Occupying a Piece of History: Fiserv’s Irish HQ
In 2022, global fintech and payments firm, Fiserv, leased just under 70,000sf in Ten Hanover Quay—a historically significant and protected structure located in Dublin’s Docklands. Over the last year, the innovation focused company partnered with their trusted construction partner, Structure Tone Dublin, to transform the recently renovated building into Fiserv’s Irish headquarters.
A HISTORIC ELEMENT
Located on the waterfront of Dublin’s Capital Dock development, Ten Hanover Quay sits amongst some of the city’s most modern structures. Originally constructed in the 1880s, the warehouse building used to house the Raleigh Bicycle Company—one of the oldest bicycle companies in the world—throughout the 1940s.
To bring the building up to the area’s Class A standard, property owner Kennedy Wilson upgraded the building by adding five floors on top of the protected base building. One of the main challenges throughout construction of Fiserv’s space was contending with lingering items from that base building renovation.
“When we went in to do our conditional surveys, we noticed raised access floors from the basement and leaks coming into the building,” says Noel Bradley, Structure Tone Dublin senior project manager. “Thanks to the team we had on-site, from the client to the designers, we were able to solve those issues and hit our schedule target.”
As a protected structure, the team also had to carefully plan work in the base of the building to ensure the perimeter walls remained intact.
TOP NOTCH WORKPLACE
The project included a full M&E upgrade for the entire building, a working pantry on every floor, and a full-service café on the first floor. The first floor also features tiered seating that goes into the basement, and Structure Tone installed new structural stairs connecting the ground floor to the first level. Two of the five upper levels were dedicated to Fiserv’s partner, AIB Merchants—and the AIB floors feature the company’s own unique branding and design.
According to the Structure Tone team, one of the most extraordinary aspects of the project was the fifth floor. As the penthouse of the building, the fifth floor offers 360-degree views of the Dublin Docklands and a spectacular vantage point to watch the sunrise.
LOCKED IN FOR LEED
Another defining characteristic of the job was Fiserv’s focus on sustainability. Although the goal was to pursue LEED certification, the project was not designed and spec’d with LEED in mind, meaning the construction team had to work backwards in some instances.
“This wasn’t as straightforward as a typical LEED project,” says Kiaran McNerney, Structure Tone Dublin BCAR coordinator. “The sustainability consultant and I assessed all the original products in the design and in quite a few cases, had to find alternative products that were LEED compliant.”
In order to achieve LEED certification, the team had to go above and beyond to meet the necessary number of LEED credits. The M&E and sanitary packages, for instance, had to be adjusted to meet the required flow and flush rates. While construction was in progress, toilets and faucets were changed and the Structure Tone used flow restrictors to ensure the system would comply with LEED standards. The team was also able to repurpose more than 60% of the building’s existing AHUs and ductwork, helping Fiserv’s new space achieved LEED Gold.
A SAFETY STANDOUT
In addition to meeting Fiserv’s schedule requirements, high quality standards, and sustainability goals, the project site won Structure Tone Dublin’s quarterly safety award. From document control and permits to on-site safety awareness and PPE compliance, this safety award recognizes the best of the best when it comes to building safely.
“Everyone on-site was focused on our shared goal of delivering a top-tier space to a loyal client,” says Bradley. “It was an honor to work alongside Fiserv and the rest of the team.”
PROJECT DETAILS
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Size: 70,000sf
Project Manager/QS: KMCS/KPMG
Engineer: HDR
Architect: HJL
Certification: LEED Gold
Completion: May 2023