Specialist surveying and design consultancy GIA Surveyors has added a Dublin office to its locations in Belfast, London, Manchester, and Bristol.

The company specialises in evaluating the sunlight and ‘rights of light’ implications of buildings and developments, and says it has the largest daylight/sunlight and rights of light departments in the UK and Ireland.

It has worked on prestigious developments such as Battersea Power Station, the London Shard and the American Embassy, in tandem with architects, planning consultants, legal experts and developers.

The firm is seeking to meet the growing and immediate demand for experienced daylight/sunlight and rights of light consultants in Ireland following the relaxing of building heights, as well as increased density and other forms of intensive development, and plans to increase its Dublin team this year and next.

GIA has also co-developed software called VU.CITY and is introducing it here. 

In Association with

“The technology creates highly accurate, fully interactive 3D digital twins of cities that help to create, refine, share and understand the journey of developments,” says GIA. “It allows us to advise developers and architects on the implications of their scheme in a matter of minutes rather than days and weeks.” 

GIA claims the platform is accurate to 15cm and covers the whole of Dublin City, for example, and integrates data and demonstrates the real-life impact of buildings on their surrounding environment.

GIA Ireland managing partner Kevin Francis (pictured) said: “Ireland has always been an important market for GIA, so we are delighted to launch our Dublin office. We believe the market is brimming with opportunities to make a positive, sustainable impact on the built environment and its surrounding communities. 

“Good urban design is essential in supporting the economic, social, cultural, and sustainability goals of Ireland’s cities and is integral to ensuring that Dublin maintains its competitive edge as a place to live, work and play.

“Right of light disputes are growing more common in larger cities. While Ireland has begun, slowly, to break the cycle of low-density buildings in Dublin, Cork, and other areas, rights of light is now becoming an important consideration for developers and other key stakeholders.”