2023: A year of milestones and merit

2023: A year of milestones and merit

It’s been a memorable year for Harwood, marked by real accomplishments in terms of project execution, team development, and industry leadership. We’ve been part of the team on crucial building control projects, nurtured our team’s professional growth, and shared our expertise with our clients and wider network.

Everything we have achieved in 2023 is a reflection of our team’s commitment to our position as a leader within building control. Here’s a roundup of just some of the achievements we’ve seen at Harwood this year:

Prestigious projects

We were delighted to work on Ashford International Studios with Quinn Estates, a transformative project reviving a long-dormant railway works site into a vibrant hub for the film and television industry. This major development, valued at £250 million, encompasses a 120-bed hotel, 300 residential apartments, and a 375-space multi-storey car park.

The project also entails the preservation and repurposing of Grade II listed railway sheds, integrating them into the new development as workshops for the studios. We helped to transform this brownfield site into a dynamic economic driver that preserves buildings contributing to the historic fabric of Kent.

The refurbishment project at Queen Mary University of London, with a budget of £16.9 million, saw us work on substantial enhancements to the university complex. This renovation included the creation of new social spaces, which were a real boost to facilities for students and staff alike.

The construction of three new theatres at Nottingham Hospital saw Harwood work on a £12 million project enhancing the facility’s infrastructure and service delivery. We joined up with Darwin Group to ensure professional building control on the new theatres and associated recovery and admissions areas.

In November, our friends at Quinn Estates were recognised for their exceptional work at the 2023 Housebuilder Awards! The Quinn Estates team was awarded the prestigious Best Community Initiative award for their groundbreaking project involving the EKC Civil Engineering Training Centre in Hersden, Kent.

With our clients on a winning streak in November, TG Designer Homes then went on to win ‘Best Luxury House 2023‘at the WhatHouse? Awards,  much-deserved recognition for their stunning residential project at West Meadow, which we were proud to have been part of.

Upholding standards

Of course, we were very proud to discover that we had again attained continued certification in the globally recognised ISO 9001 standard for quality management systems.

The ISO 9001 certification is given in recognition of quality assurance and regulatory compliance in building safety and control. That we passed this rigorous audit again just shows how much the whole Harwood team cares about maintaining high standards in building control and inspection services.

An expert team

It was another very important year for building safety standards as the changes brought in by the Building Safety Act (BSA) continue to change the construction landscape.

At the Kent Construction Expo in October, Adam Dodd, Operations Director, joined Danny Coomber to  deliver an insightful seminar on evolving building safety regulations and the role of Principal Designers in ensuring compliance.

Adam and Danny provided valuable insights into the Building Safety Act, talking about new responsibilities and compliance requirements for High-Risk Buildings (HRBs) and other construction projects.

With so much change happening within the industry, Danny Coomber, Head of Health and Safety, shared his extensive industry expertise by hosting an informative webinar on the Building Safety Act 2022 and the amended Building Regulations. The event was well-attended and showed just how hard we’re working on Continuing Professional Development.

With over 40 years of experience in the construction industry, Danny covered crucial aspects of the Act, such as the roles and duties of various stakeholders, compliance requirements for HRBs, and other important construction projects, ending with a busy Q&A session.

Celebrating milestones

In the summer, we celebrated Shamaun Mall, Assistant Building Control Surveyor, completing his Building Control degree with a first-class qualification. Joining Harwood while completing his four-year degree, Shamaun has managed the challenges of studying and working simultaneously. Well done to him!

Ben Cheeseman, our Commercial Director, marked a decade with Harwood this year! Ben has played a huge part in our transformation from a small team of three to a dynamic team of over thirty members. We’re looking forward to Ben leading us through many more years to come.

We’ve got to end with the incredible charity work that’s been undertaken by our site inspector, Albert Walton. Celebrating his 75th birthday, Albert completed a series of demanding physical challenges to raise funds for Mesothelioma UK, a charity aiding those affected by this terrible condition, a cause deeply relevant to the construction industry.

Albert’s journey took in a 109-mile walk, the Ashford Half Marathon, the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge, and a 212-mile tandem ride across the Trans Pennine trail with his wife, Davina. Albert’s determination was outstanding, and we congratulate him for championing such a worthy cause. With three more challenges to go before his 76th birthday in May, you can donate to his charity campaign here!

 

Contact us today for a chat about how Harwood can offer first-class building control solutions for your project.