Fingal’s Swords Castle East Tower Consolidation nominated for Engineers Ireland Excellence Award.

The Swords Castle East Tower Consolidation project has been nominated in this year’s Engineers Ireland Excellence Awards 2019.

Fingal County Council’s Architects department worked alongside David Kelly Partnership and CORA Consulting Engineers in this phase of the redevelopment of Swords Castle which is part of the flagship Swords Cultural Quarter project.

County Architect, Fionnuala May, said: “It is great news that the Swords Castle East Tower Consolidation project has been nominated for this award. It is recognition of the careful work that is being done in the conservation and repair of Swords Castle as part of the wider Swords Cultural Quarter project.

“I would like to give a special thanks to all those involved in this project, in particular, the Architects Department team here in Fingal County Council and our Consultant Engineering partners in David Kelly Partnership and CORA Consulting Engineers.”

The remains of Swords Castle today consist of a large, four-sided partly battlemented curtain wall, approximately 4M high, containing several mural buildings and structures, including the entrance Gatehouse, the restored Chapel and Constables Tower and the semi-ruined East Tower.

The East Tower consolidation works combined modern methods alongside traditional to conserve as much of the medieval fabric as possible.

One of the significant conservation challenges was the consolidation of the East Tower. The overall stability of the ruins was a matter of concern considering the pronounced lean on the tower, extensive cracking, and surface erosion of the Dublin calp limestone.

An honestly-expressed, functional concrete plate ties the three remaining walls together, and a traditional lime-based shelter coat protects the vulnerable masonry.

The visual impact is striking, clearly differentiating the new insertion from the original, as well as being respectful of the historical setting.