JMS Midlands make the finals of the biggest property and construction awards in the county

The JMS Midlands team are on the shortlist for a prestigious ProCon awards. The ProCon awards are the Leicestershire construction industries’ most respected and well-known awards. This time the category for Small Non-Residential scheme of the year, for a project that might have faced derailment, if not for JMS’ commitment to meeting their client’s unique needs.

The project was for the huge and much needed extension and refurbishment of Sutton in the Elms Baptist church – Leicestershire’s oldest Baptist church, dating back to 1646. The building required much work and refurbishment to house the growing congregation. This included adapting access, to ensure people of all mobility levels could use every part of the building.

JMS Managing Director Andy Kenyon says:

“It’s an honour to be nominated for our work on this important project. We worked closely with Mayway Construction and Axon Architects to bring our Client’s dreams to life. The finished build has already had a huge positive impact on the community, so it’s especially rewarding. My team really pulled out all the stops to meet the needs of the church, and deserve every bit of recognition they get.”

Sympathetic design… and budgeting.

Although JMS are renowned for their innovation when it comes to reducing environmental impacts on their builds, the team innovated in a different way on this project.

Andy explains:

“Mayway Construction specialise in church projects, and together we listened carefully to the client, to ensure we could meet their needs. In this case, it came down to budgets, as the group relied on their tireless fundraising efforts to raise money. We kept things flexible, with the project progressing in stages, so they could take breaks where necessary to focus on raising more funds over a longer period of time. It meant we could all be on the same page, and they could still take on a project that was incredibly ambitious.”

The end result saw a new central hub, with multi-use rooms and meeting places, and improved toilet and kitchen facilities, along with easy access to the building from the car park. To reduce costs further, JMS ensured energy efficient heating and improved thermal fabric were in place across the new construction. This will not only see the construction have a reduced environmental impact, but lower energy costs for the church going forward too. To celebrate the rich history of the church, details from the old building were also retained and included in the new designs.

“This was a rewarding project, one that celebrates the incredible history of the church building, while adding lots of extra usable space, in a way that didn’t disrupt the surrounding, or alter the skyline. The new construction respects the established landscape, while having an eye on providing an energy-efficient future, which is the JMS approach in a nutshell.”

Winners will be announced at a black tie awards dinner and ceremony on Thursday 10th November at The King Power Stadium.