Rubble from demolition of Cork's R&H Hall silos to be used in Midleton railway upgrade 

As part of a one of the most significant construction recycling projects to be undertaken in Cork to date, almost all of the demolition material from the R&H Hall silos on Kennedy Quay is to be re-used.

It is part of a series of initiatives undertaken by developer O’Callaghan Properties, whose land portfolio in South Docks includes the former silos site, approximately 16,000 tonnes of mass concrete from the demolition will be used in the Midleton to Cork railway line.

The R&H Hall buildings will be replaced by a new sustainable landmark building, which occupies the same footprint and makes reference to the industrial characteristics of the silos in its design. 

Major structural issues made re-purposing of the 90-year-old silo impossible.

Speaking about the R&H Hall silos material to be recycled, Brian O’Callaghan, managing director of O’Callaghan Properties, said: “We have been working on site for over a year with our demolition experts, O’Kelly Brothers, on all the processes involved and we’re pleased to announce the transportation of the product to the Irish Rail railway line upgrade.

“We had a number of options to deal with the demolition material, the simplest of which was to transport it to landfill.

“Another option was to crush the concrete and seek to re-use it in a sustainable fashion, locally if possible.

“There is a double sustainability gain in that the material has been converted to a resource to be used in a public transport project. 

“We are glad that all of the steel reinforcement and structural steel from the silos is also being recycled.”

As part of the demolition process, O’Callaghan Properties undertook an archaeological recording and conservation process with respect to the historic industrial machinery within the R&H Hall complex. 

This work was carried out under the guidance of Dr Colin Rynne, director of the Historic Building Survey Unit, Department of Archaeology, University College Cork. 

The process preceded the dismantling, conservation, and display of key examples of the silos’ industrial fabric.

On an overall level, the approach and work also have been guided by heritage conservation specialists, Southgate Associates, and through engagement with heritage and archaeology officers at Cork City Council. 

It is estimated that the re-use of the crushed concrete will potentially save up to 180,000kg/co2.