News
National Trust triumphs in BIFM Awards
17-10-06 9:45 BIFM
Achievements in facilities management were celebrated at the 6th annual BIFM International Investors in FM Excellence Awards last night.
The event, held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, lived up to its reputation as the biggest and most prestigious FM awards event in the UK, with 1,200 facilities management professionals gathering to celebrate the achievement of their colleagues.
Sheila Ferguson and her band provided a sensational start to the evening’s entertainment. Ferguson established herself as a soul music legend when she rose to fame as lead singer of The Three Degrees, the most successful female group in 1970s America.
The host for the evening Adrienne Lawler, journalist and newsroom anchor for the BBC, Sky and Carlton, was lively, engaging and humorous. Lawler and new BIFM Chairman Peter Cordy were joined on stage by the sponsors of each of the twelve categories to present the awards to the winners.
The presentations began with the ‘New Build Award,’ sponsored by Workplace Management, presented (see photo) to The National Trust for their headquarters project, Heelis. The judges were looking at the extent of FM integration throughout the whole process of planning, designing, building and operating a new facility.
The National Trust also won the award for ‘Sustainability’, sponsored by Interserve FM.
Commenting on the NT's success, Helen Riddell, National Administration and Facilities Manager said: "The undoubted success of the building has been due to the synergy between the design and the functionality of the building and the ability to bring the Trust's Central office teams together under one roof.
While the building is an award winning example of sustainable design, the working practices in operation also demonstrate the Trust's commitment to practical sustainability. Not only do we employ a strict green travel policy, but other measures such as duplex printing on central multi-functional printer/copiers and centralised waste recycling bins, rather than under desk bins, mean that we encourage all users to consider their impact on the environment.
The building is not just a great place to work, it is an education centre and we hope it goes on to influence its users and visitors in their everyday life."
Rob Jarman, Head of Environmental Practices added: “The National Trust is delighted to have won this award, as Heelis is a flagship example of our commitment to reducing our environmental footprint and developing renewable energy schemes at our own properties.
Heelis is floored with carpet manufactured using wool from Herdwick sheep from the Lake District and is clad and decorated inside with timber from National Trust woodlands. It generates one third of its electricity demand from its solar roof and saves water through its water-miserly lavatories and washrooms.
But above all, it is a fantastic place in which to work and from which to serve our supporters.”
The ‘Impact on Organisation and Workplace’ award, sponsored by Reliance Integrated Services, was won by Microsoft for ‘children and staff coexisting in harmony’.
The joint winners of the ‘Best Practice in a Fit-out Project Award’, sponsored by Jewson, were the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Siemens Facility Management for Siemens Power Generation in Heaton.
The award for ‘Best Practice in a PFI/PPP Project’, sponsored by Facilities Recruitment, was won by Robertson Facilities Management for ‘Chester Le Street Community Hospital’.
The award for ‘Best Article in FM Journalism’, sponsored by MITIE Group, was won by David Arminas for his article ‘The Time for Auction,’ published in FM Wold magazine.
The winner of the ‘Innovation Award’, sponsored by Hays Facilities Management, was Centrica Group Property for their project ‘Intelligent Buildings that can really talk’.
The ‘Technology Award’ sponsored by Amey Business Services was presented to Macro and Cirrus Software in Partnership for the FM Horizon Helpdesk.
The winners of the ‘Customer Service Award’, sponsored by Larch Consulting, were Royal & Sun Alliance and TNT Managed Services for their mail and distribution services.
The award for ‘Student of the Year’, sponsored by Land Securities Trillium, went to Judi Hall as the student who achieved the best performance in the BIFM examination Part I and Part II during the last year.
The penultimate award, for ‘Communications and Marketing’, sponsored by FM World, went to MITIE Group plc for ‘Communicating our changes.
The final award ‘Facilities Manager of the Year’, sponsored by Linaker, is given in recognition of outstanding personal performance as well as career progression and was awarded to Ian Broadbent, Group Facilities Manager with Hallmark Cards.
The evening then took another musical turn and the audience enjoyed a visually stunning show by Night Games – a complete showstopper of a band with dazzling choreography, breathtaking costume changes and close harmonies.
Full coverage, including a complete video of the evening, will appear on the special Awards page soon - see link below. The Award winners will also feature in the next issue of FM World.
The casino, sponsored by Workplace Law, raised over £9,000 for charity - to be split between the BIFM chairman's charity Marie Curie Cancer Care and Exhall Grange school for disabled children. A football signed by the Arsenal team and donated by Facilities Recruitment Ltd, was auctioned for £4,000.
