Caroline Gumble in the Midlands

CIOB CEO supports Midlands levelling up

Caroline Gumble visited Wolverhampton and Birmingham on a three-day tour of the region

CIOB CEO Caroline Gumble lent

hersupport to the levelling up of the midlands on a recent visit.

As part of a three-day tour of the region, she hosted a roundtable event at Aston University where education providers, regional policymakers and leaders in the built environment came together. The discussion was chaired by Andrew Bridge, senior customer engagement manager at CITB.

The key message from the session was the need for better collaboration between business and education – to allow the industry to inform young people of opportunities within the built environment, as well as to feed into the course materials and provide stable work opportunities. Bridge

Caroline Gumble with head of school Paul Hampton at the University of Wolverhampton’s School of Architecture and Built Environment Gumble (second from right) visits the Royal Hospital development remarked on the passion in the room about providing this collaboration.

Gumble’s tour also included visits to projects under way. First up was the University of Wolverhampton’s School of Architecture and Built Environment (SoABE), where she officially inaugurated the new CIOB branded spaces (see p55).

In Wolverhampton, she learned how the Grade II-listed Royal Hospital was turned into a wellbeing scheme for over-55s as part of a digital twinning project. This project was the brainchild of Paul Dockerill, CIOB trustee and director of energy and programme management at Jessup Brothers, in collaboration with local digital expert Deeo.

Other visits included the One Centenary Way project in Birmingham by Sir Robert McAlpine (SRM). The first part of phase two of the Paradise development, this will overlook the transformed Centenary Square and, with its unique exposed steel frame, provide a visual gateway to Paradise and a new city landmark.

Gumble heard about the work SRM is doing around early adoption and implementation for the Building Safety Act. The tour took in the Perry Barr Regeneration Scheme, which aims to transform the area, enhancing infrastructure and providing homes. A highlight was meeting people working on the scheme under the Kickstart programme with Lendlease. ●

Academics win international award for research leadership

Work of two members of CIOB Safety SIG recognised

Professor Billy Hare and Dr Fred Sherratt, two members of CIOB’s Safety special interest group, have had their contribution to safety, health and wellbeing research acknowledged at an international conference in Melbourne, Australia.

The inaugural CIB Wim Bakens Best Coordinator Award was presented by the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB) at its triannual World Building Congress, hosted at RMIT University.

The CIB is a global network for exchange and cooperation in building and construction research and innovation. The award, is named after the recently retired CIB director general, Dr Wim Bakens.

Established in 1953 with United Nations assistance, the organisation holds special UN consultative status. It has over 40 research groups or ‘working commissions’, led by academics. Professor Hare and Dr Sherratt won the award for the working commission on Safety, Health and Wellbeing in Construction.

The award acknowledged the work of the group (as well as the People in Construction working commission with Professor Fidelis Emuze) in delivering two joint online conferences during the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, as well as engaging with CIB on research bids led by Professor Hare, and embedding the UN Sustainable Development Goals into the working commissions’ activities.