Council a finalist in building awards

WOKINGHAM Borough Council has been recognised for its approach to building projects.

The council has been named as a finalist in the Client of the Year and the Modern Methods of Construction categories at the Constructing Excellence awards.

The awards celebrate the best companies and projects from London and the South East.

The nomination for Client of the Year was submitted by Reds10, which worked with the council on the expansion of Addington School in Woodley and the new Dinton Activity Centre.

The firm, which specialises in modular construction, described the council as “true pioneers” and commended its commitment to modern methods of construction.

Work on Addington School, which is for children and young people with special educational needs, was completed in 2020.

A single-storey block was added to increase capacity by about 50 students, taking the total to around 250 places.

The nomination for the Modern Methods of Construction category comes after the Dinton Activity Centre opened at Dinton Pastures Country Park in Hurst last year.

It was submitted for consideration by project partner HLM Architects

The stateof-the-art facility was Wokingham Borough’s first net zero building and it houses leisure and education facilities.

The £2.4 million activity centre has many ecofriendly materials and features, including solar panels and wind catchers on the roof for natural ventilation, low-energy LED lighting and air source heat pumps.

Cllr Clive Jones, leader of the council, said: “The council has received high praise by being named as a finalist in these awards and we hope to go all the way and win both categories.

“We take a sustainable and collaborative approach to all of our projects and we are particularly proud of what we have achieved by working with Reds10 and HLM Architects.

“We’re so pleased that Dinton Activity Centre has been recognised in this way. To be the first building in Wokingham borough to achieve net zero carbon was a triumph and an important first step in a bigger journey.

“It is a sign of where we want to take things and shows that we are committed to playing as full a role as possible in reducing our carbon footprint to be net carbon zero by 2030.”

Dinton Activity Centre also has a Siberian larch exterior, which will weather over time to blend with the natural surroundings of the country park.

Carbon emissions were also reduced during the construction phase, with the majority of the build completed off-site by Reds10.

There are two other finalists in the Client of the Year category, while the work done on Dinton Activity Centre is one of six in the running for the Modern Methods of Construction award.

This year’s winners will be revealed at a ceremony in London on Thursday, June 30.