Wellington man Dermot shortlisted for UK construction honours

Wellington man Dermot shortlisted for UK construction honours

Hemel Hempstead, 3 September 2019 - A Wellington man has been shortlisted for the construction industry’s most prestigious prize – for his work on a major new building in Somerset. Dermot Parkinson, 52, who has lived in the West Country for almost 30 years and now lives in Wellington, has been shortlisted for the Construction Manager of the Year Awards (CMYA), for his work leading the construction of the UK Hydrographic Office.

The scheme was completed by BAM Construction in January. The 11,000 square metre new structure houses 850 UKHO employees and took 1,500 people over 700,000 hours to construct. The building has already proven highly successful winning awards from RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects), RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors) and Construction News’ project of the year award.

But it is the CMYA awards, known as the industry’s ‘Oscars’, that stand out because they are about individuals, and not the team. It poses an unusual challenge, says Dermot. ‘This industry is all about a large range of parties working together and our ability to collaborative effectively is what can distinguish success from failure. It goes against the grain for any of us to single ourselves out. The truth is that my time in Taunton building the UKHO was blessed by the fantastic partnership we formed with our client, partners and supply chain.’

Winning the award would be a career highlight, Dermot says. But his cv is impressive. He built Minehead Hospital and Bridgewater Police HQ, among many others in the West Country.

Jo Funnell, the scheme’s project manager for the UKHO, said: ‘Dermot had our best interests at heart going above and beyond his duties to ensure that we not only got a high quality, award winning building but that we were also confident to use through extensive training and aftercare. We thoroughly enjoyed working with him, the BAM team and their suppliers.’

Although the building – designed by AHR and Hydrock and with the involvement of Mace and a host of Somerset-based sub-contractors, was completed by BAM on time and to budget, the company’s philosophy is that it is not just what it builds, but how it builds it, that counts.

‘Every project we build, we look for the opportunity to add value. We ask, how can we use this opportunity to enhance lives, build careers, help young people learn, and assist the community? At UKHO we were able to provide work placements for 30 students at Bridgewater College, for example, develop several apprentices, and test out innovative well-being strategies to look after our people on site.’

Dermot is one of 12 finalists across the UK in the public and infrastructure category. One of them – Tony Richards from Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire – is a BAM colleague who led work an industrial facility for driverless cars and technology.

‘The awards are run by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) and are hugely popular, and many hundreds enter. Everybody wants to win a medal, which can be career enhancing.’

Dermot will only find out if he has won a silver or gold medal on the night of the awards, which are hosted at the Marriott Grosvenor House hotel in London on Wednesday 18 September.

Further information: Mark Slattery, Press and Media Manager, BAM Construct UK Ltd, 01442 238415.