Greater Cambridge Design and Construction Awards 2025
Image Copyright: Sarah Blee, Matthew Power and Philip Vile
Award submissions for 2025 are now open.
We, together with our sponsors, Cambridge Forum for the Construction Industry (CFCI), have held design awards annually since 1988. The awards celebrate best practices in the design and construction of our built environment.
There were additional submission requirements to those of previous years, including a statement on the contractor’s performance and a sustainability/engineering statement.
Awards Categories 2025
- Best New Building (under £3m construction value)
- Best New Building (over £3m construction value)
- Best Conservation, Alteration, or Extension of an Existing Building (under £3m construction value)
- Best Conservation, Alteration, or Extension of an Existing Building (over £3m construction value)
- David Mackay Award for Engineering and Sustainability
- Craftsmanship Award
- Contractor Award
- Young Professional of the Year
- Apprentice of the Year
- Site Manager of the Year
Who can enter
Anyone can enter a project based in the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service area. This includes Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire. Projects should be recently completed (within the last 5 years) for them to be relevant to the judging criteria.
Entrants for the People Awards - Anyone who has been working in the construction industry and related fields in the Greater Cambridge area is eligible for nomination. The judging criteria for each of the three categories are outlined in further detail below. In addition:
- Nominees for the Apprentice category must be enrolled on a formal apprenticeship, traineeship programme or vocational degree course on 1 January 2025.
- Nominees for the Young Professional category must be under the age of 35 on 1 January 2025 to be eligible.
- Nominees for the Site Manager category must have worked on a project in the Greater Cambridge area within the past two years
How to enter
Entrants for the People Awards, including Young Professional of the Year, Apprentice of the Year and Site Manager of the Year
The deadline for entries is Wednesday 8 January 2025. Your entries for the People Awards need to be submitted via the Zealous submissions platform.
These should be submitted via Zealous and must include:
The category you wish to enter, to confirm the name of the nominee, and a short description (up to 280 characters) of their current role.
- Contact details for the Nominee - i.e. the person being entered for the award.
- Contact details for the Nominator - i.e. the person submitting the nomination on behalf of the nominee.
- Contact details for a referee (this could be a senior manager, client, consultant, or contractor). This person may be contacted and asked to provide a brief reference or statement of support if the nominee is shortlisted
- Nominee biography (max. 400 words)
- Nomination statement written by the nominator, responding to the judging criteria outlined below (max. 800 words)
Please do not include a photograph. Photographs may be requested for shortlisted entrants, and if so, these may be used to promote the awards by the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service and the CFCI on their websites and may be displayed during the awards event.
Please provide all of the information requested above in Microsoft Word format only, in a single document. Multiple files may not be uploaded.
Entrants for the Project Awards
The deadline for entries is Wednesday 8 January 2025. Your entries for the Project Awards need to be submitted via the Zealous submissions platform.
Entrants for the Project Awards should submit the following information for projects in any category:
The category, or categories, you wish to enter.
You will be asked to supply the project title and a short description (up to 280 characters) summarising the project.
Supporting information about the project, including:
- A location plan (1:1250)
- A site plan (clearly showing entrances, routes, and external spaces)
- Floor plans (clearly showing the main entrance)
- Sections through the building
- A minimum of five and maximum 10 high resolution photographs (max. file size 10Mb) including the photographer’s name for copyright. Photographs should be uploaded as a single image (other than before / after photos) and illustrate the following:
- Interior, exterior, context and any specific details,
- wide shots and close-ups,
- the project in use, if possible.
A description of each file you upload, eg "ground floor plan" or "photograph of entrance." Please provide copyright information for photographs.
You will be required to answer the following:
- Please summarise the brief and your response to the brief, including how the project considers the principles of inclusive design and contributes positively to society (where applicable) [maximum 500 words]
- Provide an overview of the Contractor's contribution to the success of the project (including any examples of innovation, sustainability measures, community engagement, and/or social value activities carried out by the contractor) and the type of contract (for example, traditional / design and build) [maximum 500 words]
- Please outline any engineering excellence and/or highly sustainable outcomes (if available, this would include in-use energy data, embodied carbon analysis and/or certification) [maximum 1000 words]
- Please provide a list of all organisations on the project team including the client, contractor, and all relevant consultants - including delivery team consultants where relevant [max 1000 words]
You will be asked to provide contact details in case there are any issues with your submission or, if successfully shortlisted, to arrange site visits.
The cost of entering is £25 per project. A project can be entered into multiple categories. This fee helps to cover basic administrative costs of running the awards, and is paid online via Stripe. The People awards, submitted separately, are free to enter.
Please note that submitted photographs will be used for promotion of the awards by the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service and the CFCI on their websites and will be displayed during the awards event, on social media, and in printed media relating to the awards.
All projects submitted will be considered for the David Mackay Award for Engineering and Sustainability, Craftsmanship Awards and Contractor Award. Please note that shortlisted projects may be asked to provide additional information, although this will not be compulsory.
Shortlisted entrants will be contacted in the new year to organise site visits. We may also invite shortlisted projects to submit an A1 presentation board for exhibition on the awards evening and other events throughout the year.
Judging criteria
Building Awards
The project will be judged on the following criteria:
- Overall architectural merit
- Rigorous detailing
- Spatial experience
- Inclusive and accessible design
- Appropriateness to, and impact on, the wider context
- Contribution to the community
- Quality of workmanship
- Robustness and flexibility
- Environmental sustainability
- Appropriate structural design and servicing strategy
David Mackay Award for Engineering and Sustainability
David Mackay was the former Chief Scientific Advisor to the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and Regius Professor of Engineering at the University of Cambridge. He was the author of ‘Sustainable Energy - Without the Hot Air and was instrumental in the forward-thinking brief for the Civil Engineering Building in West Cambridge.
This award is for projects demonstrating engineering excellence in civil, structural, mechanical and electrical, or construction engineering. They will be judged on how these matters have been addressed to a high standard in the scheme.
Craftsmanship Award
Specialist elements of construction exhibiting exceptional quality of workmanship, design, fabrication, and installation quality. The craftsmanship should demonstrate detailed knowledge of materials and show a high level of expertise applied with skill, delivering precision and beauty in work submitted for this award.
Contractor Awards
The new Contractor Awards will be assessed on the project team’s performance during construction (rather than on design quality), including the below criteria;
- Innovative construction techniques, processes or products (for example, modern methods of construction) or new ways of working (for example, innovative contract arrangements or programming or procurement approaches)
- Sustainable construction methods or products or sustainable approaches to procurement, employment, or improving sustainability during the whole life of the asset
- How the concerns/needs of the local community have been addressed/met, or where community benefit has been provided during the construction period? This may be through charitable work, engagement with local people, and contribution to local employment and/or education
People Awards
The People Awards celebrate the achievements of individuals working in the construction industry, and related fields, in Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire. The awards are judged on a nominee's biography and a statement from a nominator and a referee. The 3 award categories have different judging criteria, set out below.
Young Professional of the Year
This award is to celebrate the achievements of professionals under the age of 35 on 1 January 2025 who have excelled in their professional fields. Nominations can come from all built environment industry sectors, including property, law, planning, construction, surveying and design. The submissions will be judged against the following criteria:
- Inspiring others: Being a positive role model and representing the future of the profession
- Collaboration and leadership: Excelling at working with others and showing leadership potential
- Innovation: Displaying original thinking, problem-solving abilities, the capacity to overcome challenges, taking positive action to reduce carbon emissions
- Anything else that makes this individual stand out as an exceptional young professional
Apprentice of the Year
This award recognises apprentices who have made a significant contribution to their workplaces and are enrolled on a formal apprenticeship, traineeship programme or vocational degree course on 1 January 2025. The submissions will be judged against the following criteria:
- Achievement: Carrying out work of exceptional quality, showing determination, personal development, contribution to a particular project, overcoming challenges
- Teamwork: Making an exceptional contribution to the workplace and
- Anything else that makes this individual stand out as an exceptional apprentice
Site Manager of the Year
This award recognises site managers' outstanding contributions to projects in the Greater Cambridge area within the past two years, appreciating their pivotal role in the success of a project. The submission will be judged against the following criteria:
- Attention to detail: Achieving consistently high standards of workmanship, resolving technical issues, applying working methods to reduce carbon emissions during construction
- Collaboration: Leadership skills, subcontractor management and developing good relationships with clients and the community;
- Health and Safety: Considering efficient controls and evidencing that the welfare of everyone is a priority; and
- Anything else that makes this individual stand out as an exceptional site manager.
Judging process
Our panel of judges includes representatives from the sponsor organisations and experts with knowledge of buildings in Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire District Council and their design and construction.
The judging process for the Building Awards will include an initial selection of a shortlist of projects from the electronic submissions, followed by a site visit by the judges to those projects.
The People Awards will be judged by a panel selected by the trustees of the CFCI.
- Alison Wring – CFCI Chair, AECOM
- Isabel McTiffin – CFCI Trustee, Ramboll
- Adam Knaggs – CFCI Trustee, SDC Builders
- Tom Foggin – CFCI Trustee, R H Partnership Architects
- Heather Jones – Strategic Lead 3C Shared Services Building Control, GCSPS
- Jane Green – Built and Natural Environment Manager, GCSPS
The judges for the building awards have an interest in the local built environment and include both Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire Councillors as well as CFCI representatives.
- Fiona Reynolds – former Master of Emmanuel College and Chair of the judging panel
- Maggie Baddeley – Co-chair of the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service Design Review Panel
- Cllr Katie Thornburrow – Petersfield ward councillor and Executive Councillor for Planning Policy and Infrastructure
- Cllr Tumi Hawkins – Ward councillor for Caldecote and Lead Cabinet Member for Planning
- Mark Taylor – Access Officer, Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service
- Richard Owers – CFCI Trustee and architect
- Jemma Jamin – CFCI NextGen and sustainability consultant
- Dan MacKenzie – CFCI Trustee and contractor
The David Mackay Award for Engineering and Sustainability, the Contractor Award and the Craftsmanship Award will be judged by the above judges. Please note that not all judges will attend the site visits.
Questions
For technical queries regarding the online application process, please contact the online hosting platform, Zealous, directly via info@zealous.co
Any queries about the awards scheme should be directed to either the CFCI awards committee awards@cfci.org.uk or Charlotte Howe-McCartin, Principal Conservation Officer, via email: historicenvironment@greatercambridgeplanning.org
We look forward to receiving your entries. Thank you.
To view the 2024 award winners and commendations, please visit the CFCI website.