National contractor Sir Robert McAlpine has been recognised for its work on the new SKA Global Headquarters at a recent awards ceremony.

The development at Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire was presented with the award for Best Large Commercial Project at the Grand Final of the LABC Building Excellence Awards.

These awards showcase buildings and design teams that tussle with complex technical or construction issues and building site constraints. They highlight innovative and creative solutions and building control professionalism that leads to safe, sustainable and high quality construction projects.


A panel of industry experts judged a list of the highest quality projects from around England and Wales to reward the best in technical innovation, sustainability, safety and design.

Commenting on the Hassell-designed SKA HQ, the panel of expert judges said: "The building is a superb example of high-quality commercial design resulting in extremely good performance characteristics exceeding building regulations with a detail quality matching any in the commercial sector. While its primary function is highly technical the building manages to provide an attractive and human working environment."

The Grand Final of the LABC Building Excellence Awards took place on Friday 08 November at the Westminster Park Plaza in London and was hosted by multi award winning comedian Milton Jones. Over 800 building industry professionals including contractors, architects and engineers attended the celebration to find out which projects won across the 15 hotly contested categories.

(CM/JG)