Lanes on course for success in the 3Rs

The Lanes Group has been shortlisted in two categories of the 3R Awards 2011. This is the second year of the honours, which were set up to celebrate design, engineering and construction excellence with a ‘refurb, rethink and retrofit’ focus.

A delighted Michelle Ringland, Lanes’ Business Development Manager, said that the Lanes case studies had been selected for their inventive approach:

“This is about projects which prolong the active life of buildings and infrastructure, through solutions which are preferable to new build. In both submissions, Lanes has ticked all the boxes.

“Our Manchester Metrolink project to strengthen the utility infrastructure has been shortlisted for the ‘Utility Facilities’ award. Thanks to our work, sewers are able to withstand the weight of the city’s trams so that the network can be extended for another 20-miles. To date, we have fortified around 5000-metres of the pipes using no-dig technology, thereby minimising disruption to traffic, businesses and the public.

“In the ‘Best Service Provider’ category, we have been shortlisted for rehabilitating a corroded pipebridge carrying a mainline sewer which had begun to leak raw waste into the watercourse below. An emergency response and creative remedial action by Lanes prevented this from becoming a serious pollution incident.”

EMAP, publisher of Architects’ Journal, Construction News and New Civil Engineer magazines, is behind the 3R programme.

“Retrofit and creative adaptation will be critical if we are to develop sustainable, long-term built environments,” AJ editorial director, Paul Finch, explained.

“These awards are a recognition and celebration of great projects already completed, and will promote exemplars across the construction industry.”

The 3R Awards winners will be announced at a presentation dinner in London on 10 November 2011.