East Anglia property and construction consultancy Ingleton Wood has been recognised for its leading sustainability work within the education sector after being announced as a finalist at the H&V News Awards 2021.
The Practice has been shortlisted alongside Engie in the Collaboration of the Year Award after achieving ‘Excellent’ BREEAM ratings for three new school buildings across Essex – which are now among the most energy-efficient in the UK.
BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) is the world’s leading sustainability assessment method used in construction.
The shortlisted projects were carried out at Uphall Primary School and Gearies Primary School, both in Ilford, and Mayfield School in Dagenham. New teaching blocks were designed and built to expand capacity and meet rising demand.
Each project achieved ‘Excellent’ BREEAM ratings, putting them in the top 10% of UK new non-domestic buildings. Ten benchmarks including energy, materials, pollution, and health and wellbeing are assessed to provide the overall BREEAM rating.
Rob Diamond, a senior associate at Ingleton Wood who co-managed the shortlisted BREEAM projects, said: “We are thrilled to have received national recognition at the H&V News Awards for our sustainability work. It’s very humbling to see your hard work pay off.
“The state-of-the-art green buildings at these three Essex schools will stand the test of time, providing generations of students with a healthy environment and allowing headteachers to make immediate energy savings against tight budgets.
“We are seeing rising demand among educational settings to improve carbon footprint levels and help the UK achieve its net-zero ambitions as highlighted at Cop26. This trend is very positive and we’re using our expertise to support schools and colleges with their plans.”
A ‘blue roof’ featuring a sustainable drainage system along with solar panels and other sustainability measures were installed at a three-storey teaching block at Gearies Primary School. The major development will increase pupil capacity by over 750 places.
Solar panels, natural ventilation and low NOx gas boilers were installed at Uphall Primary School’s new sports block and Mayfield School’s design and technology department.
The Collaboration of the Year Award celebrates projects where entire supply chains have benefitted from improved productivity and profitability. It highlights the cultural benefits of collaborations such as early involvement of the supply chain in projects, improved communication and higher levels of service to partners and clients.
The H&V News Awards have marked the achievements of forward-thinking, innovative and customer-focused businesses in the HVAC sector over the last three decades. The 2021 awards ceremony is being held at The London Hilton on Park Lane on 11 November.