A number of Neath Port Talbot Council’s growing portfolio of multi-million pound new schools have been shortlisted for the 2019 Construction Excellence in Wales (CEW) awards.
And the Council itself has also been shortlisted for one of the prestigious prizes which will be handed out at a presentation evening on Friday 7th June, 2019, at the Celtic Manor Resort, Newport.
CEW is the united voice of the Welsh construction industry, representing every part of the supply chain. It is an independent, self-funding membership body campaigning to highlight the industry’s role in creating a built environment in Wales fit for the future.
It acts as a link between the Welsh Government, construction clients and the construction industry to improve building processes through greater collaboration between the parties and the adoption of innovative and sustainable practices.
A CEW spokesman said:
“We have received more than 90 outstanding entries for the 2019 awards, giving our judges a real headache. Year on year, the entries demonstrate real performance improvement in the Welsh construction industry.”
Shortlisted entrants will be required to present to a panel of judges in Cardiff between the 2nd and 11th of April with the winners being announced at the presentation evening in the Celtic Manor in June.
This year, Neath Port Talbot Council has been shortlisted for the Client of the Year Award (nominated by contractors Bouygues UK ) alongside Carmarthenshire Council (nominated by HLM) and Cardiff University (nominated by Atkins).
And Neath Port Talbot Council along with Kier Construction, Western & Wales, Powell Dobson Architects, CB3, SABA and the Ministry of Furniture have all been shortlisted in the Digital Construction Award category over the building of Ysgol Carreg Hir, the £7m new Briton Ferry primary school which was officially opened in February 2019.
They face competition in the same category from Costain Ltd, the Welsh Government, Capita and Arcadis (the Brynglas Tunnels Refurbishment Project ), Atkins Ltd (SNV Lavalin) (the Human Centre Design project), and Interserve Construction Ltd, Monmouthshire Council and BDP Architects (Monmouth Comprehensive School).
And Neath Port Talbot Council, Bouygues (UK), Stride Treglown, Aecom and Cambria have been shortlisted for the Integration & Collaborative Working Award (for their work on Neath Port Talbot school projects).
They face tough competition in the category from the likes of Alun Griffiths (Contractors) Ltd, the Welsh Government, Atkins, TACP, Corderoy and Capita (all involved in the A483/A489 Newtown Bypass project).
Other categories include Project of the Year Award and the Preservation & Rejuvenation Award.
Since Neath Port Talbot Council pledged to modernise educational provision across its schools more than a decade ago, more than £123m has been ploughed into modernising the Council’s educational estate – a massive investment in the County Borough’s educational provision and the biggest of any Council in Wales outside of Cardiff.
The Council’s Strategic School Improvement Programme is gathering pace and four school projects have been completed in the past few months: the second phase of Ysgol Gymraeg Ystalyfera Bro Dur in the Swansea Valley, (£3.5m), Ysgol Cwm Brombil in Margam (£30m), Ysgol Bro Dur in Sandfields (£19m) and Ysgol Carreg Hir.
Cllr Annette Wingrave, Neath Port Talbot Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Sustainable Development said:
“Congratulations to the teams from the Council and our contractors who have been shortlisted for these awards which recognise vision, architecture and design and the very best construction practices.”
