Category Description
This award is open to low or zero carbon buildings or built projects in the UK which highlight innovative capabilities and achievements across the entire project, including design, fabrication, construction and operation of building and infrastructure. It can be for a single building or a cluster of environmentally designed buildings such as shopping centres, community hubs, outdoor spaces and business parks.
The winning project will successfully challenge or improve current building practices and standards as well as incorporating low carbon technological innovation. Judges will look for a holistic approach to sustainability and low carbon innovations which demonstrate a long-term impact on reducing carbon emissions and utilising low carbon energy resources in the development and occupation. The project will demonstrate ethical supply chain practices and waste management; working with partners to ensure the most sustainable approaches are undertaken.
The judges will look for examples of how sustainability is incorporated into every aspect of the planning, design, sourcing, build and occupation of the building. Key areas to examine include how waste is eliminated or neutralised, reduction of materials and energy consumed, reuse and recycling.
The project will have been completed between 2014-2016 and the judges will consider multiple awards for domestic and commercial buildings.
Criteria
Judges will be looking for evidence of the following points within the supplied application form (weighting percentages in brackets):
- Verifiable measurements of sustainable practices across the design, build and operational innovation (such as material sourcing, green supply chain, waste management, renewable energy and low-energy consumption technology); (25%)
- Evidence of how the project has challenged ‘state-of-the-art’ sustainable design; any certification the project has achieved (e.g. BREEAM, LEED, Ska etc), as well as details of any award/s the project has won or been shortlisted for; (15%)
- Whether the project was built – ‘on spec’ or ‘for purpose’ and details of any co-operation and engagement with partnerships, the local community, the supply chain and other collaborations during the planning and development or thereafter; (15%)
- Whether the project has performed and is operating as predicted with regards to: energy performance benchmarks, is welcomed by occupants, and is perceived favourably by the local community; (25%)
- How the project forms part of a wider organisational effort to improve core business practices, sustainability, social responsibility; showing support by senior management and the Board of Directors. (20%)