Business

Graham takes top prize for work on Belfast's Grand Central Hotel

Pictured at the awards are CEF president Ray Hutchinson (centre) with Graham duo Gareth Brown and Gary Holmes
Pictured at the awards are CEF president Ray Hutchinson (centre) with Graham duo Gareth Brown and Gary Holmes

HILLSBOROUGH-based Graham has taken the night's top accolade at the 2019 Construction Excellence Awards for its work on the iconic £53m Grand Central Hotel in Belfast.

Hosted by the Construction Employers Federation, the awards also recognised an additional 16 category winners from across the construction industry in Northern Ireland for excellence in general construction, housing, infrastructure and quality performance.

CEF managing director John Armstrong said: “Graham’s work in delivering the £53m project is an excellent example of how our local construction industry is pivotal to the development of so many important projects across a wide range of sectors in Northern Ireland each year.

“The judging panel were particularly impressed at how Graham dealt with a number of unforeseen issues during construction, including a requirement to hand over three months earlier than an already challenging completion date.

“Additionally, there were no reportable incidents with over one million man hours worked. The delighted client has a magnificent building that has transformed Belfast’s skyline.”

Mr Armstrong also commended each of the 16 category award winners for their success against what he described as a ‘time of ongoing political and economic uncertainty’ for the construction industry in Northern Ireland.

Now in their 20th year, the Construction Excellence Awards continue to go from strength to strength with this year seeing a record number of over 150 entries across all 16 categories.