The winners of the 2015 BCIA Awards were announced at a gala dinner on the 14th May at the Chesford Grange Hotel in Kenilworth. The well-established BCIA Awards recognise and reward excellence in the building-controls industry and have become the most prestigious trophies in the controls sector.
This year saw almost 400 guests at at evening hosted by television news reader Babita Sharma and former politician, Lembit Opik.
Steve Harrison, BCIA President, says: “The building controls industry has come through some very difficult economic times recently, and these awards show that the spirit of innovation and the drive of technology are moving us forward. I’d like to congratulate all the winners and also thank our sponsors, without whom this event would not be possible.”
Winners
Independent Building Controls and BEMS Installer, sponsored by Centraline by Honeywell
Awarded to ACS Controls
ACS Controls identifies solutions to energy management by looking at a building through the eyes of the occupier and tailoring controls around their requirements. ACS Controls’ customers benefit from seamless installation, software simulation tests and end-user focused solutions. Customers praised the after-care service offered and the usability of the controls.
Best Service & Maintenance Provider, sponsored by Western Automation
Awarded to Kendra Energy Solutions
Kendra Energy Solutions focuses on service and maintenance as its primary business, so has significant experience in this field. The company always carries stock holdings to ensure it can provide equipment whenever it is required. Kendra engineers are empowered to have direct communication with customers. Kendra Energy Solutions offers a dedicated service that enables the engineer to get to know the client and their sites.
Technical Innovation of the Year – Projects, sponsored by Johnson Controls
Awarded to Matalan HQ Knowsley, Impact Control Systems
The construction of the Matalan HQ building includes a new three-storey office block, warehousing, gatehouses and transportation offices. The HQ is built on a 15-acre site. The BEMS installed by Impact Control Systems fully controls all HVAC across several buildings on a single dedicated network. The controls strategy uses distributed zoning and demand-based control to optimise energy use. Over 100 sub-meters are monitored at the Trend head-end and Impact has ensured that users can easily see alarms from the BEMS.
Technical Innovation of the Year – Products, sponsored by Modern Building Services
Awarded to Trend System Engineering Tool (SET) Voice Commissioning
This innovation allows an existing engineering software package to operate using voice technology. The voice engine allows the user to vocalise common phrases and commands, which in turn translate into text strings, which are used to engineer hardware devices in a Trend system. The major benefit of the SET is the saving in time for commissioning. Tests on the system are showing that it can halve the time taken to commission a system.
Energy Management Award, sponsored by Priva UK
Awarded to Barclays, Smart Buildings
Smart Buildings has developed an innovative solution for Barclays to improve their installed building management systems. The result is a dashboard solution (SmartVUE) which provides remote management and improved control on a global basis. Barclays estimates that as a result maintenance is now much more efficient – with 4,290 fewer calls to the help desk. Long delays to resolve faults no longer occur, making the working environment better for staff and customers. Also maintenance engineers will travel less, saving around £28,000 and saving 127 tonnes of CO2.
Contribution to Training, sponsored by Siemens Building Technologies
Awarded to CentraLine by Honeywell Training Centre
For the last ten years, the CentraLine Training Centre has been a leading provider of building control automation training, with an emphasis on software used for control, integration and graphical supervision. To date, the Centre has trained almost 1300 students in software that uses open protocols such as BACnet, LON, KNX and DALI. As a result the knowledge gained by students trained at this Centre benefits the whole controls industry, because it raises awareness of manufacturer-independent technologies and techniques.
Engineer of the Year, sponsored by Schneider Electric
Awarded to Gavin Jones, Eton Associates
Gavin has worked in the controls industry for almost 30 years and his experience and expertise cover a wide range of control engineering from industrial and pharmaceutical to commercial buildings. Gavin has worked at Eton Associates for over 19 years. His recent work includes a 35-storey project at Fenchurch Street Station and 85 apartments in Knightsbridge. Both projects are examples of meeting clients’ expectations by the application of advanced and innovative engineering. Customer’s commented on how Gavin brings his extensive knowledge to their projects, helping to achieve excellent outcomes.
Student of the Year, sponsored by Trend Control Systems
Awarded to Mitchell Dawson, System Five Controls
Mitchel has gained his EAL Level 3 NVQ Diploma in BEMS as well as undertaking numerous Trend system training courses. He has also passed the Trend System Expert examination. Mitchel has worked for System Five for three years and gained numerous hours’ experience on site. He is a valued member of the team and has worked on the company’s two biggest sites, The V&A Museum and St George’s University in London. His college tutor described Mitchell as ‘an exceptional example of what we expect from our apprentices’.
Outstanding Contribution of the Year, sponsored by BCIA
Awarded to Ian Ellis, Siemens Building Technologies
Ian Ellis has spent his working life in the controls sector, training with Landis & Gyr as an apprentice before moving into management at Siemens Building Technologies. He has represented the BCIA at many conferences, speaking about the importance of controls and educating the wider construction industry about the impact we can have on the long-term efficiency of buildings. Most significantly, Ian stood out because of his tireless efforts to put controls and BEMS more firmly into Part L of the Building Regulations. Controls have not been fully recognised for their contribution to energy saving, but Ian has been working hard on government committees to raise the profile of this sector and to make it easier for all of us to ensure that our products and services are valued by government and specifiers.
