Michael Braiden wins Gold at CIOB Awards for transformational Maybole Community Campus project
Michael Braiden, Project Director at Morgan Sindall Construction, has been awarded the prestigious Gold Award for Project Manager of the Year (Education) at the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) Awards.
The success continues Morgan Sindall Construction's exceptional performance at the awards, with the company receiving recognition across multiple categories.
In addition to Michael’s Gold Award, Lewis Quinn was highly commended in the Rising Star category, while Colin Cameron was named a finalist in Restoration and Renovation, reflecting the tier one contractor’s dedication to excellence and talent development across all facets of construction delivery.
Michael was recognised for his outstanding leadership on the £58.9 million Maybole Community Campus, delivered in partnership with hub South West and South Ayrshire Council.
The transformational development brings together a nursery school, three primary schools, a high school, and a community hub featuring sports facilities and a 25-metre swimming pool on a single campus.
The project presented significant challenges, including recovering from a 12-week programme delay caused by severe storms in February 2022. Morgan Sindall successfully delivered the campus on time for the start of the 2023 academic year, ensuring pupils could begin their school year in their brand-new facilities.
Michael's 40 years of construction industry experience proved instrumental in navigating the complex seven-phase project, which included managing a live learning environment with construction taking place just three metres from the existing Carrick Academy. The project maintained an exceptional safety record with zero RIDDOR incidents across 621,521 person-hours worked.
Innovative approaches underpinned the delivery, including off-site manufactured modular plant rooms, a comprehensive soil management strategy to reduce vehicle movements, and cutting-edge digital completion dashboards – recognised as industry best practice.
Beyond technical achievements, the project successfully harmonised four separate school communities into one cohesive campus, with extensive community engagement ensuring pupils felt connected to their new learning environment throughout the construction process.
The Maybole Community Campus project delivered significant social value to the local area, creating 20 new jobs, providing 454 work experience days to 18 students, and engaging 881 pupils throughout the construction process. The project team donated over 4,400 hours to community initiatives and provided £14,534 in donations to local groups.
Michael Braiden, Project Director at Morgan Sindall Construction, said:
I am incredibly honoured to receive this recognition from the CIOB. This award reflects the dedication and hard work of the entire project team who came together to deliver something truly special for the Maybole community.
Recovering from a 12-week delay to deliver this complex project on time required exceptional collaboration between all stakeholders. What made this project particularly rewarding was seeing the positive impact on the local community – from the pupils who will benefit from these world-class facilities to the local businesses and the team who contributed to the project's success.
Every project is about more than just construction – it's about creating spaces that positively transform communities. The Maybole Community Campus represents the largest capital investment in facilities in the Maybole community for some time, and I'm proud that we could deliver this legacy project that will benefit generations to come."
Michael Ross, Chief Executive Officer at hub South West, said:
The Morgan Sindall team under Michael's leadership was exceptional throughout this project. Michael’s ability to bring together all stakeholders and recover the programme whilst maintaining the highest standards of quality and safety demonstrates exactly why he deserves this recognition. The end result is a campus that exceeds all expectations and provides world-class facilities for the Maybole community.”
Stuart Parker, Managing Director at Morgan Sindall Construction Scotland, said:
We’re immensely proud of Michael and the wider team for earning this prestigious CIOB Gold Award. This achievement is thoroughly deserved and highlights Michael’s exceptional leadership as well as the tireless efforts of everyone involved in the project.
It’s especially gratifying to see our teams recognised across multiple categories. These successes reflect our values of delivering technical excellence while creating genuine social impact.
From overcoming complex logistical challenges to uniting diverse stakeholders, the delivery of the Maybole campus shows exactly what sets our Scottish operations apart. It’s a testament to the calibre of our people and our ongoing commitment to Scotland’s infrastructure and communities.”