Member Article

Wates awarded for Considerate Construction of Highgate School

The new Highgate Junior School in North London has been honoured for creating a positive image of the construction industry, receiving a Considerate Constructor Scheme (CCS) Gold award.

Wates Construction’s £15.5m build was highly praised by the CCS organisation for a pristine site appearance and comprehensive school engagement programme. To-date this has included using reclaimed materials to build a replica World War One trench as part of the school’s history curriculum. Pupils of all ages were involved in the trench construction and it has been used by two other local schools as a teaching aid.

Attention paid to the site’s environmental impact was also highlighted as outstanding whilst the donation of surplus materials to local residents was also commended.

Set to be completed at the end of 2015, the new 4,320 sq m facility will cater for 350 pupils aged 7-11. The project also includes the remodelling of a four-storey 18th century building.

Phil Shortman, Managing Director for Wates Construction London, commented: “We put a huge emphasis on the respect and support we provide the neighbours of our construction sites and work hard to deliver projects that are safe, secure and environmentally sound. The recognition from the CCS for our development of Highgate Junior School is testament to this commitment and we are dedicated to maintaining this as we approach completion of the facility in the summer.”

Mike Petter, Chairman of the Considerate Constructors Scheme, said: “It is our privilege to reward the efforts of all those involved in projects which set the bar in terms of considerate construction. We never fail to be impressed each year by the high levels of innovation and excellence evidenced throughout the industry.

“Each award-winning project serves as a shining example as to what can be achieved across a range of different sized projects and in all sectors of the industry.”

The Wates Group received CCS awards for 37 of its projects in total, one of which was named runner-up for the Most Considerate Site in the UK. An additional two received Gold awards, a further 11 were awarded Silver and 22 received Bronze awards.

The winning projects were selected from over 9,000 eligible sites.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Wates .