High-profile buildings make façade engineering awards shortlist

The last personal project of architect Dame Zaha Hadid, Bee’ah Headquarters in UAE, and London’s Battersea Power Station and Elizabeth Tower, home to Big Ben, are among the iconic buildings shortlisted for the Façade 2023 Design and Engineering Awards.

Twenty-nine projects, 13 young engineers, and seven products make up the full shortlist for the awards, run by the Society of Façade Engineering (SFE) and the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), which recognise excellence and achievements in façade engineering, raising the profile of, and drawing attention to the importance of this discipline.

With 15 international projects, from seven countries and three continents, shortlisted across the four international project categories – Refurbishment, New Build, Innovation and Sustainability – this year’s shortlist showcases the vast global expertise in this area of engineering.

Notable shortlisted international projects include the Bee’ah Headquarters in Sharjah’s Al Sajaa desert in UAE, entered by Buro Happold, which was the last personal project of architect Dame Zaha Hadid, and the Google Bay View Campus in California, USA, entered by Arup, which features 90,000 dragonscale solar shingles, supplying 40% of the buildings’ annual energy needs.

Included within the 14 shortlisted entries in the UK project categories, is the refurbished Battersea Power Station - one of the largest refurbishment and urban regeneration projects in the UK, with the refurbishment of the façades involving the installation of 13,500sqm of heritage glazing and the replacement of over 1.5 million bricks.

Completing the 2023 lineup are the 13 young façade engineers shortlisted for the 2023 Young Façade Engineer of the Year. Epitomising CIBSE President, Adrian Catchpole’s presidential theme ‘taking a lead’, the talented individuals demonstrate how they are leading the next generation of façade engineers with their innovative ideas, passion and enthusiasm for this specialism.

Chris Macey, Chair of Judges said: ‘The diversity of the shortlisted projects demonstrates the range of skills and expertise present within the discipline of façade engineering and are a testament to what can be achieved with many of the current challenges including carbon savings, climate, energy performance, and repurposing existing buildings. Equally, the young engineers making the list demonstrate we have the growing competence and skills for the future, assisted in no small part by the innovations of the shortlisted products.’

Nominations are sought for the Lifetime Achievement Award, open to anyone who has made an outstanding contribution to promoting the art and science of façade engineering. Nominations should be made by email to sfeawards@cibse.org, with the name of the nominee and why (max 100 words).

The Awards, sponsored by Reynaers, take place on 8 November, at Hilton Park Lane, London, and will once again be co-located with the Zak World of Facades London conference.

View the full shortlist: https://go.cibse.org/sfe-2023-shortlist-pr