A retirement village in Nottingham has been crowned the overall winner of this year’s fbe East Midlands Awards and named as East Midlands Scheme of the Year.
Winwood Heights in Sherwood had earlier scooped the Regeneration & Refurbishment Project of the Year Award at the Chairman’s Awards Dinner ceremony held at the Albert Hall in Nottingham. The judges said: “This scheme really represented the ethos behind the fbe awards which is to make a positive change to the built environment to the benefit of the community. The resultant scheme has taken some tired 1960s tower blocks and turned them into a place people can really be proud of to live in and around. We felt that this scheme was an example of a project where value has been added to the original project brief and the completed project has exceeded expectations.”
The Nottingham City Homes scheme consisting of the refurbishment and remodelling of two existing tower blocks (180 flats), together with 44 new build extra-care apartments, was nominated by architects Halsall Lloyd Partnership. Developer was Nottingham City Council/Nottingham City Homes, the main contractor was Willmott Dixon Construction Ltd, and other members of the team included Dudleys Consulting Engineers and employer’s agent Beyond Consulting Ltd.
The Large Residential Project of the Year Award, sponsored by the fbe, was won by The Wullcomb, a 297-apartment scheme in Highcross Street, Leicester, nominated by Franklin Ellis Architects. The judges said: “The judges were impressed by the sense of community this high quality, contemporary landmark building brings to its residents’ experience with a residents’ reception, lounge, dining facilities, cinema lounge and landscaped roof top terrace overlooking the city. This ethos has also impacted on the nearby All Saint’s Church with The Long Harbour Charity committee organising a clean-up operation in the church garden with an aim to provide the best environment for the new residents, whilst engaging with and contributing positively to the local community.”
Clients were Ingleby (1245) Ltd, Sowden, and Long Harbour, while main contractor was Winvic Construction. Others involved in the scheme included engineer BWB Consulting Ltd.
The renovation and extension of fire-damaged Grade II-listed building Garden Cottage in Wing, Rutland, nominated by Corporate Architecture Ltd, was the winner of the fbe-sponsored Small Residential Project of the Year Award, with the judges commenting: “The judges were really impressed with the effort, commitment and dedication from everyone concerned with the renovation and restoration of this important listed building. It is always a challenge to protect the heritage whilst adapting buildings to modern ways of living and this seems to be an exemplar of how to do it with grace and elegance. It’s also wonderful to see the high levels of craftsmanship and attention to historic detail whilst accommodating all the necessary modern technology. A truly impressive project.”
Brown and Jones was the main contractor for the scheme. John Foulkes-Arnold Associates Ltd was the quantity surveyor and Crawford the loss adjuster.
Urban high-wire attraction Altitude44, Grand Parade, Skegness, Lincolnshire, took the Non-Residential Project of the Year Award, sponsored by the fbe. It was nominated jointly by civil and structural engineers BSP Consulting and architects LK2.
The judges said: “Altitude44 was particularly appealing to the judges because of the positive impact it has had on both visitors and residents of Skegness. It is a highly attractive addition to Skegness’s famous seafront and encourages fitness and wellbeing as well as adventure and excitement. It is innovative and immediately became a landmark and a new focus for the local community as well as providing new employment opportunities.”
It was developed by Magna Vitae, with KristallTurn the main contractor.
The Rising Star Award, sponsored by J Tomlinson Ltd, was presented to graduate consultant Carrie Young, from project managers and cost consultants Pulse Consult.
The judges said: “Having joined the construction industry only 12 months ago, the judges were hugely impressed with the impact Carrie has made on the industry in such a short space of time. Not only is Carrie doing really well with her Masters in Quantity Surveying at Nottingham Trent University but has also supported Pulse in their rebrand and is launching a new women’s network in the region.”
More than 140 guests attended the awards ceremony organised by the fbe East Midlands, which was sponsored by Samsung Climate Solutions. Ardent Consulting Engineers was the Prosecco and Programme sponsor.
Actor, musician, TV weather presenter and coach Des Coleman entertained the audience as guest speaker at the event, which also raised £1,788 for Nottingham-based charity, Footprints Conductive Education Centre, which is dedicated to helping children with motor learning difficulties or motor development delay and supporting their families.
Chairman of the fbe East Midlands Emma Atkins said: “The fbe East Midlands Awards is the chance to recognise and reward some of the best projects and the brightest young stars in the region, and every year we are delighted by the range, breadth and quality of the schemes submitted, and the high calibre of the young people working in our sector.
“I’d like to thank the committee of the fbe East Midlands for their work in once again organising the event, which is always a popular night on the construction, property and development calendar in the region, and also our external sponsors Samsung Climate Solutions, J Tomlinson Ltd and Ardent Consulting Engineers, along with our entertaining speaker Des Coleman.”
The Forum for the Built Environment (fbe) is one of the leading independent built environment networking organisations. It has more than 1,000 members nationwide from a wide variety of backgrounds – multinational construction companies, cost consultants, architects and designers, property developers, engineers, planners and consultants, legal & financial specialists and other service professionals.
For more information visit www.fbeonline.co.uk
Perfect 10 PR is a Nottingham-based PR agency specialising in foodservice and construction public relations.