Written by Susie Diamond, Founding Partner at Inkling and CIBSE Awards 2015 Judge This is the third year running that I've had the privilege of judging the CIBSE Building Performance Awards. Having worked in building physics since 2000 I have learnt a thing or two about energy performance in buildings, and it's nice to put that experience into my judging role. The best bit for me is reading about teams that have worked hard to find really elegant solutions, and seeing them rewarded with a prize. The judging does use up about three working days of my time reading through all the entries, doing my private marking and then thrashing out the final winners with the other judges on our judging day, but I have enjoyed the process a great deal each time, and then there's the perk of a ticket to the awards evening itself! I am a founding partner at Inkling. We are a building physics consultancy working with a wide variety of clients and projects so our days are surpr

Written by Geoff Prudence Chair of the CIBSE Facilities Management Group and judge of the Building Performance Awards 2015 I am really excited about being involved with the CIBSE Building Performance Awards 2015 as a member of the judging panel and look forward to seeing best practice in the Facilities Management Operations category. A category that rewards the individuals and teams that are at the very heart of delivering improved building performance – the facilities managers. I feel strongly that FM professionals should be involved at the earliest stages of a building’s design, so that the best possible operational efficiencies can be achieved over its life-cycle. After all, who knows better than the facilities management team about the costs and effectiveness of different maintenance strategies and the effect that system choice has on these? BIM should help to bring about more effective design and more effective construction, but the real opportunity – and what will pro

Written by Munish Datta, Head of Facilities Management and Plan A at Marks & Spencer and  Judge of the Building Performance Awards 2015. When I reflect back on the night Marks & Spencer Cheshire Oaks was announced as a winner at the 2014 awards, I am overcome by a great sense of pride, elation and gratitude. Proud that the project topped such a high calibre shortlist, overjoyed that our efforts were recognised and grateful for this very meaningful honour. For us, this accolade is significant as it recognised the building’s actual operational performance, and in doing so the very reason why we built it in the way we did. Two years since Cheshire Oaks opened to the public, it continues to exceed our expectations in terms of environmental performance, users continue to express high levels of satisfaction and it has become an iconic benchmark against which we measure our global property estate. It has inspired us to try and replicate its success in our existing and

Written by Liz Peck MSc FSLL, Design Principal at LPA Lighting, President Elect Society of Light & Lighting and Judge of the Building Performance Awards 2015 Any lighting geek - for I am one - will tell you that lighting is the single most important component of building services.  I know there are those who will argue for HVAC and others but honestly, I've got jumpers for winter months and in my office, I've got open windows delivering fresh air and - even more importantly - a bucket-load of daylight; for I am also a daylight freak and I countenance people having daylight breaks during their working day; daylight is good for you and that's official.  Sainsbury’s Project Graphite, LED lighting programme. Joint winner of the Lighting for Building Performance Award 2015 Even putting to one side the benefits to well-being, daylight is also a driver in energy-efficient lighting; I don't remember the last time a light was on in my office but it would have bee

GEA ConsultingLimited are registered Low Carbon Consultants and Low Carbon Energy Assessors and specialise in the provision of climate change consultancy, carbon reduction management, energy audits/surveys and Display Energy Certificates. They have been working with local schools to share tips on energy efficiency and to help students understand the importance and benefits of reducing demand. Research shows that pupils who are empowered to take action on energy become more positive towards environmental issues. In this guest post, GEA share some of their tips and resources. Growing Up Green Businesses across all sectors are increasingly focussed on energy reduction; not only for the obvious cost saving benefits, but also in achieving their corporate social responsibility strategies. But what about Schools? Reducing energy use has many advantages for schools: it of course saves money and reduces carbon emissions but also improves the learning environment and can

Written by Hywel Davies, CIBSE Technical Director and Chair of the Building Performance Awards Judging Panel Some feedback from our members on the CIBSE Building Performance Awards (BPA) suggests a wish for a Building Information Modelling (BIM) award. On the face of it, with everyone talking about BIM, that would be an obvious winner. But on reflection, is it as easy as all that? What are the criteria for a "BIM Award"? Attractive 3D images? Entrants who say that they are using Level 2 BIM? Arguably, with government still developing the standards and protocols needed for Level 2 BIM nobody can be doing level 2 BIM yet.  BIM is about helping to produce buildings that work better for the owners, occupiers and even those who buy or use the products or services generated in the building. Or else BIM is about enabling better or more effective creation and management of built environment assets over the whole life. So at what point in the life of an asset that has been p

Iconic, attractive and eye-catching buildings are rightly awarded for architectural and structural brilliance. But what are they like to work in, live in, shop in or stay in? How much are they costing their occupiers to power? What impact are they having on our environment? Do they ‘perform’ as the design intended? All of these questions are challenged by building performance awards and that is what makes them so important to our built environment and to society. Building performance awards recognise the project teams, orgnisations and products that enable new, refurbished and existing buildings to ‘perform’: to manage energy efficiently and provide a comfortable and productive environment for their occupiers. So who should be taking building performance recognition seriously? Architects because if you can demonstrate to clients that not only will their building look great and fit their image, but it will save money and boost productivity too over a sustained period, you’