AA building scores silver star gong
A family-run Palmerston North construction company has picked up a silver star accolade at the 2017 Registered Master Builders Commercial Project Awards.
The silver star was awarded for the Isles Construction’s work on the AA building on Broadway Ave, which was finished in January. It was the first project the company has entered in the commercial competition.
Isles Construction director Cameron Isles said it was great to have picked up an award and the Manawatu family-run business had represented the region well.
‘‘We’re rapt. We’re just really pleased with the result, especially since we were the only firm in the Manawatu to enter this year.’’
Isles and his sister, Tasha Isles, took over the company 14 years ago from their parents, who founded Isles Construction in 1974.
The Master Builders residential awards focus mainly on the architects and the final building, but in the commercial competition, every step of the process is considered – from the initial tender and design to construction and the final result
The two-storey Broadway building was praised by the judging panel for its efficient use of space and how well the project handled the needs of its tenants, AA and the Cooper Rapley law firm.
Cameron Isles said the AA building was ‘‘quite a complicated’’ job, including some unusually shaped precast panels, with a tight seven-month deadline.
He said everyone from the site manager to the crane operators had done brilliant work.
There were 160 changes to the original plan along the way – each one adding another wrinkle that needed to be managed – but the Isles team still got the job done on time.
always a stirring piece and delightful to hear it handled so well by these players.
Flutist Christy Hunter took the stage for Reinecke’s Flute Concerto, a cheerful work with a virtuosic final movement, all given a superbly sympathetic performance by Hunter, who was well supported by the orchestra.
The second half included Zoetrope – Wheel of Life, the premiere of a striking work by local composer Nick Hunter. This was a very committed performance by the Sinfonia with variety and contrast to the fore. The excitement generated by this fascinating work was evident throughout and the performance much appreciated by the audience.
The concert finished with a great performance of the first movement of Bruckner’s Symphony No 4, another much-loved work, and the perfect finish to a concert, which conductor Peter van Drimmelen must have found most satisfying,
This concert provided excellent testament to the importance of the Sinfonia in our community over the past 50 years.