Pictured above:  (l-r) Andy Metcalfe Joint Managing Director Speller Metcalfe, Matthew Cavill Clerk of Works Gloucestershire County Council, Colin Huntley Contracts Manager Speller Metcalfe, Phil Reid Architect Quattro Design, Allen Mortimer Site Manager, Nick Peacey Quantity Surveyor, Laura Hibbert Marketing Manager, Adrian Speller Ecobuild Director Speller Metcalfe, James Speller Business Development Director Speller Metcalfe, Paul Wakeman Project Manager Gloucestershire County Council 

National building contractor, Speller Metcalfe, has gained prestigious recognition for significant Project works carried out in Gloucestershire, at the recent annual National Considerate Constructor Awards ceremony held in London.

Organised by the Considerate Constructors Scheme, Speller Metcalfe was presented with the Bronze Award for most Considerate Contractor of 2010 in recognition of a project the company completed at the Longhouse Day Care Centre in Stroud.

Joint Managing Director of Speller Metcalfe, Andy Metcalfe, said: "We are delighted that all the hard work and effort put in to making this project such a success, not only in a building context, but in relation to our positive interaction with the local community, has been recognised as part of the National Awards Scheme.''

The Longhouse Day Care Centre contract, worth almost £3million and awarded by Gloucestershire County Council, involved the construction of a new building on an existing brown field site, over two key phases.

Phase 1 involved building the new Respite Centre whilst the existing centre remained open and operational; with Phase 2 undertaking the demolition of the old centre and the construction of a new Day Care building which would also include an attractive horticultural area.

The part double, part single story Respite Centre and the single story Day Care building were constructed utilising traditional masonry materials, featuring a combination of external render and cedar cladding, and slate and zinc roof coverings. 

Internally Speller Metcalfe installed a specialist disabled hoist system, together with specialist baths and a complete nurse call system. Each building contains residents' lounges, dining rooms, kitchens and laundry rooms to suit the specialist nature of its clients. Externally the works included a new access road, care parking and landscaped gardens.

Amanda Henderson, Manager at the Longhouse Centre, said: "Speller Metcalfe worked in continuous partnership with us throughout the duration of the project. Consideration was given at each stage of the project to ensure the service provision could be maintained. Any impact to the service and the community was minimised. Every effort was made to engage with the users of the service, stakeholders and the community to share information, listen to comments and promptly respond to these. The users of the service, management, staff teams, and the community have given high praise to Speller Metcalfe for their considerate work throughout the project."

Project works were completed according to BREEAM accreditation level throughout, as Speller Metcalfe worked closely with Quattro Design Architects, NDC Consultancy as architect and services engineers and White Young Green, BREEAM Assessors, to select sustainable building fabric solutions and heating and ventilation systems such as with the implementation of solar panels and water storage tanks.