A luxurious property in Dartmouth has won a prestigious construction award that rewards excellence in projects across England and Wales.

Above Town won the Best Individual New Home at the LABC Building Excellence Awards presented at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel. Just under 1000 leading people from the construction industry gathered to celebrate ‘best practice, quality and exemplary standards in construction. The awards look at professional skills and competence.

The judges who are all industry experts chose Above Town from amongst the highest quality projects, teams and professionals showcasing solutions to complex technical or construction issues, sight constraints and technical innovation, The contribution of public sector building control teams was also noted,

Of Above Town judges wrote; ‘Embedded upon the Dartmouth hillside, Above Town is a refined property with thoughtful details and structure robust enough to withstand the severity of its coastal environment.The complexity involved in the design and construction of this new property was a challenge for the small-scale local contractor as this was their most intricate project to date. the end result is a beautifully crafted property, only realised through the sheer determination and collaboration of the team involved.’

The LABC public service building control team from Devon Building Control Partnership supported the winning project sharing their knowledge and offering support. Their friendly and approachable attitute helped the contractors complete their project while keeping up-to-date with regulations.

LABC Chief Executive Lorna Stimpson said: ‘‘I firmly believe that one of the best ways to see more good work is to praise building excellence and to publicly acknowledge companies, designers, site managers and tradespeople who go that extra mile.’’

*Above Town' in Dartmouth faced extremely challenging site constraints with difficult access whichthe small, locally based Main Contractor, Paul Rowden Construction Ltd., faced head onwith a 'can do' attitude. The architects, Tones based Harrison Sutton Partnership, designed a stunning scheme to overcome the steep topography and to ensure that the fantastic views from the site were maximised. The design was very carefully and robustly detailed and the contractor executed these details perfectly to ensure that the dwelling could withstand its exposed coastal location.

Close collaboration and consultation with Devon Building Control ensured that the scheme wasdelivered to meet all necessary Building Regulations in a safe and sustainable manner despite the challenging site conditions.

Stuart Kittlety, Partner from Harrison Sutton Partnership, stated that .." it is an amazingachievement to have produced such a high quality design on this most challenging site inDartmouth and for it to be recognised in this way at a national level. It really is a testament to the determination of the client and to all the team members involved with this challenging build to construct this home in such a beautiful part of the region.''