Actis presents trophies to two LABC Building Excellence award winners

Insulation specialist Actis joined Dead Ringers comedian Jon Culshaw to present trophies to two of the winners at the annual LABC awards in London last week.

A record-breaking 860 attendees watched as Actis specification manager Dan Anson-Hart, whose company is an LABC sponsor, presented awards to winners of the best conversion and best individual new house categories.

The LABC Building Excellence Awards event, the largest B2B awards in the building control sector, recognises developments ranging from domestic extensions to multi-million-pound commercial projects.

The best individual new home award went to a house built into a Devon cliff face.

Spindrift View, which overlooks Salcombe estuary, was constructed by Ease Manage and designed by Harrison Sutton Partnership. The team grapples with extremely difficult access and created a carefully and finely detailed home, robust enough to stand up to the severity of a marine environment.

Obstacles including piling, rock anchoring, boundary stability, main sewer diversion, cliff edge stabilisation, public highway support and access.

The panel of expert judges described the project as a tour de force.

Storyhouse, constructed by Kier Construction and designed by Ellis Williams Architects for Cheshire West & Chester Council was awarded the title of Best Change of Use of an Existing Building or Conversion.

The project involved renovating and remodelling a Grade II listed Odeon cinema with an extension to house a new theatre to create the first cultural building in the UK to include a library, bistro, theatre, cinema and a participatory activity programme.

Guests at the event enjoyed live music, a casino, caricaturists and magicians and helped add to the amount raised for this year's nominated charity, the Oracle Cancer Trust, for which the LABC has so far raised more than £62,000.