Awards give us something to shout about

May 16 2008 by Chris Knox, The Journal

IT is too rare an occasion that we truly celebrate the successes and achievements of those who work in the built environment as a whole.

So last Friday was, certainly for me, one of the highlights of the year.

Approximately 550 people attended the Constructing Excellence in the Built Environment Awards and were treated to an evening which recognised just how much we have to shout about in the North East.

The awards were spread out across the region, meaning it was particularly pleasing to see that, despite the way some national media may focus exclusively on Tyneside, we have excellence throughout the North East.

Awards and commendations went to projects and businesses in Sunderland, Shiremoor, Bishop Auckland, Amble, Mickleton and Middlesbrough, as well as Newcastle and Gateshead.

The diversity of projects was also pleasing, from education, transport and housing to flood relief, while the awards also recognised such key aspects of construction as value, innovation, partnership, leadership and health and safety.

Events such as this, held at the Newcastle Marriott Gosforth Park Hotel, tell us that we have much to be proud of.

These winners were merely the cream of the crop of entries and, as such, will go on to represent our region in the national Constructing Excellence in the Built Environment Awards later in the year. These national awards are now in their second year and were inspired by the success of our regional celebrations, which are now in their fourth year.

This industry-leading vision is another reason the North East should be proud.

People here are traditionally proud of their regional identity, so it doesn’t surprise me that we have led the way in shouting about our achievements, but it is still far from common within the industry.

When we build a school, the legacy of what we have done lives on in the forming of thousands of lives over generations.

When we complete a flood defence system, we help to protect communities from heartache and trauma for years to come. When we build a house, it will become the home whose comforts its occupants have to work increasingly hard to afford.

And it is not just the people who lay the foundations and add the bricks and mortar who have been part of this.

It is the architects, the project managers, the quantity surveyors, the planners … it is everyone in our industry who leaves an important legacy.

We shape life. We should be proud. We should celebrate more.

When we build a flood defence system, we help protect communities from heartache and trauma