Construction awards joy for Midlands firms
More than 600 people from across the building industry gathered at Birmingham's ICC to celebrate the very best projects in the region at The Built Environment Hub's Celebrating Construction Awards.
Built Environment chairman David Bucknall said: "Celebrating Construction is now firmly established as a high point in the regional construction calendar. Each year it commands the attention of the industry professionals and these free to enter awards are an excellent platform to showcase and promote the very best of our industry achievements. Importantly, the Midlands' winners automatically become finalists in the national awards."
The big winner on the night was Wolverhampton-based Carillion, which picked up not one but two awards for its landmarkLibrary of Birmingham project.
The company won the prestigious Project of the Year together with the Integration and Collaborative Working Award. Described by Kevin McCloud of TV's Grand Design as 'awe inspiring' the project combines a state-of-the-art library with a regenerated Repertory Theatre that will attract over three million visitors every year.
O'Brien Contractors also picked up two awards for Project Dove, for Innovation and Value. The £200m Nestlé group's project at Tutbury which is company's largest construction project worldwide, will consolidate coffee production across the UK.
Another multiple award winner was Cradley Heath-based Lift & Engineering Services, which won two awards for Health and Safety and the SME of the Year Award together with a Highly Commended for Client of the Year.
To keep pace with 77 per cent growth in sales in the past two years, Lift & Engineering Services seek and implement all forms of continuous improvement and look for new ways of working that assist their team to deliver collaborative best practice to customers.
The Achiever Award was presented to Martin Chambers of Aldridge-based Shaylor Group. A leading industry figure Martin has played a pivotal role in the CIOB, being the global president in 2007/8 and was also chairman of Birmingham's Family Housing Association. Martin also has strong links with academia being a governor of the University of Wolverhampton, external examiner with Aston University and a visiting professor at the University of Westminster.
And Shaylor Group's Lee Cash walked away with the Young Achiever Award. He joined Shaylor as an apprentice carpenter in 2002 and was recently promoted to surveyor after gaining a first class degree in quantity surveying at Birmingham City University last year.
The Legacy Award for Sustainability went to Clugston Construction for its work on the Four Ashes Energy Recovery Facility for Veolia Environmental Services.
Built Environment Hub board member and chair of the judging panel, Tony Wehby said: "Not only were entries up by 35% on last year, but the calibre of submissions was truly outstanding - the judges have had to make some really tough decisions."
The Celebrating Construction Awards are presented by The Built Environment Hub, a membership organisation created to drive best practice in construction product and process innovation in the Midlands region, in association with the Chartered Institute of Building and Acivico Building Consultancy.
