News
Our wins at the CIBSE Building Performance Awards 2024.
A leading example of innovation in the realm of sustainable housing
That’s how judges described one of Wales’ first energy-positive social housing schemes, Bryn Bragl, which secured us one of two prizes at the CIBSE Building Performance Awards on Thursday 29 February.
The Residential Project of the Year award celebrates buildings that most effectively demonstrate high levels of user satisfaction and comfort while delivering outstanding measured building performance. Creating this type of exemplar building is demanding and the awards recognise the work and dedication of the project team.
Bryn Bragl Housing is a trailblazing project revolutionising and supporting the UK’s search to find sustainable and affordable housing. Together, its 14 pioneering homes have put more than 34,000 kw/h back into the grid. This is roughly the total yearly electricity use for around nine average-use homes in the UK.
Most residents have bills of around £25 a month. The reduction in monthly spend, paired with the attention given to health and wellbeing, has contributed to the establishment of truly contemporary homes where people can thrive, knowing they are having a positive impact on the planet.
The CIBSE Building Performance Awards focus on actual, measured performance outcomes, and not just design intent or performance specifications. Compared to last year, we had a five-fold increase of shortlistings, which highlights one of the benefits of getting more performance data for our completed projects.
Consultancy of the Year
Our second award win of the night recognised us as a consultancy that has demonstrated an outstanding contribution to delivering buildings that have high levels of measured building performance and user satisfaction throughout their operating life.
It is exactly the sort of award we want to be targeting as a firm, as it celebrates both elements of our North Star guiding purpose: to be human-centric and planet-conscious.
The judges said:
Hoare Lea showed a clear direction towards net zero in its work, and a desire to take clients with them on this path. The testimonials given show the benefit and effectiveness of this approach.
Of particular note, they said, was our Pollinate programme, which provides funding for anyone to develop innovation proposals, particularly cross-discipline ones. Winning teams are given the time and resources to conduct research, develop any spin-off ideas, and disseminate the results across the firm, wider industry, and even interested parties outside of the built environment.
We were also shortlisted in three other categories:
- Collaboration: One Piccadilly Gardens (OPG), Manchester
- Project of the Year (Commercial and offices): Hodge House, Cardiff
- Project of the Year (Retrofit): Hodge House, Cardiff
Well done to all involved!