Awards

ICWCI - Building on Quality Awards 2024
Highly Commended

For work on Cats Protection, Exeter Axhayes Adoption Center

The ICWCI’s Building on Quality Awards celebrate the achievements of remarkable Clerks of Works and Construction Inspectors, recognising those who have gone above and beyond within their role on a particular project.

The Cats Protection’s new 65 pen Adoption Centre in Exeter will be the Charity’s flagship premises, providing the most progressive and comprehensive facilities within CPs Adoption Centre portfolio. The design represents a trailblazer scheme which achieves a carefully planned balance of requirements to successfully meet the needs of cats, staff, volunteers, and visitors alike. It is hoped approximately 950 cats per year could be helped from this facility.

The scheme provides an optimum environment for housing cats, that will enable better management of health and promote more natural cat behavior. It will offer a calm place for cats to be housed and enhanced welfare of cats in CPs care. The pens are equipped with climate control to maintain a temperature within the required range. The Memorial Courtyard Garden will enable cats to benefit from a window view to the outside, of plants, shrubs, birds, butterflies, bees, and other insects. The center will provide an excellent Adopter experience and more space for educational activities.

The Adoption Centre design forms the blueprint for future CP construction projects Nationwide, replacing and upgrading several existing centers, as well as the development of some new ones over the next few years.

I was appointed to the role of Clerk of Works, as an independent and experienced construction quality professional, to monitor and inspect the construction works against the specification, building regulations and relevant British Standards

I was on site from the commencement of the project in July 2021 and have undertaken twice weekly site visits for the duration of the works, Until the projects completion.

We are extremely appreciative of the exceptional dedication, resilience and input provided by Eric who has exceeded our expectations and consistently gone above and beyond with the service he has provided. Without his relentless efforts to maintain quality and project expectations generally, the finished project would not have been completed to such a high standard for the cats and the team at Exeter AC. We would also like to say a big thank you to Bruce Howse (Employers Agent) for his continued professionalism and extremely high standards in managing this project on behalf of Cats Protection ”

Catherine Hodson 

Interim Lead Construction Manager

Cats Protection

December 2023

Cats Protection | UK’s Largest Cat Welfare Charity

*Pictures courtesy of Paveaways Ltd.

Concrete Society 2023 Winner,
Truro Clock Tower
Truro, Cornwall.

The Concrete Society is a member based body, with no affiliation to Trade or corporate organisations and is proud to be recognised as independent. The Society has built on its technical base to become a leading provider of information serving the needs of clients, architects, engineers, specifiers, suppliers, contractors and users of concrete, with emphasis on quality and competitiveness.

The City Hall and the clock tower were badly damaged by fire in 1914, which left only the side of the tower that faces Boscawen Street remaining in its original granite form. The cinders from the fire can still be seen in the rafters of the tower. At the time, the three lost sides were reconstructed using reinforced concrete and were rendered to give the appearance, from street level, of granite. The steelwork used within the tower to create this façade more than a century ago became badly corroded over time.

Because it was in poor condition – the three sides of concrete, where dismantled to the steel beams in the roof void in the building. The granite, which fronts Boscawen Street, was photographed, labelled and taken away really carefully and stored off-site.

Then the bells and clock mechanism where out and reconstructed the tower in the reverse sequence in pre-cast concrete on three sides with a granite appearance. On the north façade, which faces Boscawen Street, we put the original granite back in. It was very challenging. The full project took 5 years and was completed in October 2023.

This iconic refurbishment work has been awarded the winner in the “Small Projects Category” from the Concrete Society 2023.