Monday 2 October 2017

Shortlist for East Midlands fbe Awards 2017 revealed


The organisers of an awards ceremony that recognises some of the best construction projects in the East Midlands and some of the industry’s brightest young stars have unveiled the list of finalists.
Among the shortlisted projects for the East Midlands fbe Awards 2017 are a number of university and school developments, as well as a museum and a renovated 18th Century hall.
“We’re delighted to reveal the finalists for our 2017 awards ceremony, and look forward to announcing the winners at the East Midlands fbe Chairman’s Dinner & Awards night, held at the City Rooms in Leicester on 12th October,” said Eddie Mewies, regional chairman of the East Midlands fbe and MD of M-EC Consulting Development Engineers.
“The event is an excellent opportunity to highlight the great work that goes on in the construction and development sector in the East Midlands and to network and catch up with acquaintances and meet new contacts. We would urge anyone who is keen to attend to snap up a ticket, as in previous years the event has sold out in advance.”
Around 150 professionals from the construction, development and property sector in the region are expected to attend the awards evening, which is being compèred by former England international rugby player and ex-Leicester Tiger player Peter Wheeler.
The shortlisted projects are:
Residential:
·       A Rural Housing Exception Scheme located on the edge of the village of Brant Broughton in Lincolnshire, providing affordable housing consisting of affordable rent and shared ownership tenures to meet an identified local need, nominated by architects Halsall Lloyd Partnership
·       A scheme to regenerate a once disused and overgrown 13.2 acres of land off Heathcott Road, Saffron Lane, Leicester, into a £7m community of 68 eco-homes that have been built to Passivhaus standard - one of the biggest Passivhaus affordable housing scheme in the country - nominated by architects rg+p
·       Six and seven-storey student accommodation development in London Road, Leicester, creating 132 bed spaces for Abode, incorporating a Fusion panel system – an offsite light gauge superstructure – which has brought a range of benefits to the scheme, including swift and efficient build time. Nominated by civil and structural engineer BSP Consulting
Non-residential:
·       Birkett House SEN School, Wigston, Leicestershire, a co-educational special school for 175 pupils aged four to 19, with a range of learning needs. This new facility - secured via Scape Procure - facilitated a collaborative approach from the start of the scheme. The new build consisted of additional support facilities to adjacent education campus, including hydrotherapy pool, new tennis courts and part refurbishment of the existing Academy. Built for Leicestershire County Council, it was nominated jointly by civil and structural engineer BSP Consulting and Willmott Dixon Construction
·       The £3 million redevelopment of Constance Stewart Hall at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) in Lincoln consisted of: phase 1 – the conversion of the existing catering facility into state-of-the-art teaching rooms, and phase 2 – a striking contemporary addition built over the existing building. It was nominated by architects LK2
·       Loughborough University STEMLab - a gateway development in a highly prominent position on the Loughborough University campus. It is the cornerstone of a £25m ‘student Learning Zone’ that will transform the West side of the campus. The £12m scheme involved the construction of a new Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths facility. It was nominated by Henry Brothers Midlands Ltd
Regeneration:
       The £2.3 million refurbishment and renovation of the Grade II listed Bridgford Hall, West Bridgford, near Nottingham, to create a luxury aparthotel and a civil wedding venue. Situated in West Bridgford’s heart, overlooking Bridgford Park, the former mansion had most recently been used as council offices and needed renovating, having been vacant since 2014. The scheme, which has breathed new life into this iconic building, was nominated by civil and structural engineer BSP Consulting and Robert Woodhead Ltd
       The Engineering Building at the University of Leicester, which in 2016 to 2017 underwent major work to replace the 2500 pieces of glass to the roof and façade and create an internal environment fit for modern-day teaching needs. One of the most architecturally important buildings of its era, the Engineering Building is utterly distinctive and the scheme was nominated by Pulse Associates Ltd
       New Walk Museum and Art Gallery, Leicester, which has received a grand new entrance following a six-month programme which encompassed the redevelopment of the ground and first floor and also included the foyer to the Grade II listed building. It was nominated by consulting engineer BSD.
The finalists in the Rising Star category, which recognises individuals working within the construction sector in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire or Nottinghamshire who are under 30 years of age and who have shown outstanding achievements in their field, whether that be in construction, design or associated professional or support services for the industry, are:
Civil engineering technician Jake Poulton, from M-EC, trainee M&E quantity surveyor Joe Gent and bid manager Tom Sowerby, both from J Tomlinson, and senior consultant and chartered surveyor Tom Spink from Pulse Associates Ltd.
Sponsors for the evening include the main sponsor, building company DW Hicks, consulting engineer BSD, which is sponsoring the drinks reception, consulting development engineer M-EC, which is sponsoring the Non-Residential Award, insurance expert Arthur J Gallagher, which is sponsoring the Regeneration Award, integrated building solutions firm J Tomlinson, which is sponsoring the Residential Award and accountants, business and tax advisor Duncan & Toplis, which is sponsoring the Rising Star Award.

This year, for the first time, the ceremony will be supporting the Wooden Spoon charity, an organisation dedicated to providing rugby coaching for disabled, or disadvantaged, children. The charity aims to positively transform the lives of young people across the UK and Ireland.

For the remaining few tickets for the awards evening and more details, visit http://www.fbeonline.co.uk/derby/events/fbe-east-midlands-chairmans-dinner-and-awards-2017.htm or contact Mary Daw on 07883 033552.

The fbe is a national organisation, with branches across the UK and is the longest established networking group for the property, development and construction industries. As well as running the annual awards scheme, the East Midlands branch also organises a number of social and other events. The East Midlands branch covers Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire.

Press release issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk