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the winner is Team 16

5/26/2012

Flixton Cricket and Sports Club announced Team 16 as the winner of the University of Salford Student award last night, following a community consultation. Raynes Architecture together with the club, will be taking elements from all the finalists schemes, including their business and funding models forward as we move the project closer to reality.

Eric Stokes, University of Salford said 'The standard of work is outstanding for first year students, this is more akin to the calibre of the second year students'

Roy Cavanagh MBE, Seddon Construction awarded a prize for buildability and Derek Humphreys awarded a CIOB prize.

The enthusiasm and hard work from the students has been a real motivator for the club and committee, and Flixton councillor Paul Lally is looking forward to helping the club with their project. MP for Stretford and Urmston, Kate Green also joined the club at a Question and Answer session earlier in the year and was involved in the earlier judging stages.

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Judgement Day for University for Salford

5/8/2012

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Last year I helped Flixton Cricket and Sports Club with a feasibility study for a new club house and sports hall. We then engaged the University of Salford to help develop the project and was delighted when they ran it as a first year built environment course project across 160 students.

This week I was invited back to judge 9 of the teams, comprising ADT students, quantity surveyors, building surveyors and project managers. There were some surprisingly slick revit presentations and teams that would have stood their ground against Lord Sugar in the Apprentice.

My fellow judges included FCSC committee members Gwyn Connor and Alan Embleton, fellow architect John Roberts from AFL, Labour candidate for Davyhulme George Devlin, Steve Bull from Trafford Council and the new Councillor for Flixton, as voted in the night before, Paul Lally.

We shortlisted three teams and will announce the winners on 25th May

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MiniGuide to Llandudno

5/6/2012

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Llandudno
Only 90 minutes drive from Manchester, Llandudno is a well preserved Victorian seaside town on the north coast of North Wales, complete with an intact pier, ice cream and penny arcades.

We went on the Sunday of May Bank Holiday for a Victorian Day. We found unedited Punch and Judy shows there, a motorised train, steam driven organs and the modern day joys of seaside: candy floss, named tat, cheap ice cream, zorbing on a paddling pool and forced nostalgia.

If you go to Llandudno:
Walk the pier
Get the tram up the orme
Go to the other side- the west shore
If its rainy- head for the multiplex- you might bump into Will and Kate
Fish and Chips at Llandudno Junction
Other things to do in the area:
Bodnant Gardens
Welsh Mountain Zoo

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Women in Property's 25th anniversary and Property Week's Women's Power List

5/2/2012

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As past chairman of The North West branch of Women in Property, I have had the honour of attending the National organisation’s events, including the prestigious Student Award dinner at Claridges. So whenever I travel to London I try and time it to coincide with a WiP event.

This time I struck gold and timed my recent trip to attend the launch of Property Week's Women's Power List and Women in Property 25th Anniversary Launch.

The event, kindly hosted by Taylor Wessing, started with a keynote address from Susan Vinnicombe OBE, talking about the Lord Davis Report and about the feasibility of gender quotas on boards.

Then the debate continued with Property Week editor-in-chief Giles Barrie chairing an impressive panel of women including: Jenefer Greenwood, Retail Strategist for Grosvenor, Lynda Shillaw, Managing Director of Corporate Real Estate, Lloyds Banking Group, Rebecca Worthington, Finance Director, Quintain and first in the Property Week listing, Alison Nimmo, Chief Executive of the Crown Estate, who amongst other things helped to rebuild Manchester after the bomb.

The message was clear, women can compete with men in property and construction we just have to be more forthright. As the debate continued, more nuggets emerged:

Taking the same test, men assume they have done better, women assume they have done worse.

Women aren't good at blowing their own trumpet.

Find something that you're good at and become very good at it.

Women are very good at nitty gritty

Grab opportunities

Women wait to be asked

Good bosses chuck you in at the deep end

Role models

And then the child care question arose...Buy the best childcare and don't take the guilt trip.

With renewed determination we then hit the floor to network. Talking with Angela Brady, President of RIBA, about an issue close to my heart, there is much more to be done about increasing the number of women in architecture. And so I ventured back to Manchester with the will to do something about it.

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the winner is Team 16

Judgement Day for University for Salford

MiniGuide to Llandudno

Women in Property's 25th anniversary and Property Week's Women's Power List

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