The pioneering South West College Erne Campus has won the overall People’s Choice Award at the Passivhaus Trust Awards 2023.
The ‘Oscars for building performance’ ceremony was held on 5th July at the Museum of London with presentations celebrating the best Passivhaus projects in the UK and winning projects voted on by Passivhaus Trust Members. Only one award winner across all category finalists was chosen by attendees of the awards ceremony, in-person and online, in a People’s Choice Award – and that was the Erne Campus.
Bennett Freehill provided MEP Design and Passivhaus Advisory services on the pioneering curved campus, and our Managing Partner Cormac Freehill attended the awards ceremony and presented the project with Paul Millar Partner at Hamilton Architects.
Craig Bennett, Senior Electrical & Sustainability Engineer at Bennett Freehill said:
“We are thrilled to accept this award on behalf of the project team – which is yet more great recognition for the project and the team. The Erne Campus has become a world-leading exemplar acting as a carbon cutting beacon to its students and the wider community on a local, national and international level.
As certified Passivhaus designers and members of sustainable building associations, our teams are specialists in Passivhaus and NZEB construction and focus on providing innovative and practical sustainable building design solutions. We are committed to continuing our legacy of technical innovation.”
The Erne Campus, certified to Passivhaus Premium standard, generates four times more energy on-site than it uses. It is the world’s first educational – and currently the largest – Passivhaus Premium rated building, and the first UK building to achieve both Passivhaus Premium and BREEAM Outstanding accreditations. It is also one of 26 UN Centres of Excellence for High Performance Buildings around the globe.
Congratulations to all the finalists and winners and many thanks to the Passivhaus Trust and their sponsors, Ecology Building Society, Knauf Insulation and Munster Joinery, for an excellent day of celebration.
Team credits go to: South West College and the Department for the Economy NI, Architect: Hamilton Architects, Project Management & Cost Management: esc Construction Consultants, Passivhaus Consultant: Mullarkey Pedersen Architect, Certifier: MosArt / Passivhaus Academy Ireland and Contractor: Tracey Brothers.
