2010 has been an award winning year for the company with success in the regional East Midlands Construction for the Built Environment (EMCBE) and Federation of Master Builders (FMB) awards and recognition in this year’s national Sustainable Housing awards.
Unity Gardens has scored a hatrick of award success, scooping this year’s EMCBE Sustainability, FMB Energy Efficiency and national Sustainable Housing awards. The pioneering social housing development won its recognition for integrating renewable energy technology to safeguard tenants from the social economic issue of fuel poverty – a common problem amongst social rented accommodation. Unity Gardens is expected to achieve Code for Sustainable Homes Level 5 in post construction assessments, making it one of the first schemes in the UK to achieve this status in a rural setting.
Hardwick Hall East Lodge also won the EMCBE Heritage Craft Skills award for the careful renovation of a Grade I listed building. The Hardwick Hall East Lodge project entailed converting an empty Grade I listed building into modern, comfortable holiday accommodation for English Heritage whilst maintaining the historic integrity of the nationally important building and keeping it open to the public during the full duration of the works.
Pleasley Colliery won this year’s FMB Commercial award for recent conservation works to restore the disused Derbyshire pit and turn it into a modern mining museum.
The project has not only brought the former rundown site back to life, its secured its future whilst providing a valuable asset that pays respect to the mining heritage.
Simon Butler, Woodhead Heritage Manager, said: “This was a hugely enjoyable, rewarding, and almost unique project for all concerned, and I’m delighted to have been part of the project team that has secured this important site for years to come.”
Woodhead Heritage carried out extensive restoration works to the steelwork, headstocks, winding house and vast steel windows with the repairs to the winding house west elevation windows proving a proud moment for the construction team, who managed restore all but one despite their poor condition.
Since the restoration works, the pit has been handed over to the Land Trust who are planning to turn the site into a visitor attraction.
The Lincolnshire school dining hall project also received recognition in this year’s EMCBE Project of the Year regional award for the refurbishment of eight dining halls across Lincolnshire. The dining halls project entailed refurbishing eight school dining halls across Lincolnshire in a bid to eradicate school catering budget deficits and encourage more children to eat on the school site, instead of seeking unhealthy alternatives at nearby takeaways and shops. The refurbishments were successfully completed in challenging timescales and all schools have reported an increase in takings, signifying more children eat on-site and turning the dining halls into profitable businesses.
We also won highly commended in this year’s Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) Committed to Construction Awards for our continuous commitment to staff training across the company.