FGA Pick-Up Top CEF Awards For Victoria Square

Northern Ireland firms Farrans and Gilbert Ash have lifted the top prize at the 2008 CEF Specify Construction Excellence Awards for their combined work on Belfast's multi-million pound Victoria Square regeneration project.

The awards celebrate the best of the Northern Ireland industry and highlight its recent achievements.

The Victoria Square development was selected as Overall Winner by the panel of prominent judges, who deemed it the most remarkable construction scheme carried out in the Province in the last year.

The award ceremony, held at the Culloden Hotel in County Down, was attended by Stormont Junior Minister Jeffrey Donaldson and hosted by the BBC's Wendy Austin.

CEF Managing Director John Armstrong said: "Our entire industry should be extremely proud of the construction projects recognised in these awards because, despite challenging times, we have produced some of the best construction projects on these islands - on a par with the very finest internationally."

Mr Armstrong called on the Northern Ireland Executive to move forward on a wide range of major capital projects on its agenda - in order to 'get the work on the ground'.

He said: "The construction industry is ready to deliver it and deliver it to the highest standards. Such action would provide benefits far beyond the industry, safe-guarding jobs across the entire supply chain and benefiting the community as a whole."

Other developments short-listed for the overall award included T&A Kernoghan's Orchard Mews & Orchard House in Newtownbreda, the new University of Ulster Belfast Campus carried out by Patton Construction, H&J Martin’s innovative approach to Facilities Maintenance for the Northern Ireland Court Service and McCloskey & O'Kane for Glenmachan Church of God.

The joint venture Murphy Lagan won the Achieving Excellence in Partnering Award for its work on the Dunore to Hydepark Trunk Main, a water infrastructure project covering one of Northern Ireland's most vital water supply systems.

The judges said this entry displayed the best approach to partnering in the delivery of the project, and the client, design and construction team shared the award.

(PR/JM)