26 Nov WWA Shortlisted for Best Managed Large Business at CSA Awards

Ward Williams Associates are thrilled to have been shortlisted in the ‘Best Managed Large Business’ category at the Cornwall Sustainability Awards (CSA) 2014.

The CSA Awards have been running for over 10 years and were introduced to recognise the work that local companies do in terms of sustainable practice, minimising negative impacts on the environment and inspiring others to be environmentally conscious.

WWA is one of the largest construction consultancies in the South West and we are celebrating our 40th Birthday this December. Our business involves the development of the built environment, and as such, we are aware that we are integral to on-going sustainable construction and the influence this can have on people’s behaviours for generations to come.

In order to embed sustainability as a key value driver, four years ago WWA established the Green Team, headed up by Senior Associate Director, Phil Crossley. This team is structured to represent the organisation at all levels from our Managing Director right through to our trainees. We also have Chris Hines MBE who is a consultant to the WWA Green Team, providing mentoring and support across a range of topics.

The Green Team have gone from strength to strength since inception and Phil recently graduated with an MSc in Sustainable Construction Project Management demonstrating his commitment to leading the team and sharing his knowledge and experience throughout the company.

In Cornwall WWA has become one of the primary consultants for clients with similar sustainability drivers, delivering some of their most prominent projects. This is demonstrated by our involvement in all three BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ schemes in Cornwall, two completed and one in construction.

Phil said: “We recognise that as a leading practice in Cornwall, we should be at the forefront of sustainability and innovation, and the impact that development has locally. WWA understand the importance of conducting business in a sustainable way, to ensure that we can continue to have a positive influence on our environment, and interactions with our employees and the wider community”.

WWA have been shortlisted in this category along with Truro and Penwith College, and Red Hotels, and are looking forward to the award ceremony in December at the Headland Hotel.

In addition to our nomination, our clients Mr and Mrs Wiehahn have been shortlisted in the ‘Best Built Environment’ category. WWA were involved in this project after the clients had experienced significant problems with one of their contractors, which left their property in an unsafe and non-compliant condition.

WWA provided building surveying, cost management and sustainability advice services throughout the duration of the remedial works, through to completion.

Mr and Mrs Wiehahn said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to Associate Directors; Mike New and Daryl Hill of WWA. “We were exploited by our one of our contractors and left with an unsafe structure full of faults and during that traumatic time Mike New helped to restore our confidence in the building and the building trade with wise advice, compassion and kindnesss”.

“Daryl Hill has then taken our project on to the finish, also giving us huge emotional and technical support, pulling all the complicated strands of the build together, whilst keeping a close eye on its integrity and sustainable focus; as well as keeping calm in the eye of the storms that inevitably erupted during a build so full of dreams and passions”.

“We have now moved in and the experience of living in our beautiful home is the next chapter. All those academic ideas about sustainability translated into sensing these lovely spaces in ways we are only just beginning to understand. The leaves are falling from the trees in front of the window: as each leaf falls another glint of winter sunlight flickers into our family home. This morning the ground was covered in heavy frost – the house is still warm from the previous day’s solar gain and from the small fire in our Cornish masonry stove lit last night”.

Daryl Hill, said; “I would like to congratulate Mr and Mrs Weihahn on being nominated for this Award. It would have been understandable for them to lose focus and drive for such a project following the significant issues they experienced and the impact that this had on the program”.

“The majority of people would have concentrated on completing the building and making it habitable as quickly as possible, potentially sacrificing their sustainability goals. However, it became clear at an early stage that no matter how long it took, the significant remedial and alterations works, were at no point allowed to affect the air tightness and thermal performance of the building”.

By Sarah Greenslade, Marketing & Business Development Manager