What political direction should construction pursue? Do we need a manifesto? Taking a leaf out of Building magazine, the G4C group is challenging Welsh construction about its future. 

Last week the next step in the drive towards a manifesto for Welsh construction was taken by the G4C Wales team. At a workshop held last week, the question was asked: what kind of Wales do we want and what kind of Welsh construction industry do you want to deliver that vision?

G4C Wales – the emerging professionals in Welsh construction working with Constructing Excellence in Wales -  is committed to build a construction industry in Wales that leads the rest of the UK and beyond. An effective construction sector in Wales will drive transformational change in the country, in its economy and generate jobs and create the infrastructure required to take the nation forward. But we need a plan – we need a manifesto to present to Welsh Government. The ideas developed at the workshop are now going to be developed into a short, sharp and influential manifesto ready for the election fever in May.

There are five themes we need input on to complete the G4C Wales manifesto for Welsh construction:

• Skills & trades
• Regeneration
• Infrastructure
• Governance
• Wales USP

From these the objective is to create a vision for the built environment of Wales with sustainability at its heart and then set up the structures, funding and incentives to achieve it and demonstrate a clear commitment to investing in the built environment to achieve social, economic and environmental benefits.

The awards season is fast approaching and the CEW team is beginning to get ready for sorting out the entries to the CEW Awards for 2015 and narrowing down the short list. But have you made your plans yet?

You might not have noticed because the mood in construction is very positive right now. But we need to harness the optimism and channel it in the right manner, which means working collaboratively to ensure our projects are world class. It also means not being afraid to showcase the great organisations and schemes being delivered throughout Wales, in the media, online and of course, via the CEW Awards in 2015.

The awards are always one of the biggest events in the construction calendar. This year they are earlier than normal, on 12th June 2015, at the SWALEC Stadium, Cardiff (because we had to make way for the Ashes series opener) and it is sold out every year.

The winners are selected across 11 categories and go on to compete in the National Constructing Excellence Awards, held every year in the autumn, and each of the categories has an opportunity for sponsorship. So if you do not want to enter the awards, you can support us as a sponsor as we have a range of options, with packages starting at £2,500 and going to £10,000 as a supporter of the main event. 

To find out more about how you can become involved with the awards then call Susan Selkirk on 02920 493322 or visit the Awards page.

Last Tuesday over 40 construction professionals attended our first exemplar event of the year to hear exactly how the team achieved its goals.

This scheme is the £88m new Adult Mental Health Unit within the University Hospital Llandough. The new mental health unit will provide services for Cardiff, bringing together existing adult and specialist services provided at Whitchurch Hospital and the Llanfair Unit under one roof. The modern, purpose built 135-bed inpatient facility, situated opposite the hospital’s existing main entrance, will include a concourse similar to that at the University Hospital of Wales. Its location is at the heart of the campus creating huge issues for the project team who needed to create a world class facility without affecting the operation of a live 21st century healthcare environment.

You can learn more by clicking the case study below:

To view and download all our Exemplar Case Studies follow this link

This is the latest Natural Resource Management e-bulletin that provides an update on the work of the NRM Programme and wider activities that you may find of interest.

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