TAC chair Neil Pennell awarded first BCO Honours

Landsec’s head of design innovation and property solutions, Neil Pennell has been awarded the BCO’s first annual honours.

Pennell, who has chaired the BCO’s Technical Advisory Committee for almost 20 years, was revealed as the first BCO Honour at a glittering awards dinner held at Raffles in London on Thursday 26 February.

He was one of more than a dozen potential honourees put forward by members following a BCO survey last year. Pennell received multiple nominations and was ratified as the perfect first recipient of this award by the BCO’s presidential team.

Since his first BCO conference in 1998, Pennell has been giving his time and expertise to the BCO, helping to create not just one, not just two but eight – and counting – different versions of the BCO’s Guide of Specification and Guide to Fit Out.

Over the course of his tenure his has contributed to too many TAC briefing documents to measure, providing invaluable insights to members on highly technical and complicated matters.

Helen Hare, BCO president and director of projects at GPE, said: “Neil has dedicated many years to the BCO, providing essential thought leadership and guidance while always championing innovation.

“We are delighted to be awarding our inaugural Honours Award to Neil Pennell. We are enormously grateful for his unwavering contribution over many, many years. I feel honoured to have been able to celebrate his success with him and am personally grateful for his counsel and friendship.”

On receiving his award, Pennell said: “I am a firm believer in the more you put into something the more you get from it and that is how I think of my involvement with the BCO. I have met so many great people and learned so much from them and the buildings and workplaces they have produced. It has reinforced my commitment to strive for excellence, to learn and grow, use every opportunity to make a difference, and in whatever small way I can give something back to an industry that has given me so much.”

BCO chief executive Samantha McClary said: “One of the best things about the BCO is its people and since becoming chief executive I’ve been blown away by the volume of time, effort, expertise and passion that our members give to the BCO. Without this incredible volume of voluntary hours, the BCO would not be what it is today, so it is so rewarding to be able to launch our Honours Award and I don’t think there could be a more appropriate first recipient than Neil.”

She added: “While Neil’s ability to unite diverse contributors and disciplines has ensured our flagship publications remain authoritative benchmarks for office design, sustainability, and performance his thought leadership extends far beyond the page. Over decades of service, Neil’s expertise, generosity, and tireless commitment have profoundly shaped the BCO’s technical direction and the wider built environment and for that we thank him.”

Landsec chief executive Mark Allan, congratulated Pennell on the award, adding: “We’re never the finished article’ is one of the phrases we use within our business to describe the qualities of great Landsec people. Neil Pennell has been the absolute exemplar of this trait. For almost 40 years, he’s helped businesses like ours to design and develop workplaces that continue to bring life and value to cities across the UK.

“Few people have had such a positive impact on the British office sector. From putting in place the foundations of Landsec’s sustainability team through to spearheading innovation on projects like The Forge in Southwark, Neil has shaped the very best practice that is replicated across the country today.

“He continues to strive for excellence, mentoring and inspiring the next generation that will follow him in shaping the offices of the future, here at Landsec and beyond. I’m delighted he is being recognised by the BCO for his ongoing contribution.”

As a BCO Honour, Pennell was awarded a bespoke BCO cube, designed by architects Make, and receives a free lifetime membership to the BCO.

The award will return in 2027, with nominations opening in November this year.