Building Performance Consultancy of the Year (101 - 1,000 Employees)
Outstanding contribution to the design or refurbishment of buildings to meet client expectations of performance, including occupant satisfaction, comfort and energy performance, throughout the operating life
Winner: Cundall
From Belfast to Brisbane, Dublin to Doha, and Madrid to Manchester, building performance and sustainability are integral to everything Cundall does.
Founded in Newcastle 42 years ago, the company covers 20 disciplines, and from 21 offices worldwide it is delivering outstanding projects across the globe.
These include one of the most advanced and energy-efficient datacentres in the world, ITV’s new headquarters, and the Ulster Hospital.
Cundall’s London office is Europe’s first Well-accredited building, its Doha office was Mena’s first registered building,and the company has helped client The Crown Estate achieve the first Well Platinum-certified building in Europe.
Cundall believes that to have a successful project you must define what this means at the start, and then understand how to design and measure this; commissioning, handover and soft-landings processes are fundamental.
For several clients Cundall has gone further, using the One Planet Living principle to create a bespoke framework for their projects and/or entire estates. Specific KPIs and performance targets were created, outlining when and how they should be measured.
For clients such as Google and the UKGBC, these form part of the design and construction teams’ appointments, with collective incentives for achieving targets and aspirations.
Ideally, on every Cundall project, a dedicated building performance or champion will lead and monitor the building design, installation, operation and post-occupancy evaluation. They will work to update the framework and help write the scope of works for other design and construction team members.
The company says sustainability is no longer an option, but mandatory. Through its ‘sustainable road map’, it has committed to be carbon neutral by 2020. It has adopted the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and was the world’s first consultancy to be endorsed as as One Planet Company.
To deliver on this, all staff undergo a sustainability induction, and more than150 staff are currently undertaking the Cundall Diploma, an in-depth programme on sustainable design.
Judges’ comments:
Comprehensive and convincing.
An excellent submission that avoids falling into the trap of a sales pitch, and instead provides sound, substantiated evidence of its approach and achievements.
Cundall has its own sustainability roadmap and a stated intention to go beyond the ‘business-as-usual’ agenda.
Cundall's submission was one of the few to mention encouraging clients to go beyond standard practice, and has provided some excellent examples.
Finalists:
BDP