Willmott Dixon people took top honours at the construction industry’s equivalent to the Oscars, which recognises the nation’s best project managers.

There were two golds and five silver medals for the company’s finalists at the 2020 Construction Manager of the Year Awards (CMYA), hosted by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB). These annual awards are a highlight of the year with nine different categories, and saw Willmott Dixon’s people pick up nearly half of all available medals.

Categories that are our won medals in:

GOLD MEDALLIST IN 2020 | LEISURE

TAMESIDE WELLNESS CENTRE, DENTON

JAMIE BEARD

Jamie Beard’s precision planning brought in this leisure centre eight weeks early, within budget, and not just defect-free but with the quality feel of a superior private gym. He balanced the needs of three demanding stakeholders and introduced a new type of stainless steel pool construction that cut installation time. His embrace of digital technologies was so successful that the facility operator sold 800 new memberships before opening on the back of his virtual-reality walkthrough solution.

GOLD MEDALLIST IN 2020 | PUBLIC AND INFRASTRUCTURE

THE BOX, PLYMOUTH HISTORY CENTRE

KRISTIAN CARTWRIGHT

Kristian triumphantly brought in what grew from a local museum upgrade to an international visitor attraction outside the traditional major project heartland. He delivered quality with humble materials by applying joinery-grade tolerances and finishes on elements and junctions rarely benefitting from such attentions. He used his rich experience of heritage and conservation work to forestall problems such as hanging 14 hefty ships’ figureheads from a fire-rated slab without compromising it or breaking the project finances.

SILVER MEDALLIST IN 2020 | PRIMARY EDUCATION

WATER ORTON PRIMARY SCHOOL, BIRMINGHAM

THOMAS PRINCE

Thomas met the imposing challenge of poor ground conditions for this school scheme through hard work and ingenuity. His cement-stabilisation of the ground avoided the cost and community disruption of trucking 9,000 cubic metres of soil off site. His use of steel-tube piling captured further cost and time savings. And his ability to progress beam-and-block flooring as the critical-path roofing activity went on above delivered programme, budget and a defect-free build to a very satisfied client.

SILVER MEDALLIST IN 2020 | SCHOOLS

HARRIS ACADEMY SUTTON, SURREY

GRAHAM THOMPSON

The bespoke, high-value, complex construction project is no stranger to failure. But on the biggest school project in Europe to achieve the ultra-exacting Passivhaus low-energy standard, Graham Thompson delivered not just on time and on budget but also to the highest possible quality for a delighted customer. Pragmatic, disciplined and strategic, he engaged with the stakeholders to buy into the goal. Without shying away from difficult conversations, he ensured a no-blame collaborative culture.

SILVER MEDALLIST IN 2020 | LEISURE

NEW ADDINGTON LEISURE AND COMMUNITY CENTRE, CROYDON

NICK STOYLES

Nick Stoyles delivered a defect-free leisure centre six weeks early to a client for whom deadline was as crucial as cost and quality. He saved the client millions by cantilevering the frame over a problematic soakaway and folding a housing subproject into the main build. His extensive research into reported defects on leisure centres and tapping of the experience of the supply chain and other construction managers underpinned a quality that client and operator were delighted with.

SILVER MEDALLIST IN 2020 | PUBLIC AND INFRASTRUCTURE

THE FUTURIST, DEMOLITION AND STABILISATION, SCARBOROUGH

RUSS PARKS

There is nothing straightforward about demolishing a building holding a 40m-high cliff in place, in a prime sea front location and surrounded by homes and businesses. Russ Parks overcame the ferocious technical difficulties by improvising and adapting. Just as important was his ability to keep his head – particularly when ground sensors revealed movement within the entire cliff slope during the post-demolition construction of the main retaining wall. His successful leadership of this taxing project won the client’s utmost respect.

SILVER MEDALLIST IN 2020 | HEALTHCARE

NURSING AND MIDWIFERY COUNCIL HEADQUARTERS, STRATFORD, LONDON

LEWIS BLAKE

In delivering an aggressively paced office fit-out in a fully occupied building that was busy seven days a week, Lewis made no missteps. With the completion date unmovable, his value engineering was all about ensuring items were on site when required, with any cost savings a bonus. He combined good communication, impeccable management and just-in-time deliveries with an unswerving focus on risk reduction in the procurement and the construction.