JG Hale Construction, the Neath-based construction company and part of the JG Hale Group, has won ‘Social Housing Development of the Year’ at the LABC 2019 Brick Awards for its exceptional work on a social housing development in Cardiff.
The company was presented with the award for its work on the £7.7m Pentland Close development of 82 units of affordable housing in Chiltern Close, Llanishen. The scheme was funded by Wales & West Housing Association in partnership with the Welsh Government and City of Cardiff Council.
The development will provide much needed high-quality, affordable apartments in Cardiff for a predominately over 55s age group. The scheme has been specifically designed for the needs of this age group and the properties are due to complete in April 2020.
All projects were visited by LABC inspectors during construction. In selecting this development as the winner, the judges commented that the brickwork at the development was “probably the best they have witnessed this year with exemplary fire stopping installed and Internal finishes and fittings to a high standard”.
Celebrating the best in the housebuilding industry, The Bricks has evolved into one of the most exclusive awards in the construction industry. These awards recognise companies and individuals who stand out from the rest and go the extra mile, regardless of size, to deliver quality in construction.
Shortlisted finalists were invited to one of London’s newest venues — Illuminate at The Science Museum, on Thursday 24th October, where impressionist and comedian Rory Bremner hosted the awards ceremony.
The Chiltern Close scheme is unusual in that the five blocks all involve large sections of the homes including windows, floor and roof cassettes being manufactured offsite prior to delivery and incorporation within the works.
This modular building technique means homes can be built much more cost-effectively, within tighter timescales, often with a healthier carbon footprint than developments that employ traditional building methods.
The homes benefit from external envelope formed by use of ‘Trisowarm’ pre insulated wall panels produced exclusively by Seven Oaks Modular Ltd at their Neath production facility. Developed in conjunction with JG Hale Ltd the product has recently achieved full BBA accreditation to 6 stories and continues to substantially improve buildings performance, reduce heating bills and construction periods.
Jonathan Hale, Chairman of JG Hale Group — which includes JG Hale Construction and Hale Homes along with sister company Seven Oaks Modular Ltd — stated: “We are delighted to have won such a prestigious national award especially given the rigorous judging process. It is great to hear some of the comments from the judges as to the quality of our work at Chiltern Close.
“We are also delighted to be working with Wales & West Housing again as part of their 10-year framework.
“We are particularly proud of this development as it has allowed us to showcase some of the innovative building techniques, we have been developing for several years now including our offsite timber frame manufacturing facility and our TrisoWarm Hybrid product.”
Grant Prosser, Construction Manager, Wales & West Housing Association, added: “We have been very impressed with the overall quality and standards Hale aimed to achieve and continue to maintain on this challenging, tight site. To win this award is well deserved. Hale’s attention to detail, safety and quality will directly impact on the lives and enjoyment of our residents. We look forward to working with Hale on the next project and would like to congratulate them on their success.”
