Each year, the CIBSE Building Performance Awards sets out to recognise the people, products and projects that demonstrate excellence in engineering in the built environment. The Building Performance Awards is the only industry awards that focuses on actual, measured performance outcomes, rather than design intent or performance specifications.
The CIBSE Building Performance Awards 2021, or #BPA2021, was a thoroughly enjoyable affair for our team, albeit held in a different manner than previous years via a virtual awards ceremony due to the geographical limitation factors presented by the current COVID-19 pandemic.
CIBSE Building Performance Awards 2021
The category for which we were awarded, the Building Performance Consultancy Award (for up to 50 employees), recognises the firm that meets and exceeds client expectations of building performance, actively spreading knowledge and best practice of building performance. It awards the demonstration of an outstanding contribution to delivering buildings with high levels of measured building performance and user satisfaction throughout their operating life.
The judges were particularly impressed by Lawler Consulting’s focus on the net-zero carbon agenda, and on occupant and client satisfaction, a contributory factor in our selection as the winner of the category.
The culmination of projects which made up our 2021 Building Performance Consultancy Award submission, showcasing our expertise and abilities in M&E (Mechanical & Electrical) included:
14-Primary Care Centre Bundle (PPP with BIM Level 2)
The first Publically Procured Project (PPP) to be delivered using Building Information Modelling (BIM) Level 2, our work as the M&E Engineers for this Multi-Primary Care Centre bundle entailed considerations towards users of the facilities potentially having compromised immune systems and special medical needs. In recognising this, our lighting installations and natural daylight designs were sympathetic to circadian rhythm and the inclusion of filtered air was intended to reduce airborne infections.
This project began using BIM to create the exemplar design for the Dungarvan Primary Care Centre, which the subsequent centres were then based upon. The other primary care centres we were contracted for include Kilcock, Wexford, Carrick-On-Suir and Waterford, with the Waterford centre being awarded Gold in the 2019 Irish Construction Excellence Awards for the Education or Healthcare Building category.
Center Parcs, Longford (M&E Design using BIM)
Appointed as M&E Design Engineers for the impressive €233 million development, with onsite accommodation for 2,500 people across 395 acres. The resulting M&E systems, designed and delivered using BIM, comprised 42 air handling units (ANUs), 2 megawatts of boiler capacity for three swimming pools, three CHP units (collectively 800kW thermal load with the shared capacity to offset 600 tonnes of CO2 annually), ten unique thermal experiences in the 5-Star Aqua Sana, a bowling alley, bars, themed restaurants, 466 Scandinavian-style lodges and thirty apartments.
We also provided ancillary certification for building control, involving the issuing of weekly observation reports for BCAR process, during the constriction phase of the project. Snag reports were issued also to contractors in pre-agreed stages, allowing for snag-free handover to the client.
Knowledge Transfer
In addition to the aforementioned projects which made up our awards submission, we clearly demonstrated our knowledge transfer through involvement in several conferences and events aimed at improving industry awareness, including employee publications:
- The SEAI event ‘EPC Facilitation – A Business Opportunity for all Market Actors’ where Managing Director, Daniel Ring, presented the benefits of EPC facilitation for ESCOs.
- The European CEO Conference 2019, where Technical Director, Jason Smith, delivered a case study presentation on data-led asset performance.
- James Duggan’s piece in BSN, discussing the difficulties of improving the energy performance of clients’ properties for reasons such as design-for-compliance culture, providing suggestions for overcoming these obstacles.
- The implementation of WELL and Fitwel standards throughout the office environment, as part of our ongoing efforts of improving the comfort and wellbeing of our staff.
You can read more about our award-winning submission, and building performance consultancy knowledge transfer on our CIBSE Award Submission and Shortlisting blog, here.
Commenting on this momentous twice-in-a-row win, Managing Director, Daniel Ring said: “It’s been a really proud day for the Lawler team, having been shortlisted for three award categories in our institution’s Building Performance Awards and winning Consultancy of the Year 2021 for a consecutive year was really special, and a great accolade for the team.”
While this years’ ceremony (and celebrations) were more understated than in previous years, we look forward to celebrating with our award-winning team to the highest degree in a post-vaccination world.
Congratulations to all of the Lawler Consulting team for their arduous work in bringing home the crown for a second year running, and to all of our fellow award winners. It would also be remiss to not thank CIBSE for another stellar Building Performance Awards despite the present circumstances.
- APRIL 2021: See our recent feature with insights by Managing Director Daniel Ring in the CIBSE Journal here.
To learn more about our work, you can view our projects here.
