Henry Brothers has been named winner of the GB & Republic of Ireland Construction Project of the Year Over £2.5million category at this year’s Construction Employers Federation (CEF) Excellence Awards.
Launched in 1999, the Construction Excellence Awards are considered the most prestigious event in the Northern Ireland construction calendar and are designed to reward the achievements of the industry whilst highlighting the contribution it makes to the local economy.
Henry Brothers received the Construction Project of the Year Award for its completion of a £4.4m woodland day nursery and forest school at Staffordshire University.
Ian Taylor, Managing Director of Henry Brothers Midlands, said: “We are pleased to have received industry recognition for our very first carbon neutral project, representing a significant milestone in Henry Brothers’ strategy to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
“Congratulations must go to our exceptional staff which have delivered an outstanding modern nursery and forest school on campus, with sustainability at its core.
“Henry Brothers is privileged to provide Staffordshire University with a truly future-proof facility which will provide significant benefit to staff, students, and their families.
“We look forward to constructing many more carbon-neutral projects for our valued clients in the years to come.”
The Woodlands Day Nursery and Forest School is a single-storey timber frame building located close to the University’s nature reserve at the heart of its Leek Road site in Stoke-on-Trent.
The facilities were designed to meet high demand from both students and staff nursery places and to provide additional places for the wider local community.
Sustainability, digital technology, and nature are at the forefront of the build, which features REHAU earth tubes and air source heat pumps which use passive cooling/heating rather than mechanical ventilation; along with roof mounted solar photovoltaic panels to offset carbon emissions.
Sally McGill, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Lead for Sustainability at Staffordshire University said, “Henry Brothers has created a truly unique facility here at Staffordshire University which as our greenest building, forms a significant part of our green campus transformation and sustainability plans.
“As our first carbon neutral building on campus, this facility will support the next generation as well as communities, bringing the forest setting to our city through teaching, learning and embedding our ambitions for a more sustainable future.”
In addition to Henry Brothers, the project team consisted of Mace as project and cost managers, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios as lead designer and architect, Max Fordham as building services engineers, Civic Engineers as structural engineers and transport consultants, and Re-form Landscape as landscape designers.
The Henry Brothers’ design team included CPMG Architects, structural and civil engineer Hexa and Couch, Perry, Wilkes for M&E services.
