A former church building in County Leitrim has been transformed into a new innovation and training facility designed to support capability development across Ireland’s construction, quarrying and industrial sectors.

Future Cast has opened its Innovation, Research, Development and Education Centre in Manorhamilton following a €3.25 million redevelopment project that converted a vacant 200-year-old building into a 10,000 sq ft operational hub.

The facility was officially opened by Peter Burke and attended by Marian Harkin.

The centre includes laboratory space focused on geological and material science, prototype and machine development areas, training environments for green skills and facilities supporting emerging technologies including 3D concrete printing.

From a facilities management perspective, the development reflects wider investment in built asset transformation and long-term operational capability. Converting an underused building into a specialist industrial and training environment demonstrates how existing property assets can be adapted to meet changing sector requirements while extending building life and supporting regional infrastructure.

Future Cast said the centre will provide companies, designers and industry partners with access to technical expertise, equipment and development space intended to support product testing, research activity and workforce upskilling.

Planned training activity includes programmes connected to advanced construction methods and maintenance requirements associated with offshore wind infrastructure, aligning with broader sustainability and infrastructure objectives.

The organisation currently operates from existing locations in Manorhamilton and Ballaghaderreen and expects the new centre to support additional employment growth over time, including specialist roles linked to materials, engineering and technical development.

The investment also reflects a wider trend across the built environment sector towards combining physical infrastructure, training and innovation capability in regional locations to strengthen industrial resilience and support adoption of new technologies.

This article originates from reporting published by Irish Tech News covering the opening of Future Cast’s Innovation, Research, Development and Education Centre in Manorhamilton.