20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS

A distinguished cross-section of the construction industry in South Wales joined Welsh Civil & Structural Engineers
C D Gray & Associates at their offices in Pentwyn on Friday 20th May 2011 to celebrate twenty years of the company’s success in beating the recession in the Construction Industry in Wales.

Architects, Surveyors, Contractors, Accountants, Solicitors and the Banking fraternity were amongst those who enjoyed a hog roast and traditional cider from The Cider Wagon as part of the celebrations.

Chairman Chris Gray said “It is a tribute to our staff that most of our work comes from repeat business and this has helped us, as a small independent Welsh Consultancy, to not only survive but flourish over the last twenty years.  Although based in South Wales where most of our work takes place, we have successfully expanded into the rest of the UK and have completed projects in Germany, Ghana and the Czech Republic.”

Notable projects in the past where the company has acted as civil and structural design engineers include the Welsh Assembly Headquarters in Merthyr, the new Magistrates Court complex in Port Talbot and the exciting new Severn Quay development in Chepstow for Wynndel Properties.

The company also list Welsh based companies such as Castleoak Care Homes, Cardiff Airport, Persimmon Homes, Alun Griffiths (Contractors), Walters (UK), Vinci, Semlogistics, Dow Corning, Paramount Interiors, Penn Pharmaceutical, T R Jones and Encon Construction amongst its core clients.

20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS

A distinguished cross-section of the construction industry in South Wales joined Welsh Civil & Structural Engineers
C D Gray & Associates at their offices in Pentwyn on Friday 20th May 2011 to celebrate twenty years of the company’s success in beating the recession in the Construction Industry in Wales.

Architects, Surveyors, Contractors, Accountants, Solicitors and the Banking fraternity were amongst those who enjoyed a hog roast and traditional cider from The Cider Wagon as part of the celebrations.

Chairman Chris Gray said “It is a tribute to our staff that most of our work comes from repeat business and this has helped us, as a small independent Welsh Consultancy, to not only survive but flourish over the last twenty years.  Although based in South Wales where most of our work takes place, we have successfully expanded into the rest of the UK and have completed projects in Germany, Ghana and the Czech Republic.”

Notable projects in the past where the company has acted as civil and structural design engineers include the Welsh Assembly Headquarters in Merthyr, the new Magistrates Court complex in Port Talbot and the exciting new Severn Quay development in Chepstow for Wynndel Properties.

The company also list Welsh based companies such as Castleoak Care Homes, Cardiff Airport, Persimmon Homes, Alun Griffiths (Contractors), Walters (UK), Vinci, Semlogistics, Dow Corning, Paramount Interiors, Penn Pharmaceutical, T R Jones and Encon Construction amongst its core clients.

Chepstow's £40 million riverbank revamp to go ahead

A CONTROVERSIAL plan for a £40 million redevelopment of Chepstow’s riverbank was approved by councillors.
Monmouthshire County Council’s planning committee gave the go-ahead to the 2.4-hectare site at Lower Church Street, which will include 56 houses, 113 flats, eight office units, a café and a riverside walkway with a lookout deck over the River Wye.
Approval was also given for the demolition of the Osborn International factory and Furniture Smart buildings where the development will be located.
Chepstow Properties Ltd. owns the land currently occupied by Osborn International and believes the development will rejuvenate the riverbank, transforming it into a promenade attractive to tourists and locals.
Provision has been made for 34 affordable homes, 267 parking spaces, a play area and a courtyard and lawn to be used as a public space.
Building heights range from four-storey apartment blocks to two-storey houses and the site will be accessed from Lower Church Street and The Back.
The site is currently under threat of flooding.  C D Gray & Associates completed an extensive Flood Consequences Assessment which was approved by the Environment Agency which resulted in the proposed development being elevated to 60cm above the projected 200-year flood level for 2048, which would protect it for more than 200 years beyond 2048.  

Paris in Spring - by bike from Radyr

After 1000 miles of training and countless punctures in the Welsh hills and rain, finally the big day arrived and five mad cyclists (Chris Gray, Graham Juniper, Andy Quick, Justin Robinson and John Roll), under the team name of “Blazing Saddles”, set off for an early morning appointment at the Radyr Golf Club, Cardiff on a sponsored cycle to Paris to raise money for Tenovous.
Radyr Chain would like to thank Gullivers Truck Hire, Ryeford Cleaning Services and CD Gray and Associates for their generous assistance with the project. The final amount raised was just over £10,000.

Show us what you’ve got

Construction in Wales is booming. At Constructing Excellence in Wales we want to celebrate the very best of Welsh construction because we are proud of the industry's achievements.
More importantly, Welsh construction received two of the nine awards available at Constructing Excellence's first National Awards for the construction sector - one of which was the best of the best category, so we feel that we are justified in having something to shout about. Everyone who took part in the Awards in 2007 enjoyed the process and reaped the benefits.

Mark Watkin Jones, group managing director said “Watkin Jones and Son were delighted to have won the Leadership & People Development Award. We have invested heavily in training and development over the last six years and this has resulted in year-on-year increase in turnover and profitability. The Award has allowed us to increase our profile and has certainly assisted us in recruiting new staff.

Chris Gray, managing director of C D Gray & Associates, won The Achievers Award for creating a lasting legacy with his ‘bridge’ projects for schools.“
The idea came to me when I was the chairman of ICE in Wales last year,” explained Chris Gray. “We were determined to ensure that children, parents and teachers learned about the role of an engineer and what a positive contribution construction makes to our society. So, we decided to build a bridge.
The awards are open to all organisations and project teams involved in delivering construction and contributing to the built environment in Wales, whether they are developers, clients, contractors, specialist and sub-contractors, members of the design team or other consultants.

A September start date for Trago Mills

A MULTI–MILLION–POUND shopping and leisure development in the Valleys is moving a step closer to reality.
The contractor will be announced at the end of this month for the £36m Trago Mills project on the former Heolgerrig brickworks site at Swansea Road, Merthyr Tydfil, which promises to create around 350 new jobs.
Work is anticipated to start on site in September and to be completed by December, 2009.
The site has already undergone a £12m preparation scheme involving earthworks and a major remediation scheme.Ten flat areas of land have been created to house the 200,000sq ft of shops, plus leisure attractions including a boating lake and karting track, wildlife area, outdoor and indoor play areas, a restaurant, warehousing, offices, a petrol station and car parking.

Chris Gray, managing director of civil engineering consultants CD Gray & Associates, which has been involved in the project from the start, said it continues to be a complex and exciting development.
“We are now flying ahead,” he said. “There has been a gap between the reclamation scheme and construction of the store. We now have a shortlist of four contractors.

“We are looking forward to working with the chosen contractor throughout the construction stage to deliver this significant project.”
The development has been designed by architects Studio Winter, who will also manage the project.
Robert Winter said: “The Trago Mills development will greatly benefit Merthyr Tydfil.
“It will be a destination of choice, bringing investment to the area and providing local jobs.
“Studio Winter is committed to delivering this project within the specified timescale and to a high standard and looks forward to collaborating with the chosen contractor.”
The shortlisted contractors to build the complex are Carillion, Interserve, Kier and Vinci PLC (Stradform).

Going Places

Chris Gray of C D Gray & Associates has won a spirit of Telford Award from the ICE, which is presented to individuals who have shown outstanding achievement in demonstrating the value of engineering knowledge. Gray was recognised for his work with the Bridge for Schools Project in Wales, designed to help raise awareness of the civil engineering profession among schoolchildren.

Wonderful Welsh Winners

At the ICE Awards Ceremony held on 5 October 2007 at One Great George Street, Welsh projects and people were winners in no less than four different award categories. 2006 -07 President Quentin Leiper presented them with their awards. He is pictured with all the Welsh winners who were presented at the ceremony.
The Communications Competition, to help younger engineers develop their public speaking and presentation skills, was won by a team from ARUP, Cardiff. The team members were Robin Campbell, Mark Cooper, Suffiya Hussan, Barbara Modrzejewska-Baudin and Nikki Stockbridge.
The John Henry Garrood King Medal for the best paper published by ICE on tunnels, soil mechanics or bridges was won by Elfin Williams for his paper titled ‘St Paul’s Footbridge, Ebbw Vale, Wales – Landmark Structure’. A group from Cardiff University won the Robert Alfred Carr Prize, Which is awarded for the best paper published by ICE, preferably on the subjects of dock and marine works, rail and transport systems or gas engineering. The Authors of the paper ‘Integrating 1D and 2D Hydrodynamic Models for Flood Simulation’ were Konrad Adams, Professor Roger Falconer, Dr Binliang Lin, John M Wicks.
The three Welsh recipients of the President’s Spirit of Telford Awards for outstanding achievement were Ian Flower of Mott Macdonald, Chris Gray of C D Gray and Associates and Chris Jofeh of University of Glamorgan.

Giant Steps for Welsh Golfers

It was 16 years ago that a team of golfers from Wales travelled to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland and eventually managed to capture the Thomas Telford Trophy for the first and only time.
As it was some time ago that Wales last hosted the event – 15 years ago at Royal Porthcawl – the national organisers asked if Wales would like to bid to host the 2009 competition. Honoured to have been asked, ICE Wales has set up a small committee and has chose Chris Gray of C D Gray and Associates to be their chairman, to look into the viability of bringing this prestigious tournament to the Celtic Manor in 2009, the year before the Ryder Cup.

Civil engineers appoint three new directors

CARDIFF-BASED independent civil engineering consultancy, C D Gray & Associates, has made three key senior promotions.
Clare Cooke, Steve McCarthy and Darren Sparkes have become directors. Previously associated with the firm, their new responsibilities will include overseeing major projects and further developing the firm’s services to clients.

Ms Cooke Graduated in 1996 with a first-class honours degree in architectural engineering.
She currently manages various civil engineering projects, including the £13m reclamation scheme for Trago Mills at Merthyr Tydfil.
Mr Sparkes has over 16 years experience as a civil and structural engineer.
He currently works on a broad range of significant projects throughout the UK and will drive the company’s building structures work.

Mr McCarthy has over 20 years experience as a civil engineer in both local authority and consultancy environments.
Managing director Chris Gray said “I am delighted to announce the well-deserved promotions of three of our rising stars.”
“Clare, Steve and Darren are the next generation of leadership at C D Gray and represent the very best that the engineering profession has to offer.”

Achievers award 2007 – Winner: C D Gray & Associates – Bridge for Schools

C D Gray is the winner of this award because we believe they are leaving a legacy. In physical terms there is the Bridge for Schools itself; there was strong collaboration between industry and schools which is vital for the long term reputation of construction; and in terms of people, the business made a connection with staff, school children, students, public, companies and professional bodies.

Their approach has been recognized by others and is not just acknowledged as innovative, but has been replicated as well. Their work has gone a long way to change the perception and image of the construction industry and also to secure respect for its outputs. It is worth stressing that C D Gray did not have a business case for these actions, but the fantastic results and feedback clearly are justification enough. The judges regarded their approach as inspirational.

Staggering Success for Radyr 3 Peaks Team

On the weekend of 17th/18th June, Graham Juniper, Eddie Allen, Chris Gray, Andy Quick and John Roll, ably assisted by driver – caterers Mike Coe and John Ferrier passed the 3 Peaks test with flying colors. In the process, more than £8000 was raised for Tenovus, and the team would like to thank all who have supported the walk (or was it climb?) so generously.
In fact the team, collectively known as ‘We Peaked Too Soon’, were one of only two teams out of 80 which entered who managed to ascend and descend the 3 peaks of Snowdon, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis within 24 hours.

President Launches ICE Wales Bridge to Schools

A brand new project to introduce children to Civil Engineering was launched by ICE Wales on Monday 19 June 2006. Thirty pupils from Year 6 at Oakfield Primary School, St Mellons, near Cardiff donned fluorescent jackets and hard hats to build a 15-metre long bridge watched by Gordon Masterton, the ICE President. On completion, the pupils, accompanied by the President and ICE Wales Chairman Chris Gray, tested their work by walking across the bridge. The pupils were helped in their task by graduate engineers employed at local firms.
The ‘ICE Wales Bridge to Schools’ is a cable-stayed bridge and was built for ICE Wales by the University of Glamorgan’s Centre for Engineering, Research & Environmental Applications.

David Pedwell, Headmaster of Oakfield School, said “We were delighted to host the launch of this bridge. At Oakfield we are very enthusiastic about encouraging pupils to appreciate and enjoy the design and technology parts of the curriculum. The ICE Bridge does exactly that.”

Explaining why ICE Wales commissioned the bridge, Chris Gray, Chairman of ICE Wales, said, “The current skills shortage is a major cause for concern throughout our profession. This bridge is a new and exciting part of ICE Wales’ strategy to make children more aware of the some of things that engineers do and hopefully open their eyes to the possibility of a career in civil engineering.”ICE Wales now intends to take the bridge to schools throughout the country. Interest is great and there is already talk of a second bridge specifically for North Wales. AMEC and CITB Construction Skills are supporting the initiative. Denys Morgan, Manager for Wales ICE, said of their support, "The skills issue affects everyone in our industry. It is a mark of the significance of this issue that both a major contractor and CITB Construction Skills have seen fit to support us. ICE