BAM Ritchies, BAM’s ground engineering specialists, scooped three awards and was highly commended for another at the Ground Engineering awards 2021. The Ground Engineering Awards bring together the leaders of the industry to celebrate the achievements of projects, people and businesses across the ground engineering sector.
The first award, Contractor of the Year Award, recognised the team’s many achievements, including the completion of £107m worth of work, such as Hinkley Point C Deep Dig and Rothera Wharf in Antarctica. Their commitment to upskilling employees as well as the progress made in addressing the gender imbalance both in BAM and industry-wide were also recognised.
The team also won the Technical Excellence award, for work carried out at Rothera Wharf for the Antarctic Infrastructure Modernisation Programme (AIMP), on behalf of the British Antarctica Survey. The team used an innovative grout infill for the construction of mid-wall (elephant) footing instead of using typical underwater concrete that would require sands and gravels to be imported onto the continent. This helped protect the environment’s sensitive biosecurity.
Jim Shields, Operational Manager Ground Engineering, won the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Champion award in recognition of his efforts to bridge the gap between degree-qualified professionals and those who hold vocational qualifications. The award also recognises his contribution to helping his colleagues gain industry recognition for their skills and expertise, providing them with opportunities to reach their full potential and progress in their careers.
The Ritchies team were highly commended in the International Project of the Year award, which was also in recognition for their work at Rothera for AIMP. The extreme environmental, sustainability and logistical constraints that working in Antartica presented meant that the preferred solutions could not be used, and innovative solutions had to be implemented.
The Transpennine West Alliance, which both BAM Nuttall and BAM Ritchies contribute towards, won Geotechnical Team of the Year.
Ian Parish, Managing Director, BAM Nuttall commented:
“Congratulations to the BAM Ritchies team for their well-deserved accolade. This has been an impressive year all-round for our ground engineering colleagues and these successes are a justified tribute to their hard work and commitment to quality, consistency, and innovation. Thank you to everyone who has contributed towards this success.”
