Construction News Specialist Awards 2017
The inspirational winners of the 2017 Construction News Specialists Awards were crowned in front of the industry on 22 March at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London.
These awards brought together over 750 of the UK's leading specialist contractors for a glittering evening of celebration, recognition and networking. After a face to face review by a panel of over 60 expert judges, we won in recognition of our Excellence in BIM and also picked up the most prestigious ‘Special Award’ on the night.
The announcement from Construction News is shown below:
Special Award Winner: Metek Plc
Deciding the winner of the Construction News Special Award is never a simple task.
It often recognises exceptional performance over the 12 months, highlighting one of our winners that has gone above and beyond, impressing the judges to the point where they deserve special recognition.
This year, though, we recognise sustained performance in one area over a period of three years, an undeniably strong and consistent showing from a true specialist contractor.
Metek Plc takes home this year's Special Award after winning the BIM Excellence category for the third consecutive year – as well as being worthy finalists in the Specialist Contractor (turnover under £25m) and Project of the Year (subcontract over £2m) categories.
Managing director Oliver Rogan told our judges that the company had originally been “bullied” into BIM years ago – but that, looking back on it now, “it was the best thing that's happened to us”.
The company is a family business, founded in 2000 by Dr Alan Rogan, a proponent of offsite manufacturing.
The firm specialises in light steel frame construction, quietly growing to a turnover of £15m in the last 17 years and completing a range of projects in the process.
Metek embarked on its BIM strategy in 2005, anticipating the future influence of 3D modelling on design.
The measures it has taken include the identification of bolt-on packages to Revit software, enhancing it with Strucsoft-MWF software in 2013 to tailor BIM for LSF construction. By transferring information to its own ‘Framecad’ manufacturing software, Metek has been able to produce frame/panel construction drawings for its own production team.
The company has simultaneously delivered a number of BIM Level 2 projects, including an 800-bed student residential scheme for Vinci at Cardiff Metropolitan University.
Metek delivered ahead of programme, with Vinci set for completion by September 2017. Metek employed BIM and planned well ahead with suppliers in sequencing the installation of light and hot-rolled steel elements while co-ordinating with M&E contractors.
Metek's excellence was recognised in this year's Project of the Year (over £2m) shortlist through its work on the Oval Quarter in Lambeth, while the company also impressed the judging panel in the fiercely contested Specialist Contractor of the Year (turnover under £25m) category.
Metek's sustained excellence in BIM over three years – coupled with extremely strong overall business performance and a refreshing approach to projects – makes it a worthy winner of this year's Construction News Special Award.
The full list of winners can be found at: Specialist Awards 2017