Frank Connolly 'delighted' to land construction's top award

摘要

Mace operations director Frank Connolly was "shocked and delighted" to be named Construction Manager of the Year 2020 for his work on Centre Building for the London School of Economics.Connolly beat 60 other finalists in nine categories to win the award, also taking the gold medal in Higher Education, as the awards were presented at a virtual ceremony, organised by the CIOB.Connolly said: "I was over the moon to get a gold medal and to then win the overall was a bit surreal. It was a shock but I was amazed and delighted."He praised his team plus the client and consultants he worked with on the project. "From start to finish there was a real camaraderie, teamwork and a focus on driving it to be the best we possibly could do," he explained. "We did lots of mock-ups for [architect] Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. We knew exactly the standards that they wanted and we aimed maybe even to surpass those standards."Connolly said it had always been "in the back of his mind" to enter the CMYAs, having worked with 2003 winner Malcolm Nelson at Laing O'Rourke, as well as with CIOB past president and 1983 winner Alan Crane, and 2014 winner Lee Hutchinson.