TOP HONOURS AWARDED IN THE CONSTRUCTION EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2009
Chris Carvill, CEF President, Gerry Kelly, Junior Minister OFMDFM and Trevor Campbell, Patton Construction
9 October 2009: The winners of the CEF Specify Construction Excellence Awards 2009 were announced in Belfast last night with Patton Construction winning the Overall Award for Wellington Street Presbyterian Church, Ballymena.
Wellington Street Church emerged as the ultimate winner for 2009 against stiff competition from over 100 other entries including high profile projects such as the Ulster Hall refurbishment, the Fitzwilliam Hotel and Queens University Mathematic and Library Building.
CEF Managing Director John Armstrong said, “I commend Patton Construction for producing a building of such all round quality. The 17 strong judging panel of experts were very impressed by this outstanding project which has made a wonderful contribution to the community.”
This year represents the 10th anniversary of the Construction Excellence Awards. In excess of 400 people attended the Culloden Hotel for the prestigious ceremony which is now firmly established as the highlight of the construction calendar.
Speaking at the ceremony CEF Managing Director, John Armstrong, said “The local construction industry has flourished in the last ten years. There has been an improvement in both, how we build and in how we have complimented the existing built environment. It is not just the process which has improved but it is evident that the product has also improved.”
“Throughout the last decade I have witnessed a growing sense of self-belief within the industry. There has been fresh thinking, a commitment to quality and an absolute refusal to accept that Northern Ireland can’t be world class.”
“The local construction industry is currently bearing the brunt of the recession. In the face of this challenge the whole industry, from the client down through the supply chain, must re-commit to the highest standards.”
The exceptionally high standard of entries this year proved a challenge for the judges who deliberated long and hard over the eventual winners. The impressive winners list included W J Law & Company for Ballantine Garden Village, Lisburn and FP McCann for Tullygarley Bridge Widening in Ballymena.
O’Hare and McGovern received the Achieving Excellence Partnering Award for their approach to partnering on Queens Mathematics and Library Building, a prestigious project consisting of a Mathematics building and a state-of-the –art Library.
Commenting on the Public Vote run in partnership with the Belfast Telegraph, which aimed to identify the project with the greatest impact in Northern Ireland over the last decade, Mr Armstrong said, “What the shortlist for the building of the decade really demonstrates is the widespread and positive impact the construction industry has had in Northern Ireland. It is no exaggeration to say that the construction industry has brought benefits to practically every single person living in Northern Ireland.”
“The poll has generated an outstanding response from the public. The voting area of their website has had 10,000 unique visitors, over 150 comments have been left and around 16,000 votes have been cast. With 54% of the final vote Toome Bypass was the out right winner.”
In closing John Armstrong commented “We commend our judges and sponsors whose commitment to excellence has allowed the Federation to develop the Awards into one of the most prestigious competitions in Northern Ireland. “