CABE's Head of Technical Insight receives Honorary Fellowship

CABE's Head of Technical Insight, Dr Hywel Davies, has been recognised in the 2024 Façade Design and Engineering Awards.

At a ceremony last week in Old Billingsgate, London with an audience of more than 350 industry professionals, this year’s awards recognised outstanding achievements in façade engineering from around the world, spanning 16 categories that included sustainability, innovation, and technical excellence.

Hywel was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Society of Façade Engineering (SFE) in recognition of his outstanding commitment to the SFE and his significant contributions to the industry.

Having worked in the construction sector for almost 40 years, Hywel is an authority in the industry. Beginning his career at the Building Research Establishment (BRE), he spent over 25 years working at the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), leading on the development of numerous guidance titles. He received an Honorary Fellowship in 2023 in recognition of his contribution to CIBSE and to the wider industry.

'I have greatly enjoyed working with [the SFE] to raise awareness of the importance of façade engineers over many years'

Hywel has been active in British Standards development for 35 years. He has worked closely on building legislation, standards and industry guidance, including harmonised standards for construction products under the original Construction Products Directive (which became the Construction Products Regulation), working with former Government Chief Construction Adviser Paul Morrell on the 2023 review of construction product testing and certification.

As a leader within the built environment, Hywel currently chairs the BSI committee on Information Management and Data Exchange and is deputy chair of the Construction Industry Council Building Safety Committee. He serves as a member of the Building Advisory Committee of the Building Safety Regulator, having been the last chair of the Building Regulations Advisory Committee before its 2023 dissolution.

Commenting on his latest Honorary Fellowship, Hywel said: "I am honoured to receive this award from the Society. I have greatly enjoyed working with them to raise awareness of the importance of façade engineers over many years. This was given added importance by the Grenfell Tower tragedy and I am pleased that façade engineering professionals are now recognised by government and insurers for their very specific knowledge and expertise."

Hywel was appointed Head of Technical Insight at CABE earlier this year.