Skanska picked up three awards and two highly commended accolades at the Construction News Awards 2014, in front of 1,300 industry guests at Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane.
Skanska UK took home the Judges' Supreme Award for its exemplary approach to sustainability, with the judges saying: 'The firm is hugely influential across the industry, government and think tanks, and as a contractor its ethos and behaviours ensure it will deliver a more sustainable outcome.'
The company was also named sustainable company of the year, for its sustainability agenda and achievements. This included its role in founding the Supply Chain Sustainability School, which is leading to improved green credentials across the industry, as well as cutting carbon emissions across its fleet of vehicles and reducing energy use through the retrofit of its own offices.
The M25 ‘smart motorways’ scheme between junctions 5 and 7 in Kent and Surrey, was awarded sustainable project of the year, with Brent Civic Centre, the greenest public building in the UK, receiving a highly commended in the same category.
The M25 project is a joint venture between Skanska and Balfour Beatty. It was delivered 22 weeks early and was part of a new generation of technology-driven improvements on the strategic road network aimed at achieving increased overall capacity, shorter journey times and reduced congestion. Sustainability was vital to the M25 project and existing structures were retained, reducing the need for materials and vehicle movements to transport equipment and supplies. More than 90 per cent of materials were from recycled or reclaimed sources.
Brent Civic Centre has an outstanding rating from the BREEAM environmental standard. Carbon emissions from the civic centre have been cut by 33 per cent through a combination of energy saving technologies, including solar shading. Brent Council says the new building will save it around £2.5 million a year.
The Borough Viaduct project was highly commended in the project of the year over £50 million category. Skanska was the principal contractor responsible for the demolition and reinstatement of a 350-metre, twin-track viaduct spanning the bustling Borough Market. The 1,080-tonne structure was moved into place across Borough High Street during one weekend. This approach cut costs and programme timescales with minimal impact on traffic, pedestrians and local businesses.
Eight Skanska entries were amongst the finalists which were selected from hundreds of entries during a rigorous judging process by a panel of 53 industry experts.
The other short listed entries were for the health and safety initiative of the year for a collaborative project involving Skanska, saw manufacturer STIHL and CSkills to promote the safe use of petrol driven cut-off saws in the construction industry. Skanska's 66 Queen Square development in Bristol was also short listed for the building information modelling (BIM) initiative of the year award, while SRW Engineering Services was short listed in the training initiative of the year category for its five-year trainee programme.