Project manager/construction manager of the Year

Winner: Mace

Mace prides itself on going the extra mile for its clients. In 2007 its construction management team won at least one new commission every month, managed £900m worth of projects and continued to deliver some of the most challenging consultancy and construction projects across the world.

It has expanded its services which now encompass the entire built environment lifecycle, from development management and project scope through to completion, fit-out and facilities management. The innovative approach and integrated services on offer mean clients enjoy extra certainty and choice. Since its inception it has grown from a boutique business to a global multidisciplinary consultant and construction group, now tackling such mammoth projects as the Shard in London Bridge and the vast Venetian casino in Macau.

Runners-up:

AYH

AYH seamlessly blends sports, fashion and leisure, with projects ranging from urban regeneration around the Arsenal ground in Highbury and Celtic Football Club’s training facilities to 31 retail conversions for New Look and £93m of work for pub owner Mitchells & Butler.

Its merger with the Arcadis Group has boosted its number of employees to more than 600 and made the company into a one-stop-shop, offering clients a flexible and seamless service across the globe, whether on infrastructure, public sector, property or private sector projects. Various framework agreements with clients and collaborative working is central to how this firm works.

Furthermore, it fosters a culture of research and development. Innovations in 2007 included developing an team of low carbon consultants and a programme to recruit and develop personnel. In 2007, 83% of its work came from repeat business, proving that it is the project manager of choice for many clients.

Buro Four

According to Buro Four, it does “project management and nothing else”, and is proud of its focus.

It is structured as an employee benefit trust, which means it has no shareholders and that 100% of profits are distributed to its staff, which goes some way to explaining why its workforce is as dedicated as it is – 96% of staff are proud to work for Buro Four, and they come from far and wide to do so, from such diverse backgrounds as engineering, architecture, developing, stone masonry, teaching and the military.

Its projects range from billion pound regeneration schemes to private houses, city academies and theatres. In the past 12 months it has worked on Telstar House, a 108,000ft²

office for Derwent London, the £150m first phase of the expansion of York University, the regeneration of Middlehaven for BioRegional Quintain and the first major new vineyard in the UK for Nyetimber. Its profits have risen 137% in the past two years.

Turner & Townsend

Turner & Townsend is hugely dedicated to the development of its 2,400 staff worldwide, as demonstrated by the fact that it has won Building’s Young Achiever of the Year award three times.

It has development programmes for all staff, from graduates to senior managers and in 2007 it had 60 overseas transfers. Under its “excellent ideas” scheme, staff are encouraged to submit ideas to a board for consideration. Among those that have been implemented so far are web conferencing to save on travel and cost modelling systems.

Over the past three years it has had 130% organic growth and formed a sustainability business to provide environmental advice, support and delivery as well as to review internal strategy, such as encouraging recycling and ensuring that all printers are set to print on both sides of paper by default.

Its projects this year have included the £4.3bn Heathrow Terminal 5, which was successfully completed in time and to budget, Pricewaterhouse Coopers’ headquarters, which involved relocating 2,500 people into six new buildings, and King’s Cross station, one of the most complex and high-profile schemes in the UK last year.