Annual Report 2005 - The Office of Public Works

Graduate Training Programme
• A new joint RIAI/OPW Graduate Training Programme was established in 2004. There
are currently 17 graduates in OPW with capacity for a full complement of 20
graduates.
• The training programme aims to provide the experience required for the RIAI/ NUI
examination in professional practice and during their time with Architectural Services,
the graduates have made a positive contribution to the design and development of
various projects.
Conservation
The Conservation Unit, in addition to executing major building conservation projects,
continued with a number of conservation research initiatives, including:
• Developing a building limestone database with the Geological Survey of Ireland and
the State Laboratory
• Conservation research into historic paints under joint agreement with the State
Laboratory.
• Developing a research programme and establishing collaborators to share in
undertaking of specific practice related subjects: fire safety (historic buildings);
preservation of historic ironwork; ventilation within historic buildings and sustainable
timber repair methodologies for historic joinery.
• The recording and documentation of interventions in Historic Properties and other
Protected Structures with the School of Architecture, U.C.D.
Sustainable Development and Universal Access policy
• The OPW SD+UA Workgroup (Workgroup on Sustainable Design and Universal
Access) continued to research best practice, methods and standards for Architectural
Services and advised on the CPD Programme.
• The Green Design Audit Checklist, a self-auditing tool, is available on the intranet to
assist the design process at various stages
• The Accessibility Audit Checklist is available on the OPW intranet site to assist
designers audit design to comply with the current statutory building regulations
• During 2005 two architects (together with two M+E Engineers) attended a course on
BREEAM Environmental Auditing at the BRE.
• The OPW currently have twenty five qualified access auditors to assist in auditing of
buildings within the State property portfolio following a request from a Government
Department.
• During 2005 the SD+UA Workgroup provided assistance and advice in the
development of the generic output specification to be used in the Government
Decentralisation Programme and other PPP projects
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