IBP Journalism Awards 2019: Full Results, Nominations and Entries

IBP Journalist of the Year

The overall winner of the title of IBP Journalist of the Year is Zak Garner-Purkis, writing for Construction News. His winning articles are available to view under Construction/Infrastructure Journalist of the Year and Scoop of the Year categories.

CLICK HERE to download the full report in the IBP Awards 2019 Bulletin

Click on any of the arrows next to a Winner or nominated journalist’s name to access and view their entries.



ARCHITECTURE WRITER OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by BDP


Isabelle Priest, RIBA Journal - WINNER
Will Hurst, The Architects’ Journal - HIGHLY COMMENDED
Ike Ijeh, Buildlng Design - COMMENDED
Tom Ravenscroft, Dezeen

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ARCHITECTURE WRITER OF THE YEAR

Writers in this category delivered some extraordinary detailed, well-observed and lyrical features on structures and buildings from all over the world. They brought their subjects to life by weaving in history with technical details and probing interviews and stylish writing.

Isabelle Priest, RIBA JournalWINNER

This is a journalist with a distinctive voice. Isabelle writes with confidence and style. Her writing throughout is lean and vivid, full of detailed description. Her submissions show versatility and empathy with her subject matter, but the confidence and maturity to voice a strong opinion on political aspects and the impact of her stories.

Will Hurst, The Architects’ Journal HIGHLY COMMENDED

Will delivers excellent campaigning features on subjects of global importance and vital to architectural design. He is not afraid to upbraid readers yet is never preachy in tone. There is a strong message throughout his articles.

Ike Ijeh, BDCOMMENDED

Ike writes lyrically about his subjects and seamlessly marries historical and myth with technical engineering. A hugely varied set of submissions well observed and bringing architecture – old and new – to life.

Tom Ravenscroft, Dezeen

 Tom brings home the importance of paying more attention to recycling buildings rather than destroying structures of merit.



CONSTRUCTION / INFRASTRUCTURE JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Willmott Dixon


Zak Garner-Purkis, Construction News - WINNER
Emily Ashwell, New Civil Engineer
Elizabeth Hopkirk, BD
Thomas Lane, Building

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CONSTRUCTION / INFRASTRUCTURE JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR

A very competitive category again this year with entries of a consistently high standard. The comprehensive, well structured and wide ranging submissions impressed the judges with their insight and international flavor.

The skillful presentation of complex technical and sequencing information in a readily understandable form, so important in this category, was clearly evident.

The judges were impressed by the imaginative and dogged approach to research and information gathering – journalism at its best.

Emily Ashwell, New Civil Engineer

The judges praised the diverse and topical range of subjects covered by the three articles.

The well researched piece on Hinkley Point C highlighted both the scale and complexity of this huge undertaking.

The judges agreed the well structured piece on digital imagery was both informative and insightful.

Elizabeth Hopkirk, BD

Three well researched and well crafted pieces, the technical study on the North West Cambridge Housing impressed the judges who agreed that this was a well written interesting and informative piece.

The well crafted piece on ‘The Floating Church’ provided rare insight into this specialist project. The well presented range of innovative solutions held the reader’s attention throughout.

Thomas Lane, Building

Three consistently god articles the piece on St James was well researched and insightful, guiding the reader thoughtfully through this complex and highly sequence dependent project.

The piece on Mace’s rising factories – ‘One Giant Leap’ was in the judges view a compelling and enjoyable read, capturing the ambition and ingenuity of this innovative approach.

Zak Garner-Purkis, Construction News - WINNER

Three worthy articles – packed with detail and presented with passion and enthusiasm. The piece on Carilion’s silent victims was insightful and revealing.

The impact of the piece on construction’s black market drew high praise from the judges – a powerful, well sourced and well written article.




NEWS REPORTER OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Glen Dimplex


Jack Simpson, Inside Housing - WINNER
Pete Apps, Inside Housing
Luke Barratt, Inside Housing

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NEWS REPORTER OF THE YEAR

Really, really strong field this year that left the judges struggling to choose a winner. All the nominated are at the leading edge of journalism in the built environment.

Pete Apps, Inside Housing

A journalist delivering to a consistently high standard, not afraid to take on senior political figures, while revealing breaking news on the sectors big issues.

Luke Barratt, Inside Housing

Very strong treatment of a hugely important issue relating to an insurance crisis in the sector, along with a shocking article about Grenfell survivors again put at risk of fire

Jack Simpson, Inside Housing - WINNER

News is about getting important information to the reader as quickly as possible. Jack acted rapidly to establish the facts about one of the most high profile incidents in the sector within 24 hours, helping industry to mobilize and respond properly to the Barking block destroy in fire.

Further pieces, including the article on London leaseholders asked to pay to remove cladding, were soundly researched and revealed details that beat the national press on urgent topics



FEATURE WRITER OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by AECOM Headline Sponsor


Martina Lees, writing for The Sunday Times and Tortoise Media - WINNER
Richard Waite, The Architects’ Journal – HIGHLY COMMENDED
Pete Apps, Inside Housing
Nathaniel Barker, Inside Housing
Luke Barratt, Inside Housing
Zak Garner-Purkis, Construction News

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FEATURE WRITER OF THE YEAR

The judges congratulate all those who submitted entries this year, a pleasing collection if well sourced, well written and well presented articles.

An impressive level of indepth research and close attention to detail was clearly evident across the wide range of topics covered.

Pete Apps, Inside Housing

The well researched pieces were of a diverse and topical nature. The powerful lessons of the Lakanal piece stood out – with new ‘facts’ building upon previous work – feeding into the Grenfell enquiry.

The judges commented that this was journalism at its best.

Nathaniel Barker, Inside Housing

Three well researched features covering a wide range of topics; the feature on the Northern Ireland housing executive was informative and impactful. With the piece in universal credit bringing to the fore the plight of those caught up in the complex process of introduction.

Luke Barratt, Inside Housing

Three well researched pieces all of a consistently high standard.

The comprehensive piece on private finance and supported housing was both informative and engaging. A hard hitting piece on Grenfell’s forgotten victims reinforced the far reaching impact of this tragic event.

Zak Garner-Purkis, Construction News

A trio of well crafted pieces each in the judge’s view thought provoking.

The indepth research evident across the features gave insight and impact to the range of topics covered. The piece on the presence of ACM cladding on some hotels and stadiums was un the judges view well structured and insightful.

Martina Lees, writing for The Sunday Times and Tortoise Media - WINNER

Three impactful articles presented in an easily absorbed, fluid style, drawing the reader in. The judges found the interview with James Brokenshire, the housing secretary, comprehensive, and insightful reflecting a good rapport between interviewer and interviewee.

The piece drawing attention to leasehold law, with added research from Sunday Times Home colleagues Helen Davies and Tom Calver, was packed with detail and delivered at pace. It gave insight to an issue affecting the lives of many with the impact clearly and powerfully expressed. A very fine piece of journalism.

Richard Waite, The Architects’ JournalHIGHLY COMMENDED

Three interesting, well structured and well presented pieces covering a wide variety of subject matter. The article on Amin Taha’s limestone building demonstrating the writer’s ability to present stories of almost byzantine complexity with admirable clarity.

‘Can Manchester Grow and go Green’ – this powerful piece was praised by the judges. It was supported with extensive quotes, asked all the right questions and held people to account.



BUSINESS / FINANCIAL JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Savills


David Price, Construction News - WINNER
Luke Barratt, Inside Housing
Luke Cross, Social Housing

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BUSINESS / FINANCIAL JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR

Business and Financial cover a wide swathe of the property sector and the entries explored the whole area, from social housing to road building. The journalists showed their specialist expertise and the best were also to explain the subjects in simple and entertaining ways to a wider readership.

Luke Barratt, Inside Housing

Luke Barratt detailed the difficulties of housing associations and its workers. He backed up good contacts with good use of Freedom of Information requests.

Luke Cross, Social Housing

Luke Cross knows the social housing sector inside out! His three articles were ahead of the pack in demonstrating who was entering the sector and what trouble it faces.

David Price, Construction News - WINNER

David Price had a good old-fashioned scoop on the collapse of Wales’s biggest builder. He told the story straight – in easily comprehended short sentences without overwriting the story. And he told it first.

His articles on the failure of the government’s prompt-payment system showed his ability to get inside a complex story but to present his conclusions simply.



COMMERCIAL PROPERTY JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Sidell Architects


Dave Rogers, Building - WINNER
Mark Hansford, New Civil Engineer
Megan Kelly, Construction News

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COMMERCIAL PROPERTY JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR

The entrants for this category showed the breadth of the subject as well as an ability to explore its depth. They included penetrating interviews, detailed statistical analysis and showed how even apparently dull subjects can be made interesting through stylish writing.

 

Mark Hansford, New Civil Engineer

Mark submitted three pieces that showed his range – a thinking piece on the future of cities, an analysis of Crossrail 2, and an article questioning whether engineers can provide good design. He combined good writing with interesting content.

Megan Kelly, Construction News

Although relatively new to journalism, Megan writes stylishly and confidently. Her piece on the re-tarmacing of Silverstone caught the pace and speed of a job being completed against the clock.

Dave Rogers, Building - WINNER

Dave Rogers interviewed two of the drivers behind Stanhope, one of London’s most innovative developers. His article chronicled their past glories but looked to the future and, as importantly, delved into the personalities of the people behind the property.

This was a human interest piece, lightly but intellectually written.



HOUSING / RESIDENTIAL JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Barratt Developments


Pete Apps, Inside Housing - WINNER
Jack Simpson, Inside Housing
Martina Lees, writing for The Sunday Times and Tortoise Media

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HOUSING AND RESIDENTIAL JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR

A much stronger competition this year then we have seen recently with great entries from a range of journalists. No surprises that Grenfell features across many entries with journalists holding authority and organisations to account, while getting under the surface of the long term effects.

Pete Apps, Inside Housing - WINNER

Pete offered highly thoughtful, well written and explained articles. He can communicate substantive and complex issues well. There is great human interest content in his pieces but also hard edged exclusive news.

Jack Simpson, Inside Housing

Jack presented a good range of articles with a stand-out piece on ‘waking watches’ that attracted significant wider interest.

Martina Lees,writing for The Sunday Times and Tortoise Media

Martina provided a through investigation of the scandal of freeholds and the treatment of freeholders with extensive evidence. Great writing style and high profile interviews.




DIGITAL LEADERSHIP OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by affino


Jamie Harris, Building - WINNER 
Mark Hansford and Alexandra Wynne, New Civil Engineer

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DIGITAL LEADERSHIP OF THE YEAR

The judges would have liked to have seen more entries to this important new category. There are digital initiatives in other categories and the judges would encourage those entrants to enter. Nevertheless, the judges congratulate the entrants who were shortlisted.

Mark Hansford and Alexandra Wynne, New Civil Engineer

Mark and Alexandra’s podcasts had decent production values and focused on a new younger audience with a conversational style that was easily accessible.

Jamie Harris, Building - WINNER

Jamie brought in a number of elements. The podcasts were tight and well-focused, the judges particularly enjoyed the Chernobyl podcast which brought to life the experience of being on the ground.



'NEW' JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by The Built Environment Trust


William Ing, Building - WINNER
Francis Williams, The Architects’ Journal - HIGHLY COMMENDED
Megan Kelly, Construction News - COMMENDED

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NEW JOURNALIST JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR

There was a huge variety of stories and styles in this category – all reflecting a commitment to delivering high quality journalism. The judges were impressed by how well these young journalists had grasped the complexities of the field in which they were working, building high=level sources and writing with sophistication and confidence.

IBP is delighted to be associated with the initiative created by the sponsor, The Built Environment Trust, to award a bursary to all three finalists in this category.

Each nominee will be commissioned to produce an article that explores and encourages innovation in the built environment and reflects the role of the Trust to provide support for educational, research and cultural activities.

William Ing, Building - WINNER

William Ing’s incredibly varied portfolio demonstrates the versatility of this young journalist. The features seamlessly weave technical detail and interviews with closely observed detail, that make readers feel that they are there, at the scene. Will has an eye for a story and one that generates traffic.

Megan Kelly, Construction News - COMMENDED

Megan’s varied articles demonstrates an ability to dig out a story and raise awareness on a subject of great importance. It shows patience and determination in sifting through information and data, and imagination in packaging it in an interesting and readable format.

Francis Williams, The Architects’ Journal HIGHLY COMMENDED

Frances brings new freshness to architectural criticism. The writing is self-assured and the candidate is not afraid to voice opinions and to look at a subject critically yet fairly. The stories are eminently readable and engaging and just right for the readership.



SCOOP OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by FTI Consulting


Zak Garner-Purkis, Construction News - WINNER
Christine Murray, The Developer
Jack Simpson, Inside Housing

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SCOOP OF THE YEAR

Breadth of coverage and dogged and diligent investigation characterized this category. All the entries involved hard graft and determined digging.

Zak Garner-Purkis, Construction News - WINNER

The impact of this story on the allegations behind the delays to Tottenham Hotspur’s £850m stadium was huge – with broadsheet, broadcast as well as tabloid pick-up. The digital pick-up was enormous, beating all former records. The headline – grabbing drink and drugs features of the story summing up wider problems on site.

Christine Murray, The Developer

A detailed and through investigation revealing 98% of councils in the UK are using glyphosate-based weedkillers on playgrounds and housing estates the impact of which is potentially universal.

Jack Simpson, Inside Housing

On the ground reporting of the Barking fire-risk assessment, winning the trust of residents, resulting in a scoop followed up by the BBC and the Guardian. Inside Housing continues to be at the cutting edge of fire safety issues, alerting readers and authorities of the dangers wooden cladding months before the Barking fire.



EVENT OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Live Group


Housing 2019, Ocean Media - WINNER
Build to Rent, Bisnow
Festival of Place, The Developer

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EVENT OF THE YEAR

The final scoring saw these three nominees’ neck and neck, showing the strong competition in this fledgling award. Although hoping for more entries in future, all the judges were impressed with the variety and creativity on display in the submissions. Bold ideas, powerful return on investment and a clearly defined purpose shone through, vital in this category.

Build to Rent, Bisnow

Value took centre stage in the judges’ comments with the panel all remarking on how superbly the budget had been used to maximise the experience for the delegates. This created the perfect environment for an exchange of ideas between the Private and Public sector.

Of particular note was the use of a ‘stage in the round’ putting the panel of speakers in the very heart of the audience.

Festival of Place, The Developer

The judges praised the commitment to generating an engaging and fun atmosphere for all delegates, creating an experience to remember. Content shone through here with the Festival of Place tackling a range of topics to deliver something valuable for people to take home with them.

The judges commented that they can’t wait to see what happens in future with a content plan used to push the messages long after the event has closed.

Housing 2019, Ocean Media - WINNER

The judges were impressed with the sheer number of moving parts that needed to be kept perfectly whirring away for Housing 2019. From high-profile VIP speakers through to an effortless badging process, no detail had been overlooked.

The judges noted that it was only by making every aspect of the event run like clockwork that a powerful return on investment could be delivered. This created a sustainable conference programme, ready to run for many years into the future.



EDITORIAL BRAND OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Marley


Dezeen - Winner
The DeveloperHighly Commended

The Architects’ Journal

Building

Inside Housing

New Civil Engineer

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EDITORIAL BRAND OF THE YEAR

In the inaugural year of this category the judges were delighted to be able to select a strong shortlist. There are a lot of new ideas and an enduring commitment to good journalism and the target audience.

 

The Architects’ Journal

AJ was vibrant and both inward and outward looking to the industry. AJ is a well coordinated offering. The judges particularly liked the wake-up call and the refurb first initiative.

Building

The judges were particularly impressed by the Chernobyl story and podcast, and by the initiative to invite young professionals to take over the magazine.

Dezeen - WINNER

Dezeen taps into the zeitgeist, really understands its audience and has well-planned and original content – there was a great deal of preparation for the Bauhaus Anniversary which paid off.

The evidence is in the stats, particularly the growth on Instagram.

 

Inside Housing

The brand has a strong campaigning focus and serves its target audience well. There was particularly good engagement through the 100 years of social housing.

New Civil Engineer

This brand is successfully targeting different parts of its audience with different content while sticking to its core values. It continues to pack a punch with its focus on exclusives.

The Developer - HIGHLY COMMENDED

The judges welcome this ambitious new initiative which has got off to an explosive start with a 200 page magazine, its fresh take on development is recognized in events as well as an engaging website with an appealing design.



IBP JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by AECOM Headline Sponsor


Zak Garner-Purkis, Construction News - WINNER

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IBP JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR

The judges were pleased to see new faces as well as old hands submitting entries this year. Between them they produced a wide range of subjects and deep analysis, informing and educating their readerships in print and digital platforms.

Deciding who was the best of the best in each category was often difficult, but a series of worthy winners slowly emerged – with one very deserving overall winner.

The IBP Journalist of the Year showed just how newsy the construction sector is. By hard work and good intuition, the winner dug out those stories, searching for sources or using Freedom of Information requests to check and double check the facts.

This allowed the winner’s investigative approach to find the real victims and to expose wrong doing in the industry. But the winner really scored in revealing the building of Tottenham Hotspurs stadium – drugs and drink included. This was journalism at its best.





Outstanding Contribution to Journalism in the Built Environment

Awarded to Peter Bill

View video of winners presentation


Martin Spring: An Appreciation

martin-spring3

Above: Martin was awarded a life time achievement award by IBP in 2011. The delight on his face is there for all to see.

 

 

For further details of funeral and memorial arrangements please email sarah.richardson@ubm.com

I first met Martin in the early 1980’s when I was the director of The Campaign for Traditional Housing. I was immediately attracted to his acerbic sense of humour, which lasted well into the digital age with his email critiques of the annual journalism awards. It was unanimous when IBP decided to give Martin a life time achievement award in 2011, only the fourth awarded in 47 years.

It was also a delight when Martin agreed to become a judge of the architecture and young journalist categories in 2013; As expected he brought his usual vast knowledge and forensic approach to the role, often ensuring his panel of judges worked well into overtime to achieve the right results!

I am most grateful to Martin’s friends and colleagues for the following shared memories.

Gerald Bowey

Denise Chevin, former editor, Building, remembers Martin

Those of us who worked and knew Martin Spring have been shocked and saddened to hear of his passing aged 70.
Martin was a much loved journalist with his own unique style which won him 14 IBP awards over his 33-year career as Building’s architectural editor. But above all, he was a gentle and humble man, possessed of a remarkably cheerful and sunny outlook on life, who lived and breathed his subject and imparted that enthusiasm to many others.

His architectural tours on Building days out, with their carefully selected pub stops along the way, were legendary – the intelligence and deep knowledge conveyed in his commentaries opening many colleagues’ eyes to unexpected facets of the subject.

And he was always happy to help and guide. Former Building colleague Jo Smit recalls the assistance he gave her when she began there: “Martin was a tremendous help, and gave me a much deeper understanding of what ‘good’ means in architecture.”

For myself, I remember being more than a little in awe of him when I joined Building as a novice technical writer. His wit and elegance of phrase and the thoroughness with which he tackled every writing assignment left a deep impression on me, as did his patient willingness to explain and educate- particularly over a few drinks at the local Docklands watering hole where the magazine was based at the time.

Says former colleague Graham Ridout: “Martin was as passionate about putting into words his love of building and architecture as he was about sharing thoughts and knowledge with others, especially those who were new to journalism or who were covering the subject for the first time. His encyclopaedic knowledge and the way he

explained things in that gentle, kind and helpful way was an inspiration to numerous colleagues, many of whom went on to be outstanding journalists.

“Martin was a true gentleman in both senses of the word and his passing is a sad loss to everyone who knew him or who was inspired by him."

Mark Leftly, another former colleague, also recalls his kindness to young, aspiring journalists. “He was exceptionally kind to me when I started out at Building, despite our age gap of 33 years. He pointed out what I was doing right, without prompting, at a time I was unsure of my work. My family got to know him too and will miss him just as dearly as we all will.”

In terms of his approach to architectural reviews, Thomas Lane, writing his obituary in Building, puts it well: “His rounded approach ensured his articles had something for everyone whether architect, contractor or cost consultant. He was always complimentary about the schemes he wrote about and was very supportive of emerging architects, sticking by these firms for many years

“His writing was rooted in the practical belief that architecture was principally about how well a building performed for occupiers, energy efficiency, procurement (including delivering on time and to budget), with style some way down the list. He wasn’t interested in chasing down the latest starchitect-designed triumph of style over substance; instead he preferred quiet considered buildings by the likes of Bennetts Associates, Cullinan Studio and Fielden Clegg Bradley.

“He was a great advocate of sustainability long before it became a mainstream concern and was also passionate about housing design. One of his specialities was the revisit, where he went back to a previously featured building some years later to see what occupiers 

thought of it, how it was holding up and how much energy it was using.”

Eleanor Young, RIBA Journal deputy editor agrees: ‘Martin operated in the journalistic crossover between construction and architecture but for those in architecture it was always clear where his preference lay, in the end result and how the designs got realised.”

Martin’s approach to architecture earned him an honorary RIBA Fellowship in 2003 and his ability to adopt a holistic approach to writing about buildings won him IBP awards not just in the architectural category but for the housing and construction categories too.

IBP Awards Night features large in the recollections of many of Martin’s colleagues. Says former editor Peter Bill: “I can see us all now, sat on the Building table at the IBP awards feeling anxious - except for Martin, who was always relaxed. The winners would be announced, and there would be fixed smiles and reluctant applause if anyone on a rival title won anything. Except from Martin, whose smile and applause was genuine.

“And rivals would share in that pleasure when Martin won – as he did with such regularity that it was almost taken for granted he would add to Building’s tally each year. Why? Because he was the best writer of his generation at providing an understanding of merits of architecture to sceptical readers of Building.”

Martin was certainly thorough, in everything he did – too thorough at times, with the consequence that some projects took an age – like refurbishing his own house in Highbury, where he happily lived without cupboard doors for years.

I remember him too for his mischievous sense of fun, as well as his other worldliness. He was never a conformist. He’d often regale us with stories of his time as squatter in Covent Garden in the 1960s. And there was his determination to travel everywhere on his beloved bike (even after one too many refreshments). His acerbic one-liners at the Christmas party also come quickly to mind, as does his cardinal sin of wearing double denim. He never took himself too seriously, and remained resolutely young at heart. He will be very sorely missed by his many friends and family.

Peter Murray, friend and colleague, writes:

Martin was a lovely man. Kind and gentle, he nevertheless exhibited an inner steel and stubbornness when occasion required. I knew Martin almost all my working life: in the early 70s he came to work at Architectural Design where I was Technical Editor under the redoubtable Monica Pidgeon. He had started to study architecture at the AA but, like me, had found writing about it more to his liking than doing it.

I vividly remember that when he arrived in the AD office he had recently had a nasty fall from his bike and had gravel embedded in the side of his face. The accident didn’t put him off riding and my mental picture of Martin is of him with his trusty steel tourer with drop handlebars and old fashioned saddlebag. The gravel faded but never fully disappeared.

Monica Pidgeon was not an easy person to work with; she could be volatile and pretty blunt, but Martin held his own and they worked well together after I left to join BD through the difficult period of the three day week, plummeting revenues and subscriptions.

At the time AD was the leading - probably the only -  UK architectural magazine that was taking building sustainability issues seriously. There were regular issues on energy conservation (CO2 problems had not yet been identified), on solar energy and recycling focusing on the work of heroic figures like Alex Pike at Cambridge and Gerry Foley at the AA and with close links to Friends of the Earth and writers like E F Schumacher (Small is Beautiful).

In 1975 the owners of AD, the Standard Catalogue Company were keen to sell the loss making magazine and Martin got together with the assistant editor Haig Beck and relaunched it. It was not a happy partnership - they joined up with the publisher Andreas Papadakis, disagreed on direction and Martin left, feeling cheated by Beck and Papadakis under whom the magazine was transformed into the bible of Post Modernism.

Martin exited to the more stable and pragmatic environment of Building where he remained for 33 years until 2009. He regularly produced high quality reportage and comment on new buildings, as well as revisiting older ones to see how they were working. He was a craftsman. His comment was measured, his style was, like the man, quiet but incisive and his analyses forensic. He never lost his interest in sustainability and the belief that buildings were to be used rather than just looked at. He was a faithful member of IBP and won 14  Journalism Awards during his career at Building

Ron Sidell, Founder Partner, Sidell Gibson Ltd adds:

How does one calculate the immense contribution made to the world of architecture by Martin - the consummate reviewer and critic.  Knowing him as I did for a period of some forty years I came to appreciate not only the exceptional calibre of his writing, but his enthusiasm for new adventures.  It was with great pleasure that we presented the IBP award for Architectural Writer of the Year, on several occasions, to this modest and self-effacing man.  It would never have occurred to him how hard an act he would be to follow.

What a Journo Should Know

President of the IBP and Editor of Construction News, Rebecca Evans outlines what she thinks all journalists starting out in the industry should be aware of.

When I entered journalism, it was clear that things were changing. Being open to the changes taking place would be my first piece of advice for journalists starting out in the current climate.

A shifting journalistic world

Back in 2000 when I started out, publications operated in a fundamentally different way. This was a world before iPhones and tablets, when traditional print was still the main way people digested content.

But over the past 10 years, the number of people using the internet increased five fold. By mid 2014 almost 90% of the UK were online and now in 2015 61% of people use their mobile phones to access the internet.

world-online

The world has moved online.

These developments have had serious implications for the way journalists work. We’ve all had to challenge ourselves as to how we transform the traditional magazine model into something that is a genuine digital proposition.

That doesn’t mean traditional print has become redundant but it does mean content must be tailored to cater for different needs, including via different platforms. You have to make sure you are making your customers happy, whether they are reading your hard copy magazine or reading you on their phone or their laptop. The truth is we are able to offer far more online – there’s more content, it’s faster and it’s more personalised.

Data doesn’t lie

The digital age means it’s possible for us to use data to inform our editorial decisions.
In the past you wanted to get the ‘best’ story, but weren’t challenged in the same way as to what exactly the ‘best’ story meant. Now there are huge amounts of analytics that can be collected and shared, so everybody on the team can see exactly how many people are looking at and engaging with their stories.

Has this increased competition? There’s always been and always will be competition, and that’s part of what drives good media. In the same way that journalists traditionally competed for the front page, now they are also competing for the most-read story of the week online or having the best Twitter reach.

Your gut instinct of what makes a good story is still important but you also need to know that people are looking at it. Whatever the business model of your title – subscription, metered, free – you need to be getting the right people looking at your content in the right numbers.

The importance of context

My career has been spent in B2B journalism and I have found that specialised knowledge is less of a prerequisite and more of an end goal. Construction News is the fifth B2B title I’ve worked on, and not all of those titles have been in the built environment. I moved around from sector to sector, covering social housing, local government and NHS policy before joining Construction News. .

I don’t expect journalists to join my team with knowledge of construction already. I expect them to join with an interest in current affairs, with an interest in the economy, politics and business. They don’t need to be a specialist in construction, they need to be a brilliant journalist – they’ll learn the sector knowledge on the job.

It’s not a problem to change subject areas, as long as you’re prepared to put yourself out there, to ask questions and to admit when there’s something you don’t know.

The advantage to working in different industries and sectors is that it helps you to understand the bigger picture and that makes you a better journalist. The more you can get to grips with the context surrounding your stories, the more you can make them relevant to your audience. Crucially, an understanding of context allows you to consider better the way your writing might make your readers feel. Tapping into people’s intrinsic motivations is a powerful way of gaining, and more importantly, retaining attention.

Understand social media (and its limitations)

Social media is a brilliant journalistic tool. Every journalist should have a Twitter feed. This doesn’t mean having a huge amount of followers necessarily, but using it to interact and engage with others.

Twitter is not just about broadcasting your own voice but listening to others, it’s all about two-way engagement. Being able to demonstrate that you are very good at engaging with people on Twitter, that you understand how to build a following and what makes people tick is certainly an advantage when it comes to getting a job.

Having said that, when it comes to doing the job, nothing beats the importance of building ‘real-life’ relationships. It’s great to have instant conversations with people you’ve never met via Twitter, but journalists still need to know when to pick up the phone and when to get out and see someone in person.

Never stop networking

The importance of networking for journalists has in no way diminished. We may be used to communicating in a very digital way, but nothing beats having an actual face-to-face conversation and that is no less true now than it was 15 years ago.

Networking is key to building, maintaining and expanding the relationships you have with people. For journalists, this means regularly attending events where you are confident that at a good proportion of the guests are going to be useful to talk to.

Think about the events that the IBP runs: the annual journalism awards are really important because you meet other journalists – competitors and peers – as well as PRs and other important people in the built environment.

If you’re able to hear directly from leading journalists about how they have progressed their career and talk to them in person, it builds connections. You can’t beat meeting people: no matter how many online followers you have, you’ve still got to be at the right events, talking to the right people.

What does a successful networker look like? I’d expect them to have several meetings a week and attend an evening or breakfast event at least a couple of times a week.

Rebbeca Evans at The Journalism Awards
Rebecca Evans at The Construction News Awards

Adapting is surviving

Being open to change and being able to demonstrate that I have led a process of change, has helped me further my career. Journalism is evolving, and particularly with all the digital opportunities and challenges, change is an inevitable part of the business.

How can you demonstrate your adaptability? It is all about identifying chances to stand out. It’s about innovating, particularly with digital opportunities, and using your initiative to do something different or new, such as presenting a set of data in a way that no one’s done before.

Ask yourself – What do people really want from us here? What’s really valuable? Then demonstrate that you’ve used your initiative to address the answers.

Sometimes we all have to do things that might fail. There must be a willingness to think about things, try things, test them, and if they don’t work, tweak them or move on.

Change is not a threat

Journalists should expect and embrace change. We probably don’t even know what some of our job titles will be in five years’ time; be open to opportunities as they arise.

I think it’s important not to see change as a threat. Journalism will survive. When I started working, I didn’t think “I want to get into digital” but it’s been incredibly interesting and rewarding. It’s a very exciting time to be a journalist.

Employment advice by Media Contacts for Employers

 

How to Attract the Best Employees

 

Filling those important job vacancies that are vital to the success of your business can be difficult and time consuming. Here are some top tips to make sure that attracting the right candidates isn’t a tricky process.

  • Using a Recruitment Consultant

Broadly speaking there are two types of recruitment consultancies – “search” firms and “contingency” recruiters. Search firms (also known as headhunters) will conduct a scientific search of your market, identifying all potential targets, assessing their suitability through references and peer reviews and headhunting to secure them. This is a very labour intensive approach, with a Consultant possibly only working on one or two briefs at a time. As such, fees tend to be 30% of basic salary, with 2/3 of the total fee non-refundable and paid ahead of successful placement to pay for the research time that the firms have committed to. As such, employers usually work with just one search firm exclusively. Usually these are for very senior or specialist roles. Contingency recruiters use a mixture of advertising, database search and headhunting. They charge somewhere between 15% and 30% of basic salary dependent on seniority of role and difficulty to fill. The fees are only paid on successful completion and come with a refund system attached, so represent less up front financial risk. These are largely used for junior to mid level roles or senior roles that are not too specialist. You may choose to work with one recruiter exclusively in return for a special deal, or brief several. We would recommend that when chosing a recruitment consultancy you ask for examples of similar roles/clients that they have worked with, and also check how they operate and what their ethical/professional stance is.

  • Direct Response Advertising

Using direct response advertising can help you to generate a continual flow of candidates from national and specialist job boards. Research which job boards candidates use, to know where is best to post your open roles. Different job boards are aimed at certain professions or industries, so it is important to target your advertising budget at the right pool of candidates. Bear in mind that advertising response has been dropping off over the years as candidates use other methods such as social media to look for jobs. It also only attracts “active” candidates rather than those who are not actively looking for new jobs. Some would argue that the “inactive” candidates would be more coveted, as it could be preferential to hire someone at the top of their game rather than who is actively looking for a new job.

  • On-line Marketing

There are many social media platforms now used by both employers and candidates, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Linked-In. Employers are also using blogs and thought leadership pieces to raise their profile and appeal as a great place to work. Remember to post information and pictures also showing the fun/human side of your company, e.g. social nights out, which demonstrate your rich social culture. A dedicated careers page on your web site, with both open opportunities and case studies of how some of the staff have progressed and their views on the company can also be beneficial.

  • Personal Recommendation

A happy, satisfied employee will feel comfortable recommending your business as a great place to work, but often they forget. Developing a referral scheme which incentivises and rewards recommendations and referrals is a great idea. If you do so, it is important to then regularly remind staff of it and highlight internally any successes from the scheme to show that you mean business.

  • Great benefits

Offering a great salary is only part of a job package. Benefits are also an important and equally attractive part of your job offering and help retain as well as attract staff. Typical benefits might include; health insurance, free child care, pension schemes, gym membership, massages, free breakfast, weekly drinks, birthday off work, away days, prizes and incentives and a company car or car allowance. Weigh up what benefits will work best for your company and make sure to advertise these along with your general job advertisement.

 

Twitter feed is not available at the moment.

ibp Communication and PR Awards 2019 – Guidance for pdf entries

Guidance for PDF Entries

• Entries should conform to the rules of submission with regard to length of text and content etc.

• The submissions should be sent as a pdf file no larger than 20mb.

• PDF files should be submitted using a file transfer service of the entrant’s choice, such as the following:

www.hightail.com/‎
www.wesendit.com/
www.transfernow.net/en/
www.dropbox.com

The email recipient of the file should be addressed to the ibp webmaster who will upload the files to the ibp judging process.

• The entrant must agree that the entry will remain in place on the ibp hosting server for an indeterminate period.

• The pdf should not contain any embedded CAD drawings unless the drawings are converted to jpg format first.

• The entrant must agree that any content in their submission can be used by IBP in subsequent publicity or on the IBP web site when reporting on the awards.

• The entry must be capable of being printed off. To this end we suggest avoiding the use of ‘background’ images.

• For ease of identification, the pdf file name url must contain the entrants name and company name or project title if applicable.

• The entrant must agree that any content in their submission can be used by IBP in subsequent publicity or on the IBP web site when reporting on the awards.

ibp Campaign of the Year Award 2020 – Guidance for pdf entries

Guidance for PDF Entries

• Entries should conform to the rules of submission with regard to length of text and content etc.

• Submissions should be sent as a pdf file no larger than 20mb.

• PDF files should be submitted using a file transfer service of the entrant’s choice, such as the following:

www.hightail.com/‎
www.wesendit.com/
www.transfernow.net/en/
www.dropbox.com

• The entrant must agree that the entry will remain in place on the ibp hosting server for an indeterminate period.

• The pdf should not contain any embedded CAD drawings unless the drawings are converted to jpg format first.

• The entrant must agree that any content in their submission can be used by IBP in subsequent publicity or on the IBP web site when reporting on the awards.

• The entry must be capable of being printed off. To this end we suggest avoiding the use of ‘background’ images.

• For ease of identification, the pdf file name url must contain the entrants name and company name and campaign title.

• The entrant must agree that any content in their submission can be used by IBP in subsequent publicity or on the IBP web site when reporting on the awards. A request to remove sensitive material can be made, following the judging process.

ibp Communication and PR Awards 2018 – Guidance for pdf entries

Guidance for PDF Entries

• Entries should conform to the rules of submission with regard to length of text and content etc.

• The submissions should be sent as a pdf file no larger than 20mb.

• PDF files should be submitted using a file transfer service of the entrant’s choice, such as the following:

www.hightail.com/‎
www.wesendit.com/
www.transfernow.net/en/
www.dropbox.com

The email recipient of the file should be addressed to the ibp webmaster who will upload the files to the ibp judging process.

• The entrant must agree that the entry will remain in place on the ibp hosting server for an indeterminate period.

• The pdf should not contain any embedded CAD drawings unless the drawings are converted to jpg format first.

• The entrant must agree that any content in their submission can be used by IBP in subsequent publicity or on the IBP web site when reporting on the awards.

• The entry must be capable of being printed off. To this end we suggest avoiding the use of ‘background’ images.

• For ease of identification, the pdf file name url must contain the entrants name and company name or project title if applicable.

• The entrant must agree that any content in their submission can be used by IBP in subsequent publicity or on the IBP web site when reporting on the awards.

ibp National Journalism Awards 2018 – Guidance for pdf entries

Guidance for PDF Entries

• Entries should conform to the rules of submission with regard to length of text and content etc.

• The submissions should be sent as a pdf file no larger than 20mb.

• PDF files should be submitted using a file transfer service of the entrant’s choice, such as the following:

www.hightail.com/‎
www.wesendit.com/
www.transfernow.net/en/
www.dropbox.com

The email recipient of the file should be addressed to the ibp webmaster: who will upload the files to the ibp judging process.

• The entrant must agree that the entry will remain in place on the ibp hosting server for an indeterminate period.

• The pdf should not contain any embedded CAD drawings unless the drawings are converted to jpg format first.

• The entrant must agree that any content in their submission can be used by IBP in subsequent publicity or on the IBP web site when reporting on the awards.

• The entry must be capable of being printed off. To this end we suggest avoiding the use of ‘background’ images.

• For ease of identification, the pdf file name url must contain the entrants name and company name or project title if applicable.

• The entrant must agree that any content in their submission can be used by IBP in subsequent publicity or on the IBP web site when reporting on the awards.

ibp National Journalism Awards 2021 – Guidance for pdf entries

Guidance for PDF Entries

• Entries should conform to the rules of submission with regard to length of text and content etc.

• The submissions should be sent as a pdf file no larger than 20mb.

• PDF files should be submitted using a file transfer service of the entrant’s choice, such as the following:

www.hightail.com/‎
www.wesendit.com/
www.transfernow.net/en/
www.dropbox.com

The email recipient of the file should be addressed to the ibp webmaster who will upload the files to the ibp judging process.

• The entrant must agree that the entry will remain in place on the ibp hosting server for an indeterminate period.

• The pdf should not contain any embedded CAD drawings unless the drawings are converted to jpg format first.

• The entrant must agree that any content in their submission can be used by IBP in subsequent publicity or on the IBP web site when reporting on the awards.

• The entry must be capable of being printed off. To this end we suggest avoiding the use of ‘background’ images.

• For ease of identification, the pdf file name url must contain the entrants name and company name or project title if applicable.

• The entrant must agree that any content in their submission can be used by IBP in subsequent publicity or on the IBP web site when reporting on the awards.

Built environment comms professional? Stand out by learning the science behind the art of communications

Harriett-HindmarshHarriett Hindmarsh,
Chair of the Board for IBP and Vice President, Global Marketing and Communications at AECOM. ​

I’ve worked in the built environment industry as a communications professional for over 10 years and in that time I’ve seen the role evolve enormously.

The post-recession world is incredibly dynamic and demanding with more and more pressure on resource and the need to be accountable, and in my opinion as professionals we need to acknowledge the way the profession is changing.

Here are the major trends that you need be on top of if you want to thrive.

 

Understand your business drivers

The fundamental skill I think you need is often overlooked: having a working understanding of business drivers.

This one attribute is appreciated all the way to the top. Chief Executives want to promote people who let business outcomes and drivers, rather than assumptions or empty metrics, inform and drive their activities. This is particularly relevant in communications. You should be continuously asking yourself: ‘How can I use communication as a tool to support the business drivers of my organisation? How will this support growth initiatives?

An understanding of profit and loss, financial efficacy and how to generate leads is what the industry and your clients are looking for. These are not communication skills per say, but an understanding is critical to delivering good communications campaigns.

You need to be able to communicate the value of your brand in a business sense. I find it very frustrating when people do not think about the impact their communication activities are having on business strategy, or how they need to evolve together.

If you don’t understand how your role supports business strategy or have knowledge of your business, then you’re not really doing your job effectively. You are just a press officer, rather than a communications professional.

 

Be accountable: measure your outputs and brand

The recession has increased the desire for efficiency. There is now a renewed awareness and emphasis on value, and how we provide value for money. There is also an emphasis on how we measure the value of what we do. Post-recession, we all have to be a lot more accountable.

Commercial businesses exist to make money. Chief executives want to see how their business’ communications, brand and marketing drives the bottom line. It is critical that you are able to measure the impact of what you are doing.

In my opinion the UK construction industry has been slow to understand the value of the brand, but now it’s a topic that’s increasingly discussed at a board level.

That’s a good thing for our profession, it means that we are now invited and involved in strategic conversations about how communications and marketing can support and drive growth.

 

Communications as conversations

We use all sorts of different channels now. It’s no longer about communicating, it’s about engaging in two-way conversations and understanding the value of a dialogue as opposed to a broadcast.

There’s less emphasis on press releases, you still use them for example to announce project wins or new hires but communicating now is more about understanding what your client’s issues are and responding to them.

Part of understanding what those issues are means working closely with your client account management teams and understanding what their strategic drivers are.

From what I have seen, it is companies that invest in thought leadership and communicating on a knowledgeable basis with their clients, rather than promoting themselves in brochures or press releases, that are the ones that have the right kind of dialogue going and seem to be the most successful.

Certainly in terms of brand, the most successful examples are brands that engage with their clients in a meaningful way because they understand what their drivers are.

 

Tailor your message to each audience

You need to understand how to segment your stakeholders, which means you need to know who your stakeholders are and which channels and messages are appropriate for them.

For example, if you’re working on a major infrastructure project you will have to consider:

  • Local community
  • Local government
  • Contractor community
  • Design community
  • Wider press

To communicate effectively you have to tailor your messaging for each of them. And this list is not an exhaustive list of stakeholders.

Some people think communications is neither an art nor a science. For me it is a bit of both, there is scientific element to the art of communications.

This means you need to break it down to its component parts and understand how to measure it. Run your campaign like that, and then be accountable for how you’ve run it.

 

Get up to speed with social media

All comms professionals should have a working understanding of social media and what good engagement looks like.

Twitter is an essential tool:knowing what and when to tweet, who to follow, what to retweet and so on, is an art in itself. There isn’t a lot of pressure on comms professionals in this industry to develop those skills, because let’s face it your Chief Executive may not get it. But that doesn’t mean these are skills you should disregard.

Value can be hard to prove with social media but if you can prove who you’re influencing then you will begin to win round the C-suite. For example, we launched a campaign last week and the Mayor of L.A. retweeted it. Our headquarters are in L.A. and we’re pitching for a lot of work in L.A. The fact the Mayor has re-tweeted our carbon disclosure campaign is just massive. You don’t have to prove the value of that, it’s obvious.

It doesn’t matter if you get a hundred retweets, if you got that one retweet. Understanding the dynamics of social media is vital if you want to make the most of it as a communication tool.

 

Learn from other industries

Continuing to learn and develop new skills is key to keeping abreast of new channels and aspects of communication and how to maximise them.

I’m lucky in that I work for a company that offers lots of training opportunities.

But even if you don’t have access to that, you can always spend some time with your HR department.

Ask:

  • What challenges we facing as a business?
  • What challenges our staff population facing?
  • What are their concerns?
  • How do we look at employee engagement?

If you don’t have engaged employees then you don’t have brand ambassadors, if you don’t have brand ambassadors you’re not selling your company properly. If you’re not selling your company properly than you’re not impacting the bottom line and you are not doing your job properly either.

As well as HR, spend some time with your finance people. Get copies of your monthly reports, sit in on your Chief Executive’s monthly briefing to his leadership team and be open to learning more about different aspects of your business.

Talk to journalists. They probably spend more time with your clients and have an understanding of what their issues are. They’ll also spend time networking with other journalists, and networking with your peers. Their insights will be invaluable in getting to grips with industry trends.

You can always look to external groups or networks, like the IBP, as valuable sources of learning and development, as well as good networking opportunities. Depending on your organisation, you may not get all the training opportunities you wish for but there are plenty of places outside of the office to broaden your knowledge – I’m proud that IBP is a great example of that.

 

Comms is on the rise

I’ve met a lot of people working in communications over the years and from what I’ve seen it has not always been treated as a science or a profession, so to speak.

I think that’s changing.

Churning out press releases is a communications strategy conscripted to the past. As we look forward the concern will be how to engage and ignite meaningful two-way conversations, which are about addressing clients’ needs rather than just broadcasting messages.

The recession has driven a need to be more accountable for what we do and finding ways to demonstrate how comms impacts the bottom line will be a big part of that.

As impact becomes more measurable I think increasingly there will be a greater role for communications at a strategic board level. Aspiring communications professionals need to be aware of this, the bar, and therefore the opportunities, are getting higher all the time.