Group of six people in formal attire at the ACEI Engineering Excellence Awards 2025, with a Varming Consulting Engineers representative holding a framed award for the Mechanical & Electrical category.

Varming Project wins 2025 ACEI Engineering Excellence Awards

01 April 2025

Varming Consulting Engineers are delighted to announce that our practice was successful in achieving a 2025 ACEI Engineering Design Excellence Award for professional services provided in respect of our Garda Headquarters, Phoenix Park, Block J

Pictured here (left to right): Conor Clarke (OPW), Neil McCormick (MCA Architects), Alan Nolan (Varming Consulting Engineers), Jonathan Swanton (Varming Consulting Engineers), Anne-Maire Conibear (President of the ACEI) and James Kavanagh (CEO Varming Consulting Engineers)

Block J is an historic building and protected structure located within the Garda HQ campus in the Phoenix Park on the southern edge of the parade ground. A substantial part of Block J dates to the 1861-7 phase of construction at An Garda Síochána headquarters. The building is of solid masonry and brick construction with single glazed timber sliding sash windows and has a slate roof.

The refurbishment works involved upgrading the interiors to accommodate a highly specialist unit within and to provide a modern flexible workspace that will allow An Garda Siochana to operate efficiently and in line with current practices as well as providing adaptability into the future.