BCIA Awards 2016 - winners announced

The winners of the 2016 BCIA Awards were announced at a gala dinner on the 12^th May at the Hilton Metropole Hotel in Birmingham. 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 80 entries and 404 guests at an evening hosted by comedian, actor and television presenter Rufus Hound.

Malcolm Anson, BCIA President, says: “The BCIA Awards 2016 show that the spirit of innovation and the drive of technology are moving us forward. This year we had more entries than ever before, so the achievement of the winners is significant. I’d like to congratulate all the winners and also thank our sponsors, as without them we could not make this such an enjoyable and successful event.”

Winners

Independent Building Controls and BEMS Installer of the Year, sponsored by Centraline by Honeywell
Awarded to InTandem Systems

InTandem’s successful involvement with customers often hinges on its ability to gain the confidence of all stakeholders to ensure the controls solution not only meets contractual requirements but also operational needs of the end user, post-occupancy. Clients praised InTandem’s dedication to working in an open manner, and to ensuring a successful handover to in-house engineering/maintenance teams.

Best Service & Maintenance Provider, sponsored by Western Automation
Awarded to Impact Control Systems

Impact’s dedicated maintenance team works tirelessly in close partnership with a leading university to deliver an exceptional, fully-flexible service and support package. Impact engineers continually fine-tune the BEMS to provide improved control and carbon reduction. Impact has worked with LJMU for twenty-five years and the client highlighted the value they place on the advice provided during that time.

Technical Innovation of the Year – Projects, sponsored by Johnson Controls
Awarded to Gatwick Airport (GAL) control upgrade for lighting and BMS- Beckhoff/Interior Automation

The client wanted a DALI lighting control solution with backward compatibility, to ensure existing technology did not have to be entirely replaced. The Beckhoff and Interior Automation solution not only provided up to date lighting control, but a BEMS that allows the client to monitor and control maintenance requirements and energy use. GAL’s own team now has better control of a large site, and can more easily plan for future upgrades, including cloud-based IoT systems.

Technical Innovation of the Year – Products, sponsored by Modern Building Services
Awarded to Mitsubishi Electric Living Environmental Systems MelcoRETAIL

MelcoRETAIL is a flexible and technically advanced BEMS that works in various sizes of retail outlet. The product is preconfigured with standard inputs and outputs to suit the needs of any small to medium store, making it easy to install and simply for store managers to use effectively. MelcoRETAIL controls Mitsubishi Electric products as well as third party equipment – a significant step away from proprietary controls.

Energy Management Award, sponsored by Priva UK
Awarded to John Lewis Blue Water BEMS upgrade- Next Control Systems

Next Controls used the Siemens BS EN15232 tool to assess the existing BEMS in this John Lewis store, and to suggest an upgrade process. The improved controls included a demand-led strategy with variable set points. The upgraded meant that electricity usage was significantly reduced, along with the store’s carbon output.

Contribution to Training, sponsored by Siemens Building Technologies
Awarded to Built Environment Training Academy- Schneider Electric

Schneider Electric launched its Training Academy to deliver courses for its own engineers and the wider controls industry including clients and end-users. It is a first for the industry in that it houses a live complex low voltage distribution system and low temperature hot water distribution system. These provide trainees with hands-on practical learning to master the building services environment. The courses offered through the Academy can take an engineer from Technicians through to Chartered Engineer status.

Engineer of the Year, sponsored by Trend Control Systems
Awarded to Steve Reid, Siemens Building Technologies

Steve Reid has been involved in the controls industry for over 30 years, and is one of Siemens Building Technologies’ senior engineers. He has been central to the development of some of Siemens Building Technologies key projects including the Green Building Monitor. He is highly active in the promotion of open systems such as BACnet and KNX and has lead a number of BCIA ConnectFest events for other members to participate in. Steve has proved himself a skilled engineer, who has also helped to educate end-users about the importance of building controls.

Student of the Year, sponsored by BCIA
Awarded to Daniel Slack, Chartwell Controls

Daniel Slack is engaged on the four-year Trend Attitude Apprenticeship programme. He is on track to complete the course early, demonstrating his commitment, dedication and enthusiasm for the course and the controls industry. He has completed numerous courses for engineering and health & safety. Dan visits client sites to service BEMS, and also responds to call-outs and is currently an important part of a complex installation project in London. Dan has consistently shown a dedication to ensuring that he is always well-prepared for any job, and his exemplary attitude has impressed colleagues and clients alike.

Outstanding Contribution of the Year, sponsored by BCIA
Awarded to Paul Blower, Building Technology Systems

Paul Blower is a genuine lifelong servant to the controls industry and innovator within his own company. He has been a key player in the development of the system installer channel from the very beginning and helped to steer the direction of the BCIA from the start. Most significantly Paul stood out because of his involvement with the BCIA from its inception where he served his management committee for more than five years.