Ingleton Wood lands the treble at LABC Business Excellence Awards 2020! Monday, 7th September 2020

We are celebrating a hat-trick after scooping three awards at the virtual Local Authority Building Control (LABC) East Anglia Business Excellence Awards 2020.

In a major endorsement of our multi-disciplinary teams and the region’s growing reputation for quality architecture, Ingleton Wood won the Best High Volume New Housing Development Award for the £30 million Ipswich Winerack project in conjunction with R G Carter and Ipswich Wharf Developments.

We also claimed the Best Social or Affordable New Housing Development Award for the Bluebells affordable scheme in Reydon, Suffolk with Orbit Homes and Wellington Construction, and the Best Change of Use of an Existing Building Award for Brentwood Town Hall’s historic revamp with Brentwood Borough Council and Farrans Construction.

Partner David Cresswell said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have won a hat-trick of awards at the LABC East Anglia Business Excellence Awards 2020.

“The projects span a diverse range of specialisms and sectors – showcasing the quality and breadth of our multi-disciplinary and architectural teams as well as our proven track record of working in close partnership with clients to deliver their needs in time and on budget.

“This fantastic news should also serve as a welcome boost to everyone involved in these successful landmark projects across the East of England.”

We provided full architectural, building services engineering, planning, project management, and quantity surveying services for The Winerack – a unique residential development on Ipswich’s flagship waterfront regarded as a relic of the 2008 recession for almost a decade.

Property developer John Howard, Director of Ipswich Wharf Developments, bought the 19-storey semi-constructed site in 2014. Construction of the 150 apartments started in January 2018 and completed in December 2019.

John Howard said: “We are delighted to have won the prestigious award alongside Ingleton Wood and R G Carter. We handpicked the team to develop The Winerack and they proved to be the right choices, completing the project not only on time but on budget.

“Sales are progressing very well, giving the waterfront and wider Ipswich area confidence to move forward and kickstart other projects to boost our local economic recovery and growth.”

Meanwhile, we worked with Orbit Homes and Wellington Construction to deliver a 23-unit affordable housing development in Reydon near Southwold in Suffolk.

The homes, centred around a new village green, are a mixture of affordable rented (17) and shared ownership (six) and were built on a so-called ‘Exceptions Site’, meaning priority given to people who have a connection with Reydon and local parishes.

Paul Pitcher, Managing Director of Wellington Construction, said: “This is a fantastic achievement and is a great credit to our partnership work with Ingleton Wood, Orbit Homes, and everyone else involved in the project.”

Ray Winney, Orbit Homes Construction Director in the East, said: “As one of the UK’s largest providers of good quality affordable homes, winning the award for Best Social or Affordable New Housing Development reinforces Orbit’s commitment to building thriving communities where people are proud to live. Well done to everyone involved – this is an outstanding achievement.”

Ingleton Wood was also appointed to provide full architectural and project management services for the £9.5m redevelopment of Brentwood Town Hall which saw the town hall converted into an exemplary mixed development, consisting a modern 21st century collaborative office facility, completed with high end residential accommodation.

Brentwood Borough Council’s Chair of the Community, Health and Housing Committee, Cllr Maria Pearson, said: “I am delighted that the innovative move to transform Brentwood Borough Council’s Town Hall from a purely local government building, to one that now has a much broader offering, has been recognised.

“The Department for Work and Pensions has modern office space, our reception is far more accessible for our residents, the apartments are rented and offer stunning accommodation and income and the commercial space is wide and varied.

“What had been an additional bonus following Covid-19 has been the flexibility of the space do that social distancing can be incorporated with minimal disruption.”

Partner Anni Folan-White added: “It was a fantastic opportunity to work on such an outstanding building which creates a service delivery hub for many organisations to provide their services from a single location. We are thrilled to have won the award.”

The LABC Regional Building Excellence Awards are the largest business to business awards in the UK. The virtual ceremony showcased quality in all types of building projects, outstanding companies, and partnerships and individuals that go the extra mile.

Lorna Stimpson, Chief Executive of the LABC, said: “I firmly believe that one of the best ways to see more good work is to praise building excellence and publicly acknowledge companies, designers, site managers and trades people who go the extra mile because of the pride they have in their work.”