by Brianna Crandall — February 22, 2017 — The University of Bradford was recently named Building Performance Champion, for the second time, for its pioneering Ecoversity program at the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) Building Performance Awards 2017.
The University’s department of estates and facilities came out on top at the tightly contested awards thanks to transformational work on its aging estates infrastructure over the last decade — reducing its carbon footprint by a stunning 35%, and becoming the only university in the world to maintain three BREEAM Outstanding-rated buildings in its portfolio.
Other winners include:
- Building Performance Consultancy of the Year (over 1000 employees): AECOM
- Project of the Year – International: Elementa Consulting
- Project of the Year – Residential: HLM
- Test of Time (new for 2017): British Land (for demonstrating continued high performance since being Building Performance Champion in 2012)
A consistent finalist at the Building Performance Awards, AECOM’s award is down to their outstanding commitment to improving industry best practice through guidance and training. Judges praised HLM’s winning entry, a house in central Scotland, for a commitment to innovation and sustainability that also featured stunning design, while Elementa Consulting was awarded for its commitment to sustainability through the company’s “deep green engineering” philosophy.
Also victorious in the Facilities Management Team Award, the University of Bradford entry was commended for its approach to tackling inherent problems within its large stock of legacy buildings dating from the 1960s and 70s, including poor thermal performance, asbestos and large expanses of single glazing. By overcoming practical and organizational challenges, the University cut utility costs by 27% in a market that has risen 90%, and saved £8 million over ten years.
The judges were also impressed with the University’s long-term strategy, which involves engaging stakeholders from all areas of the campus and implementing an extremely robust building energy management system (BEMS), which delivers high-quality in-use performance data. Other features of the strategy include LED lighting and controls installation; replacing transformers and pumps; engineering and control improvements to the district heating network; expanding the BEMS; and reviewing and optimizing compressed air.
The Test of Time award is also a newcomer, introduced in the Awards’ tenth year to reflect the Awards’ legacy, and to reward continued high performance in a previous winner. By demonstrating that it has managed to maintain the impressive performance that won a Building Performance Award in the past, British Land is proving its commitment to excellence in the built environment and setting the bar for quality in the industry as a whole, says CIBSE.
The complete list of winners at the CIBSE Building Performance Awards 2017 can be found on the CIBSE Web site.
