CENE Awards 2023 - Winners Announced

Sponsored by Northumbrian Water Group

Winner – The Day Treatment Centre – The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, P+HS Architects, Robertson Construction. CAD21,Gen North, Portland Consulting and DPP Planning 

Main Contractor, Design team and supply chain were chosen on experience, knowledge, and quality, rather than lowest cost.

Trust meant the team could work openly and collaboratively when working through cost plans and sub-contractor packages.  Given the pressure on delivery and progress, there was a balanced approach between supply-chain availability, suitability, and the ability to secure competitively tendered prices.

Sponsored by GSSArchitecture 

Winner – Dogger Bank Wind Farm Facility – DB Operational Base Ltd, Equinor New Energy Ltd, Bowmer+Kirkland, Ryder Architecture, Fairhurst, CBRE

This particular project, through exceptional design and construction, the building has been designed and enabled to be Net Zero Carbon whilst contributing to ongoing decarbonisation of the national electricity grid.

The project with exceptional energy performance has surpassed all its targets against LETI Climate Emergency Design Guide and photovoltaic deployment. Obtaining the highest possible EPC rating of A+.

The region will also reap the economic benefit of the project in the creation of just over 200 jobs forthe North East England.

Winner – The Bigg Market – NE1, Historic Property Restoration, MawsonKerrArchitects, Southern Green, James Christopher Consulting, Artis Consulting

The project has demonstrated a best-in-class approach with its professional team, drawing on the skills of surveyors, architects, archaeologists, conservationists and other specialists. The longevity of the buildings have been protected by legal agreements obliging the owners and occupiers to ensure the properties are well maintained in future years.

Highly Commended –  St Thomas the Martyr – St Thomas Church, DoonanArchitects, DP Builders Ltd, Dongard, NEECO, Thornton Firkin

Winner – Clixifix

The web-based platform revolutionises the working practices of construction teams enabling them to log reported issues and queries, store relevant documents/images, and communicate easily with other stakeholders. Promoting this collaboration ensures a smoother customer journey and greatly improves customer satisfaction.

Their newest feature allows real-time updates to be sent to residents regarding arrival times for repair work that has been scheduled for the property. It is based primarily on the GPS location of the operative making the visit. The technology allows two-way notifications to be sent, enabling residents to respond to impending visits with additional instructions or notification of unavailability.

Unlike many aftercare management platforms, it’s not license based – and the company is committed to promoting collaboration in the industry.

Sponsored by Notify Technology

Winner – Tilbury Douglas Construction

The company’s health and safety initiative focusses on seven habits, ensuring all staff help and assist towards getting everyone home safely. The habits include preparing the site to use safely, leading by example and intervening if a member of staff does not feel quite safe. This is done by regular e-learning, toolbox talks and mental health first aid training.  They also run quarterly Occupational Health campaigns across their sites which have included Dust, Hand Arm Vibration, Minds Matter, Noise, Solar Radiation, Weather Conditions and Drugs & Alcohol.

Through their staff training and improvements they have seen a 77% reduction in the previous year’s figure for their significant incident rate.

Sponsored by DAC Beachcroft

Winner – MGL Group

This company collaborate works with key stakeholders to contribute towards the net-zero ambitions of North East Local Authorities as part of the NEPO Framework, in turn providing cost savings that can be reinvested in other innovations.

The diversion of each 20-tonne delivery of asphalt for surfacing projects includes approximately 1,272 single-use carrier bags and the crumb from 51 vehicle tyres to landfill.

Last year their production plants in Newcastle and North Yorkshire manufactured 101,765.00 tonnes of Plastipave, saving over 534.72 tonnes of CO2. Some of the key benefits from this product will provide a long-term, cost-effective, sustainable asphalt solution for end-of-use waste streams.

Highly Commended – Applebridge Family

Sponsored by Silverstone Building Consultancy

Winner – Day Treatment Centre – The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, P+HS Architects, Robertson Construction. CAD21,Gen North, Portland Consulting, DPP Planning

This project highlights the extraordinary commitment and collaboration people provided to construct abuilding which makes a huge difference to enhancing people’s lives.

With every project the challenge of managing a budget against a programme is tough but given the complex requirements of this project, availability of materials due to a pandemic, planning considerations and the construction period, the challenge of managing the finance and meet the programme time was mission impossible. However, the team assembled to meet the challenge and knew from the beginning what was being asked, the long-term benefits, the human value, and they fully bought into the ‘why’.

Project finished in 10months, 2years earlier than predicted and 16,000 Operations sooner!

Sponsored by H Malone & Sons

Winner – The Castle Building Services Organisation

This company state that one of their key achievements is the diversification of their services, working directly with private and public sector organisations. Despite difficult economic conditions they are excited about the opportunities presenting themselves and have invested heavily in appropriate staff, training and software to enable better working.

Social value is high on their agenda and they work with local colleges and schools discussing careers within the industry. An original sponsor of PlanBEE they have recruited a number of trainees.

They regularly give back to the local community through charity fundraising, supporting local grassroots football teams and lots more.

Forward thinking in using alternative systems which save on the creation of less waste and reduction of embodied carbon, bringing about huge cost savings not just for them but those they work with and for.

Winner  – Bobo NG , 1Energy

They are currently leading the development of two ground-breaking national white papers outlining the UK’s geothermal energy strategy. As a result of this they have been invited as part of the delivery team to prepare a parliamentary report to evaluate the geothermal energy potential of locations across the UK. Being an active member of CIBSE through assistance of their CPD, Bobo was elected the first female Chair back in 2018.

Winner – David Pearson, Elliott Associates

David has had an illustrious career and has worked extensively in the sector for over 50 years in the northeast and across the country.

He started his career like many a trainee in quantity surveying and quickly rose through the ranks working in the northeast and even oxford for period of time. He joined one of the main northeast consultancies in 1989 and in 2000 became managing partner.

There isn’t much he hasn’t built, managed or refurbished, with key roles as part of the Gateshead innovation village, Hadrian Tower, Seaham Garden village, Slaley Hall, de Vere hotels, I could go on all night. He has also worked extensively with all the registered social housing providers across the northeast to shape communities and raise aspirations for those who live in their properties. His influence is ingrained in the fabric, the bricks and mortar of the northeast.

Winner –  Dogger Bank Wind Farm Facility – DB Operational Base Ltd, Equinor New Energy Ltd, Bowmer+Kirkland, Ryder Architecture, Fairhurst, CBRE

This project has been designed to achieve net zero carbon in both construction and in operation, as defined by the UK Green Building Council Framework. This sustainability target was at the heart of both the design and construction decisions.

Through regular engagement with both the full team and the client, the scheme has achieved industry leading low embodied carbon and are targeting a Paris Aligned operational energy use intensity, across both regulated and unregulated uses. In addition, the client’s application of an internal carbon price acted as a financial instrument which ensured that each design decision was challenged to reduce as much carbon as possible whilst still fulfilling the design brief.

3D modelling tools were used to assess the buildings orientation, window placement, and the requirement for external solar shading. This allowed maximum use of natural daylight while avoiding overheating and glare.

Winner –  Denton & Hilltop Degassing Project

They have enlisted them to the local councils Carbon Reduction scheme to become a net zero area by 2030 as over the next 20 years a reduction of over 4,300 tonnes of co2 from being released into the atmosphere.

This was done by fitting a new all electric ground source heat pump renewable technology solution, Smart Thermostats were fitted to reduce waste as well as an increased EPC rating. Another example of less waste on site was all grounds were put back after drilling, minimising impact of bore-hole drilling on the local surroundings.

Sponsored by Faithful+Gould

Winner – Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

This client is an incredible example of how the collective determination and ambition of an organisation has tackled some enormous challenges head on, and with great success.

The rapid delivery and planning for a complex facility could not afford any delay or any pauses whilst decisions were made. As such the client had pure faith and Trust in the people who were entrusted to deliver.

The Client led from the top taking an active role in the implementation and co-ordination of the stakeholders. Attendance at all of the strategy meetings allowed quick decisions to be made and a strong and consistent role model for the leadership of the project.

The clients’ representatives, with their extensive knowledge and experience of the client’s estate, made quick and decisive decisions.

Sponsored by CDM Recruitment

Winner – Burnigill Bank Landslip – Durham County Council, EshConstruction, Atkins, Byland Engineering

The project was a challenging scheme to deliver due to difficult ground conditions, continued ground movement, poor weather conditions as well as a live train line. However, the whole project team worked closely alongside the council to reassess the project which as a result of overcoming challenges managed to reduce the project programme cost by up to 40%, time reduction of 6 weeks and reopening to the public three weeks early.

Preventing disruption to the piling works to safeguard the highway for over 20years and identifying sections of the existing carriageway that could be reused, doing this over a two weekend period.  With the structural concrete elements having a design life of 100 years.

Sponsored by CDM Recruitment

Winner – One Strawberry Place – Ask Real Estate Ltd, BAM Construction North East, Home Group, Ryder Architecture, Faithful+Gould, BGP Consulting Engineers, Shaw Construction Management, SES Engineering

This was not just a challenging project for the team but one that brought such joy especially the surrounding local community. The project achieved a 44% social value return, got over 30 unemployed persons back into work and placed aside £150K to set up a local community fund to share amongst seven different community projects.

The challenges were overcome by closely working with all parties above and beyond ground including a very small iconic pub and student accommodation above and the rail network below. Through the use of digital and complex methods of working they fitted vibration and movement monitoring equipment in the tunnels during the construction.

It is the first building in the region to achieve SmartScore certification and Wired Score Platinum along with an EPC A+ rating and BREEAM Excellent.

Highly Commended –  Day Treatment Centre – The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, P+HS Architects, Robertson Construction. CAD21, Gen North, Portland Consulting, DPP Planning