Built In Quality Awards Winners 2008

The Building Surveyors from the Chief Executive’s Department of Manchester City Council recently unveiled the winners of this year’s prestigious Built In Quality Awards.

The award scheme recognises quality building construction in Manchester.

Winners included the development of the former Daily Express building into commercial and residential use, a previously derelict mill conversion to form flats, housing developments, the new City Inn hotel, a hospital extension, and other quality buildings intended for commercial and educational use.

The Built In Quality Awards are sponsored by the City Council's Building Control service. They were presented to 17 outstanding construction projects selected from a total of more than 2,700 buildings that the service inspected in the past year.

The awards are unique because they recognise excellent practice across the complete range of building projects. All projects, regardless of their size or complexity are judged against the Built In Quality Awards standards.

Work was assessed against a range of criteria, including site safety, structural stability, fire safety, use of materials, sound insulation, access for all, conservation of fuel and power and weather resistance. A unique feature of the Awards is that they consider the project from conception to completion with inspections of the work carried out throughout the construction process.

In recognition of the contribution that energy efficient buildings and the use of sustainable building materials make to minimising carbon emissions, two of the projects, an extension to St Brigid's school and the erection of a five storey office block for Town Centre Properties at Ducie Street were singled out for an additional environmental sustainability award.

The successful schemes have been inspected throughout the construction period by Manchester City Council's Building Control Surveyors. The surveyors are ideally placed to view the quality of the development as it progresses.

The Built In Quality Awards winners announced at a ceremony in Manchester Town Hall were:

• West Contracting, for the erection of an apartment block at 10 Rochdale Road, Manchester.
• Town Centre Securities PLC, for the erection of a five storey office building (shell only) at Ducie Street/Piccadilly Basin/Ashton Canal Spur, Manchester.
• Artisan Regeneration, for new build to form commercial and residential development at Express Phase 3, Oldham Road, Manchester.
• St Brigid's RC Primary School, for an extension to St Brigid's RC Primary School at Grey Mare Lane, Bradford, Manchester.
• Maghull Group, Switch House, for a conversion to form 64 apartments at 53-57 Dale Street, Manchester.
• Capital Programmes Group, for the erection of Family Care Centre at Droylsden Road, Newton Heath, Manchester.
• Gleeson Regeneration, for a housing development at Devonshire Street South/Plymouth Grove, Manchester.
• Higham Construction Limited, for alterations to form eight apartments at 18 St Ann Street and 1-11 Police Street, Manchester.
• City Inn Limited, for the erection of an hotel at Auburn Street, Manchester.
• Rowlinson Construction Limited, for the erection of a three storey building to form 16 flats at 2 Willowbank, Fallowfield, Manchester.
• Monastery of St Francis and Gorton Trust, for the restoration and refurbishment of St Francis Monastery at Gorton Lane, Gorton, Manchester.
• CSC Construction Limited, for the erection of a five bed special needs bungalow at Heathbank Road-Hopkinson Road, Higher Blackley, Manchester.
• Manchester City Council, Corporate Technical Services for the erection of new primary school at Rolls Crescent, Hulme, Manchester.
• Maple Leaf Developments Limited, for the conversion of a warehouse to form 18 flats at 25-29 Tib Street, Manchester.
• Miss Ellie Doherty, for the erection of The Pond House, a detached dwelling at Nutbank Lane, Blackley, Manchester.
• Central Manchester and Manchester University Children's Hosptials NH Trust, for an extension to hospital at the Education Centre, South Campus, MRI, Manchester.
• Langtree Group PLC, for the erection of an office block at 28-44 Spring Gardens, Manchester.

Councillor Neil Swannick, Executive Member for Environment, who presented the awards, said:

"It's a real privilege to present these awards to the winners. The Built In Quality Awards have become synonymous with the very best of building in Manchester. The vital contribution of builders and contractors is often overlooked when accolades are given out. I hope this award will inspire all those working in the city's construction industry to new heights.

The Council is committed to making Manchester the Greenest City in the UK. The design of the built environment is a major contributor to this objective. Sustainable design and construction provides new buildings and refurbishments that promote environmental, social and economic gains now and for the future.

New developments should have minimal impact on the environment, at the same time as serving the needs of the people they are designed for.

I am particularly pleased to acknowledge developments that have achieved a high level of sustainability."

The City Council's Building Control Service inspect building projects to ensure that they meet minimum Health and Safety standards, that energy conservation is maximized, and that suitable access and facilities are provided for occupiers.

The service has over 150 years of experience in building control matters and employs highly qualified staff to respond to the demands of all types of building projects found within the city.

Media contact:

Juliet Appleby or Vanessa Guttridge, tel: 0161 234 3237