Extreme Balconies Visit

Delving into How an Irish Modular Manufacturer Assembled and Installed 52 Balconies on a Residential Building in a Single Day 

This Skillnet MMC Accelerate Business Support Event gathered nearly 100 experts across the building, training, and public sectors for networking and learning opportunities at the assembly site of modular manufacturer, Extreme Balconies. Presentations on the projects run by Ireland’s two largest homebuilders, Cairn and Glenveagh, using Extreme Balconies’ modules, proceeded a guided product demonstration and facility tour on a sunny afternoon in Clane, Co. Kildare. 

Presentations were delivered by: Damien Donegan, Extreme Balconies’ Managing Director; Anthony Keeler, Senior Technical Manager & Architectural Technologist at Cairn; Brendan Corcoran, Construction Director of Glenveagh; and Сiarán Bruder, Content Manager of Skillnet MMC Accelerate. Dr. Alan Hore, Director of CitA and Co-Lead of the Skillnet MMC Accelerate Initiative, chaired and moderated the Q&A. 

Dr. Alan Hore launched the presentations with a short address on the importance of upskilling in MMC. Сiarán Bruder expanded on this point with details on the dual objectives of Skillnet MMC Accelerate: to manage a national platform supporting upskilling in MMC within the construction sector, and host regional Business Support Events with Irish companies to showcase the potential of skills development in MMC. 

Damien Donegan welcomed attendees to the event with an overview of Extreme Balconies’ history and operations, noting the company’s work on 40+ live projects nationwide. He highlighted the challenges faced with building balconies the traditional way, including the need for multiple trades onsite to assemble and install units. Damien highlighted that, in moving work from the site to the factory, companies can reduce site labour, improve programme predictability, and standardise quality. Damien also pointed to the company’s work on the notable Seven Mills project in Dublin 22 as an example of the productivity gains delivered through modular construction. 

Anthony Keeler next delivered a presentation titled ‘Delivering Homes at Scale through Standardisation & MMC’. This talk was focused on how Cairn’s approach to digital ‘Kit of Parts’ has enabled the developer to adopt and promote the use of MMC on a range of residential projects across the country. Anthony then talked specifically about standardising a small range of balcony designs, to reduce the need for variation across different projects, and subcontracting to Extreme Balconies to achieve this efficiency. 

Brendan Corcoran closed the first part of the Business Support Event by discussing Glenveagh’s gradual progression to delivering residential projects that require balcony installation. He also discussed the partnership with Extreme Balconies and how it has evolved across different developments. Brendan focused on the project efficiencies delivered with offsite modular construction while also highlighting the flexible approach Extreme Balconies takes to adapting to the needs of each individual Glenveagh project. 

After the presentations, the speakers were invited back to the stage for a short Q&A. The discussion covered topics including future plans for the Skillnet MMC Accelerate Initiative and the operational benefits of modular construction. Cairn and Glenveagh were also asked for their perspectives, as the two largest residential developers in Ireland, on the most promising categories of MMC for delivering housing at scale. 

This Business Support Event was capped off with a live demonstration of a balcony being assembled by the Extreme Balconies team, before a guided tour of Extreme Balconies’ assembly facility and an overview of the manufactuer’s chain of logistics.