Newsletter September 2009
Nominations Are Open!
16th September 2009 marks the beginning of the nomination period for the Hertfordshire Building Futures Awards Scheme.
The Awards are open to anybody who wishes to acknowledge and reward sustainable development in Hertfordshire; whether you are a builder wanting to promote your latest scheme or a local resident who wants to shout about sustainable design in your neighbourhood.
Any development is eligible for entry, no matter how big or small, from individual buildings to large scale developments in the public or private sectors, and candidates may be either self-nominated or nominated by a third party.
Eligible schemes include new build, conversion and retrofitting in the residential, commercial, retail, education, health and leisure sectors. There are only two criteria that need be met for a scheme to enter the awards;
• Be located in Hertfordshire
• Completed between 16 September 2007 and 16 September 2009
Entries will be assessed by an expert panel of judges who bring together a wealth of experience. The panel consists of: urban designer Jeremy Caulton; architect Yasmin Shariff; sustainability expert Dr David Strong; and sustainability consultant Isabel McAllister who developed the original Building Futures guidance.
Derrick Ashley, Hertfordshire County Council's Executive Member for, Planning, said: “The biennial Building Futures Awards are an exciting opportunity to get the best of Hertfordshire’s sustainable schemes into the limelight, making sure that the county’s most innovative projects get the recognition they deserve. There are some tremendous examples of excellence in design and construction within the county of Hertfordshire, like the Howe Dell School and Children’s Centre which was the first building worldwide to incorporate a revolutionary heating system that captures the sun’s energy on the playground and stores it in pipes. We are keen that these examples of excellence and innovation are recognised, celebrated and shared.”
Yasmin Shariff, Head of Design at EACT and Building Futures Judge said: “The built environment accounts for over three quarters of our CO2 emissions and if we are serious about climate change we urgently have to start transforming our buildings and our transport systems. The Building Futures Awards are a wonderful way of highlighting how well designed sustainable buildings can be achieved”
Nominations close at 5pm on 30th October 2009. You can find out how to enter the Awards here.