Project Background
Bon Secours Health System officially welcomed the first patients to its new €213 million hospital in Ballysimon, Limerick in late September, marking a major milestone for healthcare in the Mid-West of Ireland.
Designed in close collaboration between Reddy Architecture + Urbanism, HOK, and specialist consultants, the project sets a new benchmark for healthcare design, combining clinical excellence, environmental responsibility, and human wellbeing. Its biophilic, patient-centred architecture creates a calm, restorative environment that enhances healing, operational efficiency, and long-term sustainability.
Developed by Sisk Group and Castle Group Ireland, construction began in February 2023 and is the latest development in Bon Secours €300m national investment strategy.
The phased opening began with the relocation of the first services, and the opening of the hospital’s new Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory – the first such private facility in the Mid-West. In the following weeks, further services including surgery and related specialties transitioned, with additional specialties such as cardiology, neurology, respiratory medicine, dermatology, ophthalmology and advanced diagnostic imaging to follow in the months ahead.
Adjacent to the hospital, a new Clinical Services Hub will further strengthen patient care, providing cardiology, vascular and neurology diagnostics, along with a cutting-edge outpatient imaging centre in partnership with Alliance Medical. This includes the first PET-CT scanner in the Mid-West, due to become operational in the coming months.
Alan Sharp, Group CEO, Bon Secours Health System, commented,
“The opening of Bon Secours Hospital Limerick marks yet another proud milestone for our organisation and for healthcare in Ireland. This €213 million investment reflects our long-term commitment to expand access to high-quality care, supporting medical innovation and creating meaningful employment opportunities in the Mid-West.”
Sustainability Focus
The new hospital in Limerick is Bon Secours’ most sustainable hospital to date, with the site on the edge of the city, being chosen with this in mind. It has great access to public transport and facilities for pedestrians and cyclists, with EV parking also available.
It was important for all stakeholders that sustainable materials were used wherever possible, starting with the building’s high-performance envelope. This aligns with Partel’s philosophy of integrating sustainability into its business through energy efficient building products, focusing on air tightness and vapour control, to support reduced energy consumption.
Publishing EPDs for all its membrane systems is part of the company’s commitment to the responsible performance of buildings and sustainable production processes. Partel supports effective passive design measures by empowering designers, and builders to make informed decisions about embodied carbon of ingoing building materials.
Other sustainability measures at the new hospital include LED lighting throughout with alternative energy sources utilised, such as air-to-water heat pump technology.
Product Specification
Partel worked in conjunction with the project contractors and facade and fit-out specialists to ensure a robust airtightness strategy in line with the building concept and exemplar design. It was key that this strategy was in line with the building’s sustainability performance goals and the aspirations of Bon Secours.
Partel has experience of working with healthcare providers and understands that these settings are particularly complex, sensitive and high-risk environments, accommodating a high density and flow of users that differ in terms of their health status along with many different activities. The airtightness strategy and product selection was key to ensure that products enhanced and supported the high-performance building envelope, with the following products being specified.
EXOPERM MONO SA 250: Windtight and airtight barrier, for use in the most challenging environments. Self -adhesive with seamless airtight connections
IZOPERM PLUS: Passivhaus-certified air and vapour control membrane, with optimal protection against humidity
VARA PLUS: Paper-based smart ecological vapour control layer to maintain optimum air tightness, with active moisture control through hygro-variable technology
VARA Seal: Passivhaus- certified smart sealing tape, extremely strong and moisture-resistant for outstanding adhesion
VERBOND:Multipurpose hybrid adhesive with UV stability and weather resistance, based on polymer technology
CONEXO MULTISEAL: Passivhaus-certified acrylic adhesive tape ensuring airtight construction and age resistance.
System Performance
These specific membranes were specified and installed externally due to their long-term UV stability. This was a key factor as they remained exposed until the final cladding systems were completed, with full integrity maintained.
The membrane system showed exceptional resilience particularly during Storm Eowyon, back in January 2025, which brought national peak wind speeds of up to 184 km/h, however there was with no adhesive lift, edge peel, moisture ingress, or loss of performance of the membrane system.
Ideal for exposed façades, which was vital for this project, EXOPERM MONO SA 250 was specified to provide the primary external weather and airtightness layer. The complete system ensures reliable adhesion and airtightness under extreme wind load, moisture, and prolonged exposure conditions, with up to 9 months UV exposure, as standard.
Specialist airtightness detailing was delivered for sensitive areas, including theatre rooms, where enhanced airtightness levels were required.
The Partel technical team were on hand throughout the project, regularly visiting site to support with product selection, technical advice and calculations, as required. They worked closely with the contractor, Sisk Group as well as MFS Facades on specifics for the façade detailing, ensuring alignment with the high performance and sustainability aspirations of the project.
Project Delivery & Outcome
This is the first large hospital to open in Ireland in almost 20 years, offering scheduled operations and other facilities to a region which was struggling more than most with access to healthcare. The ambition of Bon Secours is to continue to build a greater partnership with the public system to increase national capacity and improve services.
Balancing cutting edge technology and a nature-inspired interior, the hospital will significantly increase the capacity of Bon Secours in the Limerick area, expecting to be able to treat more than 50,000 patients annually through a wide range of services and technologically advanced care.
Around 250 high-skilled jobs have been created by the new facilities, offering a broad range of surgical procedures and a 10-bay hospital access unit.
With sustainability at the forefront along with patient and staff welfare and wellbeing, Partel has been excited to partner on this high profile and exemplar project. The project has enabled the company to really highlight the durability and reliability of its range of airtightness systems, particularly the ExoPerm 250 system, which showed outstanding performance in challenging site conditions.
Partel has demonstrated its technical knowledge and expertise to partner on such complex healthcare and façade applications, and is delighted to be part of Bon Secours future vision for healthcare in Mid -West Ireland.
References
Bon Secours Health System. (2025) Bon Secours Hospital Limerick welcomes first patients. Available at: https://www.bonsecours.ie/about/news/bon-secours-hospital-limerick-welcomes-first-patients
Bon Secours Health System. (2025) Clinical Services Hub – Limerick. Available at: https://www.bonsecours.ie/locations/limerick/clinical-services-hub
HOK. (2025) Bon Secours Health opens new hospital in Limerick, Ireland. Available at: https://www.hok.com/news/2025-10/bon-secours-health-opens-new-hospital-in-limerick-ireland/
Hospital Professional News. (2025) Bon Secours Limerick welcomes first patients as landmark new hospital begins opening its doors. Available at: https://hospitalprofessionalnews.ie/2025/09/16/bon-secours-limerick-welcomes-first-patients-as-land…
I Love Limerick. (2025) Bon Secours Ballysimon hospital begins opening its doors. Available at: https://www.ilovelimerick.ie/bon-secours-ballysimon-limerick-hospital/
Limerick Post. (2025) New €213m private hospital welcomes first patients in Limerick. Available at: https://www.limerickpost.ie/2025/09/16/new-private-hospital-welcomes-first-patients-in-limerick/
RTÉ News. (2025) New €213m Bon Secours private hospital opens in Limerick. Available at: https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2025/0916/1533740-new-213m-bon-secours-private-hospital-opens-in-l…
