It’s been twelve years since I began working with Kirby Group Engineering. The company has grown from small beginnings in Limerick to become a leader in the international mechanical and electrical engineering and construction industries. With over 1,800 employees and turnover above €700m in 2024, Kirby has bases across Ireland, the UK, mainland Europe, and South Africa

In 2024, I was appointed as Kirby’s digital construction manager, and I lead a 120-person team. Twelve years ago, this job didn’t exist. I joined the company as a BIM detailer and even that concept was in its infancy, but Kirby recognized its potential and invested in it at an early stage.

The only constant in my line of work is evolution, and the digital tools we use are a perfect symbol of this. When Kirby began working on what are now regarded as small data centers, the industry was getting to grips with 3D modelling.

Everything was very much paper-based and there was no expectation that what we produced on screen would do any more than assist the planners and on-site crews. We were all very much learning about the potential for the tools that were emerging.

Very quickly, our skills and the technological capabilities at our fingertips expanded dramatically. Our clients appreciated the speed with which we could adapt plans to account for changes, and we identified better, faster and more efficient ways to reach their goals.

Kirby realized the value of improving our client offering when it came to modelling and has consistently invested in training and technology to keep us at the leading edge of our sector. The skills we learn on the job also play a huge part in understanding and exploiting the potential of each new development.

Since those early data center days, Kirby projects have become far more complex. We are now designing and delivering hyperscale projects for world-leading clients across Europe. Our focus on innovation and agility means we can now deliver incredibly precise information on every detail of a project well before it begins to take physical form.

Our first step now involves generating coordinated clash free models, aligned to the design received and further modified to suit a prefabrication mindset. We consider fitting the design intent into the space, the prefabrication opportunities, the requirements for transport, lift and shift, installation logistics, and facility access and maintenance.

To increase confidence in our Off-Site Manufacturing (OSM) components, we utilize a 3D scanner to confirm the building space is as expected. The scanner takes an “as-installed” point cloud scan, which we can then use to overlay onto our model. This helps us identify any clashes before the OSM parts are moved to site.

As the 3D models are generated within real-world coordinate systems, we can use a robotic total station to transfer points from the model onto their exact physical location on site. This ensures that equipment, large modules, and connection points are aligned on site to match the model, helping the installation team maintain accuracy.

Where issues arise onsite, we utilize an Augmented Reality (AR) viewer on an iPad to assist in identifying the best route forward. We can input the model onto the iPad, and using the camera function, we overlay the model onto the physical environment, similar to applying a filter.

This allows us to see in real time where the issue has come from and propose a solution to keep the installation progressing. AR offers unparalleled levels of safety, reliability, and predictability, even when it comes to cost, thanks to the troubleshooting capability it enables.

Without these evolving tools and skills, we would never have been able to develop our OSM capabilities, which last year culminated with the opening of an €8m state-of-the-art dedicated facility in Portlaoise, about an hour outside Dublin.

The OSM team provides fabrication, welding and engineering services, and the site also features a dedicated cleanroom to facilitate high purity pipework. Components built there are transported to sites across Ireland, the UK and mainland Europe – but they all begin in our design systems using digital tools.

Hyperscale data center design has quickly become the norm in recent years. We have now reached a point where we consistently achieve excellent results for very satisfied customers who know exactly what to expect from Kirby. It’s a fantastic and privileged position to be in.

One thing you can’t do in my job though, is stand still and it’s important to keep innovating. I’m always looking ahead to see what the next development in my field will be. I’m particularly interested in how data center design will now evolve in response to the explosion in AI.

As with every new development, the amount of data being created is increasing at lightning speed. Rather than simply becoming physically larger, data center design will need to innovate significantly once again to ensure they cope with demand and provide uninterrupted service – and I’m looking forward to seeing how our design services will contribute to that.

Although my title is digital construction manager, I wouldn’t be doing my job properly if I sat at my desk all day looking at project models. I strongly believe that my colleagues must understand how their work relates to what’s happening with the on-site crews and vice-versa. To do this, I undertake regular site visits and encourage my team to do the same. This promotes clear communication for the good of the project, the team, and our client relationships.

Digital construction has become a vital part of what Kirby does, but it’s one cog in the wider system of creating a physical structure – a structure that’s completed to an exceptionally high standard, every time.