In the Spotlight: Awards winner Simon Adamson

Simon Adamson is Site Manager for Croudace Homes.

During the process of constructing a residential development which included 78 dwellings of two to five bedrooms and a new village hall in Meppershall, Bedfordshire, Simon along with his local council building control inspector decided this was the perfect opportunity to put him forward for the LABC Central Building Excellence Awards.

His nomination looked at the strong working relationships he had with the various teams involved, even extending to talking to the local children about construction site dangers. It also focussed on his ability to overcome the challenge posed by the increased size of the building and the resulting obligatory changes to the fire strategy. The building was a huge success though, and Simon’s management and leadership skills helped lead to him being crowned Winner of the LABC Construction Professional of the Year for the Central Region on Friday 25 May.

Find out about the LABC Building Excellence Awards

Following on from his recent win at this awards’ night, we decided to interview him to find out how he felt about winning that all important award:

How do you feel winning an LABC Building Excellence Award?

I’m so shocked and lost for words. It's such a great feeling to be rewarded for hard work and appreciated by others.

What did the win mean to you?

This win has given me such a confidence boost and inspired me to keep pushing for excellence in construction. Construction unfortunately suffers a lot of bad press, so to have some good news occasionally really helps with personal and team morale.

How do you think the win will help you in your career?

I am incredibly happy to work for Croudace Homes Ltd and need to thank them for their continued support with my career. Having won the award, it will show my peers of the standards I wish to work to.

How did your work with Central Bedfordshire Council's Building Control team help you win the award?

Regular communication is key to working well with each other. I am regularly inviting the building control team to site and have an open door policy if anyone is ever passing and wants to call in. The LABC surveyors seem to like my honest approach and I am always happy to ask advice from the inspectors.

What is your relationship with your building control team like?

This is the second site I have worked on with this building control team so I was fortunate enough that the inspectors knew me and the standard I expect. I have a very honest and open relationship with my LABC team.

How does LABC add value to your projects?

LABC gives the customer reassurance and peace of mind that the house or facility building has been inspected on several key stages. LABC are a recognised brand and they are valued within the construction world. 

Why do you choose to work with LABC?

Croudace Homes like to have a good relationship with local authorities, so working with LABC gives us the opportunity to create the community feel and involve local people.

Is there any piece of advice you would give to other site managers looking to win an LABC Building Excellence Award?

Keep pushing and never accept a "that'll do" attitude.

NB We've just heard that since this interview, Simon has been promoted to Project Manager!

Further information

The LABC Building Excellence Awards are the largest business-to-business awards in the building control sector, recognising quality in all types of building project. This year’s Central Awards were the biggest ever with more than 300 construction industry professionals attending.  You can read more about the night here.

You can become an award winner too by entering the 2019 LABC Building Excellence Awards. Entries will be open in autumn 2018 – register your interest with us here by sending an email to awardsenquiries@labc.co.uk.