Blogs

A note from our Director

As the year 2022 comes to an end, I want to share some of the great things that the LHC London and South East team have accomplished, and we also look to 2023 with the ambition to achieve even more extraordinary things by improving lives and places through the impact of our services to the community. Join us on this journey of reflection and I look forward to sharing even more exciting news with you in the new year as we continue to grow with the objective for a greater reach. Have a wonderful Christmas and a prosperous New Year.  

We Rise video

Our ADS framework focuses on diversity, inclusion, and good community engagement, so we worked with WE RISE to commission a film centred around young people interested in a career in architecture.

We wanted to find out the barriers to engagement, the benefits of engaging young people in architectural projects, and insight into how we can improve practice. 

Read the case study and watch the video by clicking here.

Award winners

LHC London South East and Southwark Council received the GO Awards UK National 'Social Value Award for Local Authorities' in May and the 'Social Innovation' award at the Social Value Awards earlier that month.  We were also shortlisted for the LGC and London Construction Awards.

The organisations were chosen because of the work to create more opportunities for diverse architect firms via the Architects Design Services (ADS1.1) framework. A large focus was to attract black-led practices at the micro-SME level, which traditionally miss out on public sector work. Click here to learn more about these fantastic awards.

Charity work

Naureen Ullah, our Client Support Manager, helped raise money for the charity Shelter, which was LHC’s nominated charity for the year. The charity supports people at risk of homelessness.

Naureen completed 10,000 steps throughout April for the cause. Click here to find out about her story and the cause.

Community Benefit Fund

At LHC, a key focus for us is social value. Therefore, we offer a Community Benefit Fund to support many incredible organisations that have used our frameworks. The fund enables us to give back to the community and create better places for residents to live and enjoy.

Click here to read some extraordinary community benefit case studies from this year.

So far this year, we have distributed £86,358 in community benefit funds through our partner Locality.

Creating awareness around Net Zero targets

With climate change being big on the agenda worldwide, we understand the importance of creating steps to a more sustainable future for the built environment. Therefore, we hosted a webinar to provide knowledge to local authorities and housing associations on securing the SHF and the PSDF. Click here to watch a repeat of the webinar.

Jennifer Castle, Director LSE, also created awareness by attending Homes UK and Unlock Net Zero 2022 as a panellist to discuss scaling up the green workforce to reach the 2050 target.

Some great projects

This year we have been able to work on some great projects. Here are a few examples:

Grovelands - Offsite Construction of New Homes (NH2)

The scheme utilised photovoltaic cells, and a part of it also used air source heat pumps to reduce energy bills and ensure the homes are as green as possible.

Any energy not used is sold back to the grid, and the money generated is used to pay for the cost of the works and future public projects in the borough.

Watford Estate – Windows and Doors (WD1)

Thrive homes used our Windows and Doors (WD1) framework to complete windows and doors on an estate in Watford. It impacted the residents in a very positive way. Hear what one of the residents who had their windows replaced had to say click here.

Little Ilford Secondary School - Modular Buildings (MB2)

The London Borough of Newham appointed M-AR through our modular build (MD2) framework to construct a new teaching block, SEND classroom block, and an extension to an existing sports hall and changing rooms to improve the environment whilst at school.

New frameworks

We welcomed some new frameworks which are now available to public sector companies:

New Build Housing Construction (H2)

Windows & Doors – PVC-U & Timber (WD2)

Kitchens and Associated Products (K7)

Multi-Disciplinary Consultancy Services (MDC1)

Fantastic feedback

Hearing great feedback from our clients about our service and the projects we have helped them complete makes us proud of our job. Here are just a few of the testimonials we have received this year.

“The project was delivered using a call off on the LHC RS4 framework. Procurement was straightforward and produced savings on time and costs with strong support throughout the process, the knowledge and expertise of the LHC team and suppliers proved invaluable.”

Hertsmere Borough Council – RS4 Framework

‘Procurement was dealt with quickly and professionally, thank you’

Hertfordshire County Council – PB3 Framework

‘Very responsive and helpful services from LHC’

Estuary Housing Association – FS1 Framework

‘Good Customer Service and Tenant Liaison by the appointed company - Aaron Services. Quick and efficient procurement by LHC team’

Hightown Housing Association Ltd   - N8 Framework

If you would like to hear more about any of these topics contact our LHC London and South East team.