CIOB Team Award win

As such, the most gratifying recognition we could possibly receive is that pertaining to the Barr Group ethos of collaborative working and our people-focused culture.

Over the past year, the behind-the-scenes workings of one such team (Ridgeley Farmhouse) have been under the scrutiny of a distinguished CIOB judging panel. The wider project team, which included our clients and their QS Daniel Reid of Greenway Associates, the project architect and design team Jane Duncan Architects + Interiors (JDA+I), and Barr Group Ltd, as well as a wonderful collection of suppliers and specialist subcontractors, were interviewed about the challenges they faced together and how they were overcome. Judge Gavin Heaphy (FCIOB) visited our clients in their new home to see the end result… we think he liked it!

We believe that the Ridgeley Farmhouse team was truly exceptional… not because the project was plain sailing, or that serious challenges weren’t faced along the way, but because every person who played a part in this project believed in working together to achieve the project vision. Also, at the core of the judging criteria was a celebration of principles that both the CIOB and Barr Group uphold, inclusivity and diversity in the workplace, and training and development within the organisation.

According to the CIOB judging team, “The Ridgeley Farmhouse project showed how EDI (equality, diversity and inclusion) values are embedded into the Barr Build company culture, recognising the importance of integrating training and monitoring into the team, by providing apprenticeship opportunities to local carpenters, bricklayers and decorators. Throughout the project Barr Build consistently stepped up, finding solutions which suited all parties, particularly when technical design clashed with practical reality. The judges believed this to be a great example of how SMEs can come together with a shared project vision to collaborate and produce an exceptional project outcome. Every year our members, fellows and finalists tell us the same thing… ‘It was a team effort’… The CIOB Team Award celebrates the collaboration and combined efforts of groups of people working together to meet a combined goal.”

From the starting point of two dilapidated industrial sheds in our clients’ garden, the creation of Ridgeley Farmhouse embodies team commitment to excellence in design, construction and manufacture. Nestled in a picturesque spot with sweeping views, this 6,200 sq ft new family home celebrates sustainable contemporary living. From its contemporary timber-clad main wing to the traditional red-brick guest wing, every detail was meticulously crafted to harmonise with its surroundings.

We would like to congratulate, and thank, everyone who worked as part of the Ridgeley Farmhouse team, to bring this sustainable family home to life… to name but a few – A L Lacy & Sons groundworkers, PJB Cladding, IQ Glass, C.P. Hart sanitaryware, English Brothers timber framing, Edge Bespoke for their fabulous staircase, Thompson Heating & Plumbing, O&O Electrical, Anson The Decorators, Lion Brickwork, Penchard Gates and our very own Barr Joinery! A special shoutout goes to Craig at Blanchford Building Supplies for, as always, being right by our side.

We would also like to thank the judging team, which included CIOB Fellows and construction industry figureheads Gavin Heaphy of Riverstone, Stuart Brown of VINCI Construction, Michael Gallagher of Royalton Group and Jon Campbell at NHS, as well as the whole CIOB team, who work tirelessly to improve our industry’s operations and positively guide its impact.