More than 1600 attendees were given a taste of the Brazilian carnival at last Wednesday’s Building Awards, held at the Grosvenor House Hotel. Rory Bremner was there in flesh, and Prince Charles in spirit, to present 18 industry prizes – including a lifetime achievement award to Sir Frank Lampl
More than 1600 industry leaders crammed into the Great Room of London’s Le Meridian Grosvenor House Hotel last Wednesday evening for construction’s biggest event of the year – the 2002 Building Awards.

The awards, which honour the industry’s high achievers, were hosted by TV’s top impressionist Rory Bremner. As well as a record audience, the eight-year-old event also attracted a record number of entries.

The awards were attended by construction minister Brian Wilson, who presented the construction best practice award to Mace (see page 25). Other eminent guests included Bovis Lend Lease president Sir Frank Lampl, who received the first Building Award for lifetime achievement, and new Construction Industry Training Board chairman Sir Michael Latham.

The presentation was followed by a carnival party – in which guests drank the Grosvenor House dry – and the traditional charity casino, which this year raised £8000 for the Prince’s Trust. The trust helps disadvantaged youngsters set up in business or train for full-time employment in industries including construction. Over the next year, the trust expects to help a further 25,000 young people.

In a special foreword to the awards programme, Prince Charles said: ”I could not be more pleased that the Prince’s Trust is to benefit from a charitable partnership with Building.”

We can tackle the skills shortage.

Prince Charles

He added: ”Working together, I am sure we could do more to address the industry’s skills shortage with the provision of work placements for some of those we help, or even jobs for those ready for employment.

“I am hopeful that the partnership between Building and the Prince’s Trust will have very practical results for the young people we are here to serve and for your industry.”

The Building Awards were also the target of protesters who were staging a national day of action against casualisation. They stood outside Grosvenor House at 6pm to mark the fourth anniversary of the death of builder Simon Jones – one of 10 such demonstrations around the UK.

To applause, Bremner reminded attendees of the poignancy of the protest and urged everyone to prioritise safety. Companies’ safety records are one of the key criteria for judging the Building Awards. Russell Construction was named regional contractor of the year partly on the strength of having no accidents last year.