Date: 2nd February 2023

Upcoming event: Measuring and Reducing Embodied Carbon in Construction

Curtins and guests, Scottish Futures Trust, present
Measuring and Reducing Embodied Carbon in Construction

Wednesday 29th March, 9am – 12pm
The Place Hotel, 34-36 York Place, Edinburgh

At this live panel event, learn how Curtins are measuring and reducing embodied carbon emissions, whilst harnessing the digital space and technologies.

We will be joined by guest speakers, Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) who are leading the embodied carbon targets within the Scottish Government’s Learning Estate Investment Programme.

Register here

More about the event

49% of the UK’s annual carbon emissions are attributed to buildings and the construction industry, and over the next 40 years 230 billion square metres of new construction is expected to be built (LETI, 2020).

A huge commitment is required from the UK construction industry through reducing carbon emissions of our construction projects and through government legislation to help keep our planet from heating over 1.5 degrees.

Join us at The Place Hotel in Edinburgh for a live panel event and opportunity to hear from Curtins, on how we are measuring and reducing their embodied carbon emissions; and utilising the digital space to maximise our impact.

Also hear from Scottish Futures Trust on their standards and their key drivers. Curtins has signed up to the IStructE Engineer’s Declare and will present how we are working on live projects to achieve SFT targets.

Complimentary tea, coffee and breakfast will be included in the free admission.

Date: 2nd February 2023

We’re partnering with Alzheimer’s Research UK for 2023

Our staff pledge to support ground-breaking dementia research

We are proud to announce that we will be supporting Alzheimer’s Research UK as our nominated Curtins Care Charity of the Year. Over the course of 2023, we will aim to raise at least £15,000 to help fund the charity’s dedicated work towards the treatment, diagnosis, prevention and cure of dementia.

Alzheimer’s Research UK is committed to changing the lives of everyone affected by dementia. Without action, one in three people born today will develop dementia in their lifetime, and sadly there are currently no treatments available in the UK today to slow or stop dementia. The charity supports scientific research into life-changing discoveries to prevent, treat and, one day, cure the diseases that cause dementia.

Last year, Curtins raised a total of £18,672.89 for Cancer Research UK, and we are hoping to achieve a similar target for the year ahead with Alzheimer’s Research UK.

In addition, and to help encourage fundraising activity, we provide every member of staff with the opportunity to spend a day in aid of charitable endeavours, either fundraising or donating their time. In previous years, this has included painting facilities at Samaritans’ centres, gardening for Marie Curie hospices, or taking part in cycle rides.

The charity partnership was officially launched across our offices on Wednesday 1st February.

Rob Melling, Chief Executive at Curtins comments: “Our mission will always be to positively impact the communities we serve, with an ethos that has shaped the work we have done since we were founded in 1960. In truth, it wouldn’t matter if we were still just one office in our Liverpool hometown, or the 14 offices we have grown to today – our purpose continues to encourage our staff to do more to support those around us.

“As a business, we have proudly partnered with dozens of worthy charities over the years, raising more than £90,000 in the past 5 years alone.

“Our team are always keen to support our charity partners, and other charities close to their hearts, in any way they can. In past years they’ve done everything from Mad Hatter’s Tea Parties and bold (or should I say bald) head shaves, to marathons and office walks. We are all looking forward to this year’s plan of events and activities, and supporting the incredible work of Alzheimer’s Research UK.”

Hilary Evans, Chief Executive at Alzheimer’s Research UK comments: “We’re thrilled to see Curtins choose to support Alzheimer’s Research UK, and we can’t wait to see how they raise funds and awareness to help bring us closer to life-changing dementia treatments. Dementia is one of the biggest health challenges we face, with almost one million people in the UK living with dementia right now. Despite this, there are no treatments available in the UK to slow or stop the diseases that cause dementia. The support from everyone at Curtins is vital if we’re to make the life-changing discoveries that people with dementia desperately need.”

For more information about Alzheimer’s Research UK, visit www.alzheimersresearchuk.org.

Date: 10th January 2023

Rebecca King shortlisted in Northern Power Awards

We’re immensely proud that Rebecca King MCIPD MBA, our Board Director responsible for Learning & Development, has been shortlisted for Levelling Up Leader in the Northern Power Women awards.

Rebecca is at the forefront of delivering the training and development opportunities that enable our staff to achieve their professional goals, and her enduring effort to deliver the best in terms of diversity and inclusion continues to make waves.

We know there will be a lot of people rooting for her. Rebecca sits on committees for both the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE), and is an active member of the CIPD Merseyside and North Cheshire branch to boot.

We’re looking forward to supporting her at the awards ceremony on 20th March.

Date: 15th December 2022

Curtins signs the Yorkshire & Humber Climate Action Pledge

We have proudly become signatories on the Climate Action Pledge for Yorkshire and Humber. It is the first regional pledge of its kind in the UK to require businesses and organisations to make a commitment across four areas of action: becoming climate resilient; reducing carbon emissions; enhancing nature and biodiversity

Its aim is to help the region become “climate ready,” and is a commitment to tackling the climate and ecological emergency.

The Pledge has been developed by the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission, an independent body set up to support and guide ambitious climate action in the region, and we are pleased to be able to support its aim of achieving net zero.

You can read more about the Climate Action Pledge at www.climateactionpledge.org.uk

Date: 28th November 2022

Welcome to our new team members in Cardiff

We would like to extend a warm welcome to our new starters in our growing Cardiff office. Jeremy Kent, Richard Sambrook and Sarah G. join our expanding team as we excitedly await the opening of our new office premises in Cardiff’s city centre.

Jeremy joins as Associate, Richard as Principal Engineer, and Sarah as Graduate Engineer. As an Employee Owned Trust and Investors in People Platinum accredited company, our people are at our very core. Our new starters in Cardiff will benefit from professional development opportunities via our formal training programmes, that include the Curtins Graduate Academy and STEP Ahead for senior leaders.

It continues to be an exciting time for our team in Wales. The office is working on a number of prestigious projects including Pentre Awel for Bouygues Construction, the Pathology unit at Morriston hospital for Kier, a state-of-the-art Satellite Radiotherapy Unit at Nevill Hospital for Kier, Aeron Valley Primary School for Wynne, Canolfan Lleu for Faithful+Gould and the Cardiff University Healthcare Relocation Project with AECOM.

Business Unit Director in Cardiff, Dean Saxton comments, “Having worked with Curtins in Cardiff for 7 years now, I’ve seen Curtins continue to grow and make its mark in the region. Whilst the past couple of years have brought outside challenges, Curtins have continued to evolve by ensuring our core values remain central to our business.

“The last couple of years have seen us transition to an Employee Owned Trust, putting our people at the heart of the business. We continue to lead in carbon reduction and MMC innovation, with continual improvements made to our carbon toolkits. We have also developed our Civils Insight programme, which raises awareness to our future graduates on the importance of Sustainable Drainage Systems, as well as the impact of climate change on future flood risk to our communities.

“I am confident and excited about Curtins’ future in Wales and very pleased to welcome Jeremy, Richard, and Sarah to our team. They are sure to strengthen our offering to the Welsh market.”

We also look forward to welcoming Yazdi Batki IEng MCIHT as a Principal Civil Engineer, joining our Civils team in December.

Date: 13th October 2022

The latest Billboard from our CDM and H&S Consultancy Service team

The latest issue of Curtins’ Billboard newsletter is here with a spotlight on our CDM and Health & Safety Consultancy service.

The Billboard features a look at The Building Safety Act 2022, CDM 2015 and news from across our teams regionally.

Click here to read the Billboard for Yorkshire and the North East

Click here to read the Billboard for the North West

Click here to read the Billboard for London and the South East

For more information on our CDM and Health & Safety Consultancy Service, click here.

Date: 12th October 2022

Curtins signs the Menopause Workplace Pledge

Curtins is taking action to tackle the issues of the menopause without stigma, judgement or reluctance in the workplace, and create an inclusive workplace where open discussions around the menopause are normalised.

We have signed The Menopause Workplace Pledge in commitment to ensure all those experiencing the impact of the menopause feel well informed, respected and supported whilst at work.

In signing the Menopause Workplace Pledge, we have committed to:

• Recognising that the menopause can be an issue in the workplace and women need support
• Talking openly, positively and respectfully about the menopause
• Actively supporting and informing your employees affected by the menopause

For more information on the Pledge, click here.

Date: 11th October 2022

Curtins joins the CIHT Diversity and Inclusion Charter

In continuation of our commitment to fostering inclusive and diverse workplaces, reflective of the communities we serve, we are proud to have signed the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation’s (CIHT) Diversity and Inclusion Charter.

We are stronger together. By signing the Charter and joining dozens of our industry colleagues, we will collectively work to support the development of good diversity and inclusion practice across the sector.

We value diversity and respect all differences in all people and becoming a signatory to the CIHT Charter is our open commitment to fulfilling our purpose.

For more information on the Charter, please click here.

Date: 8th June 2022

Curtins has been shortlisted at the Ground Engineering Awards 2022

We are pleased to make the announcement that we have been shortlisted at the Ground Engineering Awards for the category UK Project with a Geotechnical Value of between £500k and £1M.   

 The Ground Engineering Awards brings together the leaders in the industry to celebrate achievements in terms of projects, people and businesses, and seeks to recognise and highlight the successes across ground engineering.   

 Our entry was judged by a panel of five industry experts before it was shortlisted for the category. In early July, we will be giving a presentation in front of a judging panel of industry experts for our project, which is Kingston Community School.   

 In the construction of Kingston Community School, we were responsible for the management and co-ordination of the geotechnical and engineering activities, which were adjacent to a Network Rail Embankment. Our role in its construction included a geotechnical review of all foundation works and propping, monitoring of the embankment throughout the project, and site supervision as well as liaison with Network Rail throughout the construction process.  

 To find out more information about the Ground Engineering Awards 2022, follow the link below or speak to David Hammond or Andy Smith who are based in the London Office. 

 https://awards.geplus.co.uk/gea/en/page/home 

Date: 30th May 2022

Curtins has been shortlisted at the Insider Wales Property Awards 2022

We are delighted to announce that we have been shortlisted at the Insider Wales Property Awards for the Consultancy category.  

The Wales Property Awards highlight the top developments and deals, and the people, companies and professional firms that made them happen.  

In the awards entry, we proudly highlighted Curtins becoming an Employee-Owned Trust and we showcased some of our key schemes in Wales; 

• Pentre Awel  
• Swansea Health and Wellbeing Centre 
• Ysgol Cedewain   

The awards ceremony where the winners of all of the categories will be announced is set to take place at Cardiff City Hall on the 23rd June 2022.

You can find out more information about the Wales Property Awards 2022 here: 

https://www.insidermedia.com/news/wales/property-awards-shortlists-unveiled