Pictured: Jonathan Davies, Chief Executive of
CoRE
An innovative regeneration project has appointed its first Chief
Executive.
Architect, planner and urban designer, Jonathan Davis has now
taken the reins at CoRE - the national Centre of Refurbishment
Excellence.
Mr Davis has high level experience in leading architecture and
sustainable urban design roles. He is a former Director of
CABE, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment,
and was Director of sustainable urban design consultancy, the
Transition Studio, prior to his appointment at CoRE.
CoRE provides a one stop, national centre of excellence, for the
construction industry and built environment professions as they
work to refurbish the nation's existing building stock to help
secure a healthier, low carbon and energy efficient future.
Peter Bounds, Chair of the board of CoRE, said: "Jonathan is a
leading expert in sustainable design work and his appointment will
provide great impetus for CoRE as it begins to work with
industry.
"Jonathan's experience and leadership in the field are second to
none as is demonstrated by his track record.
"This is an appointment which will help to secure CoRE's
position as a major influencer on how building refurbishment can
help to regenerate our towns and cities."
Mr Davis said: "It is an enormous privilege to be coming to CoRE
as its first Chief Executive at this key moment for the UK's built
heritage and environment. We face a challenge of historic
significance and the opportunities for the refurbishment of homes
and business premises to create new prosperity and thousands of new
jobs, to enhance wellbeing by reducing fuel poverty and cutting
costs for industry, while at the same time helping the UK face the
challenges of living in a changing climate are immense. That the
men and women working in the construction industry should have the
right skills to deliver excellence in refurbishment and take pride
in what they do is vital to getting this right; CoRE is here to
help them acquire those skills and gain the knowledge they need to
understand the global importance of the work they are
doing.
"CoRE is the result of a phenomenal collaborative effort and it
is this spirit of collaboration between the construction trades and
the built environment professions that will be at the heart of
CoRE's learning culture as we pursue the goal of excellence in
building refurbishment"
"I think we should be talking in terms of a new industrial
revolution. We will be running a national programme and where
better to do this from but Stoke-on-Trent, where the culture of
craft, skill, design and innovation in manufacturing of ceramics
endure." The CoRE project is a collaboration between Stoke-on-Trent
City Council, Stoke on Trent College, the Building Research
Establishment and private industry.
At its centre will be the historic Enson Works, a former pottery
factory, in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent. The Grade Two Listed Building
will be transformed into a headquarters for CoRE using sustainable
building methods and will become a learning and training centre for
the project.
CoRE will showcase the latest sustainable building products and
systems and provide its customers with the skills and knowledge
needed to embrace the new technologies and techniques necessary to
provide retro-fit solutions for the country's homes and commercial
buildings.