A new era for constructing excellence in built environment

Sep 24 2007 The Journal

Constructing Excellence in the North-East is building a brighter future for the industry. One of the significant changes driving Constructing Excellence forward is the appointment of a new regional chairman, David Wood.

Regional director for White Young Green, David is closing in on four decades of experience in the North-East, with more than 30 years at Halcrow under his belt. He is also the regional chairman-elect of the Institution of Civil Engineers and the North East vice chairman of the Construction Industry Council (CIC).

CENE will become a Key Delivery Partner for IGNITE, the ONE NorthEast-funded Regional Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Communities and facilitator of best practice knowledge for professionals and practitioners involved in this area.

Kirsteen Thomson, sustainable regeneration manager, IGNITE, said: “Having Constructing Excellence as a key delivery partner for IGNITE brings together the network of practitioners and contractors around the construction and built environment sector.”

Forming new relationships will enable CENE to expand its scope of work, increase its membership and continue to provide secretariat services for CIC.

The relationship with IGNITE will also engender the ethos of cross occupational working that is necessary to plan, deliver and maintain sustainable communities.

These include all members of the CIC North East, trade associations and the North East Chamber of Commerce.

This framework of collaboration will help the Constructing Excellence team, led by regional director Catriona Lingwood, to meet its stated aims. These are:

Improving performance through increased productivity and competitiveness.

Improving industry image by taking action to create a step change in culture, in the development of people, enhanced engagement with the community and customers.

Engagement and Taking Action with individuals, businesses, organisations and industry associations.

A new portfolio of events includes the 2012 Construction Commitments conference at the Gosforth Marriott Hotel, on October 25.

There will also be a series of joint events with Envirowise, starting on November 6, to assist businesses to prepare Site Waste Management Plans.

Education and leadership are key priorities for Constructing Excellence in the North East as it moves forward with a new joint initiative, working with the University of Northumbria’s prestigious School of the Built Environment.

From this year, the two will work together to deliver a new Professional Development in the Built Environment course to the construction sector.

The course has come about through close links and the objective of promoting excellence in the construction industry, which is shared by the two organisations.

The North East’s highly successful Constructing Excellence in the Built Environment Awards have also now become the template for national awards being run for the first time this year.

With each of the organisation’s regions now running their own awards, the winners of each will go through to a national finale in London on October 11 and there are high hopes for those who have progressed from the North-East. David Wood, chairman of Constructing Excellence in the North East, said: “Taking over the chairmanship of Constructing Excellence in the North-East is a great opportunity to help bring together the industry through the common goals of our key aims.

“There is a lot of excellent work going on within the region’s construction industry and we are here to help make sure this best practice is both shared and celebrated.”

Catriona Lingwood, regional director, added: “This is a very exciting time for Constructing Excellence in the North-East, with growing partnerships, membership and staff.

“Work that is being carried out in the region is being mirrored across the country, and we are now seeing that, in the future, the North-East agenda will have a greater impact on education within the industry.

“I am confident that David’s chairmanship will continue to drive these efforts forward.”

For more information on Constructing Excellence in the North-East, or to find out more about the free events outlined in this article, please contact regional director, Catriona Lingwood, on (0191)383-7435 or catriona@constructingexcellence-ne.org.uk

‘There is a lot of excellent work going on in the region’