Construction
Awards Ceremony
Schools, homes, offices and an outdoor theatre
have all won awards at the fifth annual celebration of
Leicestershire’s new buildings.
The 2007 ProCon Leicestershire Property and Construction Awards saw
six of the best projects singled out for the quality of their
contribution to a changing city and county. And the ProCon
organisation also paid tribute to David Wilson; the businessman who
built Wilson Bowden into a major player received a lifetime
contribution award.
The winners of the ProCon Awards – sponsored by RBS, Vantis and
Uponor – were announced to almost 600 property and construction
professionals at Leicester City’s Walkers Stadium on Thursday
November 8. The guest speaker was Lenny Henry.
The winners are:
• Kilworth House Hotel Outdoor Theatre won the Small Scheme of the
Year Award, sponsored by Lambert Smith Hampton. The theatre at North
Kilworth was designed by Corporate Architecture, of Blaby, and the
main contractor was ADI Construction. A sail-like canopy soars above
the theatre’s concrete auditorium, which has tiered rows of padded
seats each providing a superb view of the stage. The auditorium’s
rear is clad with oak boarding, in harmony with surrounding
woodland. Timber raised walkways provide access. The canopy was
designed with fabric engineers J&J Carter of Basingstoke.
• One Colton Square won the Large Scheme of the Year Award,
sponsored by Cathco Property Group. The first speculative office
scheme to be built in Leicester for a decade is spearheading the
city’s regeneration of a new business quarter. The £7 million 50,000
sqft office project and new public square by developer Goodman
International adjoins Three Colton Square, city living apartments
developed in conjunction with City & Thames Properties. The main
contractor was Bowmer & Kirkland and the architects were DNA.
Goodman International has now embarked on the final phase of the
project, Two Colton Square, an office and retail project.
• The New Music School at Loughborough Endowed Schools won the
Building of the Year Award, sponsored by HBJ Gateley Wareing LLP.
The New Music School was designed by Stephen George & Partners, of
Leicester, and built by Hallam Contracts, of Oadby, in two curved
sections, joined in the centre along a glazed atrium hallway. The
project includes new classrooms, practice rooms, library, offices,
ensemble rooms, a recording studio and a full recital hall. The
quality of design and workmanship, inside and out, has created a
unique and distinctive school. These spaces have been carefully
crafted to create a truly enjoyable teaching environment for
teachers and for students.
• Fabric, a city centre conversion of a former hosiery factory into
apartments, won the Regeneration Project of the Year Award,
sponsored by Howes Percival LLP. The project at Leicester’s Yeoman
Street is a £4.8 million partnership between Loughborough-based
builder and developer William Davis and Nottingham Community Housing
Association (NCHA). The 40 one and two bedroom apartments are in the
Cultural Quarter of Leicester city centre. Finished to a very high
specification, the apartments offer modern living, but still retain
the striking original character of great Victorian design and
quality.
• Bushloe High School won the Sustainable Development of the Year
Award, sponsored by Frank Haslam Milan. Developed by Leicestershire
County Council, the £12.5 million school in Wigston was designed by
the Council’s in-house team of architects and the main contractor
was Willmott Dixon. The school for 800 pupils was built on a
brownfield site, and secured a BREEAM rating of Very Good. The
design maximises natural light, and ventilation is controlled by an
automatic Building Management System. The school is designed to
conserve energy and water in every way.
• Langton Court won the People’s Choice Award, sponsored by the
Leicester Mercury. The development of 20 apartments was constructed
by Hallam Contracts, of Oadby, on the brownfield site of a former
textiles factory in Market Harborough. The regeneration has enhanced
the area by providing luxury, easily maintained accommodation in a
secure environment. Langton Court was voted for by readers of the
Leicester Mercury as their favourite example of new housing in the
county.
• David Wilson was awarded the first ever ProCon Lifetime
Achievement Award, for building a family business into one of the
UK’s biggest and most admired housing and commercial development
groups, Wilson Bowden. With its roots firmly planted in
Leicestershire, but with a nationwide presence and reputation for
quality, Wilson Bowden, and its arms David Wilson Homes and Wilson
Bowden Developments, set new standards in the industry. The business
backed research into a range of sustainable development issues. And
David Wilson established a foundation to help young people achieve
their full potential.
Pam Allardice, of the ProCon Leicestershire steering committee,
said: “Five years of these annual awards is quite a milestone to
celebrate. We are very proud of what has been achieved.
Congratulations to the worthy winners. Looking at the changing
skyline of Leicester and the other towns in the county it is clear
there will be many more fine buildings to feature in the ProCon
Awards in the future.”
Nigel Parkes, vice president of Uponor Housing Solutions, said: “As
one of, if not the most, centrally located counties in Britain,
Leicestershire is home to some of the finest construction companies
the UK has to offer. It is a great honour to sponsor such an event.
Uponor would like to congratulate all the winners at the ProCon
Awards who have all worked extremely hard to contribute to such a
strong construction community here in Leicestershire.”
Patric Phelan, location director of Vantis in the Midlands, said:
“We are delighted to celebrate the winners of this year’s awards.
Our roots are and always have been in Leicestershire so we are
passionate about what is happening with the new buildings and
developments in an area close to our hearts. We look forward to
supporting the ProCon Awards for many years to come.”
Mike Siddall, RBS director of commercial banking in Leicestershire,
said: “RBS is delighted to have sponsored the ProCon Leicestershire
Awards since their inception five years ago. We congratulate all the
finalists and especially the winners for their massive contribution
to the built environment of Leicestershire.”
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