Wales is full of great construction projects, but most of the ones we highlight have been completed and assessed – rarely do we report on a live scheme that you can watch day by day and sometimes even hour by hour. So, we want to introduce you to Shotton Primary School on Deeside, Flintshire. It is simply a great example of what a small Welsh local authority client can achieve working with local designers and local SME contractor. And you can track its progress via a web site run by its main contractor,Read Construction

One of the best parts of the project is the application of BIM which is delivering savings in terms of time and money. What’s more over half of the budget for the build has been allocated to local organisations in the supply chain – despite its proximity to the border with England. The headlines for the scheme are worth celebrating too - almost 90% of the supply chain has been paid within 30 days; around 90% of construction waste has been diverted from landfill and over 100 weeks of training,

It is probably easier to win a CEW Award that is project based or team oriented that as an individual. After all, construction works around a team – preferably one that is integrated. But every team needs a leader, someone with vision. And it is these individuals that we want you to think about when you make a recommendation for the CEW Achiever's Award.

Vince Hanly, of Rhondda Cynon Taf CBC, won in 2013 and then went onto be named as the achiever for the CE National Awards too – but what is it about him that stands out? Well, for a start anyone working in the public sector – particularly within construction – has to be able to see beyond the bureaucracy and find a way to encourage team working, collaboration and the pursuit of best practice. It is the only way to achieve value for money, keep costs in budget and deliver tough Welsh Government targets on sustainability and community benefits. But they do one extra thing as well, they look to people like Vince Hanly as examples of how to not just complete landmark schemes, but to finish the job and successfully achieve Government targets into the bargain. 

Value is not always something easily defined, but in Welsh construction and in the CEW Awards value is not about money. It is about how a project contributes to society via the people it affects, the environment it is built within and the manner in which it is conceived, built and then maintained.

“Value in our terms doesn’t immediately translate to value for money,” said Richard Farmer, project manager of the programme for Gwynedd County Council. “The Welsh Government’s agenda for community benefits encompasses the value of the building to the community and the value of the process to the community.”

Richard’s explanation is just one of the reasons why the team behind the £9.3 million Ysgol Yr Hendre project was the first in the Council’s 21st Century Schools modernisation programme and winner of CEW’s 2013 Award for Value as well as a CE National winner. Right from the beginning of the scheme, when it was decided to use Caernarfon Castle as the inspiration for the school the tone for the project was set.

Welcome to the eighth year of the Constructing Excellence in Wales awards. Our awards are recognised across the Welsh built environment as the biggest and brightest celebration of best practice.

Competition for the CEW Awards is always tough because the industry wants to showcase its talent at the premier ceremony. Every year we receive more entrants and despite the difficult economic climate that has affected the industry in recent years, the standard continues to rise. So, we’re challenging the Welsh engineers, designers, builders and everyone else in the supply chain to step up and enter our awards.

Each category gives an opportunity for all those involved in the Welsh built environment to demonstrate their achievements and promote the principles of collaborative working and best practice. You can get a flavour of this from the quality of the winning candidates from the 2013 awards.

CEW Awards

2014
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Built Environment Sustainability
Training (BEST)

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