CABE: officially a centenarian

The Association celebrated its 100th birthday on 12 September with a glamorous garden party at Stanbrook Abbey in Worcester.

CABE Members, academic and company partners, representatives from CABE’s presidential team and board, and HQ staff were in attendance to mark this wonderful milestone. The abbey was beautifully decorated with fresh flowers and showcased a fascinating exhibition detailing the Association’s history since its 1925 inception.

Following a toastmaster’s grand introduction, guests ate, mingled and made merry to the soundtrack of a classical string quartet and harpist. They also had the opportunity to take home a permanent memory of the celebration, courtesy of two caricaturists who immortalised attendees throughout the afternoon!

CABE Digital Library

During the festivities, it was announced that, in recognition of its history, CABE has a digital library in the early stages of development. The idea is to build a lasting legacy, with the library hosting key Association publications and an archive of Building Engineer journals all the way back to 1926, when the first issue was printed. More information on the progression of the digital library will follow in due course − make sure to keep an eye on CABE’s social media channels and newsletters for updates.

Honorary Fellowships

It was a pleasure to award two recipients with an Honorary Fellowship during proceedings.  

This accolade is awarded to individuals who, by reason of their position or eminence in the arts, sciences or literature, or their experience in matters relating to the built environment, have made a significant contribution to the advancement of the construction industry.

The first to receive their Honorary Fellowship on the day was Hanna Clarke, Digital and Policy Manager at the Construction Products Association (CPA). Hanna sits on the Industry Response Group, helping to steer actions for making existing buildings safer in the wake of the Grenfell disaster.

She works closely with the UK government, the Building Safety Regulator and the Office for Product Safety and Standards, as well as being part of several BSI standards committees. Hanna is dedicated to delivering real change in the industry; her work is integral to ensuring that the standards by which buildings are built and maintained meet the highest safety expectations.

The second recipient was an experienced project professional who has delivered many  complex projects and programmes throughout her career. Gill Hancock, Head of Technical Content for the Association for Project Management (APM), designed and developed the APM chartered standard and was responsible for the development of the first ever project management apprenticeship in the UK.

Her drive to ensure competence and to establish further opportunities for professional development make her a worthy recipient of CABE’s Honorary Fellowship.

Many congratulations to both Gill and Hanna, and huge thanks to all our guests for joining us in Worcester.

The Association would also like to thank Alison Lodge, HR & Executive Support Lead, and Kirri Porter-White, Head of Competence and Learning, for their sterling efforts in organising the event, and to Tamara Porter-White, freelance archivist, and Maya Bullock, Digital Graphic Designer, for creating the fantastic exhibition displays.

Other centennial celebrations throughout 2025

HQ to HK

The Association has been commemorating its 100th birthday all year. 

HQ staff have been fundraising since January for UK-based charity Shelter and Ireland-based Cork University Hospital by walking the equivalent miles from Lutyens House in Northampton to the Kong Kong office in Kowloon. We achieved our target of (over) 6,000 miles by the end of August and raised a total of just over £300 for both charities – our thanks to all who donated to these great causes.

Asia Pacific Region 

CABE Members from across the Asia Pacific region kick-started festivities in Hong Kong in May with a cocktail reception officiated by the Guest of HKSAR Honour Director of Buildings Mr. CH Ho. CABE Past President Richard Flynn, CABE CEO Richard Harral and Membership Director Sharon Spice were in attendance, celebrating alongside local CABE Members, over 100 senior HKSAR officials, heads of allied institutes, industry leaders and representatives from local academic partners.

Building Engineer 
 
The Building Engineer journal ran a series of special features which took it in turns to focus on a particular issue from every decade of CABE’s existence, culminating in a review of the first ever copy published in October 1926. The articles highlighted what was happening for both CABE and the construction industry at the time, with some ruminations on the state of the built environment today in comparison.

CABE Animations

The Association commissioned a local video production company to develop two brand new animations, a first for the Association. The animations explore who CABE is as a professional body and looks at what professional membership actually means. They also look at the membership journey, explaining all the different membership options and how our membership grades support career development. 

You can watch ‘Who We Are’ at cbuilde.com/who_we_are and Membership Journey at cbuilde.com/why_join 


Association History

We also now have a historic timeline presentation, all of which is content that will serve us well in reaching new audiences and highlighting the variety of membership and registration options available through CABE.

Take a look at the timeline at cbuilde.com/who_we_are

 

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Thank you

CABE would like to offer heartfelt thanks for the commitment and support from all our members, academic and company partners; our regional committee members; those who serve on the CABE Board; our governance and expert panels and advisory committees; our panel assessors and interviewers and all those who have collaborated with us for the greater good of the built environment over the past 100 years.

Richard Harral, CABE CEO: “Whilst there is much about our industry that CABE’s founding members would still recognise today, the coming decades are likely to see unprecedented change as new technologies transform the way we work, and as we adapt to the challenge of climate change whilst ensuring equity and safety in the built environment. CABE is well placed to respond to such challenges, and I hope that in 100 years’ time, our successors will be able to look back with the same pride in our Association that we have today.”