Merthyr Tydfil’s new bus interchange has won a second prestigious national construction award within the space of a month.
The bus station was announced on Friday as winner of the ‘Sustainability’ category in the 2021 Constructing Excellence in Wales Awards, which was a pre-recorded ceremony. https://bit.ly/3jy9Bh6
@CEWales #CEWAwards2021
The Sustainability Award is given for ‘high environmental and climate performance in construction to meet present day needs for housing, working environments and infrastructure without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs in times to come’.
Announcing the decision, CEW Chief Executive Cat Griffith-Williams, said:
“The judges were really impressed with this project, which has delivered a transport hub fit for the future. Sustainability was considered from the materials used and the behaviours adopted on site during construction.”
Funded by Welsh Government, Wales’s first fully electric transport hub is the only one that allows for the charging of electric vehicles on site, has no gas or other fossil fuel supplies and a rainwater harvesting tank for the public toilets.
Main contractor Morgan Sindall sourced robust natural materials with long lifespans, and the building was constructed in layers in line with key ‘Circular Economy’ principles, each layer able to be separated and refurbished or replaced.
With the nearby River Taff having many species of birds and notable wildlife including kingfisher and herons, the contractor installed wild bird feeding stations in quieter parts of the site, along with bat roosts across the natural stonework.
The County Borough Council was also shortlisted as ‘Best Client’ by Morgan Sindall for its collaborative work, and the interchange has been shortlisted for the RTPI (Royal Town Planning Institute) Cymru Awards for Planning Excellence 2021.
Last month, the Council was presented with the inaugural Client of the Year accolade at the 2021 Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) Awards in London.
Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Transformation and Commercialisation Cllr Geraint Thomas said:
“We’re thrilled that this fantastic project has picked up a second, and well-deserved, national construction award for what is a truly trailblazing facility.”
