Home building body Homes for Scotland (HFS) has announced the shortlist for its 2022 awards programme as it plans for a return to the largest annual gathering of its kind where winners will be announced. With a focus on “going the extra mile” to deliver developments or practices which stand
Carefully selected construction firms have been chosen to help build about £500million of important projects in Central Bedfordshire over the next four years. Central Bedfordshire Council has created its own procurement framework tailored to its construction requirements and priorities such as promoting sustainability and the need to provide social value.
J Tomlinson’s compassionate approach has been recognised on a national level after the company was announced Social Responsibility Company of the year at the recent National Energy Efficiency Awards. The coveted accolade, which marks the company’s fourth national award to date, was presented at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole on Friday
LEADING architecture practice GT3 Architects has seen its focus on team development recognised with a prestigious national award. The firm – which has studios in Nottingham and Newcastle – has received the ‘People Development’ award at Constructing Excellence’s national ceremony, beating nominees from across the UK. The award recognises organisations
NATIONAL framework provider Pagabo has announced the winners of its annual celebration of industry excellence ahead of the Pagabo Awards 2022. Being hosted at Pagabo’s headquarters in Hull city centre, the second iteration of the awards ceremony will take place in-person with many of the firm’s ecosystem partners in attendance.
Helvar is excited to announce that that The Spine in the UK has been awarded a DALI award in the commercial/professional category at the 2021 DALI Lighting Awards, alongside two highly commended projects. Oyak-Renault Factory in Turkey was commended in the industrial category and Hospital Nova in Finland was commended
Leading UPS manufacturer, CENTIEL UK, has been named as a finalist for the Tomorrow’s FM Awards 2022. The awards, which have been running for more than a decade, recognise the finest solutions and products the industry has to offer. CENTIEL has been nominated for its complete containerised UPS solution which
Leading UK placemaker, United Living New Homes, has been awarded a Premier Guarantee Quality Recognition Award for its innovative eco-friendly housing development at Shaldon Road, Bristol. The award recognises outstanding developments that have consistently delivered quality workmanship and displayed exceptional site management. Throughout the year, only 100 developments from across
This month, DIO and our industry partners are celebrating several successes in prestigious award schemes across the British construction and facilities management sectors. At the 2021 Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM) Impact Awards, our partners Mitie and Sodexo were recognised for their delivery of hard and soft Facilities Management (FM) services which are making a real
The British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) has opened registrations for the 44th BALI National Landscape Awards 2020, to be held virtually for the first time on Friday 4th December 2020. Join from 12.30pm for a sponsor’s introduction with the ceremony commencing from 1pm. BALI Chief Executive Wayne Grills commented, “While our
Home building body Homes for Scotland (HFS) has announced the shortlist for its 2022 awards programme as it plans for a return to the largest annual gathering of its kind where winners will be announced. With a focus on “going the extra mile” to deliver developments or practices which stand out from the crowd, those companies making the judges’ first cut are: Development of the Year – large (100+ units) sponsored by Hacking and Paterson Barratt and David Wilson HomesThe Strand, Edinburgh CCG (with South Lanarkshire Council hub South West)Whitlawburn Regeneration, Glasgow Link Group & McTaggart ConstructionRiverside Dalmarnock, Glasgow Places for PeopleChapelton, Aberdeenshire Springfield PropertiesBertha Park, Perth Stewart Milne GroupDunnottar Park, Stonehaven Development of the Year – medium (26-99 units)sponsored by VELUX CALA Homes (East)Boroughmuir Phase 2, Edinburgh CCG (with City of Edinburgh Council)Bingham Avenue, Edinburgh Cruden Homes (East)Bonnington Mill, Edinburgh Lovell PartnershipsClaish Farm, Stirlingshire Westpoint HomesOne Hyndland Avenue, Glasgow Whiteburn ProjectsCaerlee Mill Phase 2, Innerleithen Development of the Year – small (up to 25 units)sponsored by Openreach Cruden Homes (East)Muirwood Gardens Phase 1, Kinross Hadden HomesGlenluie Green, Perthshire Panacea HomesThe Primary, GlasgowRural RenaissanceDarnick Green, Melrose Innovation of the Year (Transition to Net Zero)sponsored by Shoosmiths Barratt DevelopmentsThe Z House PixelOnline selection systems Stewart Milne Group with Barratt Developments and Forster GroupAIMCH Project Associate Member of the Yearsponsored by Anderson Strathern Winner announced at the HFS Annual Lunch, with no prior shortlist released With last year seeing an amalgamated 2020/21 shortlist and virtual awards showcase due to restrictions caused by the pandemic, updates to 2022 categories include a focus on the transition to net zero within the Innovation of the Year category – designed to showcase examples of real innovation within the sector as it contributes to a national commitment of net zero emissions by 2045. In a further change, no prior shortlist has been released for the Associate Member of the Year category, with members of the HFS senior management team asked to nominate candidates within the HFS membership who have gone the extra mile, engaging with the organisation’s work and providing vital support to other members over the course of the year. Reflecting the programme’s ongoing robust judging process, the independent panel will be undertaking site visits to all those shortlisted in the Development of the Year categories alongside corresponding online interviews to determine who will take one of three headline Home Builder of the Year awards. Those shortlisted under the Innovation of the Year (Transition to Net Zero) category will also be invited to an online interview. Winners will be revealed at the Homes for Scotland Annual Lunch (sponsored by Burness Paull) at the EICC on Friday 20 May which will be hosted by impressionist and comedian Jon Culshaw. Over 900 senior industry representatives and guests are already confirmed to attend what remains the date in the Scottish home building industry calendar. Chair of the independent judging panel David Knight, former Managing Director at Avant Homes said: “I was delighted to be asked to Chair this year’s refreshed judging panel and have been hugely impressed by the demonstrations of “going above and beyond” which have been evident throughout the entries received. “Whether that be examples of innovation, diversity, sustainability measures or meeting customer needs, HFS members have shown their commitment to delivering high quality places for people to live during what remain difficult circumstances. “With the judges now set to embark on the site visit and interview stage of the process, I am very much looking forward to seeing these submissions come to life and to the difficult task of deciding upon the winners.”
Carefully selected construction firms have been chosen to help build about £500million of important projects in Central Bedfordshire over the next four years. Central Bedfordshire Council has created its own procurement framework tailored to its construction requirements and priorities such as promoting sustainability and the need to provide social value. This new framework will see specialist construction firms, which best met the council’s criteria for a delivery partner, able to tender for forthcoming construction projects. The framework will enable the council to develop strong working relationships with delivery partners to enhance potential projects. It will also speed up the procurement process and how quickly schemes will be built and offers better value for money as external frameworks are not required. Councillor Eugene Ghent, Executive Member for Housing and Assets, said: “Having our own procurement framework and choosing from a carefully selected group of firms has significant benefits. It will offer cost savings and speed up the procurement process meaning we can get schemes built quicker. Importantly, we will work closely with a smaller number of firms forging important relationships and this collaborative working will ensure we can deliver quality, value for money projects which support our ambitions for Central Bedfordshire and our residents. “We look forward to working closely with our selected partners over the next four years as we build prosperity for our local communities.” Some of the projects expected to be procured through the framework, subject to the relevant Planning and Executive approvals, include Schools for the Future, the proposed new leisure centre in Leighton Buzzard and various housing projects. The new procurement framework comes into operation at the end of March 2022 and is important in supporting the council’s Strategic Plan. Procurement framework information The procurement framework was created in lots linked to the potential value of the project and specific types of projects needing specialist experience. The successful firms are below. Lot 1 £0k: £750k Beardwell Construction Ltd Gray & Sons Builders Ltd Borras Construction Ltd Conamar Building Services Ltd G&S Hutchinson Ltd Steel & Bray Ltd Lot 2: £750k – £2.0m SEH French Beardwell Construction Ltd Conamar Building Services Ltd Borras Construction Ltd T&B Contractors MGBC Ltd Chas Berger Ltd (reserve) SDC Builders Ltd (reserve) Lot 3: £2.0m – £8.0m Pentaco Construction Ltd RG Carter Cambridge Ltd Barnes Construction T&B (Contractors) Ltd Ashe Construction Jeakins Weir Ltd Chas Berger Ltd (reserve) SDC Builders Ltd (reserve) Lot 4: £8.0m – £15.0m Kier Construction Ltd Wates Construction Ltd RG Carter Cambridge Ltd Morgan Sindall Construction Willmott Dixon Construction Barnes Construction BAM Construction (reserve) VINCI Construction UK Ltd (reserve) Lot 5: £15m+ Kier Construction Ltd Wates Construction Ltd Morgan Sindall Construction Willmott Dixon Construction BAM Construction John Graham Construction VINCI Construction UK Ltd (reserve) Farrans Construction (reserve) Lot 6: Modular Elliot Group Portakabin Hawker Construction For further information please contact: Julian Cotton, Communications and Engagement Business Partner – Place, on 0300 300 5987 or email julian.cotton@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk.
J Tomlinson’s compassionate approach has been recognised on a national level after the company was announced Social Responsibility Company of the year at the recent National Energy Efficiency Awards. The coveted accolade, which marks the company’s fourth national award to date, was presented at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole on Friday 18 February, with over 650 professionals working in the energy efficiency sector in attendance. Nine companies were shortlisted for the title, with J Tomlinson announced as the winner following a comprehensive judging process in which all nominees were assessed on the impact they have had within their local communities. The building, maintenance, energy and refurbishment specialist, was commended for its targeted and far-reaching approach to social responsibility, spanning key areas such as employment, emotional and physical wellbeing, skills-building, decarbonisation, boosting local economies, and promoting affordable warmth. Some of the comments from the judging panel included: “[J Tomlinson], through its application process, demonstrated a commitment to deliver a level of responsibility across the business, its customers and environments that it operates. This would appear to be a company that has pride in its position, a considered delivery of social responsibility and measured interactions that support all around the business.” “A very impressive broad range of support and dedication to education and local employment, charity donations and volunteering whilst also demonstrating care for their own staff and sub-contractors.” The company also took home third place in the National Renewable Heat Installer and Multi-Measure Project of the Year categories – the latter in recognition of the highly sustainable refurbishment and restoration of Ilkeston’s Toll Bar House building, which is not only forecast to reduce carbon emissions by 13 tonnes per annum, but also to create over 90 jobs in the local area. Mark Davis, chief executive at J Tomlinson, commented: “On behalf of the entire team at J Tomlinson, we are extremely proud to have been recognised for our commitment to enhancing the lives of the individuals and communities we work with every single day. “I have always been a very firm believer in the power of excellent partnerships, and I am all-too-aware that the impact we have collectively had would not have been nearly as significant or far-reaching if it was not for the strong relationships we have with our clients – all of which are built upon striving to achieve and exceed shared goals. For this reason, I would like to take the opportunity to thank all our clients and our people for playing such a vital role in transforming lives in line with our One Team ethos. This award is for you.” J Tomlinson has experienced a consistent string of success at previous regional and national energy efficiency awards ceremonies, including winning Renewable Heating Project of the Year following a ground source heat pump project that is saving residents 40% on their heating bills and providing client Bromford with over £570k worth of RHI and ECO funding.
LEADING architecture practice GT3 Architects has seen its focus on team development recognised with a prestigious national award. The firm – which has studios in Nottingham and Newcastle – has received the ‘People Development’ award at Constructing Excellence’s national ceremony, beating nominees from across the UK. The award recognises organisations that value their workforce and ensure they maximise their team’s contribution to the business, something which GT3 Architects has nurtured through its ‘People Architecture’ approach. Alongside a new operations and flexible working policy introduced to mitigate the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, the practice appointed a designated ‘people champion’ to lead its focus on personal and professional development. Liz Clarke, associate director and ‘people champion’ at GT3 Architects, said: “For a practice with a fundamental goal to place people – not buildings – at the heart of our projects, processes and practice-life, Covid-19 offered us an unparalleled opportunity to prove ‘People Architecture’ to be more than just a strapline.” The success of this approach was borne out in a staff survey, which showed that 97% of its staff base believed they are supported by their colleagues and team leaders, with 89% feeling that their work during lockdown directly contributed to practice success. Liz added: “We believe that our success stems from our commitment to placing people’s wellbeing at the heart of every business decision, and our quick and sensitive reactions to feedback and changing circumstances. “Throughout all the lockdowns, Simon, Mark, and our leadership team continued to prioritise a collaborative and transparent environment, communicating not just within our own practice, but proactively seeking peer reviews and external mentorship opportunities with our contemporaries.” Alongside staff-centric changes made during the pandemic, the workplace consultancy team at GT3 offered consultation sessions to local businesses struggling to adapt to a Covid-19 working environment, and the practice also launched its first Virtual Work Experience offering for students aged 14 – 18, subsequently supported by both the RIBA and Speakers for Schools. The award period also saw the firm secure new projects and R&D work – including the UK’s first wet and dry Passivhaus leisure facility in Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey – and grow its staff base by 10%. Simon Dunstan, director at GT3 Architects, said: “In a year when countless milestones, projects, and career choices were put on-hold, we made a conscious effort to continually put our people first, as well as contribute to the wider industry and support our local communities. “We are a rapidly growing practice, and we recognise that there is still plenty of work to do. We are exceptionally proud of our team, and will continue to align practice strategy and – hopefully – our continued successes with the individual development and wellbeing of our people. This award win is a real testament to our approach and we’re delighted to have been awarded to top spot.” For further information visit www.gt3architects.com or join the conversation over on Twitter @_GT3Architects.
NATIONAL framework provider Pagabo has announced the winners of its annual celebration of industry excellence ahead of the Pagabo Awards 2022. Being hosted at Pagabo’s headquarters in Hull city centre, the second iteration of the awards ceremony will take place in-person with many of the firm’s ecosystem partners in attendance. With twelve winners set to celebrate on the night, companies that will take home silverware include VINCI, Willmott Dixon and Faithful + Gould for their contributions to major UK development projects, as well as local projects importantly supporting local people, economies and environments. Jason Stapley, managing director at Pagabo, said: “The whole premise of the Pagabo Awards is to celebrate and recognise the projects being procured through our frameworks and carried out by our ecosystem. “There is such a wealth of amazing work being carried out across the UK through our range of frameworks it makes for a very difficult judging process. Thankfully our team of experts have an eagle eye for spotting businesses going above and beyond ordinary expectations.” While some of the projects are categorised by financial value, such as ‘Best Project Delivered Under £5m’, the awards also recognise the wider responsibility of UK industry through awards including ‘Mental Health Ambassador Award’ and ‘Best Project Delivering Social Value’. A number of projects for each of the ten categories were nominated by internal teams at Pagabo, with the overall winners being selected by the experienced senior management team. Jason continued: “It’s going to be fantastic celebrating the industry success stories that we have helped play a role in making happen through our procurement support – and to be able to do so in person. Ultimately, we help connect the most suitable businesses to each public sector project and this is testament to the internal standards that we are seeing challenged and consequently bettered in all areas of the private sector.” The full list of award winners includes: Mental Health Ambassador Award – Rob Hall, Morgan Sindall Construction Best DPS Small Works Project Under £1m – ME Construction, The Tabernacle Community Centre Best Project Delivered Under £5m – Lindum, The National Centre for Craft & Design Best Project Delivered Between £5m and £15m – R G Carter, Swallowtail Place Best Project Delivered Above £15m – VINCI, Festival Gardens Best Consultancy Project – Edge, Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Best Framework Collaboration Project – Faithful + Gould, Sir Robert McAlpine and Manchester City Council, Co-op Academy Belle Vue Best Goods Project – Jigsaw24, Windsor Academy Trust Best Project Delivering Sustainability Outcomes – Willmott Dixon, Oaklands College Phase 2 Best Project Delivering Social Value – Overbury, Marches Centre of Excellence in Health and Social Care
Helvar is excited to announce that that The Spine in the UK has been awarded a DALI award in the commercial/professional category at the 2021 DALI Lighting Awards, alongside two highly commended projects. Oyak-Renault Factory in Turkey was commended in the industrial category and Hospital Nova in Finland was commended in the healthcare category. The DALI Lighting Awards took place virtually on 19th January 2022. These awards celebrate and showcase the best use of DALI control solutions in lighting projects and installations across the globe. Designed to reward control, creativity, problem-solving, and difference, the DALI Lighting awards recognise excellence in lighting control. The judging panel consists of eight industry professionals, including a Chief Electrical Engineer, Lighting Designers, Editors, Associate Director of Lighting, Industry Relations Manager, and the DALI Alliance Technical and Certification Manager. “We are one of the founding members of the DALI Alliance. We continue to introduce leading DALI lighting solutions, including both lighting controls and drivers. With the introduction of the DALI-2 standard we have entered a new era of standardisation and interoperability in the lighting world, and we look forward to making further impact”, acknowledges Helvar CEO, Adel Hattab. “Winning the DALI lighting award for The Spine, a noteworthy project, and not one but two highly commended projects, Oyak-Renault Factory and Hospital Nova, are further proud moments for us in our DALI journey”, continues Hattab. The award-winning Helvar Imagine Solution is the world’s leading intelligent lighting control and management solution. It brings wellbeing and intelligence into a space, offering efficiency and scalability for a wide variety of applications. Imagine builds upon industry standards for easy installation and integration, adding strong and unique value on top of the standard. Winner of the DALI award in commercial/professional category The Royal College of Physicians’ new home in the north, RCP at The Spine, is located within the Paddington Village development in Liverpool’s city centre. The judges chose the Spine as the winner as they thought it was “a beautifully designed building that seamlessly combines both artificial and natural lighting to create a bright and welcoming environment”. The building is noteworthy for being the first building in the UK designed to achieve the prestigious WELL Platinum standard. The RCP occupies 70,000 sq ft across seven floors in the 160,000 sq ft building. It provides world-class facilities for medical examinations and assessments, educational courses and conferences, an exhibition space and office areas for RCP staff. “The Spine is said to be one of the healthiest workspaces for mental and physical wellbeing in the UK. Light is an important element of the WELL standard, and I’m delighted that Helvar is part of this project as wellbeing is one of our core values”, expresses Stephen Marley, Specification Sales Manager, Helvar. “Lighting contributes to wellbeing enormously as we know, so the extra attention taken by Helvar to create an intelligent fully addressable DALI lighting control system was highly commended by the judges”, explains Matt Waring, editor, Arc Magazine. BDP were the M&E consultant for the entire building. The Lighting Design House in London were tasked to design the lighting and control of a scheme specifically for a large biophilic area. Contractor T Clarke required partners to deliver quality solutions and selected Helvar to provide the lighting control for the whole RCP project. The judges also commended the additional focus on biophilia, “it’s so important for workspaces to have a more considered approach these days that is tailored towards the wellbeing of its users and the introduction of plant life is an ideal way to do this. While in some workspace projects, this can feel like a token gesture or as an add on, but the way in which this is integrated into the fabric of the building is incredibly well done- well-defined light levels for the biophilic aspects help ensure that the user experience for the facility is vastly improved.” Commendation for DALI award in the Industrial category With a 380,000 square meter area, the Oyak-Renault factory in Turkey serves as a particularly noteworthy and large-scale example of a successful lighting transformation. Commended by the DALI Alliance for bringing a tremendous improvement in energy efficiency, the freshly installed lighting system is estimated to provide annual savings equivalent to the yearly electricity consumption of 4,700 houses! Led by Helvar partner Elekon Enerji Sistemleri, renowned DALI experts in Turkey and surrounding areas, the project involved the replacement of 16,400 lamps in the workshops and offices in the factory and the installation of a Helvar lighting system to manage and control the new LED luminaires seamlessly. Overall, the transition to LED luminaires and a lighting control solution with a combination of automatic features enabled around 70% of lighting energy costs to be saved at the factory, equal to approximately 11MWh of energy and 5000 tons of carbon emissions annually. Commendation for DALI award in the Healthcare category Hospital Nova located in Jyväskylä, Finland was highly commended by the judges in the healthcare category. Judges recognised that patient and staff wellbeing is central to the lighting design. “DALI controls all indoor, and outdoor lighting at this newly built Hospital, one of the largest in Finland, and the project has over 30,000 controlled DALI addresses. The DALI system responds to both light level fluctuations and seasons and is freely programmable to allow users to tailor the desired lighting scheme. By understanding people’s movements and how the spaces are used, the lighting can be adjusted to save energy since the system can detect the most optimal lighting setting based on collected data”, says Mark Lein, Industry Relations Manager, Illuminating Engineering Society (IES). Controlled areas include patient rooms, corridor lobbies, operation theatres, helicopter landing areas and outdoor lighting. There is also lighting art in the main entrance lobby where there is DALI controlled colour lighting. The hospital is installed with the latest Helvar Insights, which automatically monitors the system’s status 24/7 and notifies maintenance engineers of any faults that require attention. “Nova Hospital is one of the most advanced and newest
Leading UPS manufacturer, CENTIEL UK, has been named as a finalist for the Tomorrow’s FM Awards 2022. The awards, which have been running for more than a decade, recognise the finest solutions and products the industry has to offer. CENTIEL has been nominated for its complete containerised UPS solution which can be used both inside and outside buildings to deploy self-contained mini datacentres rapidly. Louis McGarry, sales and marketing director, CENTIEL UK confirms: “It is a great honour for the containerised UPS solution we offer to be named as a finalist for these prestigious awards. Instead of incurring the significant cost of a new building, uniquely, we can convert a 20-foot shipping container and supply this as a secure UPS plant room. No planning permission is necessary, and installation can occur quickly: in around a month, but in less than a week if necessary. A containerised UPS offers a pay-as-you-grow approach and containers can be used like Lego blocks to expand as required. “The containerised UPS solution can be equipped with Centiel’s industry leading true modular UPS CumulusPowerTM known for its industry leading availability of 99.9999999%. Centiel’s modular UPS takes full advantage of floor to ceiling space and also allows the inclusion of an input terminal to accept cables from above via steel wire armored (SWA) to utilize every inch of space. Bespoke battery rack design also ensures ease of access and maintenance. Where space is a premium, a purpose-built shipping container can provide a complete, customised, rapid and cost-effective solution to power protection needs.” “The final winners will be decided by public vote, so we’d like to invite everyone to support CENTIEL’s nomination for our containerised UPS solution, by casting your vote by 14 March 2022: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/GBWF6Z5” CENTIEL is a Swiss-based technology company designing, manufacturing, and delivering industry-leading power protection solutions for critical facilities. Its three-phase true modular UPS, CumulusPowerTM known for its 99.9999999% (nine, nines) availability has now been installed in datacenters and comms rooms in over 60 countries across five continents. More than 50 MW of critical power loads are now protected with CumulusPowerTM in locations across the world including: the UK, Singapore, Australia, Germany, Spain, the Czech Republic, and the Channel Islands. For further information please see: www.centiel.co.uk
Leading UK placemaker, United Living New Homes, has been awarded a Premier Guarantee Quality Recognition Award for its innovative eco-friendly housing development at Shaldon Road, Bristol. The award recognises outstanding developments that have consistently delivered quality workmanship and displayed exceptional site management. Throughout the year, only 100 developments from across the UK are expected to receive this prestigious award – about 4% of the total number of sites inspected by Premier Guarantee. The Shaldon Road development captured the judge’s attention for the high quality of the new homes and the excellent standard of site management, craftsmanship, health & safety performance, site tidiness and general cooperation with the inspectors. As a winner of the Quality Recognition Award, United Living New Homes will be considered for this year’s National Premier Guarantee Excellence Awards, scheduled to take place in the summer. On behalf of leading social housing provider, Brighter Places – and supported by Bristol City Council, Bristol Community Land Trust and Homes England – the £10 million eco-friendly scheme has seen land south of Morris Road, transformed into a carefully designed sustainable community. Built to ‘PassiveHaus’ principles, the energy-efficient properties will provide a high level of tenant comfort, while using very little energy for heating and cooling and minimising each home’s carbon footprint. The development will include two, three, and four bedrooms houses with a mixed tenancy of shared ownership and affordable rent. Solar PV panels will also feature at the development, further reducing costs and a green transport plan which includes electric car charging points, a car share scheme and improved pedestrian and cycle access. Communal green space around the homes is also being created with a dedicated and protected green corridor to enhance biodiversity by providing a safe space for wildlife. The ultra-green project is expected to be completed in early 2022. Jason Ivens, Project Manager, United Living New Homes, said: “We are delighted and honoured to receive this Quality Recognition Award for our Shaldon Road development. It is testament to the dedication, efforts and care of the entire team working on the project. “These eco-friendly properties are a reflection of our company’s wider commitment to deliver high quality, sustainable new homes that suit the needs of the local communities in which we build”. Ian Granger, Account Manager, Premier Guarantee, said: “What a great team effort from Jason and his colleagues, achieving a fantastic product on a challenging site using new and innovative solutions. They are worthy Quality Recognition Award winners”.
This month, DIO and our industry partners are celebrating several successes in prestigious award schemes across the British construction and facilities management sectors. At the 2021 Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM) Impact Awards, our partners Mitie and Sodexo were recognised for their delivery of hard and soft Facilities Management (FM) services which are making a real difference to our Defence customers. Meanwhile, two major construction projects which DIO has played a key role in delivering came top of their categories at the 2021 British Construction Industry Awards and National Environment Agency Awards respectively. Sodexo’s services at Village, Worthy Down Our partners Sodexo won the Workplace Experience category of the IWFM Impact Awards for the soft FM services they are providing for personnel at Worthy Down Station, Hampshire. Working closely with DIO and our military partners, Sodexo has created ‘Village’, a one-stop catering, retail and leisure facility which has been developed to improve the lived experience of service personnel. The facility was designed with a strong focus on wellbeing and includes a social and meeting lounge, a micro theatre and a gaming area to bring people together and encourage engagement and collaboration. With a ‘high street’ feel, Village has been specifically designed to meet the needs and expectations of the young student demographic at Worthy Down, and is an excellent example of how DIO is working with our partners to meet the current and future needs of Royal Navy, Army, and Royal Air Force personnel. Facilities management support to Permanent Joint Operating Bases (PJOBs) DIO and Mitie won the Collaboration category of the IWFM Impact Awards, for the provision of facilities management services to British Forces Permanent Joint Operating Bases (PJOBs). Through the PJOBs Infrastructure Service Provider (ISP) contract, DIO works with Mitie and our supply chain partners to deliver facilities management services across four sites of key strategic importance: Ascension Island, the Falkland Islands, Cyprus and Gibraltar. The services provided range from ground and airfield maintenance, to accommodation and Nuclear and marine support. Operating in locations as remote as Ascension Island and the Falklands brings unique logistical and climatic challenges. To overcome these, our partnership with Mitie involves collaborative working behaviours which the judges recognised as leading the way amongst the central government and Defence community. The Northern Ammunition Jetty refurbishment project At the British Construction Industry Awards, DIO and VolkerStevin won the Upgrade and Renewal Project of the Year for the refurbishment of the Northern Ammunition Jetty in Glen Mallan, Scotland. The project, which was also awarded Best Infrastructure Project at the 2020-2021 Scottish Civil Engineering Awards, is vital to the Royal Navy’s £7bn Queen Elizabeth Carrier (QEC) programme and will help to keep our country safe for decades to come. The work included upgrades the jetty structure as well as the installation of new infrastructure, all of which will support the Royal Navy’s surface fleet and aircraft carriers in loading and unloading ammunition. In delivering the project ahead of schedule against the backdrop of challenges including harsh winter weather conditions and Covid-19, DIO and VolkerStevin set a new benchmark for collaborative working on complex Defence maritime projects. The Hythe Ranges Sea Defences project The Hythe Ranges Sea Defences project, a joint initiative between the Environment Agency (EA), the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), DIO and local authorities, won the EA 2025 Award at the National Environment Agency Awards. The judges were impressed by the collaborative approach between DIO, the Environment Agency and partners, which was key in delivering the vital improvements to coastal flood defences in the area between Hythe and Dymchurch on the south Kent coast. Most of this land is owned and operated by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) as a live firing range, but the renovation work has also reduced the risk of flooding to 1,000 properties and protected critical local infrastructure. A huge congratulations to all of our partners and suppliers whose hard work for the benefit of the UK Armed Forces has been recognised in awards this month. The breadth of winning projects is a testament to the scope of work that DIO and our industry partners are constantly delivering for Defence across the hard FM, soft FM, construction and environmental sectors.
The British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) has opened registrations for the 44th BALI National Landscape Awards 2020, to be held virtually for the first time on Friday 4th December 2020. Join from 12.30pm for a sponsor’s introduction with the ceremony commencing from 1pm. BALI Chief Executive Wayne Grills commented, “While our Awards event may have lost its physicality, I can assure you it won’t lose its quality, integrity, professionalism and grandeur.” This is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the outstanding work carried out by BALI members and we invite you to join us in celebration by registering to attend the virtual ceremony where this year’s Principals, Specials and Grand Award will be announced. Unsure how you will celebrate on the day? Here are some ideas sent in by BALI members to help you get the most from our online event… Host a socially distanced watch party using Microsoft Teams or similar (John O’Connor Grounds Maintenance) Our management team, along with our office-based staff, will be celebrating this year’s virtual ceremony together, here at our head office (Landscape Associates) Restrictions permitting…we’re considering meeting up in a hotel bar with a laptop and table service! (PWP Landscape Design) For further information on this year’s virtual ceremony contact Events Project Manager Emily Feeney or visit baliawards.co.uk.
