News

Houses of Parliament Restoration Project Reaches Finals in Constructing Excellence SECBE Awards

Walter Lilly were delighted to see the Chancellors Court and State Officers Court of our Palace of Westminster Courtyard Conservation project nominated as one of four finalists in the ‘Conservation and Restoration’ category of the 2020 Constructing Excellence SECBE Awards, as submitted by our conservation specialist subcontractor, DBR Limited. We were the main contractor on this project to carry out repairs to the building fabric of the Houses of Parliament and it was truly exciting to be a part of the team working on restoring this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Addressing the many fabric and structural issues, largely as a result of 170 years of accumulated atmospheric pollution and decay, the scope of works to the courtyards included the cleaning and repair of masonry, leaded coloured glass, lead and cast iron rainwater goods and lanterns, and bronze windows. Critically, this included identifying cleaning and repair methods and the specification of materials that were more appropriate to the building and current conservation approaches, and would inform similar work to subsequent courtyards. Priority was given to achieving robust repairs whilst conserving significant stonework, including carved ornaments. Following the successful completion of Chancellors Court and State Officers Court, we have been reappointed to carry out further repairs and conservation to another courtyard at the Houses of Parliament.

The annual Constructing Excellence SECBE Awards are in their 14th year, and recognise outstanding built environment companies and projects that have delivered improvements in all-round performance through collaborative working and a real desire to make a difference.

Congratulations to Unibail Rodamco Westfield and the entire project team who worked on Exhibition London, the winning project in the ‘Conservation and Restoration’ category! The winning projects in each category were announced in an online ceremony on 2 July 2020.

Our Courtyard Conservation project has also been recognised for its extensive restoration works and craftsmanship at the 2018 Stone Federation Natural Stone Awards, winning the Repair and Restoration award, and receiving a commendation for the Carving, Lettering and Sculpture category.

You can find out more about our Courtyard Conservation project on the Constructing Excellence Awards page.


Previous

COVID-19 Update

error: You may not copy this content