The construction company beat off stiff competition from major companies including Speller Metcalfe, Turner & Townsend and BAM Construction to take home the awards for its pioneering approach to prioritising its people’s health and wellbeing, encouraging young diverse talent, pioneering digital technology in construction and delivering the £18m National College for High Speed Rail.

The Health and Safety title was awarded for Willmott Dixon’s range of innovative programmes to improve its people’s mental health and stress and lifestyle management, alongside promotion of fitness and nutrition. People who took part in the programmes reported a 20 per cent reduction in stress, a 25 per cent increase in ability to handle stress and a 16 percent increase in energy levels.

Our video shows more about the scheme:

The Young Achiever of the Year accolade was handed to management trainee and company vlogger Simone Codrington who is passionate about encouraging young people into construction and wants to “change the world” by getting people to think about changing their behaviours and reducing their environmental impact.

Watch Simone's latest vlog:

The Digital Construction Project of the Year title was awarded for the company’s use of ground breaking Building Information Modelling (BIM) at Birmingham City University’s teaching facilities. Previously BIM had only been used only at the design and build stage, but Willmott Dixon took it to the next level by introducing it to the ongoing maintenance programme – allowing information to be quickly shared, improving efficiency and minimising long-term operational expenditure. With no industry standard available the company created its own programme.

Discover our BIM journey at Birmingham City University:

Nick Gibb, Willmott Dixon’s deputy managing director, said: “We are very proud to have collected this scoop of awards. The four accolades pay testament to the whole Willmott Dixon team who work tirelessly to deliver the best possible service while pushing the boundaries and setting trends for the rest of the construction industry. They are also a reflection of our values as a business and our commitment to progress, and the wellbeing and diversity of our people.

“We are actively working to improve construction for both our customers and our people. As the subject of mental health in particular is being brought to light, it is imperative that we are doing everything that we can as a responsible business to ensure that our teams working on sites around the country feel that they have a strong and viable support network in place.”

Willmott Dixon was also recognised for the delivery of the £18.4m National College for High Speed Rail in Birmingham with the Best Education Building Award. Built on a former canal basin, the three-storey building is equipped with the latest technology, including VR training on-board a Eurostar power car, an augmented reality classroom, and a dedicated BIM cave. It also has workshops, classrooms, plus teaching areas containing railway tracks, masts, and social spaces next to the canal.

The project began in April 2016 and was handed over on programme and budget in August 2017, with £1m of end-user requirements being accommodated without affecting the completion date.

99.8% of project waste was diverted from landfill and the project achieved a BREEAM Very Good rating. The project saw huge benefit for the local community – with £8m of work delivered by supply chain partners based within a 10-mile radius of the site; 488 student site visits; 730 school workshops; 324 weeks of onsite apprenticeship training.; 13 jobs being created for local people, 23 apprentices and 36 NVQs supported, enhancing the lives of 61 young local people.

Watch what we did at the NCHSR in Birmingham:

More on the awards here