Specialist Doors for Ireland's Surgical Hubs

Cork, Waterford and Limerick.

At a glance

As the HSE rolls out a network of new regional surgical hubs to expand day-case capacity, MF Services was appointed by main contractor JJ Rhattigan to supply and install the specialist door and access packages these clinical environments depend on — across three sites in Cork, Waterford and Limerick, all delivered at the same time, on time, on budget and snag-free.

Definition list:

Client — JJ Rhattigan
Architect — OCMA Architects
Sector — Healthcare
Locations — Cork, Waterford & Limerick
Scope — Fire-rated hygienic sliding doors and theatre lockdown systems across all three hubs, with a fuller surgical, recovery and circulation package at Cork (lead-lined, fire-rated glazed and steel doors)
Outcome — Three hubs delivered simultaneously — on time, on budget and snag-free

The project in numbers

3

Surgical hubs delivered

3

Regions — Cork, Waterford, Limerick

1

Contractor partner (JJ Rhattigan)

The programme

About the programme:

As part of the HSE’s rollout of new regional surgical hubs — dedicated facilities that separate scheduled day-case procedures from emergency care — three sites were delivered in Cork, Waterford and Limerick. Working with architects OCMA and main contractor JJ Rhattigan, MF Services delivered the specialist door and access systems across all three.

The challenge:

Surgical hubs place some of the most exacting demands in healthcare construction on their doors and access systems: radiation protection where imaging is used, hermetic sealing for infection control, fire protection across corridors and treatment rooms, secure theatre lockdown, and durability for constant heavy use — often several in a single door. The added test here was delivering all of it to the same standard across three sites running at the same time.

Cork — Cork University Hospital Surgical Hub

Cork was the fullest scope of the three. MF Services supplied and installed a complete, coordinated package across the hub’s surgical, recovery, corridor and treatment areas — lead-lined GRP hygienic sliding doors with automation and glazed hygienic sliding doors for recovery, lead-lined sliding doors for surgical areas, fire-rated glazed doors through the corridors and treatment rooms, fire-rated steel doors for circulation, fire-rated hygienic sliding doors, and an integrated theatre lockdown system.
The fire-rated glazed doors are a highlight — delivering the fire protection a clinical corridor demands while keeping sightlines open through treatment areas. Integrating the theatre lockdown system (which featured across all three hubs) meant working with different voltages and coordinating closely with other trades, then commissioning it to sign-off alongside the doors. Every performance requirement — Code 3 lead lining, ventilation and air-tightness, fire rating and heavy-duty durability — was met, and Cork was delivered on time, on budget and snag-free.

Waterford & Limerick

Waterford Surgical Hub:

At the new surgical hub on Maypark Lane, Waterford, MF Services supplied and installed fire-rated hygienic sliding doors, together with the theatre lockdown system delivered across the programme — meeting the same fire, infection-control and security standards applied at every site. Delivered at the same time as Cork and Limerick, on time, on budget and snag-free.

Limerick Surgical Hub:

At the new surgical hub on the former Scoil Carmel site, O’Connell Avenue, Limerick, MF Services supplied and installed fire-rated hygienic sliding doors and the theatre lockdown system to the same standard. Delivered concurrently with the other two hubs — on time, on budget and snag-free

Products used across the programme

The systems specified for these projects — click through for full technical detail on each.

Fire-Resistant Doors

fire-rated hygienic sliding doors across all three hubs, plus fire-rated glazed doors at Cork →

Lead Lined Doors

radiation protection, Cork surgical & recovery areas →

Hygienic GRP Doors

hermetic, infection-control doors →

Access Control

theatre lockdown & secure zoning across all three hubs →

Fire-Rated Glazed Doors

fire protection with open sightlines, Cork corridors & treatment rooms →

Delivered across three sites, at the same time

The programme’s defining feature was concurrency: Cork, Waterford and Limerick were delivered simultaneously, not one after another. MF Services worked to a single standard across all three and acted as one point of responsibility for the door and access scope on each — coordinating with OCMA Architects, JJ Rhattigan and other trades rather than leaving the contractor to manage multiple suppliers on three live sites at once.
The theatre lockdown system was common to all three hubs, with integration involving different voltages and close trade coordination. Across every site the thread was the same: delivered to programme, to budget, and snag-free at handover.

Results

The outcome:

MF Services delivered specialist door and access packages across three of Ireland’s new regional surgical hubs — all at the same time, every site on time, on budget and snag-free, with every performance and compliance requirement met.

Measurable results:

Three hubs delivered simultaneously — Cork, Waterford and Limerick
On time across all three programmes
On budget — no cost overruns
Snag-free at handover on every site
Fully compliant — fire rating, HTM, hermetic sealing and Code 3 lead lining (Cork) all met
One coordinated partner for the full door and access scope across the programme

Cork University Hospital Surgical Hub in detail

Working on a similar healthcare project?

Whether you’re building a surgical hub, theatre suite or acute facility, our team can help you specify lead-lined, hermetic, fire-rated and access-controlled door systems that meet HTM and Irish Building Regulations. We work with contractors, architects and healthcare clients across Ireland — from single door types to complete, coordinated packages. Send us a brief or drawings and we’ll come back with product options and a proposed timeline.