The winners
As ever it was a difficult choice, but between the judging panel and members of the industry who took part in our internet voting, the following winners were chosen.
Student of the Year
Sponsored by Trend Control Systems Ltd
The Student of the Year award went to a very deserving Joe England of AES Systems who joined the company in July 2006, and has since impressed everyone with his aptitude for the work, quickly learning new skills and demonstrating a mature and professional attitude.
Engineer of the Year
Sponsored by Siemens Building Technologies
The winner of the Engineer of the Year award was Jeff Howlett of CentraLine by Honeywell.
Jeff came out at the top of his category for a number of reasons, including his knowledge of the industry. On nominating him for the award Harry Swinbourne, CentraLine UK Business Manager said: "Honeywell is a global corporation and recognises internationally that Jeff's skills and experience place him among the best in the industry."
Frank Dennis OBE Award
Sponsored by FETA
This award was open to individuals responsible for implementing a successful marketing campaign which has had a positive and demonstrable effect on their company or the industry as a whole.
The winner, Ann Hull of Tower PR is well known having worked with many clients in the building controls industry over the last 25 years. Since 2002 Ann has worked with Priva to establish a presence within the UK building controls market. Nominating her for the award Managing Director Anders Noren said: "Ann has made and still is making a tremendous contribution to promoting the awareness of Priva and the Priva Partner Network in the UK building controls market. My colleagues and I view her as part of the Priva team of employees rather than working as an external consultant."
Independent Systems Installer of the Year
Sponsored by CentraLine by Honeywell
The winner of the Independent Systems Installer of the Year award was Smith & Byford for their willingness to look beyond the obvious and so to design and deliver unique technical solutions which provided clients with the greatest possible convenience, energy efficiency, ease of use and long-term cost-effectiveness.
One of their most advanced installations was the upgrading of the controls and BMS in RBK's three Guildhall buildings, working closely with RBK's consultant and property manager to develop the most advanced energy management system possible.
Technical Innovation of the Year
Sponsored by BSEE
Innovation is one area where we will all be looking because it is these new products which will set the trends of the future. The Comset HX Touchscreen from Priva Building Intelligence proved to be a definite trend setter, scooping the Technical Innovation of the Year Award.
The Comset HX Touchscreen is a highly technical and innovative touchscreen user interface that can assist building occupiers and their technicians to ensure maximum comfort conditions at minimum energy consumption. But what really secured its place at the top was the care and attention to detail that the Priva designers have invested in ensuring that it is easy to use for everyone - no matter what their technical background.
Energy Management Award
Sponsored by Priva Building Intelligence
Energy management is another area which is proving to be a key part of the industry and because of this a keen area for these awards. BMSi's entry based on their role as a Virtual Building Manager, an energy project carried out in partnership with Boots the Chemist won this award for its impressive savings of £900,000.00 in the first twelve months, which equates to a reduction in CO² of approximately 6,000 tonnes per year.
As a result of this BMSi now maintain and manage over 100 stores for Boots across the UK, adding functionality to the BMS systems to allow the stores to be monitored and controlled remotely which in turn allows energy consumptions to be monitored and driven down.
Best Service & Maintenance Provider
Sponsored by Resource Data Management
There are so many good companies in the industry that this one was a very difficult choice but Ashdown Control Services success has been, and will continue to be the strong emphasis they put on building long term relationships with their clients which won them the award for Best Service & Maintenance Provider.
This award was based on their contract with EMCOR Facilities Services Ltd to maintain and support the Trend controls and BMS at the Natural History Museum in Kensington, Tring and at the archive centre in Wandsworth. Supporting their nomination for this category, Jim Lucy, Contract Manager for EMCOR said: "Ashdown have matched and exceeded our delivery expectations with effectiveness and efficiency through the commitment and dedication of their site operatives, co-ordination and management support on this project. I would highly recommend them as a first class controls and BMS system integrator."
Judges Special Award
Sponsored by ECA
This year, the Judges' Special Award had a particular emphasis on recognising a commitment to training. The BCIA has worked closely for a number of years with the ECA to provide some of the most significant training courses for our sector.
The importance of training for our industry can never be underestimated because without it our businesses cannot grow which is why all of the nominations for the BCIA 2008 Judges Special Award were recognised for their commitment, both personal and professional, to supporting high quality training and ensuring that we have a new generation of experts coming up through the industry.
Trend Control Systems came out on top in this category for supporting the long-term interests of the building services industry through an ongoing campaign to attract apprentices. Its efforts this year resulted in 50 apprenticeships in Building Services Engineering. Trend's training scheme is also geared towards helping its partner businesses (including Ashdown Controls) and 26 of its apprentices are employed by Trend partners.
Charity support
No awards ceremony would be complete without a charity raffle and this one raised a massive £2940 for Habitat for Humanity, a charity dedicated to eliminating poverty housing and homelessness worldwide.
Since its foundation in 1976, it has become a global leader in addressing substandard housing by helping more than one million people to have a simple, decent place to live. Prizes included: two tickets to an RSC production in Stratford-upon-Avon, a case of wine, a magnum of champagne and two tickets to the International Women's Open tennis at Eastbourne to name but a few. Our thanks go to everyone who kindly donated a prize and to everyone who supported the raffle on the night.
And finally
I think that you'll agree that every one of these individuals and companies deserved the awards they have received and that because of their commitment to the industry it will continue to improve and meet the challenges which the construction industry is throwing at it.
While that is the end of the 2008 awards it is by no means a time to rest because very soon we will be launching the Building Controls Industry Awards 2009 - so get your thinking caps on and start planning your nomination now.
The Building Controls Industry Awards 2008 is organised by Datateam Publishing Limited in association with BCIA and BSEE.
http://www.buildingcontrolsindustryawards.com/
