Build Sustainable Building Awards 2016

Makes London the Design Centre of the World Page 6 John Harte

Managing Director of Lateral Design

Build Sustainable Building Awards 2016

Be part of the one of the UK’s leading areas of economic growth and development The Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire area boasts one of the fastest growing economies in the region. Now’s your chance to be part of its exciting future as the second most influential powerhouse in the South of England.

Property developers, businesses and residential buyers continue to see Milton Keynes as a prime location to live, work and invest due to its:

Superior infrastructure with easily accessible amenities Well-designed road systems and easy access to the M1 and London Affordable new homes and development opportunities Working on behalf of Developers, Builders, Investors, Land and Property Owners, The Wilkinson Partnership is helping to shape Milton Keynes’ future by sourcing potential development sites, negotiating with planning authorities and effectively marketing rural property and land and more.

For detailed information on how we can also help you become part of the second Capital of the South’s future, please contact us today.

Leighton Buzzard

Winslow

01525 851616

01296 712717

lbres@qualityhomes.co.uk winres@qualityhomes.co.uk

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Welcome to the 2016 Sustainable Building Awards The buildings and structures we live in and encounter shape the way we view the world, and therefore the Architecture industry has an important role to play in shaping the world as we know it.

Innovation, dedication and creativity are all key to success in this competitive and dynamic sector, as client’s demand increasingly new and expressive creations that do more than reflect the current industry trends.

The 2016 Architecture Awards have been put in place to highlight the amazing work done by the talented designers, artists and visionaries whose talent and innovation have created talking points that will span generations. These awards disregard geography and business size, and any one from individuals to multinational Corporations can be nominated. It is not just architects who are eligible for the programme, everyone involved in the industry can be voted for, from architectural technologists, products suppliers, software developers and more.

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The Winners Are...

6. Lateral Design Studio 10. Emergent Structures 12. Xpert Energy Installations Ltd 14. AOS Consulting Engineers (PTY) LTD 15. Bruno Stagno Arquitecto y Asociados 16. GreenA Consultants Pte Ltd 17. Onyx Solar Spain Headquarters 18. Sani-Duct Installations Ltd 19. AES Engineering Ltd. 20. Autex Acoustics UK 21. Bow Tie Construction 22. 3d Architects Ltd 23. Carbon Futures 24. Hurricane Wind Power 25. Jet-Tec Environmental Services 26. Liam Russell Architects 27. MAS Architectural Design 28. Oxford Sustainable Group 29. Peka Solar and Renewable Energy, Inc. 30. Ronald Lu & Partners (RLP) 31. Solar Dynamics Ltd 32. Springfield Mobile 33. Straw Works Ltd & The School of Natural Building (SNaB) 34. STUDIO DECODE 35. Sustaburn 36. Teresa Marble Corporation 37. 24hr Solutions 38. Alderwood Construction

39. NGO: Amis des Etrangers au Togo (ADET) 40. Albert S. Yu 41. Beattie Passive 42. Bird Brick Houses Ltd 43. Cameron Scott Limited 44. Craftsmen Quality Builders 45. DGL International / EnviroSolutions 46. Elliott Barnes Interiors 47. FrameTech Design (Ltd) 48. GreenFish Consulting 49. Greenspace Ecological Solutions Ltd 50. Guard Industry 51. Japanese Knotweed Solutions Ltd 52. K. Raheja Corp.

53. Luxury Homes By Brentnall Name: Siobhan Pearson 54. Munrostudios 55. Navitas EAS 56. NDYLIGHT 57. PAGeotechnical Ltd 58. Paul Testa Architecture Ltd 59. Plant Designs 60. Prestige Window Systems 61. R P Compliance Testing Ltd 62. Renewable Environmental Services 63. Slimline Glazing Systems Ltd 64. Solfit Ltd. 66. Wilsons Conservation Building Products (Wilsons Yard) 67. Yonder Consulting 68.Wintech Limited

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Best for Targeted Construction Products 2016 & European Product of the Year: Aqualevel

Drain covers. Functional items, which in the world of modern construction have no aesthetic value. They serve a purpose – they stop our gardens, kitchens, bathrooms, and even our sitting rooms, from becoming paddling or even swimming pools in stormy weather. Drains are a necessary evil, and their covers hide a multitude of sins.

John Harte, Managing Director of Lateral Design Studio is daring to challenge the widelyheld belief that functional items have no business being attractive. He asks the construction world to cast its mind back to school history lessons, to remember what they taught us about Classical Greek and Roman architecture, with its precision engineering, attention to detail and drive for aesthetic perfection. Or perhaps to the Gothic cathedrals of late-medieval Europe, where even the roof drainage systems consisted of ornately carved gargoyles. ohn is leading a modern Renaissance – bringing art back to the finer details of construction and architecture, asking “Why? Why shouldn’t we mix art with functionality? Why can’t we have works of art in the middle of our showers, or alongside our bi-fold patio doors or in urban schemes?”. Where products to date have followed the prescribed production route to market, being led by function and cost, with design only being an afterthought, John is different. He starts at the design end of the spectrum, ensuring the pieces produced truly excel in design and quality, but also fulfil their functional requirements.

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Lateral Design Studio’s clients care about the environment, and they make it very clear that they want the products to be designed and made in the UK and/or the EU. In addition, they would like all of the products to be made from recycled materials, some of which are 100% recycled, including aluminium, cast iron and stainless steel products.

This commitment to quality and sustainable materials has not gone unnoticed. Since 2011, when the company was launched, Lateral’s ethos has won them five awards including House Builder Best External Product of the Year 2016, and now two Sustainable Building Awards in 2016 – European Product of the Year and the Best for Targeted Construction Products. With a remarkable slate of clients, Lateral Design Studio has provided replacement heating registers to Hampton Court Palace, cast iron channel drains, manholes and gully covers to Blackburn Cathedral, and it also counts Grosvenor Britain and Ireland among its clients.

Increasing numbers of developers, architects and designers are approaching Lateral too, realising that the unpolished finish of a cheaply-made, unattractive grate or drain cover does little to enhance the impact of even the most exquisitely designed buildings or settings.

Founded in 2011, Lateral is the only company in the UK providing designed solutions to replace functional construction products - both inside and outside the home. It’s a family-run company, with John in the driving seat, his daughter in charge of sales, and partner, Anne, in accounts. The uses for its products are endless, from homes to businesses, and landscape

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projects up and down the country and internationally. Lateral operates under three main brands, creating a range of functional and beautiful products for internal and external use. Its concept is to transform functional components into must have pieces of art; anything that air, water or sound passes through is targeted by John. He aims to create pieces which transcend the typical demarcation boundaries found in the construction process of today.

Aqualevel, a new high performance award winning modular drain system created by Lateral Design Studio, offers level access through doors and a range of award winning architectural quality covers. It means homeowners no longer have to use inefficient slot or pebble drains, or unsightly plastic or galvanized steel ladder-style drains which scar their project or design intent.

It gives a choice of architectural quality drain covers in a variety of designs and materials including stylish & modern stainless steel, smart & natural Jonite stone composite or classic & sophisticated cast iron.

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The Aquaduct range is produced for internal use, including, but not limited to, kitchens, bathrooms, wet rooms, showers, air vents and floor registers. Aquaduct designer drains are available in square, combined, linear and round ranges and are made from reclaimed stainless steel and are suitable for internal and external usage.

Aquascape meets external and landscaping needs. The distinctive linear range looks stunning set within patio, hard landscape areas or for urban drainage solutions, but equally the designs look fabulous in a wet room or spa setting.

As the creative powerhouse behind Lateral Design Studio’s innovative repatriation of art with utility, John was always innately drawn to the construction industry, learning construction drawing at school, and starting work in a building/hardware store at 16, and memorising the product names and specification of all the shop’s products, including brass compression fittings, in a matter of months. Upon leaving his homeland in the Republic of Ireland, John set out to seek his fortune in London. There, he spent a few years advancing his knowledge of building and construction before establishing Ormond Construction Ltd in 1989, quickly winning an award from the Royal Institute of British Architects.

In 2011, after spending decades in the construction industry as a quantity surveyor, listening to people making the same comments about the poor quality of certain fixtures and fittings – drain covers (internal & external), floor registers, recessed manhole covers, bi-fold door channels, fan plates, shower bases, sink strainers and much more – John resolved that he would reinvigorate the market, challenge the norm and develop quality products which combine high specification utility, with aesthetic appeal.

In 2011, after spending decades in the construction industry as a quantity surveyor, listening to people making the same comments about the poor quality of certain fixtures and fittings – drain covers (internal & external), floor registers, recessed manhole covers, bi-fold door channels, fan plates, shower bases, sink strainers and much more – John resolved that he would reinvigorate the market, challenge the norm and develop quality products which combine high specification utility, with aesthetic appeal.

Case Study Anne-Marie Powell was invited by the Royal Horticultural Society to design its ‘Greening Grey Britain’ garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show this year. It sought to demonstrate attractive, effective rainwater harvesting solutions.

The garden launched the ‘Greening Grey Britain’ campaign for the Society at Chelsea, to persuade the public that paving over front gardens for parking has consequences that reach far beyond the aesthetic, therapeutic advantages of front garden plots, which have been shown to benefit whole communities, not only individuals.

Alongside many ideas for front garden spaces at home, it was decided to include an attractive, desirable drain-channel cover to collect rainfall run off from hard landscaping materials. Anne-Marie Powell Gardens turned to Lateral Design Studio for help. The final selection was of Lateral Design Studio’s Cast Iron ‘Minnione’ cover at the show. It demonstrated that drainage can be an attractive feature, and even had IP68 channel lighting within the garden environment, directing runoff to a soakaway or rain garden, without contributing to local flooding. Indeed, the cover was admired by all who saw it, including The Royal Family, and Anne-Marie Powell is now specifying several of Lateral’s covers into her current schemes.

The landscape products have won the very first Society of Garden Designers Product of the Year 2014, and have been used in three RHS award winning gardens at Chelsea, Hampton Court Flower show, plus the BBC Gardeners World 2016. They are now installed in the RHS garden at Harlow Carr for all to see. Rumors are Laterals exquisite covers will be soon in installed in yet another RHS garden in the south West.

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Case Study Lateral Design Studio was commissioned by BDP Architects and Grosvenor Britain and Ireland to design and deliver a bespoke channel gully with frames to meet current bylaws, but also to contribute to the bespoke character of Motcomb Street in Belgravia, within Grosvenor’s London estate. The design and the finished look were extremely important for the design team to meet their clients brief. The design needed to continue the style of the historic Victorian castings found elsewhere in Belgravia. The cover would need to have the street name and area clearly displayed. The casting was to reflect the history of the Victorian foundries and their craftsmen who toiled over the detailing and insuring the finished castings reflected their artisan passion. A suitable method of pre-aging had to be found to finish the casting so not to look like the usual hulk of black cast iron so commonly found in our urban streets today. The casting was designed in London and cast by a foundry in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, making it a truly British product. John is proud to have his and his company’s name cast into history within the castings for posterity.

So what is next for Lateral Design Studio? John is currently working on bringing out new products that will continue to change devalued functional items and continue to transform them into masterpieces. He is currently working on a range of projects with design teams and craftsmen, on new products and projects ranging from station signs for a major rail infrastructure project, to being invited to work on producing the most exquisite high value handcrafted sculptured pieces for a commissioned bath. John says that drains are not his passion, but that they were a good place to start Lateral Design Studio’s modern Renaissance revival. Lateral Design Studio, will continue taking mundane components, and transforming them into the masterpieces in their own right.

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Company: Lateral Design Studio Name: John Harte Email: john@lateraldesignstudio.co.uk Web Address: www.lateraldesignstudio.co.uk Address: Lateral Design Studio Ltd, Unit 5 Cotswold Business Park, Millfield Lane, Caddington, Bedfordshire, LU1 4AJ Telephone: 020 8450 22 44

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Most Innovative Building Material Re-Use Organization - USA

Emergent Structures Emergent Structures is an organization committed to C+D waste stream management as a capacity building and wealth creation strategy. We explore the services the firm offers and its commitment to reducing C+D waste, as the company’s Senior Management team comment on how they aim to build upon their current success.

f the three essential elements necessary for a civilization to succeed—its people, the ethos of those people, and the resources available to them—the ethos of the people is the most important, because it defines not only how the available resources are used, but whether or not those resources are identified in the first place.

alluding to the organization’s focus on solving for pattern, a phrase coined by Wendell Berry that emphasizes individual efforts with cascading benefits that ripple positively throughout any one community.

“And at the heart of our work is building collaborative capacity between organizations, businesses, entrepreneurs, and community organizations that most cities already have.”

Historically, this has meant that cities situated along the coast made use of a different set of natural resources than high alpine cities. Yet, Emergent Structures, a non-profit organization located along the south eastern coast of the United States, is proving that every city in the world—regardless of its geographic location or the natural resources available to it—has overlooked an abundant resource for community wealth building and economic vitality.

As estimated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, over 230,000 public housing projects will be demolished in the next few decades in the U.S. alone. Large municipalities are confronted with managing the material streams resulting from this expensive and destructive endeavor. Along with the significant environmental impacts that this scale of destruction creates, the further disenfranchisement of chronically disadvantage communities will result if the demolition is handled in a business-as-usual manner.

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That resource is waste: specifically, construction and demolition (C+D) refuse. In the United States alone, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 84 million tons of demolition waste is landfilled annually. This number does not include waste from renovations or new construction. And, while the U.S. can be said to have a tragically unique relationship with its built environment, many countries worldwide lack regenerative strategies for managing C+D waste.

Governments confronted with these material streams make poor use of them (or no use at all), creating liabilities rather than assets and everyone suffers the consequences. As a means of transforming this trend, Emergent Structures aids municipalities and developers in creating strategies that significantly reduce landfill even as they enrich public, private, and community interdependence.

Founded in 2009 in Savannah, Georgia, Emergent Structures has used the historical southern city as a testing ground for innovative C+D material reclamation and re-purposing initiatives. What started as a dynamic collaboration with developers, engineers, contractors, and city agencies involved in a large-scale redevelopment project in a low-income area of Savannah resulted in an impressive mix of multi-stakeholder partnerships and community-driven projects.

At the heart of every project Emergent Structures initiates and facilitates lies a mix of multi-stakeholder collaboration, adaptive response, and iterative learning. Projects are chosen for and enriched through their latent connectivity to other challenges the larger community faces. “Our motto is that a reclaimed board is not a board; it’s a springboard for sustainable change,” Emergent Structures’ President Scott Boylston,

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Ascribing to the ‘social labs’ approach to dealing with complex social challenges, Emergent Structures acts with a focus on generating physical capital, human capital, social capital, and intellectual capital. They do this by creating viable circular economy solutions within and beyond the construction industry. Over the last 7 years, they have prototyped a suite of multi-stakeholder interventions during the redevelopment project in Savannah, then expanded these efforts throughout the city.

They’ve transformed C+D waste materials into structures for low-income communities, furniture for entrepreneurs, and building blocks for vocational training, (physical capital). They’ve used deconstruction and construction projects to train under-employed people (human capital).

They’ve brought diverse communities together through the concrete manifestation of commonly held values (social capital). And they’ve codesigned and shared new processes with construction companies and municipal agencies (intellectual capital).

Emergent Structures’ portfolio of projects is organized within their 3-tier model that serves as an a la carte menu for wealth generation and community development for any city or developer interested in transforming their C+D material management processes. The tiers encompass market transformation; increasing leverage through collaboration, and transcending paradigms. They run workshops to build capacity and create partnerships that result in tangible assets for numerous stakeholders. They are also in the early stages of creating a cloud-based Enterprise Resource System that will make this process even more efficient and productive.

“Every city has clusters of resources that address seemingly isolated issues,” says Scott Boylston, the President of Emergent Structures. “In

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Company: Emergent Structures Email: scottb@emergentstructures.com Website: http://emergentstructures.org

the world of material re-use there are salvage companies, demolition contractors, re-use stores, and craftsmen that use reclaimed materials.

In community empowerment circles there are vocational training programs, entrepreneurship training programs, and poverty reduction programs. And in the construction industry there are developers, engineers, architects, planners, and contractors,� Boylston continues. “In every city there are food activists, urban farmers, and arts programs.

The big question is how can we find ways to align the visions and efforts of all of these individual actors, rather than have them work at counterpurposes to each other. We believe that stewarding this abundant resource we call construction and demolition waste with an eye toward visionary collaboration can result in the stimulation of home grown innovation that creates unprecedented community wealth. Put simply, waste plus wisdom equals wealth.�

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Best Renewable Energy Consultants 2016 – UK

Xpert Energy design, supply and install bespoke energy saving solutions for commercial and domestic properties. We invited Director Sarah Jones to talk us through the company and its service offering.

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pert Energy offers turnkey solutions for both residential and commercial properties to improve their energy efficiency, as well as providing maintenance services for renewable energy systems, with a focus on heat pumps.

The firm’s range of products includes air, ground and water source heat pumps, under floor heating, MVHR (mechanical ventilation heat recovery), insulation, solar thermal, photovoltaic, thermal stores, efficient radiators, and biomass. Sarah provides more detail on the firm’s vast offering and how it aims to ensure that every client receives the solution they need.

“Xpert Energy support clients with all of their energy needs, whether its an existing building or a new build. Thanks to our dedicated, professional team, we can provide services throughout the project, from conception to completion.

Our team include designers, 3D modelling specialists and energy consultants. We also have an in-house installation team. Acting as a onestop-shop for our clients, which means that we are able to ensure that the quality of our work is second to none.”

According to Sarah, in the UK sustainability market there is currently a severe lack of knowledge in the provision of integrated energy saving solutions. Xpert Energy is able to offer the spectrum of its services in-house, from SAP calculations right through to installation and commissioning of systems, so that clients receive the support that they need in all elements of the project, with tailored solutions provided at each stage.

“Currently there is a major lack of knowledge and experience on how to create integrated energy saving solutions in this country. We learn from European countries such as Sweden and Germany where we see the true scope of what can be done.

In design, our focus is to determine the heating load for each individual room with pinpoint accuracy. Equal emphasis is given to designing heating to maximise the efficiency of (for example), heat pumps or gas boilers, which will in turn minimise running costs making this a valuable investment for our client.”

One of the firm’s recent projects is supporting the conversion of a 1960s detached family home, helping the client to reduce their energy requirement from 24kw to just 5.93kw, despite the house increasing in size by 40%.

This says Sarah, was calculated using Xpert’s own heat loss calculator to determine exact heating load requirements of the building. This takes into account the air infiltration rate which can account for 30/40% of the physical heating requirement of a property.”

Xpert Energy acts independently, not tying itself to any one manufacturer so that it can match the products most appropriate to each client’s needs. This is what sets the firm apart, according to Sarah.

“Our employees have varied qualifications in sustainability and energy efficiency, many at degree level and we are accredited by several governing bodies, including the AECB, MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme), REAL Assurance Scheme, IDHEE and CHAS Health and Safety, as well as being Passive trained. This vast amount of technical knowledge enables us to make an accurate assessment of every client’s individual requirements and then create a solution which will fulfil these needs.”

The firm is currently inundated with bespoke projects thanks to the quality of its service offering. Looking to the future, Sarah stated that she had high hopes for the improvement of the UK sustainability market, and that her firm aimed to be at the forefront of these developments.

Over here very little is known about these techniques so clients often miss out on the solution which is right for them.

“The governing bodies in our industry are currently looking into providing more rules and increased inspections of those who provide energy saving solutions, in order to protect both clients and those who work in the industry.

I am optimistic that the industry will improve in the coming years.

We aim to ensure that our solutions are tailored to meet the client’s needs, budget and individual property. Many of the residential buildings we work on are listed, and this limits the changes we are able to make, but our trained and knowledgeable staff are able to work around such challenges to produce a range of solutions for the client. We then showcase these and provide the client with the pros and cons for each, allowing them to make an informed decision.

Xpert Energy is dedicated to help move the industry forward and we are looking to provide training courses to provide opportunities for other professionals to broaden this knowledge, so when specifying energy saving solutions, they have a full understanding of all of the factors involved. We are keen to offer advice and support to builders, architects, project managers and the public so that they can offer the same high standard of construction that we pride ourselves on.”

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13 Company: Xpert Energy Installations Ltd Phone: 0118 93 03 700 Website: www.xpertenergy.co.uk

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Company: AOS Consulting Engineers (PTY) LTD Name: Mr Olu Soluade, Pr Eng, Pr CPM, Green Star SA AP, LEED AP BD+C Email: olu@aosconsulting.co.za Web Address: www.aosconsulting.co Address: TFT House, 13 Challenger Avenue, International Business Gateway Park, Cnr New Road & 6th Road, Midrand, Johannesburg, 1685, South Africa Telephone: +27 11 805 5414

Best Sustainable Consulting & Engineering Firm 2016 – Africa & Best Sustainable Project Development (Rwanda): APDL Development, Kigali

AOS is a specialist professional consultancy firm providing mechanical, electrical, project management and sustainability consultancy services. Olu Soluade provides us with a unique overview of the company and its service offering.

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OS is committed to the delivery of Absolutely Outstanding Service.

Olu explains what this means and how it aims to support clients throughout every stage of their project.

“Our Mission is to ensure that customers and clients satisfaction is guaranteed through service delivery, professional excellence and personal attention. Our objective is to assist our client to achieve a development in accordance with best practice, international benchmarks and remain mindful of local conditions of the countries where we operate.

“To achieve this we continually improve and deliver professional service to our clients. We do not hold back in implementing new technologies that will result in lower lifecycle cost to our clients and the reduction of the carbon footprint.

“These client’s ranges from International Blue chip companies, Government, individuals and parastatals.”

Internally, Olu explained that the firm’s focus is on improvement and support.

“The culture within our firm is the promotion of total man i.e. developing yourself and your skills. If you do this and you are satisfied about yourself, you will inevitably deliver outstanding services to the clients. We focus on the main things and not on minor things that have the ability to distract.

Looking ahead, Olu was positive about the firm’s future and keen to continue improving in order to better support customers.

“In the future we are keen to continue to provide an even better service to our clients and support them to create better projects.”

As a final comment, Olu extended his thanks to the developers who helped make his award winning project a success.

“My appreciation goes to the developer, Acacia Property Development Limited, Kigali with the entire professional team led by Mr Tom Bowman of Bowman and Associates, Kenya, the contractors, led by Roko, Kigali with all the MEP contractors and every single team member that made the project a success.”

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Company: Bruno Stagno Arquitecto y Asociados Name: Bruno Stagno Email: stagno@racsa.co.cr Web Address: www.brunostagno.info Address: Pobox 680-1007, San José, Costa Rica Telephone: (506) 2233 9084

Best Environmentally Conscious Architectural Practice - Costa Rica & Best Sustainable Educational Facility Design: Pan American School, Costa Rica

Bruno Stagno Arquitectos is a Central American architecture firm specialising in creating sustainable buildings which combine function with aesthetic beauty. We invited Founder Bruno Stagno to talk us through the company and the buildings it creates. runo Stagno Arquitectos was stablished in 1978 in Costa Rica.

Since inception the firm has evolved into a team of 12 people working in design and construction supervision for their clients.

Bruno empathizes how his move to Costa Rica from Chile, where he had previously studied, gave him an appreciation for the need to integrate nature into his projects.

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“Since I moved to a tropical country I became aware of the relationship of architecture and climate. After studying this, I decided it would be interesting to integrate the climate into my designs. Little by little my buildings became sustainable as I continued to focus on nature and the environment around my constructions. Bioclimatic architecture was the key, and a market for sustainable buildings has now begun.

“One example of our work is the recently designed six story high building we created to be used as classrooms for a university. In order to avoid air conditioning, which is expensive in Costa Rica, we designed with a cross ventilation system. The challenge was to avoid inter-classroom noise transmittance. To overcome this, we implemented a series of shafts for mechanical extraction of air, and used roof fans which will be powered by photovoltaic panels.”

Sustainability is a key trend in the architecture industry currently. Bruno explains how those working in tropical environments such as Costa Rica need to adapt in order to offer truly sustainable projects.

“In order to support those keen to be more sustainable I, as Founding Director of the Institute for Tropical Architecture, helped to create the National RESET Standard (RESET: Requirements for Sustainable Buildings in the Tropics). RESET is not mandatory but some institutions are asking architects to design accordingly. RESET is free of charge and its application does not add extra cost to the buildings. The programme is available in Spanish. English and French.

“Fundamentally sustainable architecture should focus, urgently, on preservation of the tropical ecosystem and not wait for an affordable and globalized building technology. It is obvious that it will take decades to be affordable for developing countries. Then architecture and the construction industry should be adapted to this specific condition of regionalism instead of a uniform globalization.”

To finish Bruno expresses his excitement at the future as he looks to welcome the next generation into his business.

“My son Pietro Stagno, and his wife Luz Letelier, who have recently joined my firm, are the second generation of sustainable architects, and will provide us with many new and exciting ideas. At this moment we are ready to start the construction of an eco-lodge, a food market and designing silopark, for young entrepreneurs, and these new projects will provide us with great opportunities to gain new insight and experience.

“Around the world architects want to be sustainable in order to leave a better legacy for the next generation. For developing countries of the tropical belt of the planet, bioclimatic architecture is crucial. It is important that architecture schools train them in how to design passive architecture. Our sector is demanding sustainable building, but sustainability through technology is exclusively for big corporations. Then bioclimatic architecture is the option if we want to preserve the ecosystem.

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Company: GreenA Consultants Pte Ltd Name: Farizan d’ Avezac de Moran Email: farizan@greenaconsultants.com Web Address: www.greenaconsultants.com Address: One Pemimpin, Pemimpin Drive, #08-01 Singapore 576151 Telephone: +65 6339 3067

Most Acclaimed Green Consultancy - Africa & Asia

GreenA Consultants are a team of multi-disciplinary professionals with backgrounds in engineering, architecture, sustainability studies, as well as marketing and communications, all working toward the common goal of environmental sustainability. We invited Farizan d’ Avezac de Moran to tell us more.

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reenA recognises that most Green development decisions are made from Board/ stake-holders perspectives and supports them in becoming more sustainable, as Farizan explains.

“Sustainability fits into various corporate compartments for multiple reasons, ranging from strategic fit, energy conservation to branding etc. We believe that sustainability is a long term effort. As such, our mission is to put across sustainability from its business perception in hope the sustainability agenda will be realised and valued along the way.

“Green Building certification is a platform that enables this adoption and most important-ly quantifies the effort to be reported back to Board / stakeholders. However, the bene-fits of Green Building are often not translated or designed successfully to the purchaser / end user in mind and is concluded by simply attaining the certification.

“As a firm we take a keen approach in translating this in a simple, relevant manner or complimenting it with a secondary certification. This will maximize the effort and im-pact of the certification. Merging both Green Building Certifications where engineer-ing/design normally entails with corporate strategies involving incentives/funding, posi-tioning, marketing etc. has led to the development of GreenA Sustainability Business Solutions.

“Over the years, GreenA Sustainability Business Solutions has taken a wider approach. With our strengths in multi-dimensional thinking, analytical skills, strategic sustainable business insights, it has become a unique service offering. Green Building Certification however remains our main service offering.”

Green Building in the different regions present different set of challenges.

In Africa, proving the cause, the value and walking the talk was what was required to gain faith, trust and belief in others to steer the green building movement to greater heights. Farizan talks us through how the firm aims to support clients and educate them in order to build a more sustainable future.

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“Green Building is a global agenda and 95% of urban expansion in the next decades will take place in the developing world. (United Nations Water and Cities Fact and Figures, 2016). Developing cities rises at exponential growths and thus, sustainability needs to be embedded at the same rate.

“By debunking the belief and perception that Green is for high end projects only, we create our opportunities. Proving that Green Building originates from the basis of a good design and not constantly technologically driven, we manage to project sustainability into the developments.

“We have a strong working relationship with the National Housing Corporation (NHC) in Tanzania. In 2014, we managed to develop the first Certified Green Building in Tanzania with NHC and has since collaborated on many fronts to further develop green building for national adoption.”

As a concluding comment Farizan outlines the firm’s plans for the future and predictions for the industry.

“In Singapore going forward, developments will aim for higher ratings in certifications and retrofit markets will be in expansion. The zero carbon building concept might also start to gain interest from forward thinking and cutting edge organizations.

“Green buildings in Africa and South East Asia has more than often been a standalone affair and not well integrated into the wider urban landscape.

Sustainable cities will be the focus forward.

“As such GreenA Consultants will continue to transplant two-way knowledge transfers with our regions of presence. We are keen to focus on work involving district projects, in which communities live, play and work in a sustainable, safe and inclusive way.”

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17 Onyx Solar Spain Headquarters Email: info@onyxsolar.com Web Address: www.onyxsolar.com Address: Rio Cea 1-46 05004 Avila, Spain Telephone: +34 920210050 Onyx Solar HQs in Avila Company: Onyx Solar Email: usa@onyxsolar.com Web Address: www.onyxsolar.com Address: 1123 Broadway, Suite 908, New York, United States Telephone: 1-9172614783

Best Global Photovoltaic Glass Provider 2016 & Most Innovative Photovoltaic Glass Project: Miami Heat’s American Airline Arena

Onyx Solar is the global leader in the manufacture of building integrated photovoltaic glass. nyx Solar is the global leader in the manufacture of building integrated photovoltaic glass, offering a wide range of products: a-SI, and mono and poly-crystalline photovoltaic glasses for installation on façades, curtain walls, windows, skylights, canopies or even flooring. It enables the buildings of our cities to generate their own energy while increasing their value.

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Since its inception in 2009, Onyx Solar has executed over 70 projects in more than 25 countries for leading companies such as Samsung, Coca-Cola, Pfizer or Novartis, who are already enjoying the benefits of our glass in their buildings. They provide advice to preeminent architects worldwide, such as Norman Foster, Frank Gehry, SOM, KPF, ASGG or Vignoly, and we have already worked for the most important construction companies in the world, such as ACS, Skanska, Turner, Jacobs or Ferrovial.

Onyx Solar has participated in emblematic projects like the American Airlines Arena renovation in Miami, the Novartis’ Headquarters awarded by the prestigious magazine ENR as the Best Sustainable Project in New York in 2014, the Tanjong Pagar Tower- the tallest building in Singapore and built

by Samsung, the Science Pyramid in Denver Botanic Gardens- also awarded

by ENR as the Best Project in Colorado in 2015, the Coca Cola FEMSA headquarters in Mexico and the Viracopos Airport in Sao Paulo.

They primarily provide glass for the construction of new buildings – to be implemented in canopies, skylights, curtain walls, ventilated façades, spandrels, brise-soleils, etc – as well as renovation and refurbishment of existing edifications. Theyhave also developed the first walkable photovoltaic floor, as well as a photovoltaic kit for outdoor furniture, capable of charging electronic devices anywhere. Their photovoltaic glass helps buildings to reduce their CO2 emissions and at the same time is very profitable form a financial point of view, according to the Feasibility Studies elaborated by the company.

Up to 70% of the total energy consumption is directed to buildings. As energy costs and sustainability concerns rise, it becomes imperative to employ new solutions that increase energy efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions without compromising architectural and structural requirements. Adriano showcases the firm’s dedication to supporting clients through the challenging world of sustainability.

They claim that Onyx Solar´s photovoltaic glassis the best solution to achieve these goals, fulfilling every need architects, contractors and clients might have in a world where change occurs at a rapid pace. Our products allow customers to reduce their buildings CO2 and other greenhouse gases emissions, while generating substantial financial savings for building owners.

Onyx Solar has elaborated Feasibility Studies of its solutions in more than 140 cities around the world.”

Finally, they outlines the firm’s overall aims and the steps it takes to achieve these Onyx Solar’s aim is to enable the buildings of the future to be self–sufficient from an energetic point of view, a key factor in the efforts against climate change, as buildings are responsible for 70% of the energy consumption in our planet.

To fulfil this goal, they aspire not only to meet their client’s expectations but to surpass them, always delivering the most advanced photovoltaic glass in the market. This means keeping up with market trends, clients’ needs, and investing in R+D+I will always be the pillars of their success. This mentality has helped them develop state-of-the art technology to launch very innovative products into the market, like the first walkable photovoltaic floor, or a photovoltaic kit for outdoor furniture that allows charging electronic devices.

They state that their clients are equally concerned about structural solidity, aesthetic integration, sustainability and the reduction of energy consumption, as well as achieving important financial savings.

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Company: Sani-Duct Installations Ltd Name: Brian Hargreaves IEng MIET CBIFM Website: www.saniduct.com

Indoor Air Hygiene Specialists of the Year – UK & Recognised Leader in Environmental Sustainability - Surrey

Sani-Duct installations, was born out of a firm knowledge of mechanical services, ventilation, air conditioning and other important systems that make up the environmental control of a multi-functional building. Brian Hargreaves, Technical Director, tells us more. ani-Duct is a member of the only internationally recognised body for ductwork cleaning: NADCA (National Air Duct Cleaners Association) was instrumental in the formation of EVHA (European Ventilation Hygiene Association) and continues to apply the high standards set down by both NADCA and EVHA to all works.

Brian explains how this focus on providing excellent solutions and quality support and advice to clients pervades throughout the firm’s service offering.

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“The protection of our environment and infrastructure has never been more important than it is now. Simple processes can be initiated to protect one of the most important networks that we have. To protect sewers that have been around for 100 years is a very worthwhile thing to do. Preventing blockages, floods allow sewers to work effectively is something that we should all aim to achieve.

“As such we endeavour to provide accurate information to clients regarding Regulations in particular the UK Building Regulations 2000 amended 2002. These state that, H1: Foul Water Drainage 2.21. Drainage serving commercial hot food premises should be fitted with a grease separator complying with PrEN1825-1 and designed in accordance with PrEN 1825-2 or other effective means of grease removal.

keeping these free from FOGS (fats, oils and grease) is enormous and runs into several millions of pounds that could be spent elsewhere in improving existing infrastructure. The works we undertake is to design, install and maintain approved above ground grease traps to negate FOGS entering the main sewage network.”

As a final comment Brian outlines the firm’s plans for the future and overall aims for the months and years ahead.

“The future for our business in very positive as we aim to lead from the front with professional advice and implementation of systems that allow the user to conform to legislation.

“Our key aims going forward are to continue to design and plan for the domestic marketplace to further enhance to protection of our important network of sewers and drainage systems regardless of what water utility company controls the area in which you live.”

“In addition, we are actively involved with a major blue chip client to enable collection and containment of all FOGS from their catering establishments throughout the UK. Cost is a factor in all of our works, however failure to meet the standards of discharge required could result in water utility companies taking action against those that do not control the discharge to drain of FOGS.” Brian adds his comment on the industry currently and the various challenges and opportunities it has to offer.

“The environmental issues that are created from the vast number of catering outlets within the 21st century marketplace puts an excessive burden on drainage and sewer systems that are predominantly Victorian. The cost of Flexible Duct – after cleaning

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Company: AES Engineering Ltd. Website: www.AESengr.com

Best Electrical Engineering Services Company – Canada & Award for Excellence in Energy Efficient Lighting & Power Solutions - Canada

AES Engineering Ltd AES Engineering is an electrical engineering firm specialising in innovation within the sustainable space. We spoke to President & CEO Sunny Ghataurah to find out more.

ES provides comprehensive electrical engineering services for building construction and infrastructure projects. Established in 2001 in Victoria, the company has since expanded to encompass a new corporate office in Vancouver and a hub in Calgary. Sunny explains the firm’s service offering and how it works to support clients from across the private and public sectors.

reduce their own carbon footprint. We take a holistic approach to sustainability, as we believe that if everyone pulls together we can make the world a better place.”

“AES works with a variety of clients on projects of all sizes. We work with architects, designers, developers and government organisations to ensure that their buildings are as efficient as possible.

“The future is bright for AES, as we explore a number of growth strategies. We are keen to open new offices should the right opportunity arise. Our Calgary office having recently been opened and we have plans to set up another in Edmonton in the near future.

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“The majority of our work revolves around electrical, architectural lighting, audio visual and communications system design. One area we are increasingly working in is smart buildings, supporting the development of these to ensure that they are as user friendly as possible.

Looking to the future, Sunny explains how the firm is keen to grow and continue to provide the high level of quality and innovation that bought it to its current level of success.

“We are also growing into new sectors, with plans to work in acoustic modelling, visualisation and virtual reality, as we believe these are the future of our industry.

As technology and connectivity abound we have to adapt, and these new services will ensure our continued success.”

“With a staff of over 90 professionals, we work in close collaboration with leading architects, designers and clients on projects, large, small and everywhere in between.”

Sustainability, innovation and being on the forefront of technology, are integral to the firm’s design philosophy, as Sunny states.

“Sustainability is about much more than the built environment. It is about changing people’s behaviour and processes and ensuring that those who use the buildings and structures use sustainable practices.

“As such AES offer a variety of courses and training seminars to support the wider construction industry (including our competitors). This ensures that the industry as a whole uses sustainable techniques, rather than just us.”

This is particularly vital, as sustainability in construction is high on the agenda of the Canadian government. In Vancouver all buildings completed after 2020 must be carbon neutral, which, as Sunny states, means that his firm has to work even harder to support clients and ensure that their processes, as well as their buildings, are sustainable.

“Our aim at AES is to give back to communities, to provide people with the tools and techniques to operate sustainably. We want to help those we work with to

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Company: Autex Acoustics UK Website: www.autexacoustics.co.uk

Best Environmentally Conscious Design & Build Firm – England & Product Innovation Award: Vertiface®

Founded in 1967, Autex have a long history of innovation and outstanding customer service in textiles and advanced fibre technology. We invited Danielle Robinson, the firm’s Marketing Manager to tell us more. edicated to product development, Autex Acoustics are the premium solution to controlling reverberated noise working directly with specifiers to provide fit for purpose acoustic solutions. The firm’s work involves both retro fit and new build market and work in conjunction with Architects and Interior Designers to achieve an Acoustic result in line with the Building Code and customers’ requirements for their environment.

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Quality is vital to surviving in the highly competitive construction industry, and Danielle explains how her firm aims to ensure that their products always exceed industry standards.

“The market currently accepts the use of unfavourable materials used to manufacture a range of Acoustic products. Autex have made a conscious decision to educate the market on the reasons why Polyester has many characteristics in its favour as a sustainable material. Autex products are manufactured from 100% polyester fibres and do not contain formaldehyde binders. Autex polyester fibres support safer indoor air quality and will not become a potential airborne pollutant.

“Autex is committed to best practice through our ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 accredited Quality and Environmental Management Systems.”

Looking ahead, Danielle outlines the firm’s future plans and predictions for the market as a whole.

“Autex Acoustics Ltd have major growth plans in our three-year business plan with the addition of Business Developments Managers across the country and continued innovation within our range as we continue to promote the use of 100% Polyester Acoustic Solution to the UK.

Build 2016 Sustainable Building Awards

“Within the wider industry we anticipate further requirements for low VOC chemical emission throughout the construction industry and our 100% Polyester products fit comfortably within these parameters. We are also seeing a greater emphasis being put in place for buildings, both old and new performing acoustically.

“Additionally, the education sector is currently governed by BB93. This provides constructional standards for acoustics in new school buildings to guide architects, acousticians, building control officers and building services engineers through the process of the acoustic design. Our goal is to position ourselves as a market leader for supply of the best ‘range’ of acoustic products for this environment. With a majority of our products for this sector being Pin, staple and hook and loop receptive, it allows our products to not only provide acoustic solution but to be utilised as a display board.”

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Company: Bow Tie Construction Email: admin@bowtieconstruction.co.uk Web Address: www.bowtieconstruction.co.uk Address: Unit 86, Basepoint Business Centre, High Wycombe, Bucks HP12 3RL Telephone: 0203 771 2197

Best Sustainable Home Refurbishment Firm 2016 - Buckinghamshire

Bow Tie Construction Bow Tie Construction is a specialist construction company with expertise in Passivhaus and low energy building. We invited Hagop Matossian to talk us through the firm and how it aims to change the world for the better.

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ow Tie Construction has successfully operated in the London, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire areas for the past five years delivering residential refurbishments, extensions, conversions and new builds.

Going beyond Building Regulations minimum requirements for energy efficiency and building to Passivhaus standards offers considerable advantages to the owner and occupier, as Hagop is eager to emphasize.

“Bow Tie Construction are one of very few firms with the experience and expertise to deliver this in London and the surrounding areas.

“We use bespoke project management software to keep our clients informed on our progress and track costs and change orders day-by-day. They are able to see daily progress photos from the build and can see at exactly what stage all works are and where we are on the schedule. If adverse weather forces schedule and cost changes these are immediately visible.

“Strong emphasis is always placed on quality of work and attention to detail. We get excellent feedback and reviews from our clients and much of our work comes from word of mouth. We ensure customer satisfaction before, during and after completion of all our projects. We offer a one-year workmanship guarantee as testimony to the quality we provide.”

The firm offers comprehensive services from project conception to completion. Services include low-energy consultancy, Passivhaus design, excavation, site preparation, laying foundations, concrete, screed, brickwork, carpentry, stripping out and making good, kitchens, bathrooms, joinery, flooring, window fitting, decoration, plumbing, electrics, MVHR design and fit, heating system design and fit, plumbing, electrical, restoration, finishing and even cleaning. Hagop showcases one of the firm’s most recent projects and explains how it highlights the firm’s dedication to quality and attention to detail.

“Recently, we undertook full refurbishment of a 400sqm Grade 2 listed office building in Bloomsbury returning it to its original usage as a townhouse.

We used Passivhaus principles to upgrade the thermal efficiency and airtightness to reduce energy demand and improve occupier comfort. The whole house was lined with interior wall insulation using a mixture of injected

cavity wall insulation, sprayed insulation, wood fibre insulation and aerogel spacetherm bonded to magnesium board. We kept existing covings intact and extensively repaired and rebuilt damaged plaster covings to restore the period look.

“We inserted vacuum glass technology between the original windows and shutter boxes to provide a unique bespoke solution that retains the existing sash window boxes and full functionality of the shutter boxes. Getting planning permission for this upgrade was very challenging and we worked extensively with the local authority to achieve this.

“All of this was married with a contemporary extension with a light well, exposed timber and triple glazed windows. The original part of the building looks completely traditional. We are very pleased that the majority of thermal upgrades cannot be seen by the naked eye.”

As a final comment, Hagop made it clear that his firm is dedicated to the Passivhaus approach.

“Looking to the future, we are very positive about Passivhaus building.

At government, city and council level demand for Passivhaus is growing steadily. Brussels, Dublin, Oslo and a number of cities and counties in Europe and the USA now stipulate meeting the Passivhaus standard as a requirement for achieving planning approval. These are major milestones that demonstrate widespread understanding of its effectiveness at meeting its stated goals. There are around 40,000 Passive houses in Europe, around 500 of which are in the UK, with a further 360 units currently being built by Camden Council.

“Within the wider industry, we are noticing that customers are increasing demand for energy efficient building even if the government is stripping back its support under lobby pressure from the biggest builder-developers who are driven purely by profit. Anyone building a home is looking to lock in value, potentially right through to retirement when they may not have the income to afford expensive energy bills. Pairing Passivhaus with renewable energy can eliminate these bills altogether, and we believe, is the ideal solution.”

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3d Architects Ltd Malcolm Cook RIBA, Managing Director enquiries@3darchitects.co.uk www.3darchitects.co.uk Whitsundoles, Broughton Road, Salford, Milton Keynes MK17 8BU 01908 325230

Best for Sustainable Design – Milton Keynes

3d Architects is a multi-disciplinary practice incorporating architecture, interior design, graphics and visualisations. Managing Director Malcolm Cook provides us with a fascinating overview of the firm.

ased in Milton Keynes, 3d Architects works locally and nationally, as well as internationally, helping clients expand into Europe and beyond. They provide and coordinate a tailored range of architectural services from creative design solutions to execution on site. Malcolm outlines the firm’s service offering and how it aims to support clients to the fullest.

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“3d Architects creates sustainable new homes which have a reduced environmental impact. Another key aspect of our service is renovation. We breathe life into existing buildings, extending the use of the external envelope and structure while creatively adapting the internal space for current and future use. We also specialise in retail and commercial fit outs and refurbishment of existing buildings and shopping centres. This prolongs their life and their economic viability for our clients.

“Our work in conservation areas on existing and new build projects helps ensure that the designs enhance the local environment. We enjoy working on Listed Buildings helping protect their heritage while sensitively adapting them to modern use. We find the Planners and Conservation Officers welcome our collaborative approach and regularly recommend planning permission is granted.”

One of the firm’s recent success stories was the Self-Build Cedar Barn This family home achieved the highest environmental standards within a very traditional setting without the need for complex design and expensive or obtrusive intervention and technologies. It achieved an outstanding Energy Efficiency rating and far exceeded the Government’s recently abolished 2016 Zero Carbon target. It generates an impressive 19 % more energy than it uses.

The positive outcome of this project is testimony to the success of the firm’s mission, to take a collaborative and innovative approach to deliver successful projects for its clients. Malcolm outlines how the firm goes about achieving this and what methodology it uses.

“By applying sustainable processes, using technology smartly and actively listening we are able to effectively interpret our client’s brief. Through practical and intelligent guidance, we are able to ensure the buildings we work on are a joy for clients to use and are sensitive to their local environment.

Build 2016 Sustainable Building Awards

“3d Architects fosters this sustainable ethos in all areas of business from design to execution on site using smart technology to deliver efficiencies in time, money and materials. For example, we have developed a web-based system for updating and maintaining project specs and standards – reducing error on site and material waste. We also use low carbon travel options and video conferencing. Through our sustainable approach we aim to create better living and working environments, as well as enhancing customer, employee and client satisfaction.”

Looking ahead, Malcolm provides us with an overview of the firm’s future aims and objectives.

“Going forward, we aim to build on our reputation for delivering retail role outs, office refurbishments, private housing and residential development schemes.

We are known for our conservation and sustainable designs and how we closely collaborate with our clients, fellow designers, contractors and the supply chain.

We have assisted our clients who wished to expand by delivering projects for them in Spain and France.

“Our friendly team of architects and interior designers, including French and Spanish architects, makes for an enjoyable and diverse staff culture. We are working in Europe, growing our relationships with clients in France and Spain.

We have also opened an office in Paris to facilitate our pan-European service.

Within the wider industry, Malcolm is keen for change going forward. As the increased cost of sustainability schemes and the housing shortage all affect the market, Malcolm believes that better support and information for both residential developer and homeowners will help them to make a decision that is right for both them and the planet.

“We also need to support homeowners and assist them in becoming more sustainable by upgrading existing housing stock to new energy standards. Our team has experience of insulating existing housing stock using cladding which improves comfort, reduces energy use and improves a property’s appearance extending the life of these buildings and giving then a new face.

“Additionally, we also believe there will be better and more informed sustainability labelling of products and materials. This will allow for better informed decisions for our clients wanting to know what options they have to improve their carbon footprint.”

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Company: Carbon Futures Name: Andrew Money Telephone: 0141 280 8022 Email: enquiries@carbonfutures.co.uk Web Address: www.carbonfutures.co.uk

Best Energy & Sustainability Consultancy 2016 – Scotland

Carbon Futures is a Glasgow based energy and sustainability consultancy delivering sustainable, energy efficient solutions and strategies to support a wide variety of new-build construction projects throughout the country. Director Andrew Money talks us through the firm and the services it offers.

arbon Futures is an independent consultancy which operates as an intrinsic part of construction design teams offering a comprehensive suite of consultancy services such as energy assessment, design certification and advanced thermal modelling to clients ranging from award-winning architects and contractors through to local authorities, housing associations and private developers.

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As his opening comment Andrew is eager to outline the increasing complexities for design teams to deliver new-build construction projects to latest energy standards in Scotland.

“In Scotland, the Building Regulations for Energy and Sustainability are becoming increasingly complex with future regulation changes presenting a challenging landscape for developers.

“Our aim on all projects is to bring significant value by working closely with design teams to develop deliverable low carbon strategies that meet or exceed the standards set by Government.

“With our experience in construction covering a range of disciplines we deploy our commercial awareness to offer our clients sustainable, energy efficient solutions, ensuring compliance with the Energy and Sustainability regulations via the most practical and cost-effective route.

“Overall, by engaging with Carbon Futures from the outset clients can ensure that their design is fully compliant with the latest energy standards and fully optimised meet their desired level of sustainability – minimising the risk of falling short of the Building Regulations or the expense of delivering an over-specified project.”

During an impressive first year in business, Carbon Futures have managed to secure over 80 new projects and are working as part of construction design teams throughout the country to support the delivery of over 3000 new homes in Scotland.

One of the firm’s current projects which will provide it with a number of exciting opportunities is Laurieston, one of eight Transformational Regeneration Areas in Glasgow which will see up to 800 new homes delivered to the local community.

Andrew discusses Carbon Futures’ involvement in the project and how it will be working to ensure the estate meets its target of Bronze sustainability recognition.

“Carbon Futures are working as part of the project design team from the outset to develop an energy and sustainability strategy for the second phase of the development which consists of 148 new homes incorporating a mix of townhouses and apartments.

“As energy consultants, our focus will be to develop an enhanced fabric strategy through increased levels of insulation minimising heat loss. By adopting a fabric first approach, the building design will maximise the performance of components and materials that make up the building fabric resulting in reduced capital and operational costs, improved energy efficiency and a reduction in carbon emissions.”

Looking to the future, Andrew foresees a number of exciting opportunities within the sustainability industry in Scotland which will allow his firm to continue to build upon its current success.

“Following the introduction of Energy Consultancy Frameworks now being operated by a number of large publicly funded organisations in Scotland, there is an increasing desire for the knowledge and skills of energy consultants to form part of project design teams. As the industry drives towards a zero carbon future, it is clear that energy consultancy will play an important part in the future of construction.

“Over the past year, Carbon Futures have secured involvement in a number of high profile large-scale regeneration developments throughout Scotland. As a business, we are well placed to continue to support the delivery of energy efficient, low carbon buildings across the sector. We look forward to continued growth over the coming years within an improving Scottish construction industry.”

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Company: Hurricane Wind Power Name: Anthony Jones Email:tony@hurricanewindpower.com Web Address: http://hurricanewindpower.com Telephone:540-761-7799

Best Off-Grid Renewable Energy Product Supplier - USA

Hurricane Wind Power provides renewable energy parts for on and off grid applications for a variety of consumers. We spoke to Anthony Jones to find out more about the firm and its mission to design simpler systems and facilitate ease of use. urricane Wind Power specialize in design of permanent magnet alternators building and designing renewable energy systems, solar system sizing and hydroelectric power. The firm’s customer base is diversified and their reasons for purchasing renewable energy components range from being more environmentally conscious to being prepared for disaster.

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Whilst designing systems is a straightforward process, the firm faces challenges related to costing and client expectations. Anthony outlines how the firm overcomes these obstacles.

“One of the biggest obstacles we face is putting a customer into the system they want at a price that they like. I often struggle with a balance between functionality for the consumer’s needs and making compromises which meet the price point at the individuals need.

“As such we strive to make systems that work simply put. In doing so we take stringent efforts to make sure the components we build are overbuilt.

We ensure things are built to code because even if there is no “code” applicable in off grid construction the safety codes are put in place for a reason and we adhere to them even when we do not have to. We are known for using heavier steal than our competitors. Powder coating things others leave unfinished and workmanship second to none.”

Being based in the Southern United States, a region who as a people value liberty, freedom, and self-reliance, Hurricane Wind Power’s technology is popular with clients seeking to create their own energy. Anthony outlines the developments he is currently seeing in the market.

“One major development, which we see daily working on the frontline of sustainable energy, is with products that have overrating power outputs. This is pervasive in the small wind market, power inverters, charge controllers, and many other renewable components. This is problematic because consumers often do not get direct comparison options when shopping for products, and as such often purchase the wrong items. How we have addressed this and will continue to do is define what we have control over.

Build 2016 Sustainable Building Awards

What we have control over is our line of products. I have found that given time that we need to ensure clients fully understand what they are buying and as such we avoid miss-selling wherever possible so that our clients always receive the right product for their needs.”

Going forward, Anthony believes that the focus will be on moving into new sectors and away from wind energy, which is where the firm started.

“Looking to the future, we have plans on hitting sectors of the energy market that are to a large extent untapped, diversifying away from wind energy. We initially started out in the small wind market which was once very profitable.

Due to the proliferation of less expensive solar products small wind has taken a smaller role but remains part of a comprehensive energy strategy.

As far as opportunities go there are many ways to think outside the box and meet the energy demand of a household that are outside of the conventional wind and solar realm. We are bringing even more diverse products lines to the table in 2017 which will provide us with exciting opportunities for expansion.”

In his final comments Anthony thanked the many supporters and industry peers that have assisted the firm over the years and helped it to its current success. Through a collaborative approach the firm has had a great year, and with the exiting projects coming up, Hurricane Wind Power clearly has many even better years still to come.

“Hurricane Wind Power is honoured to have been recognized in the relatively short time we have been focused on off grid power construction as one of the facets of our business model. We would like to thank all of our network of off grid contractors which have offered us a lot of value and shared knowledge with us over the past few years. Especially our friends at Off Grid Contracting Lucas and Audrey Cameron for featuring our products in the many installations of the YouTube channel, 7trumpetsprepper. We currently have a growing base of about 10 of grid contractors which provide installation of a comprehensive line of products over most of the lower 48 states and Alaska. We must recognize them as we would not have received this award without the support of our network of both vendors and installers, and would like to extend our thanks for their support.”

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Company: Jet-Tec Environmental Services Address: Holmleigh, Barmoor Clough, Dove Holes, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 8EZ Phone: 0800 023 4487 Email: enquiries@jettecenvironmental.com Website: www.jettecenvironmentalservices.co.uk

Septic Tank Specialists of the Year – UK & Recognised Leader in Hazardous Waste Removal - UK

Jet-Tec Environmental Services Jet-Tec Environmental Services is a septic tank, drainage and waste clearance specialist based in Buxton. We invited Lisa Laton to provide us with an overview of the firm and how its commitment to quality is the key to its success.

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mproper installation is one of the major causes of septic tank failure. It can lead to a number of problems, such as breakage of underground pipes which often leads to foul-smelling wastewater collecting on ground level.

As such Jet-Tec Environmental Services pride themselves on offering quality installations from experienced engineers, as well as ongoing support and maintenance. Lisa talks us through how the firm’s dedication to quality and how this affects every aspect of its work.

As her concluding comment Lisa emphasises the firm’s commitment to excellence and how this will remain its focus going forward.

“The future of Jet-Tec Environmental Services is firmly rooted in continuing to provide quality services which meet the needs of our clients. Whatever developments the future may hold, we are passionate about what we do and as such will continue to rise to the challenge and build upon our current success.”

“At Jet-Tec Environmental Services, we provide our clients with reliable septic tank services at very competitive rates, including installation of soakaway systems, without compromising on the quality of our work.

“We are ISO14001 qualified and are accredited and approved by numerous agencies, including BBA-IAB, LPCB, IP, OFTEC and WRAS. Clients can benefit from our 20 years of experience, which enables us to install high quality, long lasting septic tanks on tight budgets.”

The firm supports a variety of clients in both the domestic and commercial sectors, working on projects ranging in size. Based in Buxton, the firm serves clients nationwide, with a focus on Macclesfield, Stockport, New Mills, Hyde, Glossop and the surrounding areas. Installations, emptying, unblocking and even hazardous waste removal are all undertaken by the company. Lisa explains how the firm’s high level of dedication is vital to its success.

“Despite being a small company we are always there for our clients, and are willing to work national holidays and out of hours to ensure that they always receive the support they need with their septic tank maintenance and installation.

“Client satisfaction and the health and safety of our workers are both of paramount importance, and we strive to ensure that both are achieved at all times. We abide by all relevant regulations and our various accreditations are a testimony to our focus on providing quality, safe services at all times.”

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Company: Liam Russell Architects Name: Liam Russell / Georgina Graves Email: liam.russell@liamrussellarchitects.co.uk gg@liamrussellarchitects.co.uk Web Address: www.liamrussellarchitects.com Address: 24 Windlesham Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 3AG Telephone: 0845 180 3676

Sustainable Architects of the Year – Sussex & Award for Excellence in Residential Projects - Sussex

Liam Russell Architects Liam Russell Architects is based in Sussex and offers its wide variety of services throughout the UK and internationally. We invited Founder Liam Russell to tell us more. stablished in 2007, Liam Russell Architects is committed to the principles of highest design intent with the most accessible approach, aiming to be always passionate and constantly committed. Liam discusses the firm’s focus on sustainability and how it has adapted this into every aspect of its work.

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“Liam Russell Architects work nationally and internationally across a range of different sectors with an approach that is pro-active, design-led and which promotes long-term relationships. The practice is highly sustainable, having recently become members of the AECB and accrediting in PassivHaus design – a continuation of our work where passive principles of sustainability have led us to receive the moniker of ‘first eco-development’ in a major UK town. We have also worked in China since 2007, where we produce CGI/renderings and other associated products.

“Our approach to sustainability is to keep any solution as passive and simple as possible. The Passivhaus accreditation means that we can assess our own designs and others’. Our clients range from major investment funds to individual clients – all benefit from the same open-minded ambition.”

The practice had one of its projects described as ‘sublime’ most recently – a zerocarbon high-end private residential development in the South. The complexity of that project to meet the requirements of a demanding end user whilst also remaining comparatively cost effective was a challenge the firm managed to overcome, and highlights its dedication to sustainability as an approach, as Liam is keen to emphasise as he talks us through the latest trends in the industry and how his firm is adapting around these.

“Sustainability has become increasingly important in our organisation over the past few years. Especially through our projects that form an integral part of urban planning. We are committed to helping reduce carbon emissions.

“Developing green-buildings has also become one of the best ways of encouraging our clients to differentiate from their competitors, by promoting their environmental integrity. The public is placing increasing demands on businesses (and brands) to prove they are doing their bit and behaving responsibly with the means that they have. Corporate responsibility is now at the forefront of many consumers’ minds be it with the tax they pay, the buildings they build or the waste they create.

Build 2016 Sustainable Building Awards

“One of the big sustainable design trends is biophilic design which aims to design offices, schools and other buildings as if they were another organism (or have the ability to impact on us as if they were/are) with a focus on wellbeing. Features such as the introduction of more natural light, bringing the outdoors in, providing space to re-energise and creating a sense of calm and to reconnect with nature encourage us to work and live within more productive and healthy habitats.”

Looking to the future, Liam believes that the many developments in the industry, particularly those which occurred due to Brexit, will provide many exciting opportunities for his firm.

“Moving forward, there are many great developments in the industry which will allow firms such as ours to develop and grow in the months and years ahead. I am pleased to say sustainable development is here to stay. Whether for long term value preservation or for more short-term energy cost reductions, sustainability is moving from a practice applied by few to a key consideration. Over the next 10-25 years, there is further scope for benefits through changes such as those discussed in the The European Commission Action Plan, Construction 2020.

“The Construction 2020 Action Plan supports SMEs in the construction industry, by encouraging them to expand in the low carbon refurbishment market through financial and other incentive schemes. It also encourages a level playing field among SMEs to promote competitiveness, in particular through the Build Up Skill programme, a valuable self-improvement tool for business.

“In addition, a major goal in the EU is to promote green energy and encourage “smart infrastructure”. Policy aims include investing in technology, fostering innovation in the construction industry. Research indicates that Europe has some of the most advanced energy efficient measures for the development of infrastructure.

All these measures are part of the EU’s strategy to promote eco-innovation and environmentally friendly techniques for development and infrastructure.

“Overall, similar to the impact the last General Election had, the Brexit referendum decision has resulted in a spike of work. In particular, our work in Asia and overseas work generally has increased based on the ‘withheld funds from overseas investors that will resume investments into London and the UK’.

As we work predominantly in London our workload is only set to increase in both the short and long-term. Some discussions regarding major projects in Brighton and on the South Coast will also create activity for the practice in the near and long-term future.”

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Company: MAS Architectural Design Name: Nigel Humphrey Email: nigel@mas.eu.com Web Address: www.mas.eu.com Address: 51 Clive Place, Penarth, CF64 1AX Telephone: 02920709565

Eco-Architectural Design Practice of the Year – Wales & Best UK Eco-Residential Project 2016: Clive Place

MAS Architectural Design MAS Architectural Design is a small architectural practise based in Penarth which works on a variety of sustainable projects. We invited Nigel Humphrey to talk us through what sustainability means to his firm and how it works to achieve it through its projects.

AS work primarily in the housing, domestic and commercial sectors, and the firm’s work is characterised by a strong emphasis on well designed, energy efficient and sustainable buildings.

As the housing and architectural markets continue to turn their focus towards sustainability, Nigel outlines how his firm aims to integrate it into their projects.

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“Sustainability for us is about making our buildings, and lifestyles, more comfortable, while using less energy. Done well sustainable design can generate savings in both construction and running costs.

“As a firm we have the experience and knowledge to help our clients to make informed decisions about design, construction methods, materials, and energy consumption, so that they can have the building that they want, that works well, and that looks good.”

Currently the firm have a wide range of projects based in the UK, France, and Ireland, ranging from a six-star Code for Sustainable Homes housing project and barn conversions, to small extensions. MAS provide a full range of the architectural services needed for its clients to transform their initial ideas into a finished building, as Nigel is eager to emphasise.

“Good Architecture should fulfil a need, work well, and look good. Here at MAS, we have the experience and the skills to recognise when a building is working well spatially, to design a building so that the details simultaneously work well and look good”.

“These skills include communicating well with the clients and the contractors, and are supported by study and objective information. For instance, the detailed computer aided thermal analysis we provide that enables us to make costeffective decisions to match our client’s budgets.”

Clive Place was one of the firm’s recently completely projects which highlights the firm’s dedication to supporting its clients in creating sustainable outcomes which will provide long term benefits.

“The refurbishment of Clive Place has been a great success. The house was in poor condition when purchased with a very old and inefficient gas boiler, clock timer controls, micro bore distribution pipes running through the un-insulated attic, and single panel radiators. The old Aluminium double glazed window units had all failed and were incredibly leaky, and there were air bricks everywhere open to the cavity, which had no insulation.

“One key challenge we faced was that there is very little financial assistance available to make the improvements that are required to meet the CO2 reductions targets to which the UK Government is committed and nearly all the assessment methodologies that apply to existing domestic property require renewable energy to be produced on site if it is to be counted as zero carbon”.

“It is very difficult to produce significant amounts of renewable energy in urban locations, and lowering the building energy load to match the energy available requires extensive and very expensive modifications to the building”.

“Despite these challenges, I deliberately set out to reduce the heat load as effectively as I could with available grants, for wall and loft insulation, (Wales only), and what are now fairly conventional levels of insulation. By paying close attention to infiltration, (cutting out the draughts), installing a very efficient heat source, distribution system, and controls, and by allowing imported renewable energy, (with REGO certificates), we have arguably achieved the desired zero CO2 standard. This is a big achievement considering the age of the house and the scale of the project in proportion to its budget.”

Looking to the future, Nigel outlines his predictions for the UK architecture and construction markets and how this will affect both his firm and its clients.

“The present Governmental legislative void with regard to Energy Policy, Planning, and Housing policy, will result in a poorer built environment and will have detrimental social and economic consequences”.

“Assessment methodologies such as the CfSH were very useful tools to promote good design if used well. I hope to see this, or something similar, revived, and I hope to see the return of good Planning for sustainable communities as defined in PPS1, as these will help us and our clients to provide good architecture.”

In his final comment, Nigel discusses the future of his firm, and his keen interest in undertaking larger projects in order to integrate more sustainable services into their work.

“Moving forward, I hope that the future holds some larger projects, with greater variety, similarly perfectly proportioned and with a strong sustainability emphasis.

The Boathouse project is Cwmtydu on the Ceredigion coast has had a long gestation period and nicely satisfies our definition of good architecture, and we look forward to seeing it through to completion.”

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Company: Oxford Sustainable Group Phone: +372 600 1864 Email: info@OxfordSustainable.com Website: www.oxfordsustainable.com

Best Renewable Energy & Sustainable Property Developer – Europe & Recognised Leader in Biomass & Sustainable Project Development - Estonia

Oxford Sustainable Group Oxford Sustainable is a leading developer of sustainable property and renewable energy, which also provides a wide range of quality solutions including sustainable auditing, certification and advice to clients throughout the Baltic and Scandinavian regions. We profile this dedicated firm and explore the services it offers.

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xford’s vision is about people. Through the property and energy industries, to continuously push the boundaries of a sustainable life for individuals, communities and societies: leading to health, happiness, and long life.

In order to achieve this, the firm has built up a strong reputation in its field for excellence, integrity, openness and quality.

Oxford Sustainable has become one of the leaders in the renewable energy and sustainable property development sectors. The company has more than 10 years’ experience of successfully completing development projects across Europe.

After many requests to support other industry-leading developers, it has built an advisory and auditing arm, which focuses on delivering improved sustainability and profitability to clients. Through management and boardlevel advisory, qualified expertise as well as Breeam, Leed and similar certifications, the company has advised and audited many of the largest organisations and projects in the industry in local markets.

Oxford Sustainable has real depth of knowledge and proven experience with successful projects. The firm has previously managed projects, companies or teams in Finland, UK, Italy, The Netherlands, Estonia, Guernsey, Romania, Malta and Latvia, although the firm’s current geographical focus is the Baltics and Scandinavia.

Notable projects include the largest approved polyfunctional development on the Romanian black sea coast, advising the largest retail centre and the largest outlet centre in the Baltics on quality and sustainability, planning the largest sustainable development in the Baltics and the first company to launch and sell national mass market domestic disaggregated solar in the UK. To ensure clients feel assured that they are receiving a quality service, Oxford Sustainable is certified under ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 and is the first in its region to achieve the ‘Big 3” ISO certifications.

Team members are qualified in PMI, Breeam, Leed and the management company is Carbon Neutral.

Build 2016 Sustainable Building Awards

Ultimately, Oxford Sustainable has built a track record of managing projects successfully in multiple countries. This puts the firm in a fairly unique position compared to other organisations offering services, since it has the practical knowledge, proven in the real world.

Despite being highly selective, the limited number of projects which the firm undertakes are completed at the highest level of commitment to achieve the best possible results for its clients.

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Company: Peka Solar and Renewable Energy, Inc. Name: Willer Saldana Email: wsaldana@pekasolar.com Website: http://www.pekasolar.com/

Best Renewable Energy Engineering Design & Installation Firm - USA

Peka Solar and Renewable Energy, Inc. Peka Solar and Renewable Energy are a Florida based company providing renewable energy services to firms around the world. We invited President and Owner Willer Saldana to talk us through the firm and the services it provides.

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eka Solar and Renewable Energy are a solar specialist firm who offer solar panel installation for both commercial and residential properties. Willer outlines how the firm is aiming to make a difference through its service offering.

can serve a greater variety of clients in a wider range of countries around the world. We have upcoming projects in the US and the Caribbean and we hope to move further afield in the future, whilst retaining the high standards of quality which we pride ourselves on.

“Here at Peka Solar we are committed to supporting clients in reducing their energy, and we serve people around the world, working on a wide variety of projects, from commercial buildings to high end houses.

“Within the wider sustainable construction market we are noticing that more homes are being built with solar technology already attached, and this will help us in our quest to expand.”

“Our overall aim is to reduce the world’s carbon footprint, one project at a time. To achieve this, we try to educate our clients about the benefits of solar energy, which is a pure energy source, safe for the environment, and totally free.”

“I have done a lot of design work in cottages over the years but this project was very different. The goal in this build was to create a cottage that not only reflected the client’s passion for the outdoors and nature but that would also eventually be the primary residence upon retirement. This meant that although it was currently a weekend getaway it would also need to have the modern amenities of home.

Although the sustainable energy market is growing globally, electricians and other members of the construction market still do not understand solar energy, which proves a challenge for firms such as Peka Solar.

Despite this challenge Willer is keen to emphasise the firm’s positive points, including its dedication to hiring skilled staff and the advantages it finds being based in sunny Florida.

“We are very selective about the staff we hire, as they have to be dedicated to providing our clients with the very best solutions and the very highest standard of fitting. Our technicians are NABCEP (gold standard) certified with accredited schools in the US. We take pride in what we do, seeking quality rather than quantity.

“Being in the sunshine state we feel that we should tap into clean and natural resources like the sun, wind, and even local water ways, to lower our costs in utilities. Using less oil and gas saves the us money and makes the property more valuable, all while being environmentally responsible.”

Moving forward, Willer is keen to emphasise the firm’s continued focus on providing high quality as it seeks to offer its services to a wider client base.

“In the future we are committed to continuing our expansion plan so that we

“Revit 3D renderings were generated to communicate the exterior materials and finishes. These drawings helped the client to visualize the finished product prior to ordering materials.

“Most of the finishes in the cottage are natural – the beautiful Canadian timber structure, the Alder cabinets, and the stacked stone around the fireplaces and chimneys. Modern details such as stainless steel appliances included a chimney style hood fan, propane 6 burner Wolf range and metal roof brings the timber frame to a whole new level. This was also the first time I had ever been asked to incorporate an 8’x8’ bear hide into a design.”

Looking beyond her own exemplary work, Corray reflected upon her place within a highly competitive industry. She drew attention to how her upbringing has provided her with the role models to allow her to create an expanding client base.

“90% of my clientele are referred by past clients or suppliers. I attribute this to a very personal approach to design which makes clients feel comfortable and included in every aspect of the project. VIP service always makes me feel good. As an independent consultant, this is something I can offer my clients.”

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Company: Ronald Lu & Partners (RLP) Address: 33rd Floor Wu Chung House, 213 Queen’s Road East Wanchai, Hong Kong Email: info@rlphk.com Web Address: www.rlphk.com/eng Telephone: (852) 2891 2212

Best Sustainable Architecture Firm 2016 – Asia & Best Energy Efficient Building Project (Hong Kong): Zero Carbon Building (ZCB)

Ronald Lu & Partners (RLP) Ronald Lu & Partners (RLP) commits to using their professional knowledge to improve built environment and lifestyle experience along with maintaining the integrity and quality of the natural and cultural landscapes in which we operate.

LP has been established for 40 years, setting a progressive model for architectural practice in Hong Kong and within the region. The firm is currently housing over 600 professionals across China and Hong Kong. Staff at RLP share the common vision that the built environment should be regenerative in social, economic and ecological terms. RLP aims is to move from “doing less harm” to “doing more good”. To reinforce this pioneering efforts and thought leadership in terms of sustainable design, RLP continues to explore new ground and new ideas through their research and design work.

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“At RLP, we believe that architecture is an act of change that can inspire humanity and create a better living environment for future generations.”

Bryant Lu, Vice-Chairman of RLP. A green milestone for Hong Kong One of RLP designed projects, ZCB Zero Carbon Building is the first zero carbon building designed to be energy-positive from a life cycle perspective in the tropics. It is a milestone for Hong Kong, in terms of its visions, design innovations, execution and implementation from the integrated process to the continual optimisation of the building performances in the operational phase since its opening in 2012.

TODTOWN is one of the numerous examples of RLP designed development.

It resolves a complex range of needs and challenges and creates a wellconnected, mixed-use “mini city” in Shanghai, China. Located above a local transport interchange, TODTOWN connects existing communities and transportation links with an expanded rail infrastructure and new retail, office, hotel and residential developments over the 20+ hectare site.

A retail mall forms the centerpiece of the design, conceived as two linking hands, and spans the site to join residential districts to the north and south of the existing subway station. The mall is made up of five interlinked retail floors above the transport interchange. New pedestrian routes run from ground level through the mall which, coupled with a new support road running through the site, seamlessly links all of the development’s constituent parts together.

RLP look beyond for a brighter sustainable future.

Besides serving as the test bed for state-of-the-art zero carbon design and technologies to the building industry, it is aspired to regenerate the ecological for the neighbourhood, and a place to drive paradigm integrated design process in less than 15 months. RLP placed its first priority on energy conservation by passive design and the use of highly energy-efficient active system.

Development of a sustainable city RLP is convinced that a rail plus development model – High-Density Transit Oriented Development (HDTOD) provides a highly viable solution for the development of a sustainable city. The marriage of urban transit with HDTODs nurtures a sustainable lifestyle that reduces the carbon footprint, cuts energy consumption and halts urban sprawl, ultimately bringing benefits to society at large.

Build 2016 Sustainable Building Awards

SK Yee Healthy Life Centre, Hong Kong

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Company: Solar Dynamics./ James Husbands 246 425 1540 Website: www.solardynamicslimited.com/ about-us/solar-dynamics-in-the-news

Solar Dynamics Best for Solar Water Heating - Caribbean

Solar Dynamics Ltd Solar Dynamics Ltd is the Caribbean’s leading solar hot water provider, supplying systems since 1974. We profile the firm and explore the development which has made Barbados the 4th leading nation in the World in the penetration of solar water heaters.

hroughout its more than 40-year history, Solar Dynamics has continuously raised the quality and performance of its solar hot water systems. It took the design of Professor Tom Lawand of Mc Gill University to a new level of reliability, and built an industry. Its founder, and former Chairman, Revd Andrew Hatch championed solar water heaters as the appropriate technology for water heating in the Caribbean. Solar Hot Water Systems are now the preferred way to heat water in the Caribbean, with good market penetration in Barbados, Saint Lucia and Grenada.

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Looking ahead, Solar Dynamics, whose system was the first in the Caribbean to be tested and rated by Florida Solar Energy Centre, plans to address the vulnerability of solar water heaters to storm and hurricane conditions, by strengthening solar collector’s resistance to uplift winds. This is the feature which Managing Director James Husbands has set as the next big goal for Solar Dynamics. With this exciting new project, and a number of invigorating plans for service delivery, the future is bright for Solar Dynamics.

Ultimately the company’s goal is to be the reliable comfort provider and money saving partner everytime the Caribbean person and their guests turns on their shower.

In a recent survey on the satisfaction of solar water heaters in Caribbean Hotels, by the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), two of Solar Dynamics’ clients were selected for inclusion in a satisfaction survey. Turtle Beach Resorts in Barbados and Bay Gardens Hotel in Saint Lucia rated their satisfaction with Solar Dynamics Hot Water Systems installed at their facilities for more than 15 years; at between 95% and 100%.Turtle Beach Resort use over 1,000,000 gallons of hot water per year in its 167 room luxury resort.

Solar Dynamics is the first company in the World to provide a guaranteed temperature on the performance of its solar hot water systems, highlighting its commitment to performance and reliability. Alongside this quality of service, the firm is also keen to highlight the savings of its innovative technology.

The hotels surveyed reported a return on their investment of 40% to 50% annually on the investment in the Solar Dynamics Hot Water System. This saving is particularly vital, as Caribbean countries, except for Trinidad and Tobago, pay a higher than average cost for energy. The use of solar energy is therefore important in reducing cost in the region’s tourism industry as well as in domestic homes. It makes sense therefore to eliminate the cost of energy for hot water, while earning a handsome return on investment.

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Company: Springfield Mobile Name: David Lee Address: Springfield Mobile Ltd Unit 2, 12 Abbotsfield Road, Sutton, St Helens, WA9 4HU Telephone: 01744 851958 Email: sales@spring-field.co.uk Web Address: www.spring-field.co.uk

Best Portable Building Firm 2016 - UK

Springfield Mobile Springfield Mobile is a family firm with over four decades’ worth of experience providing portable buildings across the UK, with a focus on supporting the education sector. We invited David Lee to talk us through the firm and the industry in which it operates. pringfield has over 40 years’ experience in providing high quality modular portable buildings primarily in the UK. Managing Director Lyndsey Duggan is the second generation of the family who founded the business and has seen the company grow from a turnover of £2.4M in 2012 to over £5M in 2016.

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From its headquarters and manufacturing base in St Helens, Springfield designs and manufactures all of its customer solutions, giving the company absolute control over both the quality of its portable buildings but also control over the supply chain to ensure the raw materials and components used are sourced locally and sustainably.

This control ensures that the company has the ability to offer its customers incredible flexibility in both the buildings provided to customers and the services offered in terms of full turnkey installations to a range of hire solutions.

As testament to its national capability Springfield has recently completed a major installation at Newham College in East London. Following on from the area’s regeneration after the 2012 London Olympics, and boasting Europe’s second highest proportion of graduates continued growth meant that the college’s 10 year building plan needed a company to supply a turnkey two storey classroom project comprising eight classrooms in total.

As an established supplier to the educational sector Springfield’s understanding of the key sustainability agenda saw them win the £750 000 contract and provide a complete turnkey solution from laying foundations through to commissioning services and completing installation within the tight deadlines defined by only having site access during college holidays. These high quality classrooms offer high degrees of energy efficiency and are fully compliant to all necessary building regulations and offer a genuinely low environmental impact through the speed of installation and minimised waste. Also, given the quality of individual installations, the operational lifetime of building mean they can genuinely re-used in a variety of locations throughout a period of ten to twenty years.

Looking ahead, the future for the sustainable building industry looks bright, and whilst these sustainable credentials are both important and established factors in the company’s strong local government and educational presence the challenge faced by Springfield is to take this to broader commercial markets.

Here the focus on the use of renewable and sustainable cladding such as Larch

Build 2016 Sustainable Building Awards

adds a new aesthetic dimension to portable buildings.

Already this is being recognised through innovative partnerships, Manchester City Council now works exclusively with Springfield to fulfil its requirement for temporary buildings in areas such as education caused by increasing pressure on numbers caused by issues such as immigration. Larger and more established industry operators were considered but couldn’t match the flexibility, choice and quality of supply provided by Springfield.

Working with the Modular and Portable Building Association (MPBA) has ensured the industry and Springfield in particular has moved far beyond what was once expected of a portable building, where modern technology can help extend building lifecycles to beyond 50 years, providing the same functionality and ergonomics of traditional buildings but with in-built sustainability.

Ultimately, in many ways the relationship with Manchester City Council is an ideal template for future growth for Springfield Mobile. This recognises the value modular buildings offer on a short term basis, where once projects are completed modules can be professionally refurbished and put to new uses, creating the ultimate low impact sustainable building resource.

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Company: Straw Works Ltd & The School of Natural Building (SNaB) Name: Eileen Sutherland and Barbara Jones Address: Hollinroyd Farm. Todmorden. OL14 8RJ Phone: 07840603204 Email: strawworks@gmail.com Website: http://www.strawworks.co.uk/ and http://schoolofnaturalbuilding.co.uk/

Natural Building Materials Firm of the Year - West Yorkshire & Award for Excellence in Renewable Building Training Courses

Straw Works Ltd & The School of Natural Building (SNaB) Straw Works is a straw bale building specialist which has, over the last few years, also moved into training, creating The School of Natural Building (SNaB) to train the Natural Builders of the future. We profile the firm and explore the dedication and commitment of its owners.

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traw Works is excited to have been chosen to receive these awards from Build magazine and is pleased to have the opportunity to tell readers more about the company and its exciting future plans.

The company is led by the Barbara Jones, straw bale building guru and author of ‘Building with Straw Bales’ http://www.strawworks.co.uk/buy-the-book/ and Eileen Sutherland who works with Barbara on the strategic direction and infrastructure of Straw Works.

The company provides architectural design and planning services and consultancy on straw bale projects and building regulations and through Barbara has created more than 300 beautiful and durable residential and commercial buildings using straw bales and natural materials in the UK and Europe. The buildings range from tiny garden buildings to the UK’s largest straw bale building to date. The firm operates in two distinct markets, supporting both self-builders who want to learn the technique in order to build their own homes and individuals who want to train to be natural builders.

In order to further facilitate the training of natural builders Straw Works established a dedicated facility ie The School of Natural Building (SNaB) in October 2014 SNaB is a not for profit Bencom, a Society for the Benefit of the Community and is the first school of its kind in the UK. Currently there are 43 students working through the practical & theoretical training modules at their own pace http://www.strawworks.co.uk/all-our-courses/ SNaB operates an accreditation of prior learning (APEL) system so that applicants can get credit and therefore exemptions for relevant, previous work experience. Every student has their own individual learning contract. This makes SNaB flexible enough for students to learn while still making a living and/or continuing with synergistic studies ie architecture/design etc.

The SNaB modules are accredited by Barbara who has worked in the field for 30 years as there is currently no national framework for training of natural builders. In order to develop a framework, the accreditation bodies need a guaranteed market of 200 applicants per year. This is a tall order as the market sector is small and a considerable amount of awareness raising has still to be done to generate a critical mass. Straw Works and SNaB take every opportunity to speak, demonstrate and promote natural building.

SNaB was recently asked to be a partner in a European project called, ‘Up Straw’ which focuses on increasing the number of public buildings built with straw bales in North West Europe. The other partners are: France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. As part of this project SNaB will build a visitors centre for Hastings Borough Council and will have the opportunity to develop materials for primary and secondary school pupils which will enable them to learn about building with natural materials. The School hopes to extend this work into undergraduate programmes particularly for students of architecture, engineering and building services.

Ultimately, both Founders define the firm’s mission as; “to create an environment where the use of natural materials is accepted as common place in the construction industry. And where ordinary people have the opportunity to choose to build and participate in building affordable, beautiful, sustainable homes and buildings made from these materials.” This is achieved by implemented the firm’s core values; empowerment, sustainability, passion and fun. The utilisation of these and the achievement of the firm’s mission will be its ultimate focus going forward.

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Company: STUDIO DECODE Name: Ashok Dutta, Meghana Dutta (Principal Architects) Email: reach@studiodecode.com Web Address: www.studiodecode.com Address: 151, 20th Main, 12th Cross, 2nd Phase, J.P.Nagar, Bangalore -560078, Karnataka, India Telephone: 91-80-26591709

Best Green Architectural Design Practice 2016 – India & Best Indian Retail Project: Puma Retail Building, Bangalore

Founded in June 2006, Studio Decode is headed by architects Ashok Dutta and Meghana Dutta. The firm is focused on creating cutting edge design for green, high performance and smart buildings with an aim to deliver responsibly and commitment to efficiency.

tudio Decode is an international, award-winning architectural design firm, which has a green and technology centric initiative and seeks sustainable transformations through architecture. Our key sectors of work in the past include institutional, healthcare, housing, residential, industry, government, retail and commercial, F&B, interiors, planning and infrastructure. Works of the firm have been showcased in national and international publications, and also on national television.

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Studio Decode has a strong team of 23 staff, which bring an experience of over 15 years in the field of design, interiors, planning and sustainability. The team comprises of architects, interior designers, technologists, administrative managers and assistants.

Within the sustainable building market, Studio Decode have undertaken work for the government as well as other sectors in India. The buildings which we have designed, are currently under construction and will be among the greenest in India. We have designed two office buildings for Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd (KPCL), both of which are expected to be certified LEED Platinum, (LEED being the rating system followed in India). In addition, we have successfully designed PUMA Group’s first sustainable flagship retail store globally. It became the first retail store in India to receive a LEED platinum rating.

As a highly populated country, India is in a unique position where a large middle class is evolving with immense purchasing power and high levels of consumption.

With greater means come higher consumptive and economic aspirations.

There has been a tendency in India among the design community to overlook geographical and cultural context. As designers, it has been our effort to plug the gaps and design responsibly to include context and culture. Our challenge has been to produce contextually sensitive projects where we are able to include traditional concepts and execute with quality. Also with pace and speed comes erosion of quality, standards and skills. These are some of the challenges we are trying to overcome.

Our overall mission has an experimental, design approach and seeks to provide solutions which are contextually relevant and delivered responsibly. We look at aesthetics beyond the cosmetics of application and more as a response to context as well as a problem solving essential.

Part of our mission is sustainability. As we seek to create sustainable transformations in the built environment, we approach sustainability as a mechanism to include and integrate. As the current global scenario demands a high level of efficiency in how we use resources, it becomes imperative that we

Build 2016 Sustainable Building Awards

look very closely at including localised knowledgebase, techniques, materials and planning principles. Therefore, we put a lot of emphasis on research, analysis and solutions bound together by the client’s brief and requirements.

Studio Decode have taken steps to adapt to the trends and legislative developments in the sustainable building market. Firstly, at the beginnings of adopting green building standards in India, many buildings were planned devoid of architecturally creative solutions and much was lacking in the quality of experience. Many such buildings were mostly approached as a check list where the emphasis was to meet rating standards and to attain certification as a green building. Although these buildings succeeded in achieving green ratings, they were poor examples of creative solutions. Also, as the industry has evolved, well designed buildings are equally a requirement so that quality of spatial experience for the inhabitants is equally taken care of.

All large scale buildings in India need Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEF) clearance before it is approved for construction. Many of the rules and regulations adopted for larger buildings are now being considered to be made mandatory for all sizes of constructions. At present, it is optional for mid-scale or small projects to incorporate green buildings norms or get clearance from MOEF. From the beginnings of the firm we have made a conscious effort to adopt such standards and it will be a welcome move to see such changes incorporated as regular practices. The building industry in India is victim to loosely enforced codes and in turn it leads to low quality of public spaces, poor standards of services and neglect of essentials required for good standard of living.

Studio Decode is well-placed in Bangalore. The city is known as the ‘Silicon Valley of India’ and is home to a highly educated and well-exposed populace. This makes the residents a highly aware community and hence makes it relatively easier to articulate solutions which may help in building a better city. Many of our cities in India are a victim of diluted administration and this makes it more difficult to make many successful solutions.

In the future, Studio Decode plans to surpass many of the challenges they face, such as the erosion of traditional craftsmanship, quality of construction and depleting natural resources. Technical evolution becomes an important tool for the company to solve many of the imperfections they are trying to check. Many tasks traditionally manually performed could be replaced by automation and by mechanizing delivery processes.

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Company: Sustaburn Name: Martin Robinson (MD) Email: care@sustaburn.co.uk Web Address: www.sustaburn.co.uk Address: Bela Suite, Clawthorpe Hall Business Centre, Burton, Carnforth LA6 1NU Telephone: 01524 784323

Award for Excellence in Biomass Heating Installations – UK & Most Innovative UK Restoration Project: Allan Bank

Sustaburn are renowned specialists in renewable energy, supplying biomass boilers, ground / air source heat pumps, and other wood fuel heating systems. Managing Director Martin Robinson talks us through the firm’s service offering and how it aims for excellence in everything it does. stablished in 2008, Sustaburn offers a professional, personalised and friendly service from staff who are experts in renewable energy solutions. Martin talks us through the firm’s history and how it has adapted to the ever evolving sustainable development market.

“Since inception, Sustaburn has built up a great reputation as reliable, trustworthy and professional installers. We started by offering pellet boilers, and now have a great range of pellet, wood chip and log boilers, as well as pellet stoves and heat pumps.

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“Now we are the North of England Regional Partners of KWB. KWB Wood Pellet, Wood Chip and Split Log biomass boilers are well-known for their quality, reliability and ease of use. This new partnership is an exciting development, enabling us to deliver our excellent service to a wider area.”

As a company Sustaburn installs biomass, wood pellet, wood chip and split log boilers, with sizes ranging from small (e.g. 10kW) to huge (e.g. 600kW). Martin depicts the firm’s service offering in detail and provides a fascinating overview of its latest project.

“Here at Sustaburn, we cover both domestic and commercial projects, but one of our biggest areas of works over the years has been the installation of biomass systems in period estate houses. We also supply heat pumps (ground / air), and install underfloor heating, and are about to offer a range of pellet stoves.

“Our latest project is a 216kW Wood Pellet system, using two 108kW KWB Pelletfire Plus Boilers. The main constraint we faced was where to locate the boiler room in order to be able to run heat main pipework to feed everything efficiently - the main house, five holiday cottages and a swimming pool. It is especially challenging as the house is built on solid rock. We eventually found that the solution is to house the new boiler system at the end of the new swimming pool building. This has still presented challenges in terms of routing the heat main between trees, but this has been achieved very successfully.”

Renewables are a growing market, as more and more people are becoming aware of the reality of climate change and the uncertain future of fossil fuels.

One of the main challenges remains The Renewable Heat Incentive. In the early days, back in 2011, it gave the industry a real boost and created massive growth in the industry up until early 2015. However, the way in which the scheme has been implemented has created issues for the sector over the last 12- 18 months: fluctuations and regressions in the RHI funding levels can create a situation where one minute you are busy before the next regression and then everything goes

quiet for a 4-6 weeks, and then builds back to being really busy - this can be difficult to manage at times.

Despite these challenges, Sustaburn has been highly successful in working around these and providing a superior service to clients, which is all key to achieving the firm’s overall mission, according to Martin.

“Our tagline is ‘specialist, dedicated, passionate about what we do’ – which sums up our ethos. We have a wealth of expertise from our highly experienced team, and have been dealing with biomass since before the RHI (unlike some other companies who ‘jumped on the bandwagon’ so to speak). We are dedicated to what we do, and always go the extra mile to ensure we get the right fit for our customers, helping them wherever needed (e.g. with planning requirements, RHI applications etc).

“Fundamentally, we are passionate about sustainability: we believe renewables are the future, and that fossil fuels need to be phased out to combat climate change.

We try to promote ‘green’ issues on our Facebook page, sharing interesting articles and news items in the world of sustainability, energy and the environment. Our aim is to inspire – and, of course, to create happy customers, with whom we want to build fantastic relationships over the years.”

In his concluding comment Martin emphasises his excitement for the future as the firm enters an exhilarating new stage.

“Looking ahead, the future is bright for our firm, as we are Regional Partners for KWB in the North of England, and we feel there are still exciting times ahead in biomass. We have just finalised a sole UK distribution deal with Ravelli, a large Italian pellet stove manufacturer, which will enable us to offer efficient, attractive and easy to use wood pellet stoves.

“Another key development is the recent creation of our sub company, SustaPlumb, which has been designed to take on general heating and plumbing works, which is something our customers have indicated they would be interested in, and indeed something we have been doing for a little while now. Our team are experienced installers of underfloor heating, for example, which is often the best way to make to most of renewable heating systems, particularly heat pumps, which operate on a lower temperature than biomass boilers, and so suit underfloor heating well. This sub-company will also take on the work we do around the installation of air and ground source heat pumps and we are looking forward to taking advantage of the opportunities this new development will provide us.”

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Company: Teresa Marble Corporation Name: James Rosca Email: sales@teresamarble.com Web Address: www.teresamarble.com Address: 117 Shaw Blvd., Pasig City 1600 Philippines Telephone: (632) 6319123 to 27

Most Environmentally Friendly Marble Quarry 2016 & BUILD Innovation Award in Marble Products

For over 37 years, Teresa Marble Corporation has worked to transform one of nature’s most durable and beautiful materials, marble, into products of unique application, customized to suit every architectural concept. We caught up with Marketing Manager James Rosca to find out more.

stablished in 1976, Teresa Marble Corporation is the largest marble producer in the Philippines, supplying both the domestic and international markets (such as the USA, Japan, Australia, South Korea, China, Iraq, among others) with marble construction materials including blocks, boulders, tiles and slabs, in the sizes, shapes and finishes, as specified by customers. As his opening comments James discusses the appeal of marble and the clients his firm supplies with this naturally majestic material.

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“Marble, with its natural patterns and colours, exude a cool, natural beauty and elegance. It is very durable and will last much longer than most other flooring options. Some historic sites which utilized marble are centuries-old.

“Hospitality is a key market for our firm, as the marble provides a stunning luxury feel that many hotels and resorts strive for. In the local market, some of our more recent notable projects include resort hotels such as the Hyatt Regency’s, City of Dreams, the Solaire Resort & Casino Hotel, Century Azure Condominium Residences, Las Casas de Acuzar, Bohol Regency Beach Resort, Boracay, Regency, Beach Resort, St. Catherine of Alexandria Church, Shangrila Edsa Hotel, Asian Hospital.

“Within the international market, we supplied renowned hotels such as the Bellagio Hotel, the Treasure Island Hotel and the Wynn Resort Hotel in Las Vegas, and other hotels and projects in countries such as Japan and Singapore.”

The firm is the acknowledged leader of the marble industry sector in the Philippines, primarily thanks to its good working and business relations with other marble companies in the country, which it often collaborates with to ensure the success of its projects.

Aside from being the country ‘s largest marble processor, Teresa Marble Corporation is the only one with reliable supply of marble materials from its own quarries to back up its large processing plant’s production capacity.

James proudly describes the locations of these plants and how the firm’s collaborative working approach ensures their continued success.

“Our processing plant is located in Teresa Rizal, an area which is an ideal base for us as it is within the National Capitol Region. Moreover, TMC has has developed a strong relationship with the surrounding communities and the Local Government Unit in the area through its various community service

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programs and projects, ensuring its continued success.

“With regards to our quarries, the larger of these is situated right next to our processing plant, while another quarry is further south of the Philippines (in Cebu). These quarries produce different marble colours, and the fact that we mine our own materials really sets our firm apart from our competitors and allows us to utilise the very best materials in our projects.”

The firm, whose aim is to be the best at what it does, ensuring clients are highly satisfied with quality products and services, while optimising the use of natural resources with modern technology and planning, and caring for its human resources, is highly ambitious and dedicated to creating only the best projects which provide overall satisfaction for everyone involved. James explains how this is achieved through the firm’s commitment.

“To achieve our aims and objectives, we work closely with our clients to enhance architectural / interior designs through the application of elegant and beautiful marble products in their projects. We value customer satisfaction highly, and make effort to gain and keep customer loyalty.

In addition, we greatly value our human resources and support our staff however possible so that we can ensure that we retain the very best talent in the industry.

“Alongside this, in order to optimise natural resources, we exercise careful planning of its use, and invest in modem equipment and technology. We have invested in training out technical manpower with Italian masters on the use of modem technologies, also in keeping with our aim to have quality products with minimal or zero waste.”

Looking too the future, with growing tourism and continuous construction and infrastructure developments in the country, as well as the increase in marble exports, business prospects for Teresa Marble Corporation are numerous. James concludes by talking us through his firm’s plans to capitalise on these trends.

“Overall the future looks bright for Teresa Marble Corporation, as the company expands its horizons aiming to have more outlets and distributors of its products in various strategic parts of the country. We look forward to taking advantage of the exciting opportunities the upward trends in our market will provide us.”

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Company: 24hr Solutions Email: info@24hrsolutions.co.uk Website: www.24hrsolutions.co.uk Tel: 0208 819 3117

Engineering Firm of the Year – UK & Award for Excellence in Property Renovations - UK

24hr Solutions is a specialist building maintenance and mechanical engineering company.

Phil Turner talks us through the firm and the secrets behind its success.

or over a decade 24hr Solutions have been carrying out installation and maintenance work for the industrial, commercial and domestic sectors. We specialise in engineering on a 24hr scale. With engineering divisions ranging from transport and vehicle repairs and recovery through to commercial and domestic premises building maintenance our services are “often challenged but never beaten”

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Our dedicated teams of engineers are highly qualified in all aspects of engineering. From natural gas, LPG, oil, plumbing, electrical, mechanical and air conditioning services. They all have extensive technical knowledge and are focused on providing an excellent level of service and attention to detail. This is all backed up with our 24-hour emergency call out for peace of mind.

Going forward 24hr Solutions continues to grow from strength to strength.

Working on projects both in the UK and abroad. From its base in Hertfordshire, UK, 24hr Solutions continues to grow both economically and organically with its key objectives, vision and mission still at the heart of everything.

The overall aim of 24hr Solutions to lead in providing 24 hour solutions through engineering and logistics, setting new standards of service, safety and stability, and we look forward to the opportunities this mission will bring in the coming months and years.

As a client base, 24hr Solutions caters for a vast variety of people, business and industries alike. From Councils, Government bodies, blue chip industrial clients and service providers, they are all treated with the bespoke service that they have both grown to expect and that has built 24hr Solutions into the successful business model it is today.

With all our projects, our biggest challenge has always been, and continues to be, financial sustainability. Producing a cause and effect sustainability program for materials, equipment and services is often a given with any new project, but the financial impact of sustainability and longevity can often be overlooked until hand over, where it becomes a major factor. “box ticking over end result has never been more of an issue” 24hr excels itself in comparison to other engineering firms in recognising the impact on all levels at every project. Be it economic, environmental, sustainability, longevity and financially; we ensure that all sectors work to achieve the end goal and ensure that boxes are ticked to meet requirements as appose to just a box ticking exercise. In other words – does the project work for you or tick boxes.

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Company: Alderwood Construction Website: www.alderwoodconstruction.co.uk

Best Environmentally Conscious Building & Design Firm - Gloucestershire & BUILD Sustainable Product Award: Use of Cotswold Stone

Alderwood Construction Alderwood Construction is a family-run business with over 40 years of valuable property building experience. We invited Craig Siller to tell us more. lderwood Construction provide project management, construction and development services to a range of clients in the construction industry. Craig explains how the firm utilises a collaborative approach, along with highly dedicated staff, to ensure it offers clients the very best service.

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“Through our hardworking and dedicated team of professionals we pride ourselves in being able to adapt to the changing needs of our clients, sub-contractors and suppliers. As a member of the Federation of Master Builders, we welcome the ongoing improvements in product ranges and building practices and quality standards.

“As a company we have built up a good working relationship with the local building industry in Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Oxfordshire. We are able to recommend the best solutions to construction problem or an appropriate professional to help.”

The skills shortage has made quality labour hard to come by, but despite this Craig was keen to state that the firm was doing well, working with great staff who shared the management’s vision.

“Here at Alderwood Construction we work primarily with our own dedicated workforce, which covers the full spectrum of trades within the building industry from property demolition and building foundations through to finishing works and interior decoration.”

Looking ahead, Craig emphasised that the firm was keen to continue offering a high quality service whilst at the same time working hard to ensure it stayed ahead of industry developments.

“Moving forward we have a number of exciting new projects which will help us to develop and grow as a firm, ensuring we offer clients the very best quality possible. We are also looking to work collaboratively with our industry partners to ensure we are up to date with the latest regulations.”

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Company : NGO: Amis des Etrangers au Togo (ADET) Name : Dosse Sossouga Email : sossougadoss@gmail.com Site : www.noracismadet.com Address : Avenue Jean Paul II Lomé-Togo Tel : (+228)22 34 98 06/99 49 58 59/92 47 34 95

Best Sustainable Development Firm 2016 - Western Africa & Best Rural Power & Electrification Project: Togo

Amis des Etrangers au Togo (ADET) is a NGO committed to fighting against racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia around the world. Dosse Sossouga talks us through how this aim involves supporting sustainable development and ensuring that traditionally repressed societies have the infrastructure to support themselves and help the environment. stablished in 1996, ADET is committed to sustainable goals, aiming to support the end of racism and the beginning of a more sustainable life for everyone on the planet. Dosse depicts how far the firm has come since inception and how it is looking to achieve its aims.

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“Sustainable development goals was an inspiration we had in 1996 when we created ADET with the vision to fight against racism and support the environment.

In his final comment, Dosse was keen to thank everyone who has supported the firm so far, and to predict an exciting and prosperous future for the firm.

“This award is an opportunity for us to reinforce our creativities, our engagement to participate to the sustainable development implementation in Togo, in Africa and around the world. We would like to thank our supporters and ask that they continue to invest in NGO: ADET over the coming months and years to help us build a sustainable, supportive and inclusive future.”

“Today our dream becomes a reality with the sustainable development goals which we have set up, which cover social development, economic development and environmental resiliency throughout the world.

“From Rio+20 to the adoption of the Sustainable development goals by the World Leaders, we have been present throughout various developments around the world. We were integrated in the UNTEAMWORK for the sustainable development goals implementation for human prosperity, dignity, peace, gender equality and poverty eradication around the world.

These goals must be implemented by governments, civil societies, the private sector, religious groups and other stakeholders.”

According to Dosse the NGO’s key challenge is funding, although ADET is always developing around this challenge in order to achieve its goal.

“The key challenge we face is lack of financial opportunities for the holistic programme we have planned. Until now, everyone who supports us has been volunteers, supporting us in our activism and lobbying. The benefits in my region are that we have free assembly. If we can gain financial support, we will change many things with our holistic programme for the sustainable development goals in Togo, in Africa and in the rest of the world.”

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Name: Albert S. Yu Email: asya@asyadesign.com.ph Web Address: www.asyadesign.com.ph Address: A-PLACE Building Coral Way Drive, Mall of Asia Complex, Central Business Park 1, Island A, Pasay City, Philippines 1300 Telephone: (+632) 808-5888

Best Sustainable Architecture Firm 2016 - the Philippines & Best Mixed-Use Office Project: Scape Building

Albert S. Yu Since 1993, Architect Albert Yu has led ASYA Design in its remarkable competence in the field of architectural design, providing clients with personalized service and the best architectural design system at the most economical construction cost. We profile the firm and explore the secrets behind its success. he firm has conceived, designed and built projects that include shopping mall developments; luxury residences; high-rise residential buildings; corporate offices; commercial and mixed use buildings. ASYA now aims to be a one-stop shop providing holistic services from Architecture, Interior design, MEPF, Brand Design, Marketing and Property Management to spare the client the inconvenience of going from one consultant to another.

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ASYA Design rises to meet more challenges, highlighting sustainable trends in the estate market by taking a fresh approach on all aspects of architectural design. Working from the ground up, ASYA ensures their clients that the end project will continue to earn its investment, even offering to manage their client’s project.

The City of Dreams Manila; one of the first grand casino-hotels built in the up and coming development dubbed as the “Entertainment City” was indeed a challenging grind for ASYA. It was necessary to go beyond known standards as being the local architects while consistently working with global consultants.

The incessant coordination with different professionals from across the globe made the project perplexing but very fulfilling in the end. ASYA considers this tremendous success as a valuable learning experience as they became more adept in international architectural measures.

The Philippines’ climate condition has always been a crucial factor in designing, implementing, and commissioning green buildings to fit the intricacies of the local environment and ASYA takes these challenges as opportunities as they design projects based on a set of sustainable guidelines ensuring clients of its long-term benefits. It is a current trend these days that Philippine developers now see the tremendous value of green design and are now willing to invest on sustainable materials and features on what will produce greater savings in the long run.

Build 2016 Sustainable Building Awards

Ultimately, challenges come and go when it comes to any business and the path to success will often be barred with passing difficulties but ASYA has survived one of the worsts of economic times and continues to adapt with change. In the heart of ASYA’s success is the vein that focuses greatly on sustaining successful client relationships and recurring projects which will definitely support their continuous success as they aspire to build not just sustainable buildings but also sustainable communities.

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Company: Beattie Passive Email: enquiries@beattiepassive.com Phone: +44 (0)8456 449003 Website: www.beattiepassive.com

Market Leader in Passivhaus Technology - 2016

With a proud heritage in British design and manufacture, Beattie Passive is a forward thinking and innovative company that is passionate about promoting the principals of Passivhaus.

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orking with self-builders, architects, housing associations and developers across the UK, Beattie Passive offers its clients an award winning, innovative design and build technology that simplifies the delivery of Passivhaus, providing high quality and energy efficient homes for all.

The Beattie Passive build system incorporates a Passivhaus timber frame structure which can be designed to any style, shape and size of property and uses gold standard Passivhaus energy efficiency and comfort principles to deliver dramatic cost, time, health and environmental benefits.

In addition to the innovative build system for new properties, Beattie Passive has developed a retrofit product that transforms existing housing stock to Passivhaus standards, dramatically reducing energy requirements and improving building performance.

Ultimately it is the firm’s dedication to quality and strong knowledge of the Passivhaus system that has led it to its current success, as Mr K Kniveton, a self-build client from the Isle of Man explains.

“My experience of my new passive system home has surpassed all my expectations. I knew that my utility bills would be a fraction of what I would ordinarily pay in a traditionally built home, but even I was surprised at how low my quarterly bill has actually been over three of the most demanding months up to the end of December. Knowing that future bills will decrease much further still when the solar thermal takes over the domestic hot water production and with lower demand generally, I just can’t understand why all homes are not built this way.”

Training and skills development is central to the delivery of Beattie Passive and the system has been designed so that it is very simple and can be built with just semi-skilled labour. Beattie Passive are passionate about developing skills in the industry and supporting people to retrain and return to the workplace. They are currently working with the Prison Service to develop the skills of offenders, who are manufacturing the Passivhaus system, further highlighting that the use of semi-skilled labour for construction projects results in significant social and economic benefits for the local community.

In response to the growing demand for energy efficient homes in the UK from both self-builders and developers, Beattie Passive offers clients offsite construction as a means to accelerate the delivery, whilst still guaranteeing performance and reduced construction costs. Current projects include the on-site erection of a 130m2 single storey four-bedroom home for a self-build client at a secluded seaside location in the heart of idyllic Norfolk. Additionally, the factory is busy manufacturing five further Beattie Passive structural thermal envelopes (3x Self Builds and 2x retrofits) due for erection in August and September.

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Company: Bird Brick Houses Ltd Address: The Old Parlour, Wilbees Farm, Arlington Nr Polegate, East Sussex BN26 6RU Phone:01323 488732 Email: enquiries@birdbrickhouses.co.uk Website: www.birdbrickhouses.co.uk

Best for Wildlife Conservation Products 2016 & Award for Innovation in Bat Nesting & Roosting Products 2016

The Bird Brick House is an innovative product that provides permanent nesting sites and wildlife enclosures as an integral part of buildings across the UK.

n 2001, Duncan McCutchan, who co-founded the firm with his wife Jenny, was rebuilding his parents’ home and had the idea of incorporating nest holes in the flint work walls. The nest holes were an immediate success, with birds proving keen to take up residence. The following years saw sporadic development, then in 2013 Bird Brick Houses was formed and the first bird boxes produced. A stand was taken at the Ecobuild 2014 exhibition at the Excel Centre, London. Bird Brick Houses carried off two significant show awards and numerous other awards have followed.

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Common to all the firm’s bird and bat boxes is a unique design which offers brick matched nesting and roosting sites that blend with the host wall. The company’s clients are primarily developers and architects; with whom it works to meet biodiversity planning requirements. In addition, the firm also have dealings with ecologists, town planners and wildlife organisations such as the RSPB and Action for Swifts. Notable developers the firm have worked with include BAM, Barratt Homes, Berkeley Construction, Kier Group, Redrow, Telford Homes and Wates Construction.

Alongside its product range Duncan and Jenny are always happy to offer advice to potential buyers; generally involving guidance on selecting and siting the best box types to use for the structure in question, also strategies for attracting the target species.

One of the firm’s biggest challenges is to persuade planning authorities that the inevitable loss of habitat when housing developments are constructed should be countered as a matter of council policy. Some areas, Devon for example, already have a policy of including a bird box in every new property.

Where such policies exist, Duncan and Jenny would like to see more evidence that this is followed through and enforced by planning officers.

Build 2016 Sustainable Building Awards

Recently The Bird Brick House undertook a highly successful project supplying a Hastoe Group development in East Sussex. The company’s Design Manager had seen the stand at Ecobuild 2014 and sent through the architect’s specification for the site. Boxes were incorporated in selected properties during early 2015, and were already being used in April, just 3 months later. Duncan and Jenny attended the site opening, along with the very supportive local MP Nus Ghani and Wealden council officials, and have received uniformly positive feedback from tenants with bird boxes in their homes, as well as requests to have boxes fitted from others living in homes without any. The new Regional Head of Development of Hastoe Group was also in attendance and now hopes to specify Bird Brick Houses in their future construction.

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Company: Cameron Scott Limited Name:Cameron Scott Phone: 01647 25 22 19 Web:www.scott.archi

Best Timber Architecture Firm 2016 – Devon & Recognised Leader in Sustainable Design Strategy - Devon

Cameron Scott has been working in the field of Low Energy Timber Architecture and Design for the last 25 years, adopting a Kaizen or ‘continuous improvement’ approach to design philosophy.

Outlined here is this fascinating strategy and how it shapes every project he works on.

ameron’s interest in how buildings are realised is fundamental to his design philosophy. This is perhaps more akin to product design, where the majority of thinking, design, calculation and co-ordination takes place before production. This ethos is particularly suited to Timber Architecture, where structural prefabrication predominates.

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The focus for this ‘continuous improvement’ approach is broad, ranging from the micro to the macro. At a micro scale, acknowledging that both ‘angels’ and the ‘devil’ reside in the detail, the emphasis remains on ensuring the detail receives as much consideration as the concept. Continual adjustment and updating of strategies, methods and materials in pursuit of ‘marginal gains’, taken as a whole, often has longer reaching benefits. This process is iterative from project to project, informed by elegance, ease of realisation, changing production methods, material choice and in service performance.

the higher performing buildings that Cameron now designs. Post occupancy fabric and internal conditions monitoring all help inform the success of strategy and detail design providing an opportunity to improve both modelled simulation predictions and micro/macro building design.

Fundamentally it is reliable, high speed communications and travel infrastructure that allow the firm to work across the country whilst being based in rural Dartmoor, Devon. Projects have included new houses as distant as the Isle of Eigg, Inner Hebrides and Essex, a National Trust Warden’s Base in Hampshire, the new HQ for the Earth Trust in Oxfordshire and a restaurant in the heart of London at Lincolns Inn Fields as well as more fleeting projects such as the Chelsea Flower Show.

Looking ahead, the diverse and interesting nature of the firm’s commissions endures and Cameron and his team continue to look forward and improve both the buildings they design and the workflow that originates them.

At the macro scale, spatial design, comfort and building performance are of course all interlinked and increasingly important. As building performance increases we move into increasingly technical territory, designing to avoid overheating, maintaining a healthy internal environment and protecting building fabric in the long term. Dynamic thermal modelling and digital monitoring technology has opened up a new workflow to the design studio which helps shorten the notoriously long feedback/learning cycle in architecture.

With these tools forming part of the design workflow and post-occupancy feedback, the firm is in a better position to design fit for purpose architecture and apply lessons learnt more efficiently. Typically, building and glazing orientation, roof overhangs, window shading and material choices all have significant influence on the success of a building design. Often, received wisdoms and conventions need questioning, re-evaluating and redefining for

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Company: Craftsmen Quality Builders Name: Stuart Lee Email: stuart@craftsmenbuilders.com.au Web Address: www.craftsmenbuilders.com.au Address: P.O.Box 545, Woodend, Victoria 3442 Telephone: +61 0402318224

Best for Passive House Building Projects – Victoria & BUILD Excellence Award for Energy Efficient Homes - Victoria

Craftsmen Quality Builders Craftsmen Quality Builders specializes in building energy efficient and environmentally conscious homes. Stuart Lee talks us through the firm’s service offering and the secrets behind its success.

raftsmen Quality Builders have over 15 years’ experience in the building industry working on various projects including new builds, renovations and extensions. Stuart outlines the firm’s latest projects and how these showcase its dedication to quality.

“Here at Craftsmen Quality Builders clients are generally retirees or people who are interested in building an environmentally friendly, low energy consuming home. The business provides homeowners with an extremely high standard of workmanship and a home, built for comfort.

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“Our most recent project was a complete overhaul of an existing ‘owner built’ mud-brick residence. The main challenge was the building being very ‘leaky’ and un-insulated. We had to frame a new wall against the mud brick, insulate with recycled polyester batts, add new thermally broken double glazed windows and seal every area accessible to bring the home up to a comfortable standard.”

Operating in the energy efficient residential building sector in Australia, the firm has a number of exciting opportunities to work with clients on new and innovative projects, as Stuart explains.

“Australia is 25 years behind in sustainable building, and as such we work hard to bring our clients and the industry up to speed. Having become a certified Passiv Haus tradesman, and gaining the knowledge of those principles, I believe the main challenge is educating homeowners. Often when people are buying a house, the concern has been location, size and functionality. Not, how comfortable will my home be or how much energy/ cost will this consume. I hope to be part of the shift in building practices in my area.

“Ultimately I believe people are far more environmentally aware and concerned about their impact on the environment. I am offering people the opportunity to build a home that is energy efficient and environmentally conscious. This includes using sustainable material such as straw bales

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for insulation and sustainably sourced timber and implementing the Passiv Haus principles, these are just a few key points of our adaptation.“ Looking ahead, Stuart was optimistic about the future and the potential opportunities that the firm’s latest projects will provide.

“The future is looking bright for Craftsmen Quality Builders; we have a certified Passiv Haus currently under construction in Doreen, Victoria with many others in the pipeline.”

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Company: DGL International / EnviroSolutions Address: 1956 Dandenong Road, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia Phone: +613 9263 5678 Mobile + 61 408 010082 Email: mark.z.taylor@dglinternational.com

Best Waste-Efficient Paint Disposal System: EnviroSolutions EnviroWash Systems

EnviroSolutions EnviroSolutions, part of DGL International, provides an innovative product, the Envirosolutions Envirowash System, which is an innovative, water based treatment system that turns paint wash-out into clean water and solid waste, allowing for easier and safer disposal. We invited Mark Taylor to tell us more about this pioneering product and how it is changing the market for the better.

he Envirosolutions Envirowash System provides a responsible way of washing out painting tools, such as brushes and rollers, and minimises the negative impact of traditional paint waste disposal methods. Mark talks us through the history of this innovative product and how it achieved the success it enjoys today.

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“As we moved along our Envirowash journey, we were repeatedly asked by painters for solutions to other problems that they encountered in their day to day tasks. We then went about sourcing or inventing answers to most of the problems that were raised with us. This will continue to be our focus going forward as we seek to build upon our foundation of innovation.”

“EnviroSolutions and our Envirowash were invented early 2006 in direct response to the ever increasing problem for painters washing up tools and equipment on site legally. We invented a cost effective, easy to use, mobile system that contractors could relate to.

Envirowash was first launched in Australia and New Zealand.

In 2008, we made contact with Dulux UK in response to a problem at Heathrow Terminal 5 project where a competitor brand paint was being used and they had washed equipment on the ground that then ran into the river. Dulux UK went on to win the Olympic Village in London, Westfields White City among many other high profile projects. Dulux South Africa secured all of the Soccer venues for the World Cup and the first 5-star Green Build rated in South Africa, Nedbank Johannesburg.

Alongside these triumphs, Dulux USA was able to secure such projects as Disneyland California and Orlando, major hospitals and numerous major building contracts. Our Envirowash System played a role in helping Dulux win these contracts.”

Today the company has over 8,000 units in the field in more than 12 countries, and moving forward the focus will continue to be developing the range to include more accessories to support the growing demand, as Mark explains.

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Company: Elliott Barnes Interiors Address: 28, rue d’Aboukir, 75002 Paris - France Phone: + 33 (0) 1 45 08 16 96 Fax: + 33 (0) 1 40 28 91 58

Best Interior & Furniture Designer – France & BUILD Interior Excellence Award: Hotel Ritz Carlton, Wolfsburg

Elliott Barnes Interiors (EBI) is a French based firm specializing in both interior and furniture design. We profile founder Elliott Barnes and explore the services his company provides. lliott Barnes Interiors is the firm of internationally renowned interior designer Elliott Barnes, who started his career after obtaining a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Architecture and Urbanism from Cornell University in 1985. Elliott began his professional career in the Los Angeles offices of Arthur Erickson Architects.

In 1987 he met Andrée Putman who proposed that he join her office in Paris. After having worked as Project Designer and then Partner, he became director of the firm in 1997. He contributed to the development and expansion of the office and its projects until 2003. Simultaneously, he pursued an academic career with universities in the United States and from 1993 until 1995 at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris (ENSAD).

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In 2004 he founded Elliott Barnes Interiors, EBI, to express his own pure and eclectic vision. The office of EBI is called upon for upscale elegant projects such as private residences, boutiques, hotels, spas, and institutional spaces. The office works internationally, supporting clients in Germany, Austria, Russia, Thailand and Japan as well as France.

Some of the firm’s most notable projects include reception and tasting rooms for La Maison de Champagne Ruinart in Reims, a five-star hotel The Ritz Carlton in Wolfsburg for Autostadt -Volkswagen, the mythic jazz club Duc des Lombards in Paris, a showcase apartment for the Mitsui Group in Japan, a private townhouse art gallery and spa in Paris, the restaurant La Bourse et La Vie in Paris and the VnH art gallery also in Paris. These are only a few of the works from EBI which respects and promotes the DNA of its clients, while also proposing a resolutely contemporary and innovative approach to luxurious living.

Alongside interior design projects, the firm also creates beautiful, contemporary designs for furniture, including lamps, tables, rugs, seats and even screens.

Elliott Barnes Interiors is the perfect design firm for those seeking unique, stunningly crafted designs which will meet their needs and exceed expectations.

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Company: FrameTech Design (Ltd) Name: Stewart Archibald - Director Address: 8 Raeburn Road, Larbert, FK5 4GU Phone: 07971877347 E-mail: stewart@frametechdesign.co.uk Website: http://frametechdesign.co.uk/

Best Timberframe Design Consultants - UK

FrameTech Design (Ltd) offers an Architectural & Timber Frame Design Consultancy Service to the Timber Frame Industry all over the UK and Ireland. We invited Director Stewart Archibald to tell us more. evelopers self-Builders, Builders, Architects, and specifiers now have an increasing awareness of the potential environmental impact of their projects along with government initiatives and ever changing building regulations aimed at achieving Zero Carbon buildings. The timber frame industry itself believes it can make a significant contribution to sustainable construction for sustainable communities.

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Wood is the only renewable commercial building material and as a modern method of construction is effectively carbon neutral. As such, when you use timber structures you are actively helping to reduce the effects of global warming.

Timber frame construction is further enhanced by its low embodied energy and excellent insulation properties, which means happy customers with lower heating bills and a brighter future for the planet. On average, timber frame is 30% faster than traditional methods and it allows you greater freedom in choosing the finished form of your home. Also, it is fully recognized by all financial institutions and building societies.

With an extremely experienced understanding of the manufacturing and construction processes this allows FrameTech Design (Ltd) to deliver a superior and advanced innovative result. This, coupled with the use of the latest CONSULTEC Timber Frame Design software, this allows us to tailor the whole design to an individual client for a comprehensive bespoke product.

This software package also allows us to produce information which can be processed by CNC saws and automated production lines, should this be required.

Ultimately, at FrameTech Design (Ltd), all projects are carried out to the highest standard and we can deliver a design package to suit exactly the customer’s requirements from every aspect, such as presentation, factory setting out information, cutting lists, working drawings and all relevant information for on-site kit erection.

I thank you for spending the time to read this article and if you feel our services are of interest to you, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Because of our unique position within the market, FrameTech Design (Ltd) is able to offer a highly personal design service, tailored to the specific needs of the client, whether this is a Self-builder, Timber Frame Manufacturer, Architect, Engineer or Developer.

With over 27 years’ experience within the Timber Frame Manufacturing Industry, I have built up a vast portfolio, which includes: • One-off bespoke Private Housing • Housing Developments with Mixed Purpose Groups including Duplex Units • Social and Affordable Housing • Apartment Blocks • Nursing Homes • Schools • Timber Frame Passive Houses

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Company: GreenFish Consulting Website: http://www.greenfishconsulting.com

Best Energy Compliance Consultancy 2016 - Kent

GreenFish Consulting is an energy efficiency and compliance consultancy with strong experience in public sector construction. Director Daniel Smith talks us through the firm and the wide range of services it offers.

stablished in 2010, GreenFish Consulting, a subsidiary of JCML consulting, started out supplying energy performance certificates. Since inception the firm has grown, and now supports clients across a wide range of industries with their energy compliance and sustainability, as Daniel explains.

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“Here at GreenFish Consulting we support a wide range of clients, primarily architects and large organisations, in all aspects of their energy compliance and sustainability, including providing thermal assessments, renewable energy advice and support throughout every stage of the build. We have worked with larger clients, such as the NHS, banks and schools, as well as smaller organisations.

“We also undertake some residential work, assisting clients with SAP compliance and refitting energy solutions. As such projects we work on can range from huge hospitals spread across several sites to minor repairs and additions on an existing residential property.”

Within the suitable building market, Daniel has seen a marked rise in consumer understanding in recent years.

“There has been a marked increase in client awareness since our inception, as knowledge grows that there are more options out there which are both more sustainable and cost efficient.

“When we first started we were usually contacted towards the end of the project to act as a box ticking exercise. Now we are seeing a rise in clients seeking pre-planning support services, and as such we are able to provide clients with solutions which will save them energy and money in the long term.”

Build 2016 Sustainable Building Awards

Moving forward, Daniel is keen to express his excitement for the future of the company as it seeks to build upon its current success.

“In the future we foresee continued growth, as we carry on expanding into new markets in order to better support our clients, whilst at the same time retaining the level of quality which we pride ourselves on.”

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Company: Greenspace Ecological Solutions Ltd Name: Guy Newman Email: info@greenspace-ecology.co.uk Web Address: www.greenspace-ecology.co.uk Address: Suite H3, Priory Park at Blackham Court, Beech Green Lane, Withyham, East Sussex, TN7 4DB Telephone: 01892 457062

Best Ecological Solutions Company 2016 - South East England & Award for Innovation in Green Infrastructure 2016

Greenspace Ecological Solutions Ltd Greenspace Ecological Solutions is an independent consultancy based in the South East of England. Guy Newman talks us through the firm’s service offering and the techniques it employs to ensure success.

reenspace Ecological Solutions offers a wide range of services including habitat and protected species surveys, European Protected Species advice and licences, Management Plans, BREEAM, EcIA, site monitoring and habitat creation. Guy outlines the techniques used to ensure clients receive the support they need.

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all members of the team are excited about the future opportunities being presented.

Through continued professional development we aim to provide our clientele with an increased level of service across a wider range of projects, thus expanding the skill set and opportunities available. Winning awards such as this proves that as a company we are valued by our current client base and

“Our team work within a range sectors throughout the South East, with current involvement extending to residential developments, projects within the public sector, commercial builds, renewables, historic buildings and the restoration of country estates. Working closely with our clients, our team are here to guide clients through their projects, whilst providing sustainable ideas and sound ecological advice.

“Where needed we advise and assist in the construction of new habitats within development sites and buildings and work closely alongside planning agents, both structural and landscape architects and construction companies.

“As a company we understand the challenges faced when planning, designing and implementing ecological requirements within a development, yet pride ourselves on finding solutions to even the most complex scenarios.

Our track record of client support is impeccable, with the service extending to the liaison with members of the LPA, Natural England and other appointed contractors when required.”

Exploring what the future holds, Guy was optimistic as he spoke about the firm’s plans for growth.

“To account for continued business growth we aim to expand our ecology team to double its current size over the next 24 months. With an ever expanding frame worked client base, and a series of long term projects such as town expansions, multi home developments and public park restorations,

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Company: Guard Industry Website: www.guardindustry.com/gb

Best Eco Surface Protection Product – Protect Guard Dtox

Guard Industry Guard Industry specialise in providing water and oil repellent products designed to protect the building, environment and end user. We spoke to UK and Ireland Director Paul Bradley, who talked us through the firm and its innovative flagship product, Protect Guard Dtox.

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uard Industry is a family business with over 30 years’ experience in providing eco-friendly, bio-degradable products for buildings and structures. Paul describes in greater detail the firm’s service offering and the clients it

supports.

“Here at Guard Industry we supply our innovative, award winning protection products to around 64 countries around the world. In the UK and Ireland, we work primarily with contractors, including cleaning firms and construction companies, as well as local councils.”

One of the firm’s most popular products is the pioneering Protect Guard Dtox, an impregnation product designed to sink into the façade of the building rather than sitting on top of it, allowing for greater protection.

Paul expresses his pride in this unique product and describes the features which set it apart from the rest.

“Protect Guard Dtox is truly unique as it utilises an ingredient called Titanium Dioxide, which reacts with sunlight to collect pollutants and neutralise them, thereby purifying the air around the building as it cleans the building.

“As such, not only does this effectively make the building self-cleaning, but it also means that the building will help to clear the air and reduce pollution as well as any other emissions provided by the building itself and surrounding traffic. Per square meter of building which is coated Protect Guard Dtox, 2.2 cubic meters of air is purified per hour, which is an impressive statistic which makes the product different to anything else available in the market today.”

Throughout the sustainability industry, an increase in client education has led to a rise in demand for products which protect the environment and reduce pollution. As such, demand for Protect Guard Dtox is now

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so high that the firm is growing rapidly, seeking to expand its operations across the UK and Ireland over the next twelve months, as Paul explains.

“Looking ahead, our strategy is firmly focused on growth, as we seek to capitalise on the popularity of Protect Guard Dtox and better support our clients across the UK and Ireland. By November of this year we are keen to have a new distribution hub in Scotland (we are currently examining possible sites in Glasgow) in order to support the demand we are seeing for the product in this region, and we are looking to increase our infrastructure in the rest of the UK and Ireland also, hiring new staff in order to be able to better support our clients, whilst remaining focused on providing innovative solutions which meet their needs.”

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Company: Japanese Knotweed Solutions Ltd Phone: 0161 723 2000 Website: www.jksl.com

Japanese Knotweed Specialists of the Year 2016

Japanese Knotweed Solutions Ltd (JKSL) is the UK’s leading specialist in the identification, control and eradication of Japanese Knotweed. We spoke to Managing Director, Alexander Dayes, to learn more about the specialist services the firm provides.

ounded by Michael Clough, Japanese knotweed Solutions Limited has grown rapidly since inception and now boasts a £2.5m turnover, 35 employees and a client base of 300. As the company understands the destruction that the highly invasive Japanese knotweed can cause, the firm operate nationwide with a Rapid Response Team on standby seven days a week to deal with the most urgent client enquiries. Alexander talks us through the firm’s service offering and how it endeavours to ensure clients are properly supported.

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“Our firm comprises of a dedicated team of professionals who share a great deal of experience. We invest heavily in the continual training of all our employees, ensuring you always have a highly qualified team working on your project with the latest industry accreditations.

“To ensure clients feel secure and supported we offer a 10-year insurance backed guarantee. As such we are trusted by over 300 clients including many of the UK’s largest landowners, construction companies and government agencies.”

Ultimately, Japanese knotweed Solutions is a leading authority on the problem and invests heavily in raising the awareness of Japanese knotweed within the construction industry. Early identification will significantly reduce the cost implications and timescales involved in eradicating knotweed from the development, and as such the firm aims to support clients and advise them on identifying the weed. As a final comment, Alexander explains how the company seeks to ensure clients always feel secure and supported when working with his firm.

“In order to ensure every client receives the very highest standard of service we undertake a highly professional and systematic approach while making sure every project gets the attention to detail it deserves.”

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Company: K. Raheja Corp.

Name: Shabbir H. Kanchwala –Senior Vice President – K. Raheja Corp.

Email: skanchwala@kraheja.com Web Address: www.krahejacorp.com Address: Raheja Tower, Plot NoC-30, G Block, Level 5th, Opp. SIDBI Bank, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra (East), Mumbai, India Telephone: +91-22-26564985

Best Real Estate Development Firm 2016 – India & Award for Excellence in Indian Residential Development

K. Raheja Corp. are among the leading real estate developers in India. We spoke to Senior Vice President Shabbir H. Kanchwala to learn more. stablished in 1956, K Raheja Corp is a success story spanned across decades and continues to achieve higher targets relentlessly for quality performance and service in diverse fields of real realty business, hospitality sector and retailing outfits.

Shabbir outlines the firm’s latest projects and clients, and how these illustrious names highlight the company’s success.

“At the infant stage of Green, the Green Concept was very challenging to professionals. There were scarcities of Green products & the vendors across the country. Some of products have to be imported which increases the cost of projects. But due to early development in Green building concepts, a lot many vendors coming up with environmental friendly products which support Green Concept.”

“Our clients include a number of renowned names including Accenture, J.P. Morgan, Facebook, Capgemini, WNS, Cognizant, Syntel, L&T Infotech, Deloitte and many more.

Ultimately the future is bright for the company, as it looks to more new projects to strengthen its brand and cement its reputation for excellence.

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“One of our recent projects, of which we are very proud, is the Vivarea Tower B1, B2, B3. These luxurious high rise residential towers have received IGBC Green Home Gold certification from Indian Green Building Council. This is the “First residential tower in South Mumbai “to have been awarded the Gold Green home certification. The project is conceptualized as a high end residential space where the tenements would be sold out to customers.

“Before constructing this building, K. Raheja has two options. Either to construct building with conventional specifications which consumes high energy or to construct the building with energy efficient measures which consumes less energy. Both the options were analysed. Cost of building with low energy consumption pattern was 2.5 times higher, compared to the base conven-tional case. Also as per the Indian Market Scenario, there will be no any additional revenue gain to company by constructing the energy efficient homes. There is no poli-cy which mandates implementation of energy efficient homes in India. The project ac-tivity includes adoption of high efficiency energy conservation measures in the HVAC Systems – digital inverter system, efficient lighting and water conservation measures which results in reduction in the energy consumption & water consumption of the Building. It not only saves on energy but also entails associated CO2 (GHG) emissions reduction when compared with a project Building with conventional pattern.

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Company: Inspirations Design and Project Management Pty Ltd trading as Luxury Homes By Brentnall Name: Siobhan Pearson Email: info@brentnallhomes.com.au Phone: +61 400 420 392 Web address: www.brentnallhomes.com.au Address: 26 Vanessa Court, Springwood, Queensland, Australia 4127

Best for Sustainable Luxury Architecture – Australia & Award for Innovation in Sustainable Design - Australia

Luxury Homes By Brentnall have a passion for designing and supplying Luxury Bespoke homes to their discerning clientele. For over 35 years each of the (nearly) 3000 happy clients have enjoyed the process of creating a ‘living work of art ‘specially tailored to their ‘wish list ‘and building site constraints while keeping in mind their budget. Siobhan Pearson, along with her team have also led the way in Environmental sustainable living for each of their client’s homes. She talks us through how the firm aims to support clients in reducing their energy use and, ultimately, saving money.

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ere at Brentnall we believe that choosing environmentally friendly features not only makes sense now, but in the long term future. As we specialise in large homes, we are very conscious of the long term costs to run the utilities.

Firstly, I advise my clients of the advantages of being mindful to incorporate good passive solar design as it makes perfect sense to start with. Cost of power from the grid has escalated over the past three years so future proofing your home in the design and construction stage is extremely prudent, without compromising your comfort” Secondly, to reduce our carbon emissions we use steel framing as it is 100% recyclable and we can offer a 50-year guarantee, it is white ant proof and is prefabricated for speed of installation.”

There are many ways in which our firm is working to help reduce clients’ energy bills and save them money. We in Australia have now well and truly embraced Solar power. With the recent advances in the technology and efficiency of the Solar panels and most importantly the new inverters it is now a far more cost effective option. The new systems can work efficiently in extremely low light levels and with the new Inverters coming on the market later this year, the day light energy can be saved and used when needed. It can run all of your energy needs, ducted Air- conditioning, hot water, lighting etc. In fact, just heating your hot water via the grid can account for over 30% of your electricity usage.

We have also been working closely with a roofing product that has the solar panels in-situe. Siobhan said ‘I love specifying Tractile on the roof as it is a light weight composite and the solar panels don’t detract from the aesthetics of the beautiful high pitched roof as they are embedded into the roofing material.” I appreciate Tractile is a high end product compared to colour bond or Cement tiles but the advantages are well worth it.

Another company we have been working with over the years is AusGeothermal. ‘I love this Australian company!” I appreciate it costs more initially but it will pay for itself in 7 years. Using copper coils to embrace the energy from the earth it can run all your air conditioning and heating the hot water and underfloor heating Brentnall have always designed and specified insulation batts to ceilings and external walls as well as using thermal blanket under the roofing. We have had this as a standard inclusion for over 30 years… so I guess we led the way to the Australian 6-star rating. It is amazing how much heat is lost if you don’t insulate!

20% of heat seeps through the walls if not insulated and as heat rises, 30% is lost in the ceilings, which is a very big waste.

Another point to remember is the thermal mass of the ground. The temperature of the earth only changes over the year by approximately 5% so a Concrete slab on ground has superior thermal advantage over high set homes. Although our high set designs have always included Hebel Power floor panels and insulation batts between the joists.

Please when designing your home, don’t forget the external cladding of the home has to be considered. Brick veneer has little Thermal energy rating where as we use and specify speciality products that not only have excellent energy efficiency but are strong and enhance the finish of the home.

These products are quick to install, lightweight and can be rendered or have authentic stone cladding. Double glazing and triple glazing has been a viewed as a luxury in Australia for a long time, and Brentnall have been specifying it for years.

A Luxury Homes By Brentnall consultant can explain in more detail how you can enjoy free power from the sun in more detail and help you work out how quickly your new Luxury Homes By Brentnall specified products and systems can pay for themselves. You will be pleasantly surprised at how soon this can be.

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Company: Munrostudios Email: caroline@munrostudios.com Website: www.munrostudios.com

Best Architectural Visualisation Firm 2016 UK & Client Choice Award: Best in Creative 3D CGI

Munrostudios is a CGI, Animation and Motion Graphics Agency. Co-Founder and Owner Caroline Hopkins talks us through the firm and its service offering.

unrostudios work with developers, architects and brand specialists, helping them to engage key markets, develop brand equity and safeguard ROI. The firm has worked with major brands including Tiffany, Jaguar Land Rover, Red Bull and Xbox as well as many major architecture and marketing firms. Caroline expresses her pride in the firm’s performance over the past 12 months.

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“In the past year we have collaborated with heavy weights including Damac, Versace Home and M&C Saatchi on Aykon London One, Nine Elms.

Our studio did a brilliant job, delivering an outstanding animation of the internal and external Tower, with impressive photorealism throughout. We enjoy working with clients from early Planning applications through to the marketing phase. Our client BUJ Architects recently won Planning for Portal Way West Residential Tower in London. We delivered all Planning images and supporting documentation, through to marketing CGI’s followed by the Animation.’

Ultimately, Caroline explained that what sets her firm apart is its focus on providing such a wide range of services.

“Our USP as an agency covers a couple of areas.

Firstly, we are a cross specialist studio. Our studio teams deliver Verified Photomontage for Planning applications, including strategic view analysis both from 3D models and on site work, wireline, full documentation & EIA. We also deliver CGI’s & Animations. Due to our large render farm, purpose built to a mighty 728 cores, with 1.45 terabytes of RAM we can work on a high volume of Animation and CGI projects at any one time. We are more unique, in that we deliver photorealism, by creating our images using high

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detail, accurate models, rather than just using Photoshop alone. The way we work allows flexibility in amending images. Once the model is updated, the final image, as a consequence, can be quickly updated.

“Our clients are given further flexibility by being able to choose to animate a project, due to most elements of the CGI being modelled. This approach benefits clients who have already modelled projects, in part or full themselves.”

Their impact on our practice is major: the usual working station tends to disappear, the brightness level is getting lower and lower, the companies capitalize on amazing collaborative spaces, break rooms and cafeterias to satisfy their Millenium employees. FOR. will keep on leading the way to show their clients how to be ahead of this significant change in the way we work.

At the end of the day, we do not make projects to win prizes. We realize them to meet and exceed our clients’ expectations. But when we do win, we have many reasons to be proud, mainly because we truly know that our projects were conducted with respect, real collaboration, fun and integrity.

An integrity which is directly connected to our inner self. Our FOR intérieur.

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Company: Navitas EAS Email: info@navitas-energy.com Web Address: www.navitas-energy.com Telephone: 01485 520523

Construction Assessment Specialists of the Year – UK & BUILD Innovation Award for Sustainable Energy Solutions - UK

Navitas EAS co-ordinate the production of all types of energy efficiency surveys throughout the United Kingdom. We invited Sophie Gould to tell us more. avitas EAS offer a range of services, covering all construction assessment needs, from SAP calculations and Energy Performance Certificates, through to Part G water efficiency calculations and air pressure testing. Sophie showcases the services the firm provides.

clients. From Estate Agents, Developers, Architects, Landlords and Public Institutions, we are able to support them all. This broad range means that the expertise and knowledge we offer within our team have to be varied and encompassing of the nature of the work that the client requires our support with.”

“At Navitas EAS we provide straightforward, sensible and practical advice every time - whatever the project from an Energy Performance Certificate for an existing house to a commercial project requiring an SBEM assessment, at Navitas EAS we guide our customers through the compliance process from design to completion.”

Within the wider construction industry, Sophie emphasises that Navitas EAS is more than capable of supporting clients to change their practices to make them more sustainable, and is dedicated to adapting to industry trends in order to ensure its service offering is always relevant.

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These services are provided to clients ranging from Architects, Developers, House Builders, Private Landlords, Estate Agents, Property Management Companies, Green Deal Providers, through to Housing Associations and Local Authority Housing Standards Departments. Sophie outlines the techniques the firm employs to support these clients in all of their surveying needs.

“Navitas EAS have built a strong reputation for quality and feedback from all of our clients indicates that we are providing a very efficient service. The team are highly qualified and experienced. As a company we have a robust in-house auditing procedure as well as regular external auditing.

“We offer an efficient, cost effective solution which removes the administration from your daily work and leaves you more time to focus on your primary business objectives. As a company Navitas EAS are innovative with the way in which we work and can add-value to your own services offered to your clients.

“Our mission is to support clients in navigating the often confusing world of sustainability by providing advice which is easily accessible.

“With our extensive training we are in a prime position to support the construction industry in making sustainable changes that have not necessarily been a possibility in past years. We recognise that sustainable materials, projects and strategies are not areas that have always been deemed as important or paramount in the construction industry. With our expertise, knowledge and drive for a sustainable future we are able to help support our clients and in turn their clients in changing perceptions and methods of work to see projects focusing on: local products, green materials, minimising waste and building to last a lifetime, just to name a few.

“In the industry as a whole we are currently noticing that many of our clients are now looking to use better quality insulation products and more of it also.

We are also noticing that the majority of our clients look to use renewable technology within their projects from the very initial design stages. We aim to provide a professional but personal approach to all of our clients so that they feel confident in our advice which allows them in turn to make informed decisions.”

Looking ahead, Sophie is keen to express her excitement at the firm’s future plans, which are firmly focused on growth.

“In the future we aim to grow our customer/client base which in time will “What truly sets us apart is that while a lot of companies in the construction support us in our desire to add to our ever growing portfolio of projects.” industry have aDavignon, specific customer we work with aofwide of Picture: André Presidentbase, & Artistic Director FOR.spectrum design planning.

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Company: NDYLIGHT Website: www.ndylight.com

Best Commercial Interior Design Group 2016 - UK & Architectural Lighting Team

NDYLIGHT is a full service lighting consultancy with a holistic approach committed to sustainable lighting solutions. We caught up with Studio Manager Lauren Lever to find out more.

DYLIGHT has once again been lauded for architectural lighting brilliance, winning the prestigious “Best Commercial Interior Design Group 2016 – UK & Architectural Lighting Team of the Year” in the Sustainable Building Awards. The award was the result of several high profile successful projects over the past twelve months.

Lauren Lever, NDYLIGHT UK studio manager says this latest award is a reflection of the team’s contribution across a range sectors and projects.

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“Lighting affects every aspect of a space, from the way people feel, to the cost of maintaining it. My team and I work closely with the client, architects, interior designers and developers to create an innovative lighting scheme for each project. Our goal is to provide a solution that complements the building’s form and function, creating a unique atmosphere and identity. We blend engineering and art to create usable, efficient spaces that offer a beautiful visual appeal, while supporting the wellbeing of the people using it.”

As a multinational lighting design consultancy, NDYLIGHT works with clients across all stages of a project, with the aim of creating innovative and sustainable solutions that enhance the occupier experience.

“Lighting consumes 19% of the world’s electricity,” adds Lever. “NDYLIGHT understands how the right lighting design is not only more economical but environmentally sustainable too. Having an energy efficient solution can really have an effect on how a room, building, company, and even a nation effectively utilises energy.”

With many high profile projects across the globe, and an enviable collection of awards, NDYLIGHT are the sought after experts in the field of sustainable lighting design.

“Our team had contributed to projects across the world, from Selfridges’ The Shoe Galleries and Fenwick here in London through to Zayed University in Prague and 33 Mackenzie Street in Melbourne, Australia.

“In the last year, we have created some real momentum, with several projects shortlisted for other awards, including the lighting design awards in April. The added recognition pushes us to produce more innovative lighting solutions that set our clients apart from their peers.”

Build 2016 Sustainable Building Awards

Lever says that the essence of good lighting design starts with having an understanding of the client’s needs by taking a holistic approach to lighting.

“We work very hard to provide our clients with unique solutions that enhance the space, so to have that recognised with this award is rewarding. Our London team is very proud of this award, and are excited that our work is being received so well. We look forward to our ongoing contributions in innovative and attractive sustainable lighting solutions for future generations.”

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Company: PAGeotechnical Ltd Address: Darwin House, Corby Gate Business Park, Corby, Northants, NN17 5JG Telephone: +44 (0) 1536 740040 Fax: +44 (0) 1536 740044 Website: www.pageo.co.uk

Best Contaminated Land Management Firm 2016 – UK & BUILD Innovation in Ground Gas Protection Systems

PAGeotechnical Ltd (PAG), provides solutions to the problems associated with constructing on gas contaminated land. ffering cradle to grave support, PAG supports clients through design, materials specification and provision and installation; either directly or through specialist partners. For over 15 years PAGeotechnical has sat at the forefront of geosynthetics solutions in the contaminated land sector. Far more than a materials provider, PAG is primarily a specialist consultancy, working with and through mainstream engineering consultants. We provide specialist technical advice on cost effective risk management where ground gases are identified in construction sites. As “brownfield” development is not only the most sustainable means of solving our construction deficit, but such sites are also often in the most desirable locations, as historical industrial landscapes are redeveloped into prime residential and employment areas.

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The firm works at all levels of the construction process: as members of a large number of trade and scientific organisations, advising Government and construction committees; as well as mainstream development clients, their design and construction teams and the myriad of specialist construction companies who actually undertake the build. PAG believe it is critical to interface throughout the whole process. Many areas of construction supply are charged with over specification which creates additional costs, PAG have always been vocal on the importance of correct risk analysis to determine proportionate solutions, design and installation.

The UK leads the world in this area, primarily as we were the first industrialised country to start re-developing old Victorian infrastructure developed during the industrial revolution. The skills, materials, designs and standards we have developed are being adopted in other markets where the circumstances are starting to mirror those in this country 20-30 years ago. PAG are involved in supporting overseas markets and through associations with British, European and International standards organisations are also investing heavily in research and experience sharing.

The key to a strong export market is “smart regulation” in home markets as this drives innovation. The UK has a long history of supporting innovation in the environmental and sustainable building sector and hence has one of the most developed and efficient specialities sectors. Given the multifarious constraints on Government time and energy; we must all work together to ensure that this position is maintained, both for safe and future proofed development at home and strong export potential. PAG remains firmly Picture: André Davignon, & Artistic Director of FOR. design planning. committed to being part ofPresident this process.

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Company: Paul Testa Architecture Ltd Name: Paul Testa Email: info@paultestaarchitecture.co.uk Web Address: www.paultestaarchitecture.co.uk

Sustainable Architects of the Year - South Yorkshire & BUILD Excellence Award in Passivhaus Projects - South Yorkshire

Paul Testa Architecture is a small practice based in Sheffield which specialises in high quality, high performance domestic design projects. We invited Owner Paul to talk us through the practice and provide us with an insight into the secrets behind its success.

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aul Testa Architecture is the practice of emerging architect Paul Testa, working alongside two talented designers, Julie and Monika.

Paul talks us through the firm’s service offering and the unique features which set it apart.

“Here at Paul Testa Architecture we work on a variety of projects, from small extensions through to new-build houses in sensitive locations. We pride ourselves on our ability to understand and develop our clients’ brief and to deliver beautiful, bespoke architecture that also performs with excellent thermal comfort and air-quality. We have also had a lot of success gaining planning approval on difficult sites.”

“Our work is almost all with private individuals on domestic projects for themselves and family members. Our approach to all of these projects is to give them something that will be comfortable and low cost to run for the life of the building. We apply the Passivhaus design methodology to all our projects, even when we are not aiming for certification, so that we can ensure our designs perform as we intend them to.”

In his concluding comments Paul talks us through the firm’s future project and how these will help it to build upon its current success and enhance its already considerable collective knowledge.

“Looking ahead, we have a number of exciting projects in the pipeline which we are very much looking forward to. We are starting to develop our first larger housing scheme of 10 dwellings on a site to the North of Sheffield. The proposal is for these to be custom-build houses that are properly affordable and that can be built to the Passivhaus standard. The custom aspect will deliver homes that suit the individual occupants and add a rich texture to the street.

Prefabrication will form a large part of the build to minimize site work and waste. There isn’t any reason why affordable housing can’t deliver architectural character and high performance and we’re really excited to be working with such an enlightened developer on this project.”

Build 2016 Sustainable Building Awards

“We also have six bespoke new-build houses in the pipeline that are at varying stages in the process. Whilst they are all very different in their design approach they are all at, or very close to, Passivhaus levels of performance. We’re very pleased to demonstrate that site specific, beautiful architecture can, without compromise, be low energy and high comfort.”

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Company: Plant Designs Email: info@plantdesigns.co.uk Web Address: www.plantdesigns.co.uk Address: Fleet House, 8-12 New Bridge Street, London EC4V 6AL Telephone: 0207 822 8696

Sustainable Horticultural Specialists of the Year – UK & Best Commercial Planting Project: Novae Office Interior Planting

Plant Designs Plant Designs offer a range of specialist Horticultural services, supporting the cultivation and care of interior and exterior planting for commercial properties across greater London.

We spoke to Managing Director William Braid to find out more.

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lant Designs passionate about plants and aim to make London greener by providing planting and expert care to keep them thriving, which is central to the firm’s mission, as William explains.

“Biophilia is the human need to connect to nature and studies have proven its importance in urban working environments. We aim to make work places better for their inhabitants by introducing planting. By using the right plants, we help to provide cleaner air indoors and out across London.

“One of our recent projects, which showcases this, is our work with Novae. The firm moved into their new office space in November 2015, and they needed us to help with the design and installation of their built in cabinet top planters.

The plants needed to be slow growing, interesting and above all needed a very shallow rootball space as the planters were not very deep. To overcome the limitations on planting and to meet the clients brief we choose succulent planting. These are slow growing, have minimal roots and would look great throughout the office space. They also require less water than many other plants so they will live well in the shallow planters.”

Currently within the industry, clients are looking more and more for recyclable or recycled materials along with products that have a low carbon footprint. Plants are a great way to keep the carbon footprint low / negative as they help reduce carbon naturally.

This has led to new regulations around the world, with the USA having specific LEED based objectives that help the Interior Landscape Industry, while the UK is working toward these with the help of industry colleagues and UKGBC. Operating in London, Plant Designs is at the forefront of industry change and are adapting around the challenges the industry faces, as William describes.

“Working in the capital is interesting and challenging. We get to work with some of the world’s top firms, in beautiful office buildings across the city.

The challenges include how to move around the city efficiently and we have overcome a lot of this by our Horticultural and Sales teams using public transport. This makes getting around the city faster as well as cutting our vehicle usage, which helps the environment.”

Picture: André Davignon, President & eager ArtistictoDirector of FOR. planning.

As his concluding comments William is outline the firm’s design future plans, which revolve around growing as a business whilst maintaining their focus on providing quality plant care.

“Looking ahead, the future is exciting, with plants back on trend we are looking forward to working with some clients on their Living Walls, re-designing their updated spaces helping them achieve their sustainable workplace goals. We look forward to the opportunities this will bring.”

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Company: Prestige Window Systems Website: Info@timberwindowssheffield.co.uk Email: info@timberwindowssheffield.co.uk

Best Window Installations Company 2016 - UK & BUILD Innovation Award in Timber Window Systems

Prestige Window Systems Prestige Window Systems provides a wide range of window solutions, with a focus on quality of both products and service. We invited Bev Hales to tell us more.

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restige Window Systems are a small family company committed to giving their best to every client that they work with, which is a philosophy which permeates through every aspect of their work, as Bev describes.

“Here at Prestige Window Systems we aim to provide a friendly, welcoming atmosphere, quality products and support to clients. Whether they simply need advice that they can take with them to make a more informed decision elsewhere, or whether they use us as a supplier, our team try so hard to be the best at everything they do, and it shows.

“We are passionate about what we do; live and breathe windows and are always aiming for our clients to experience the very best that we as a team can offer. That includes providing all the information that they need to make an informed decision about their purchase; making sure that they understand the differences in the quality of the products that are available on the market and checking the finer detail to make sure every installation runs as smoothly as can be. We feel strongly that offering our clients an experience that turns out to be over and above their expectations is of the utmost importance and always seek to achieve this with everyone we work with.”

According to Bev, maintaining the level of quality that the firm prides itself on is tough, but the company is committed to working to the very highest standards on every project.

“Our main challenge has been to allow the company to grow, whilst maintaining the level of quality that we are renowned for. Without skilled installers our work would grind to halt and our installers are more likely to be time served joiners who also have a talent for overcoming complex installations. Every job is a unique challenge and it takes time to find someone with the skills needed to meet our high standards. Luckily for us, we have a great team of guys who enjoy the experience of working with clients who appreciate a skilled job. There is a lot of job satisfaction in what we do and the guys love to hear the feedback we get from our clients once a project is completed.

“Central to our quality focus are our products. Our window and door systems are manufactured from Multi-layered timber sourced from sustainable European resources. During manufacture, they are painted with a Swedish microporous paint system; they will also be pre-glazed and multi point locking is fitted prior to delivery. The care and detail that goes into manufacture provides us with an excellent, sustainable product which forms a solid foundation for our installations.”

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One recent, successful project which Bev is keen to highlight is an installation in the Barnsley area which helped the clients to improve energy insulation, remove sealed up, old and decaying windows, and still maintain the period character of their 19th century Vicarage.

“The Barnsley Project was a great example of our passion and dedication to quality. The Timber Windows.com range of products that we install are not only sympathetically designed, but are energy efficient and beautifully finished also. The challenge in this project revolved around installing into a property which still retained its original internal timber panelling around the window reveals, and which externally had a distinct, bespoke trim detail that needed to be replicated to match windows on the ground floor which were remaining in situ. Our fitting team overcame the quirks thrown at them by this period property, and produced a beautiful installation in which it was difficult to see where the old building materials ended, and our installation began.”

Ultimately the future is bright for Prestige Window Systems, as Bev talks us through the latest developments for the firm.

“Looking ahead we have many exciting opportunities coming up which we look forward to taking advantage of. We have recently opened our second showroom which offers clients in the West of Sheffield and Derbyshire the opportunity to see full sized working samples of Flush Casements, Sliding Sash, Entrance Doors etc. There is a massive disparity in the quality on offer within the industry and its important for clients to see what they’re being quoted for when choosing the windows that will protect them for the next 30 years and more.

“With an eye on future development, 2015 saw the launch of a stunning Hidden Spring Sliding Sash window and a new Conservation range of doors was launched early in 2016. We are sure that these will not be the last additions to grace the range, so watch this space.”

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Company: R P Compliance Testing Ltd Name: Mrs Ros Piggott Email:ros@rp-compliance.co.uk Web Address: www.rp-compliance.co.uk Address: 9 Park Road, Hunstanton, Norfolk PE36 5BP Telephone: 01485 580018

Best for Compliance Advice & Testing Services 2016 - Norfolk

R P Compliance Testing Ltd is a UKAS Accredited field test laboratory providing a range of services that demonstrate compliance with building regulations. Ros Piggott talks us through the firm and its service offering.

s a service provider R P Compliance Testing deliver a full package with ‘Design’ & ‘As Built’ energy calculations (SAP’s, SBEM’s, PEA’s, EPC’s etc.), sound insulation testing of separating partitions in dwellings and air tightness testing both of which we are UKAS accredited to perform on all building types and sizes.

In addition, the firm’s engineers are Bpec qualified for domestic ventilation inspect, test and commissioning together with PAT testing.

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“For the future we plan to grow by continuing to invest in our staff by encouraging them to gain new qualifications that will complement our current skill base for the services we provide. We will be promoting our company and services at exhibitions including EcoShowcase at which we have been at the Wembley and Leicester events so far this year.”

Ros talks us through the industry currently and explains the key challenges her firm is facing.

“The volume of building work has significantly increased over the last two years, but with the recent Brexit we believe that many will be cautious over the coming months and we may see work slowing down in the short-term.

We will not be affected by this due to limited overheads and efficient staff and systems “The key challenge we face is educating our clients and sometimes Building Control, who are not always completely up to speed with the requirements within the standards we work to or how to achieve the best results. In 2015 we launched a free CPD that helps to provide an understanding of how to ensure compliance, whilst at the same time aiming to achieve high performance of the building in terms of efficiency and effectiveness by identifying important detail from the outset of the build.

“We are lucky as due to the nature of our work we encounter few challanges, but projects range from small single storey dwellings to student accommodation, restaurants, warehouses and large office developments.

The only real issue for engineers is vehicle access to the building under test, minimising the distance that heavy and expensive equipment needs to be carried.”

Overall the future looks bright for the firm, which is focused on growth, as Ros highlights in her final comment.

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Company: Renewable Environmental Services Address: Fifth floor, 120 old broad street, London, EC2N 1AR Phone: +44 (0)20 7920 4860 Fax: +44 (0)20 7920 4861 Email: info@resdesign.co.uk Website: www.resdesign.co.uk

Best Sustainable Design Consultants 2016 - UK

Renewable Environmental Services (RES) are a sustainability consultancy providing a range of services including certification and energy consultancy.

ES are sustainable design specialists for the built environment

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We engineer solutions, tailoring to scope and scale

Varied project experiences strengthen our skill-sets The source of innovation and progress Multidimensional support to client teams, projects and each other Engaging through positive collaboration, knowledge and integrity We look forwards, upwards and in the mirror Part of Long and Partners building services group City of London, outlook international

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Company: Slimline Glazing Systems Ltd Address: 145-147 St. Johns Street, London, EC1V 4PW Phone: 0800 195 6593 Email: sales@slimlinealuminium.co.uk Website: www.slimlinealuminium.co.uk

Best Sustainable Glazing Solutions 2016 - London

Slimline Glazing Systems Ltd Established in 2010, Slimline Glazing are committed to working closely with clients to bring concepts in structural glazing, aluminium design and manufacturing to reality. We invited Tony Hall to provide us with an absorbing overview of the company and the services it offers.

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rom glass bridges and staircases to free-standing external glass structures, Slimline Glazing delivers seamless structural solutions from design through to installation. Tony believes that the firm’s dedication to innovation is critical to its success.

“Here at Slimline Glazing, we are at the forefront of the specialist glass market, utilising unique and contemporary design innovations in order to offer the very highest quality to clients.

“All glazing systems we install incorporate unique features that set them apart from other companies. This approach enables us to offer a product range from the slimmest of sliding doors to the most frameless of others, one of the slimmest sliding patio doors on the market (the SL17) is an environmentally friendly door system with a centre pane U value of 1.0, to frameless single glazed internal room dividers which are used in the commercial and domestic market place.”

Client support is also at the forefront of the firm’s approach, as the company aims to ensure that clients receive both high quality products and an overall solution which meets their needs, as Tony explains.

“Our objective is to take charge of each unique project to ensure a professional service with our in-house architect service and our preferred building contractors where required - to give clients an efficient and seamless installation of their project.

Leading glazing specialist also state a typical semi-detached house could save over £10,000 over a 20-year period (based on 10% energy costs increase per annum). As such, Tony is eager to highlight his firm’s commitment to supporting clients in choosing the most sustainable option possible.

“At Slimline Glazing Systems we take energy efficiency very serious as our core business is dealing with glass so we look and aim to give you the best glass and u-values possible when we install your windows or doors. Energy and CO2 can be saved on each installation.

“According to our statistics, an average household installing Energy Saving Recommended windows can typically cut carbon dioxide emissions by approximately three-quarters of a tonne per year. This is a significant saving, as around 23% of the heat lost from an average home occurs through the windows.

“One of a number of national schemes used for rating the energy efficiency of windows, states energy efficient windows clients can save and reduce their household bills by up to £461 per year.

“So at the time we quote for a clients’ project, whether it is slimline patio doors, structural glass or aluminium windows, we aim to give them piece of mind in knowing that they are getting a high quality service from start to finish which will help save both the environment and their money.”

“To achieve this we offer the highest level of expertise and customer satisfaction with our in-house architect and preferred building contractors we are able to deal with projects of any size.”

Recently Slimline Glazing have partnered with HomePro to provide an insurance backed warranty on all of its products and works as standard. This latest development means that, moving forward, the firm will be able to continue offering the same high stand which they have come to pride themselves on, according to Tony.

Energy saving is also a critical aspect of the firm’s work. According to some of the UK’s leading glazing suppliers, clients can see that replacing single glazing with A-rated double glazing could save you £8,211 and 22 tonnes of CO2 in a typical detached house, or £5,855 and 16 tonnes of CO2 in a typical semidetached house, by using energy efficient ways and carbon calculators.

The study calculated gas central heating savings across a 20-year period, factoring in gas costs rising an average of 6% per year reflecting typical annual Picture: inflation. André Davignon, President & Artistic Director of FOR. design planning.

“Looking ahead, we are eager to continue offering the very highest standard of quality, both in product and service, to our clients. We will continue to innovate and adapt in order to achieve this.”

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Company: Solfit Ltd. Name: Ewen Estill Email: info@solfit.co.uk Web Address: www.solfit.co.uk Address: Noon Howe, Melkinthorpe, Penrith, CA10 2DR Telephone: +44 01931 589 052

Solar Energy Specialists of the Year & Best Innovative Renewable Energy Product – UK

In the Limelight of Photovoltaics The photovoltaics (PV) industry is growing by the day. As energy demands require nations around the world to increase cast their eyes upon the potential of renewable energy sources, there is no one sector is as much potential as solar. This is where Solfit Ltd. find themselves at home – the team members of this Penrith-based firm have cast themselves an illuminating presence in an increasingly competitive industry, as a highly innovative manufacturer of Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) framing systems, catering across the market to the distributor, the installer, and the end user. he conventional on top domestic solar market might be showing some signs of stagnation, but the BIPV new build market continues to grow at 20 per cent every year. As a result of this, PV manufacturing companies like Solfit are increasingly sought after, as End user customers, mass house builders, housing developers, PV installation companies, and self-builders alike, are on the lookout for an offthe-shelf, fully tested in-roof PV solution.

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In the face of all this demand, Solfit proudly demonstrate their potential as market leaders through their flagship product, the SolFiT Top Loader. With a framing system fitted to the laminate in the solar panel factory, the system is usually installed on new build properties or re-roofs, and fits to vertical battens fixed to the existing battens; each panel interconnecting with the next forms a strong and waterproof seal that can be installed from the top of the roof downwards, ridge to eaves, which increases the ease, efficiency and safety of fitting.

“We are working with Bisol to manufacture the panels in order to provide this complete in-roof BIPV solution,” Ewen says. “The product is very new and has just attained its MCS certification for sale in the UK. We are also in talks with some major European and world players in the PV panel manufacturing industry.”

This comes off the back of recent success for Ewen’s growing enterprise; “our first commercial projects were two Listed Buildings in Cumbria, which required a highly aesthetic and sensitive PV product.”

The major challenge that Ewen has faced up to now has been to provide a product that is not only the simplest and fastest product to assemble in the PV factory, but also the simplest and fastest to install on the roofs – all of which has to be done at a price that is highly competitive.

Additional hurdles to overcome were intrinsically linked with the growth of the market sector – increasingly, these issues have been put to rest by further investment, but Ewen is eager to cast reflection on his own experiences in earning Solfit its reputation for excellence.

“The hardest part is establishing a well-known and established brand that

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is recognised as the industry standard. We have to prove that our system is the fastest and easiest to assemble product to PV panel manufacturing companies. We also need to prove to PV installation companies that our product is the fastest and easiest system to fit and install, saving time and money on installation time.”

These challenges aside, there are exciting times ahead for Ewen and Solfit. The in-roof and BIPV for new builds in the UK and across Europe is a massively growing one, with the latest figures estimating its growth at approximately 20 per cent over the last year. End users are demanding an aesthetically pleasing and easy-to-fit solar solution with built-in ventilation to increase output. Likewise, manufacturers are demanding a product that can be assembled by automated process on production lines. “This is what Solfit offers,” Ewen states simply.

Not only that, but in Scotland it has become a legal requirement for all new builds to have renewables built into the fabric of the building, and in-roof PV is proving itself to be an increasingly popular choice to meet the requirements.

Throughout England, a lot of local planning authorities are beginning to follow suit, demanding that new build properties have PV facilities built in to meet SAP requirements. Elsewhere, EU and Japan are proving to be world leaders in regulation for these industries.

In spite of these clear signs of growth for the industry, it is no reason for Ewen and Solfit to get complacent about their prospects for further growth as a business. In particular, the ongoing Brexit fallout is a potential spanner in the works, bringing into question whether the beneficial EU regulations on BIPV systems will make themselves heard in the UK. Ewen, however, remains optimistic, and sets out a clear plan for the future.

“If in-roof PV is going to become a standard through the UK, Europe and beyond, we plan to be at the forefront of the changes and become an established industry brand.

“We are a very new and very small company but we really believe that our product is going to become the in-roof BIPV product of choice, it’s a very exciting time as we are just in our infancy but we are getting some amazing feedback and are talking to some major European PV manufacturing companies who are showing real and genuine interest.

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Jensen Underground Utilities, Inc. Serving SW Florida’s underground construction needs Services offered ranges from water, sewer, drainage and firelines to total sitework packages.

www.jensenunderground.com kevin@jensenunderground.com 239.597.0060

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Company: Wilsons Conservation Building Products (Wilsons Yard) Telephone UK 02892692304 Int 0044 (28)92692304 Email: info@wilsonsyard.com Website: www.wilsonsyard.com

Best Architectural Salvage Yard 2016 - UK & Ireland

Wilsons Conservation Building Products (Wilsons Yard) are widely recognised as one of the United Kingdom and Ireland’s premier architectural salvage and design businesses. We profile this dynamic and professional firm and explore how it came to win this prestigious accolade.

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ilsons Yard is a family business that has been built up over the past four decades. Living up to its company slogan, “Purveyors of the unusual” the firm offers a vast selection of reclaimed and sustainable materials which is arguably the biggest in the UK

and Ireland.

Owners Geoffrey and Rosie Wilson pride themselves in the diverse nature of the business; catering for both commercial and private customers wishing to find interesting, individual yet functional items to build into their homes or businesses.

With a reputation for supplying quality materials, the business has continually expanded year on year. Wilsons Yard combines two main areas: • Structural “build in” items such as reclaimed flooring, reclaimed Bangor blue slates, salvaged bricks, restored cast iron radiators, reclaimed paving etc.

• A decorative side, supplying anything from vintage, Industrial Urban and antique items, Industrial lighting, reclaimed wall claddings, tables and more.

The business has become a must visit site for commercial architects, interior designers, shop fitters, creative individuals and Entrepreneurs who wish to embrace sustainability whilst using interesting individual products.

Customers are as varied as international chains such as Urban Outfitters, corporations such as Google, Historic Royal Palaces plus the general public.

Whilst many may not have visited Wilsons, there is a significant chance that you have seen products sourced from Wilsons Yard in restaurants, boutiques, shops or cafes that you will have visited.

With architectural salvage being a relatively new phenomenon, one of the biggest challenges has always been the firm’s ability to get across our message to the general public as to what products and services it provides.

To address this, Wilsons Yard have developed a user-friendly website to act as a window which shows the majority of products and give potential customers an overview of the firm and its offerings.

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The other challenge is that Designers and shop fitters do not actually share with others where that they get their materials from, they keep Wilsons Yard as their own ‘secret supplier’ (one of the best kept secrets in the UK). This highlights the firm’s excellence and, ultimately, why the firm makes the ideal supplier of construction, fit out and design materials.

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Company: Yonder Consulting Name: Rob Gill Position: Director Email: rob@yonderconsulting.co.uk Web Address: www.yonderconsulting.co.uk Address: ,Hornbeam House, Hornbeam Park, Hookstone Road, Harrogate, HG2 8QT Telephone: 01423 855971

Best Building Physics Consultancy 2016 – UK & Best Sustainable Manufacturing & Assembly Facility: Hitachi Rail - Newton Aycliffe

Yonder Consulting are an experienced team of Building Physics Engineers providing innovative design solutions, resulting in buildings with an inherently low energy demand.

Director Rob Gill talks us through the firm and its approach to ensuring clients receive the very best outcome to every project. onder Consulting believe a building should consume no more energy than it can potentially generate using building integrated renewables technology and, as such, aim towards this with a strong emphasis on the utilisation of Design Simulation Modelling. (DSM). Rob outlines the firm’s service offering and explains in more detail how it endeavours to support clients through every stage of the construction process.

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“We utilise dynamic simulation modelling to develop the passive design of a building and reduce the energy demand”

“Our clients are made up of Project Managers, Main Contractors, Developers & Architects who look to us for pioneering and inventive, cost saving solutions. Our knowledge and experience mean we can approach projects with both imagination and logic, helping us to design out systems rather than design in unnecessary complex and expensive kit.

“On one of our most recent projects we were challenged with achieving the London plan for a building with limited roof space to mount renewable energy sources. We utilised dynamic simulation modelling to develop the passive design of the building and reduce the energy demand. This meant that the reduction in CO2 required from the renewable energy was smaller so the systems would fit on the available roof space.”

Increased client knowledge on sustainability and the true definition of this is helping the firm to better support them, according to Rob. “Clients are becoming more aware of energy efficiency and the benefits of passive design as opposed to just achieving a ‘green badge’ by installation of renewable energy without first considering how to reduce energy demand.

We are constantly working with our clients to develop the most effective passive solutions for their buildings.”

Currently, Yonder Consulting is going through an exciting growth phase which will provide it with invigorating future prospects, as Rob explains.

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Façade Engineering Consultancy of the Year - UK

Wintech Façade Engineering are independent façade consultants based in the UK. Chris Macey, CEO, talks us through the firm and its innovative approach. ntil recently the design and specification of building façades has relied upon engineers who have no formal scientific training in building envelope design. With the increasing demands set by architects and the need for high levels of performance and durability, this has stimulated the need for engineers to have the right academic underpinning; consequentially it was always difficult for clients to differentiate between the relative competencies of façade professionals.

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As a result, Chris Macey, CEO of Wintech Façade Engineering, was instrumental in the formation of the Society of Façade Engineering, a joint initiative of CIBSE, IStructE and the RIBA, aimed at accrediting the profession and improving standards across the industry.

Macey stated that Wintech’s business operates with engineers who have at least a Master’s Degree in Façade Engineering as a specialist discipline and they are also accredited by the Society. In fact, approximately 17% of the staff at Wintech have PhD’s in relevant supporting subjects.

Using the right people will always be a necessity. The façade is a visual manifestation of the architect’s design, can represent 30% of construction costs and is described by CIBSE as the primary environmental modifier. Since the façade is inextricably linked to the whole building performance and becomes a point of real sensitivity on sustainability and low carbon emission buildings, it is essential that building developers take appropriate independent professional advice in the early stages of design. We believe that businesses are responsible for achieving good environmental practice. Therefore, Wintech are committed to promoting a range of Façade Engineering services to minimise the environmental impact of both the production and operation of the built environment.

Across the Group, Wintech provides expert services aimed at improving quality and durability and reducing cost and risk by the provision of a whole range of consultancy services including, for example, façade design, wind engineering and materials sciences. Wintech’s services extend from the initial conception stage with the provision of strategic advice right through to the eventual monitoring of the façade during installation on site.

Macey says: “We are purely Façade Engineers; specialists in our discipline and possibly the largest independent façade engineering group in Europe. Our engineers and scientists are focused entirely on building envelope design, performance and durability with our core business centred on advising developers and clients in adopting the right cladding strategies. Wintech is viewed as a safe pair of hands for the delivery of major complex projects.”

These projects include Istanbul’s new airport, which has nearly seven kilometres of façade, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur which was, until recently, the tallest building in the world, and the Evelyn Grace

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Academy that won its architect, the late Zaha Hadid, the Stirling Prize in 2011. In fact, Wintech have had an involvement in two of this year’s nominated buildings; Neo Bankside designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and the University of Greenwich Stockwell Street Building designed by Heneghan Peng Architects. If that isn’t enough, Wintech have also been involved in at least three of the 10 tallest buildings in the world.

Within the Group, Wintech also has a separate, independent and accredited façade testing laboratory that provides CE marking for products as well as bespoke façade testing.

“For any major building the façade engineering always offers a challenge, which might be further compounded by high complexity or the use of specific materials. We can however mitigate performance-based risks by running tests that can include the use of an aeroplane engine to dynamically scrutinise the performance of the building fabric,” explains Macey. “This is a way of validating the design before putting it on the building and then possibly finding there’s a problem. There is always the danger that there is insufficient knowledge and not a proper perception of the risks involved.

“Unfortunately when things do go wrong we are often asked to provide forensic services to determine the mode of failure and identify remediation strategies. There have been instances in the past where the mechanical failure of some components has led to materials falling from buildings or developments being completed that prove difficult to keep warm in winter or cool in the summer, or just simply leak”.

The extent of activities means Wintech often works in a consultancy capacity with developers and their architects by assisting in the selection of cladding strategies. With the business being over 30 years old and having the historical benefit of understanding what works where, Wintech can provide very useful advice to developers and architects allowing them to make properly informed decisions on this important aspect of building design.

When asked about the opportunities that exist for the future, Macey stated that he felt this lies in creating buildings that use adaptive performance. “This is a technology that will eventually allow buildings to adjust their façade performance. For example, a large commercial building with a constant dominant cooling air conditioning load will benefit by the façade reducing its own insulation performance on cool days; conversely on very hot days it will adapt to a high insulation performance to assist in maintaining the cool temperatures within the building.

There are other factors that will also help such as light transmission, solar shading and ventilation which, through adaptive performance, will significantly reduce future building energy usage. Wintech and Cambridge University are working in collaboration together on a research project in this very interesting field.

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Company: Wintech Limited Website: www.wintech-group.co.uk Telephone: 01902 307430 Email: enquiries@wintech-group.co.uk

Recently, Wintech has moved to larger office headquarters with a technical infrastructure that will allow it to further expand and handle changes in the industry that Macey compares to Henry Ford’s introduction of production lines for car manufacturing and the way this changed the industrial paradigm at the time.

“There are amazing opportunities for architects and developers alike; these come from the opportunity to automate the design and delivery of complex buildings,” he says. “These automation techniques completely transform the architectural design process. Working with BIM and Parametric Models, the normal limitations associated with complexity no longer apply. Essentially the façade design, which can form part of the whole BIM model, can be embedded with parametric information that will facilitate the direct manufacture of components.

This provides opportunities to de-skill the façade design exercise. The traditional process of transferring the information through the supply chain using a series of analogue steps from architectural design through to design office and manufacturing and finally on to site, will no longer be relevant. Wintech’s new automation techniques turn this into a single seamless digital process to significantly reduce cost and, for the first time, increased complexity does not inevitably mean increased cost.

Using these techniques, we have essentially de-skilled much of the delivery process that required multiple intellectual steps in order to deliver the product. This will ultimately give architects greater levels of freedom in the way they design their buildings and make these more affordable to clients”.

2016 Sustainable Building Awards Build