Designer draws praise at awards ceremony

Award-winning designer Barri Evans has gone from trainee to employee of the year in just seven years working for house builder Redrow. At the tender age of 24, Barri scooped the top accolade at Redrow Homes’ (South Wales) annual awards ceremony. When the dad-of-one began working for the company in June 2000 he had little experience of the property design industry, having left school just two years previously to take up a position as an office junior.

Now he is a qualified designer with an impressive portfolio of developments under his belt after undertaking a four-year training course alongside his day-to-day work in Redrow’s technical department at their Cardiff head office.

His hard work was recognised by his fellow employees who nominated him for the coveted ‘employee of the year’ award earlier this year.

Barri, who lives in Cardiff city centre and has a three-year-old daughter, takes great pleasure in his work designing the layouts of Redrow’s brand new homes developments in South Wales.

He said: “I was shocked to win the award. I really wasn’t expecting it at all.

“It was great to know that I was nominated by my colleagues. I really like the job and the people I work with. I’m happy to come to work everyday.”

Barri is primarily based at Redrow’s head office on the Cardiff Gate Business Park but also visits Redrow’s new home sites across South Wales to research his designs.

He has drawn up the lay outs of some of Redrow’s most popular developments across the region, including Coed Castell and Dol Gorwel, in Bridgend, and Awel-Y-Mor and Cae Rebeca, in Swansea.

David Smith, managing director of Redrow Homes (South Wales), said: "Barri is a worthy winner of this award for his technical design skills, dedication to the job and hard work.

“The employee of the year award is recognition for those team members who go that extra mile in the job they do.”

Coed Castell is a stunning new development in a fantastic location – having the perfect balance of accessibility to towns and cities, whilst remaining close by the beautiful Welsh coastline. Situated in the village of Brackla, it features a range of apartments and houses, currently priced from £136,995 for a two-bedroom apartment up to £218,950 for a four-bedroom detached. All of the properties are designed and constructed to the highest specification and standards.

Dôl Gorwel, situated in the village of North Cornelly, is just four miles from the prestigious seaside resort of Porthcawl and six miles from the bustling town of Bridgend, with all its shops, bars and restaurants. As well as boasting a prime location, Dôl Gorwel features a host of elegant and stylish homes. A selection of three and four-bedroom homes are still available from £149,995 to £220,995. The development also features Redrow’s innovative Debut homes, aimed at first time buyers, with prices starting from £77,495 for a one-bedroom home.

Currently under construction, the Awel-y-Mor homes venture will eventually comprise of 115 new homes on a six-and-a-half acre site in Heol Las, Birchgrove – just moments from Swansea city with its array of shops, restaurants, pubs and cinema Grand Theatre and quaint maritime quarter.

The development will feature a variety of one, two, three and four-bedroom properties, including some stylish apartments and a wide selection of terraced, semi and detached houses. Initial prices range from £99,995 to £227,995 for a selection of one-bedroom apartments and two, three and four-bedroom homes, with the first homes ready for people to move in early next year.

Redrow’s Cae Rebeca development of 95 new homes will offer great opportunities for families, young professionals and downsizers, thanks to its mix of one and two-bedroom apartments and two, three and four and five-bedroom houses, which are due to be launched later this month.

For general information about Redrow and its properties – including Coed Castell, Dol Gorwel, Awel-y-Mor and Cae Rebeca visit Redrow.co.uk.