A special British Precast 50^th Anniversary Awards presentation dinner rounded off Precast14, an all-day precast concrete event run by British Precast on 1 May at King Power Stadium, Leicester. The event included seminars, an exhibition with 50 exhibitors and the AGM.

Andrew Dix, President of British Precast, said: “These Awards have showcased outstanding examples of our members’ tireless work in Health & Safety, Sustainability, Projects and Innovation. We had over 30 entries this year from a wide range of member companies, both large and small. These Awards demonstrate the best of ingenuity and forward-thinking within the precast concrete industry. Our winning members deserve recognition for their achievements in each category.”

The Award winners were:

PROJECT AWARD
Decomo UK: for The Forum, Elmer Square, Southend-on-Sea
Decomo through their flexibility, ingenuity and positive approach completed the
installation to an exceptionally high standard. The challenges encountered were in the production of units, such as replication of the finish on moulded and un-moulded faces through acid etching and details in the panels specifically to facilitate installation.

INNOVATION AWARD
J&P Building Systems: for a new design methodology for precast stairs
J&P Building Systems’ new design method is benefitting manufacturers of precast stairs and contractors. The innovation is the design justification for what forces need to be resisted and how the fixings provide the necessary capacity. It has removed an obstacle to the wider use of precast stairs. Precast stairs are no longer a form of construction that needs complex design and features but have become the easy entry option.

SUSTAINABILITY AWARD FULL MEMBER
Forticrete: for its energy efficient lighting
Improvements were made to the lighting system at Forticrete’s Cebastone cast stone factory. The new efficient lighting system has higher durability and better colour rendering and efficacy, as well sensor systems to save on energy consumption. The system is expected to make a 69% saving on the energy used for lighting. The Judge said: “Excellent entry… This is a very thoughtful approach, targeting energy efficiency in a way that can be applied to all British Precast members. The employees were clearly deeply involved in the process and are now turning into experts in the company. This is exactly the spirit of the award.”

SUSTAINABILITY AWARD ASSOCIATE MEMBER
Carbon8 Aggregates: for the manufacture of carbon negative, lightweight aggregates
Carbon8 has developed lightweight aggregates manufactured using waste CO₂ gas in a patented process known as ‘accelerated carbonation’. The aggregates have captured more CO₂ than is emitted in their manufacture and are thus carbon negative. Once in full production, 2,900 tonnes of CO₂ will be captured per year (equivalent to planting 290,000 trees). The Judge said: “This is the best entry we have seen for some time… The carbon8 process involves different parties in a genuine innovation for the circular economy (which is in vogue). It is one of the very few carbon negative innovative solutions which has been successfully turned from theory to practice.”

HEALTH & SAFETY AWARD
Brett Landscaping & Building Products: for an improved traffic management system which delivers a safer site and reduces the environmental footprint
Brett Landscaping introduced a traffic management system at its Cliffe site that addressed a high risk issue of potential collisions between both vehicles and pedestrians with demonstrable benefits. A forward-thinking approach has resulted in risks being removed or addressed with protection measures. Positive feedback from Wincanton is testament to the success of the project. The Judge said the project was “a modular example of how to deal with a high risk issue involving various parties with no off the shelf solution.”

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO HEALTH & SAFETY AWARDS
Two Awards were presented to individuals or teams in recognition of leadership, special efforts, or significant contributions or improvements in health & safety in the business or along the supply chain:

• Cliffe Management Team (Brett Landscaping & Building Products) – for leading significant health & safety improvements throughout the Cliffe factory complex.
• Chris Taylor (Stanton Bonna) – whose product knowledge and site support experience enables him to identify potential problems and present solutions.