BuroHappold Engineering and Cundall were among the big winners at the CIBSE Building Performance Awards, hosted by comedian Jo Caulfield at Grosvenor House hotel in London last month.
They each scooped two awards, with BuroHappold judged the best Building Performance Consultancy (over 1,000 employees) and winning Project of the Year – Public Use for the Urban Sciences Building, Newcastle University. Cundall picked up the trophy for best Building Performance Consultancy (101-1,000 employees), and won the Learning and Development award for the Cundall Diploma.
Australian developer Mirvac was crowned Building Performance Champion 2019, having won Project of the Year – International with the EY Centre, Sydney, Australia. The judges, chaired by CIBSE technical director Hywel Davies, described the 37-storey office tower as an ‘exemplary project’ and praised Mirvac’s ‘truly holistic approach to building performance and wellbeing.’
Elementa Consulting senior engineer Clara Bagenal George won the inaugural Building Performance Engineer of the Year award after launching the influential London Energy Transformation Initiative (Leti).
Many recommendations from the cross-industry group were adopted in the draft London Plan, and the group is now creating a roadmap towards zero carbon homes, which Bagenal George details on page 40.
CIBSE President Stephen Lisk opened the event by telling the audience that the CIBSE awards were the only ones that judged buildings on actual measured performance outcomes. He said everyone in the supply chain could influence building performance for the good of society and the planet.
By volunteering or participating in CIBSE activities, people could contribute to the Institution’s standing as a globally recognised force for good, added Lisk. ‘It is clear that construction in the UK must change and, as a charitable body that exists for the public benefit, we are committed to being at the forefront of delivering that change.’
BuroHappold Engineering’s Dr Sarah Prichard also gave a presentation at the ceremony.
Building Performance Champion
Winner: EY Centre, Sydney, Australia – Mirvac
EY’s new office showcases what can be done when a building is treated and delivered as a system. The judges praised the truly holistic approach to building performance and wellbeing, and – in being crowned overall champion – it has demonstrated that the work of performance is more than just engineering.
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Building Performance Consultancy (up to 100 employees)
Winner: WARM: Low Energy Building Practice
Practising what it preaches, building performance consultancy WARM refurbished its offices to the Passivhaus standard. WARM wants to make this level of building performance and quality the standard in the UK, and the judges acknowledged how the consultancy is seeking to develop Passivhaus with the supply chain in an innovative way that is more likely to deliver longer-term impact.
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Building Performance Consultancy (101-1,000 employees)
Winner: Cundall
The judges described Cundall’s submission as comprehensive and convincing, with the consultancy having its own sustainability roadmap and a stated intention to go beyond the ‘business as usual’ agenda. Importantly, the consultancy also encourages its clients to exceed standard practice on sustainability.
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Building Performance Consultancy (over 1,000 employees)
Winner: BuroHappold Engineering
The judges commended the group’s commitment to addressing building performance and ensuring that understanding is reflected in what is delivered on site. They acknowledged how BuroHappold is engaging with the key topics of healthy, safe buildings, and delivering ones that are resilient to a changing climate and that have less negative impact on the environment in the future.
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Collaborative Working Partnership
Winner: Broadway Chambers – Woodford Heating and Energy
This entry stood out for the judges because of the very clear and considered thought process behind the collaboration. The contractor team was chosen to match the client team in terms of personality and seniority. The judges said the project showed the success of considering personality traits and management styles to create the best team possible.
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Learning and Development
Winner: The Cundall Diploma – Cundall
The Cundall Diploma was developed to give staff an in-depth understanding of sustainable design, offering them the knowledge, tools and confidence to offer sustainable design solutions on their projects. The judges particularly liked the depth of the scheme and the inclusive way in which the initiative has been rolled out across the company. They commended its feedback mechanism, and were impressed by the investment of time and effort in the programme.
Energy Management Initiative
Winner: 2 Kingdom Street Demand-driven Strategy – Cavendish Engineers
Cavendish Engineers identified energy-reduction opportunities in this building – which received a Breeam Excellent rating on completion in 2010 – through the modernisation of the three core systems on site. The judges said that the entry demonstrated the importance and potential benefits of active, ongoing building management, and that Cavendish’s approach was helping to close the performance gap.
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Facilities Management Team
Winner: TfL Head Offices FM Portfolio – Transport for London
The judges highlighted TfL’s excellent behavioural change programme, which has invested heavily in communication and embraced user feedback through social media, building user surveys, questionnaires and post-occupancy evaluations. They also identified good collaboration between opex and capex teams, and commended its Destination Green engagement campaign.
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Energy Efficient Product or Innovation
Winner: Armstrong Tango parallel pumping solution – Armstrong Fluid Technology
Armstrong Tango’s parallel pumping solution reduces pump energy consumption by about 30%, and can be used in many situations. The judges commended the firm for its significant commitment to reducing carbon emissions in its own manufacturing locations. They were also impressed by the firm donating the proceeds from recycling aged pumps to charitable causes via its Planet Proposition sustainability initiative.
Energy-saving Product or Innovation
Winner: The Encore Cistern – The Green Futures Initiative
Described by the judges as ‘a really innovative solution’, the Encore is the only concealed cistern that directly uses waste condensate from air conditioning units to flush its toilets. The judges liked the range of potential applications it offers, being suitable for retrofit and new build, and were impressed by the thought that clearly went into its development.
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Project of the Year – Residential
Winner: Lark Rise – bere:architects
Lark Rise, an ultra-low energy, all-electric, two-bedroom detached property, is the UK’s first certified Passivhaus Plus home. The judges acknowledged the attention to detail in the design of a ‘groundbreaking development’, and how it was used to understand and demonstrate how building homes to this specification could be adopted more widely – challenging the need to fulfil energy demand through additional grid capacity.
Building Performance Engineer of the Year
Winner: Clara Bagenal George, senior engineer – Elementa Consulting
The inaugural award winner is a senior Chartered engineer working across sustainability and mechanical teams, leading mechanical, environmental analysis and sustainability consulting projects. She was nominated for her above-and-beyond attitude and her true passion for sustainable building performance.
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Project of the Year – Commercial/Industrial
Winner: One Angel Square, Northampton – BDP
The judges thought that a good-quality design had been delivered within a limited budget for the One Angel Square project. They commended the use of TM54 modelling to develop robust operational cost estimates and the maintenance of value as a key principle throughout a tight design and build project, defending engineering options in the design that would lead to better outcomes.
Project of the Year – Public Use
Winner: Urban Sciences Building, Newcastle University – BuroHappold Engineering
The judges were impressed by the huge amount of stakeholder involvement and the strong focus on post-completion and estate-wide post-occupancy evaluation. They also commented on the numerous innovative elements. It was, they said, a complex project that had been well delivered – a year ahead of schedule and on budget – by running procurement and design concurrently, and engaging with the supply chain.
Project of the Year – International
Winner: EY Centre, Sydney, Australia – Mirvac
The EY Centre is an exemplary project that should be the benchmark for all buildings, according to the award judges. Independent commissioning and the commitment to aftercare reinforced the true desire for a whole-life approach, they said. In addition, evidence was provided of high social corporate responsibility, with real-life working examples presented in the award submission.
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