have dedicated to Childline’s 24/7 listening service.
Val Beegan, a volunteer who has been involved with Childline for over 25 years, says the most crucial issue over the last quarter century is the decline of mental health in children and young people.
Mental health is one of the most common reasons children and young people contact helplines, including Childline, according to the recently published Voices of Children & Young People Around the World global child helpline data report.
In just five days’ time (November 20), it is World Children’s Day, a day to support children’s rights.
By then, Childline will have had over 85,000 connections with children and young people since the start of 2023.
“There has never been a more important time than now to prioritise the mental health of young people, as families face financial uncertainty, while young people tackle new levels of social media pressure and are exposed to the reality of wars and a global pandemic at a very early age,” said John Church.
Childline can be reached online at Childline.ie or by calling 1800 66 66 66.

21/11/2023

Here’s a post about one of our schemes being officially opened by Minister Darragh O’Brien in Drogheda last Thursday. Part of a much bigger scheme being developed by our client CFS Homes. Text from an LMFM article.
“34 new homes have been officially opened by the Housing Minister in County Louth this afternoon. The development at Ferrard Court, the Twenties, Drogheda comprises County Louth’s first ever cost rental homes. Minister Darragh O’Brien says it's a model the Government wants to expand across the country. This brand-new residential scheme, a partnership between Tuath, Louth County Council, the Department of Housing, Local Government, and Heritage, and The Housing Agency, comprises 34 cost rental homes. The funding for Ferrard Court is a combination of the Cost Rental Equity Loan (CREL) funding from the Department and private finance through the Housing Finance Agency (HFA). The 34-A rated apartments are part of a 70-home development built by CFS Homes Ltd. Ferrard Court represents the inaugural delivery of cost rental homes in County Louth under this program, offering secure, affordable housing with rental prices nearly 30% below comparable properties in the area.
Tuath's collaboration with Louth County Council dates back to 2007, with the delivery of their first homes in Ardee. Since then, the partnership has thrived, resulting in over 640 homes delivered throughout the county. Nationally, Tuath has provided more than 11,000 homes in every local authority area, accommodating approximately 30,000 people. As a leading provider of cost rental housing in Ireland, Tuath has delivered over 300 cost rental homes since April 2022.
Minister for Housing, Darragh O’Brien noted, “It’s great to see Co. Louth’s first affordable cost rental homes open. The first of many I hope. Cost rental is beginning to take hold across the country with safe and secure long-term tenancies at rates which are approximately 25% less than local market rates. Turning the sod on the new assisted living homes is a particular joy and I look forward to seeing these delivered. I want to thank Tuath for their continued efforts in delivering top quality homes, they are key partners in our Housing for All plan.”

03/01/2023

https://icsh.ie/taoiseach-officially-opens-new-homes-in-county-meath/
Here's one we were too busy to post last year - Taoiseach opening the latest phase of our scheme at Commons Road, Navan for turnkey sale to Tuath Housing by our client KJA Developments.

Cathaoirleach of Meath County Council, Cllr. Seán Drew welcomed An Taoiseach Micheál Martin to the Royal County to officially open the new homes at Gort

03/01/2023

Minister Burke officially opens our scheme of 31 houses at The Cedars, Lakepoint Park, Mullingar, for Mulleady Properties.

One hundred and 60 social houses have been delivered by Westmeath County Council this year, the newest of which were officially opened by Junior Minister Peter Burke on the Tuesday before Christmas.

07/03/2022

Interesting slideshow showing the progression of Phase 1 of Bridgegate, Ardee for Richmond Homes, over the course of a year, including the first Covid lockdown. Some missing months at the beginning. Slideshow prepared by Heather McCaul, TY Student. Drone shots are courtesy of Drone Services Ireland, and Map data is copyright CNES/Airbus, Maxar Technologies

03/03/2022

In addition to the 1,000 houses and apartments under construction, and the 800 or so at Taking-in-Charge stage, we have a few other schemes recently granted Planning Permission and hopefully about to start on site including:-
• 50 Houses at Streamstown, Malahide for Richmond Homes
• 48 Houses at Cahir, Co. Tipperary for Woodfort Developments
• 26 Houses at Borris-in-Ossory, Co. Laois for Mulleady Properties
• 68 houses at Mountmellick, Co. Laois for Greenbriar Home Builders
• 62 Houses at Ballincollig, Cork for CLBK Construction
• 29 Apartments at Rathgar Road, Rathmines for Frank McNerney

03/03/2022

In addition to the 1,000 houses and apartments under construction, we are at the final Taking-in-Charge stage for a few other schemes including:-
- 526 houses and apartments at Moyglare Hall, Maynooth for Mycete Homes
- 159 houses at Whitefield Manor, Bettystown for Mycete Homes
- 116 Houses and Apartments at Liscorrie, Drogheda for Woodfort-CFS and Tuath Housing

03/03/2022

We haven’t posted a Facebook update for over a year, but we’ve just been too busy! Just to give a flavour of what we have been doing, we currently have just over 1,000 houses and apartments under construction on 19 different sites in 8 different counties. Housing developments currently on site include:-
• Oak Park, Kinsealy – 65 houses and apartments for Richmond Homes
• Glebelands, Athy – Phase 3 of 88 houses and a Creche for Greenbriar Homes & Respond Housing
• Bayview, Baldoyle – Phase 2 of 174 houses and apartments for Richmond Homes
• Ard an Radhairc, Carrickmacross – 41 houses for Greenbriar Developments & Monaghan Co. Council
• Bridgegate, Ardee - Phase 3 of 159 houses for Richmond Homes
• Corr An Tobair, Carrickmacross – 10 houses for Greenbriar Homes
• Maudlin Vale, Trim – 43 houses for Hoian Holdings & Tuath Housing
• Lakepoint Mullingar – 31 houses for M & M Prime Holdings & Westmeath Co. Council
• Ashe Road, Mullingar – 18 apartments for Aghard group & Cluid Housing
• Springfield Cottages, Mullingar – 13 apartments for Aghard group & Cluid Housing
• Annsfield Court, Athlone – 19 Houses for J & M Prime Holdings & Westmeath Co. Council
• Esker Lawns, Athlone – 27 houses for J & M Prime Holdings & Roscommon Co. Council
• Avondale Grange, Rathdrum – 66 houses for Tullyagan Developments & Respond Housing
• Ballycrone Manor, Kilcoole – 22 houses for Tullyagan Homes
• Commons Road, Navan – Phase 3 of 111 houses and Apartments for KJA Developments & Cluid Housing
• Athboy Road, Delvin – 6 houses for Mulleady Properties & Westmeath Co. Council
• Ferrard Park, Drogheda - Phase 1 of 114 houses and apartments for CFS Homes
Updates to follow with pictures….

04/01/2021

Nature on the Building Site - this post features some photos illustrating the resilience of nature and how it can claim back a building site despite the odds against it. The unusually sandy site in Athy below is being turned into a scheme of 90 houses and a Creche and the topsoil was piled up for use in gardens and open spaces after construction. The poppies soon took over and even after the soil has been moved into gardens, they provide a splash of colour that lifts the scheme. On the same site, a flock of Housemartins moved into new burrows dug into the side of a sandy excavation bank. Luckily, that part of the site wasn't being used at the time, so they nested, bred and then moved on a couple of months later, while building works continued. 100km to the north, in Ardee, a beautiful line of poppies emerged unbidden halfway up a gabion retaining wall on a site for 158 houses under construction. Finally, there was the Crane (bird, not tower) that visited us at the office recently...