University facilities stand out at CIBSE’s 2018 Building Performance Awards

Three buildings in the UK were category winners at the 2018 Building Performance Awards, organised by CIBSE (the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers). All, coincidentally, are at universities: the Centre for Medicine at the University of Leicester, the Oriam Heath & Fitness Facility at Heriot-Watt University and the Enterprise Centre at the University of East Anglia. Another university – Oxford – was named ‘Building Performance Champion’ for its Carbon Reduction Programme.

Overseas projects won in three categories: ‘Energy Management Initiative’ (Beyond The 6 Star NABERS Barrier, Melbourne, Australia); ‘Project of the Year – Residential’ (Killynure Green, Carryduff, by Choice Housing Ireland); and ‘Project of the Year – International’ (a low-energy lab at Pomona College, USA).

There were three awards for ‘Building Performance Consultancy’ – for firms with up to 100 employees, 100-1000 employees, and over 1000 employees – which went to engineer Elementa Consulting, architect BDP and engineer Buro Happold respectively.

Buro Happold also won in the ‘Energy-Efficient Product or Innovation’ category for its NewMass cooling system. Q-Bot’s Q-Floor underfloor insulation was named best ‘Energy-Saving Product or Innovation’.

In the ‘Learning and Development’ category Landsec won for its Sustainability Matters company-wide training programme.

Top, above: Architects Architype and BDP won ‘Project of the year – Commercial/ Industrial’ for the Enterprise Centre at the University of East Anglia, where a Passivhaus strategy combined with natural materials provides a low-energy, comfortable, non-toxic environment for occupants. Following its completion in 2015, the building underwent a three-year ‘soft landings’ process and a three-year post-occupancy programme if research into energy use is being carried out. In the first year of operation the building consumed 103 kWh/m2/annum in primary energy, just below the predicted design stage figure and comfortably below the level required by the Passivhaus standard. 

Above: The contribution of environmental engineer Max Fordham was recognised in the award of ‘Project of the Year – Leisure’ to Heriot-Watt’s Oriam sports facility, designed by Reiach & Hall. It sought the optimum balance between roof transparency and ventilation openings to avoid overheating. Openings were integrated at high level to avoid cold drafts to spectators in winter. Rooflights with diffusing glass allow artificial lighting to be switched off during the day while controlling glare.

Above: contractor Willmott Dixon was recognised for its work at the University of Leicester Centre for Medicine (designed by Associated Architects), which won ‘Project of the Year – Public Use’. The Passivhaus-certified centre “has set a new best practice example for large-scale higher education buildings”, said the jury.