Fast growing BESA Awards moves to larger venue

The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has launched its Industry Awards programme for 2024 and announced that the expanded event is moving to a larger venue.

The awards, which are free to enter, reward individuals, teams, and companies responsible for delivering projects, products, innovations, and initiatives that demonstrate excellence in building services engineering.

This year’s final will take place at the historic Brewery, Chiswell Street, London on October 17 following the Association’s Annual Conference at the same venue earlier in the day. The headline sponsor is Mitsubishi Electric and the event is also being supported by CIBSE and the Installer Show.

Several new categories are being introduced including Retrofit Project of the Year to reflect the growing focus on refurbishment of existing buildings to meet net zero targets and improve occupant health and well-being.

The increased focus on training and skills has led to the first Training Provider of the Year Award for BESA’s training partners. This sits neatly alongside the new Competence and Compliance category which celebrates the growing focus on raising professional standards and helping building engineering firms prove their ability to comply with increasingly stringent legislation.

The BESA Industry Awards 2024 also continues the Association’s long-standing tradition of celebrating and rewarding apprentices and other emerging building services talent, and this year sees the first Rising Star of the Year award. Nominees will be drawn from the growing ranks of impressive young engineers employed by BESA member companies.

This will be augmented by the relaunch of the Manly Trust Management Training Award that funds management training for a particularly promising individual who shows leadership potential.
Although some awards are exclusively for BESA members, many are now open to the whole sector to ensure the programme reflects the full breadth of building services expertise.

There are awards for outstanding projects and firms as well as individuals who have gone above and beyond the call of duty for the greater good of the industry. Categories cover the full supply chain from manufacturers and distributors though contractors, engineers, and clients, and they reflect the industry’s efforts to get to grips with today’s big issues like building safety, indoor air quality, and diversity.

An expert panel of judges chaired by BESA technical director Graeme Fox has been assembled from across the sector and includes both the current President Claire Curran and President-elect Adrian Hurley. Young engineers are also well represented on the panel which includes 2023 CIBSE ASHRAE Graduate of the Year Francesca James.

Closing date for entries is July 12.