- Gold winner: Jamie Beard MCIOB
- Willmott Dixon
- Project: Tameside Wellness Centre, Denton, Manchester
- Scope: Construction of two-storey leisure centre, completed in 63 weeks
- Client: Network Space
- Contract: JCT D&B 2016
- Value: £11.5m
Jamie Beard’s experience of swimming pool construction was invaluable on this leisure centre job. He spent £90,000 upfront rather than the budgeted £25,000 to ensure the waterproofing system was designed, installed and warranted by the same contractor. The move ensured no subsequent rectification of the pool slab waterproofing was required, an issue on his previous schemes.
Rather than building a traditional in-situ concrete tank for the pool, he cut installation time by putting in a prefabricated stainless steel structure imported from Italy. Using his experience, he positioned the super-large water balance tanks outside the building rather than under the pool surround to avoid a potentially tricky insertion operation.
Beard also changed the pool slab depth from 600mm to 225mm on top of piles, saving cost and time, reducing the amount of concrete and rebar required, and derisked the waterproofing solution.
When the pool hall roof arrived on site from Germany with unperforated steel decking, he achieved the required sound dampening by placing acoustic panels on the pool hall walls instead. And even with £500,000 of additional works to incorporate, he still delivered eight weeks early and within budget.
Beard’s digital innovation, which included virtual reality walkthroughs for stakeholders, helped the operator sell 800 memberships before opening.
- Silver winner: Nick Stoyles
- Willmott Dixon (now CIRC Construction Management)
- Project: New Addington Leisure and Community Centre, Croydon
- Scope: Construction of leisure and community centre, completed in 113 weeks
- Client: Croydon Council
- Contract: NEC 3 option A
- Value: £33m
Nick Stoyles completed a defect-free leisure centre six weeks early for 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 his high-quality delivery.
Other finalists:
Theresa McErlean MCIOB
Heron Bros, Ards Blair Mayne Wellbeing & Leisure Complex, Newtownards
Danni Oliveira MCIOB
WRW Construction, Travelodge, Chippenham
Jonathan Roberts MCIOB
Vinci Construction UK, Barton Square, Manchester
Paul Turner MCIOB
Vinci Construction UK, Time Square, Warrington
