Leading engineering, environmental and design consultancy Sweco UK has been named as the BREEAM Assessor Company of the Year. This is the third time Sweco has won this prestigious award for the world’s leading sustainability assessment method for master planning projects, infrastructure and buildings.
BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology) has recognised Sweco for a third time due to the consultancy’s ability to consistently achieve the highest BREEAM ratings for its projects over a 12-month period, resulting in some of the most sustainable and user-focused buildings.
BREEAM is the internationally recognised measure of sustainability for buildings and communities and is used in over 70 countries. More than 530,000 certificates have been issued under BREEAM on more than 24,000 projects around the world, and over 2.2 million buildings and communities are registered for certification.
Congratulating Sweco on being named Assessor Company of the Year for a third time, director building performance group at BRE, Dr Gavin Dunn, said: “Maintaining the intricate connection between our natural environment and the built one is vital and assessors play a crucial role in enabling clients to achieve high BREEAM ratings. Sweco’s ability to consistently provide effective consultancy across diverse and often challenging projects means they are worthy winners of the awards for the third time.”
The award was presented at a ceremony held on March 7 at the London Marriott Hotel, Grosvenor Square, which was attended by hundreds of industry professionals.
Projects Sweco advised on over the past year include the 107 metre high South Bank Tower, London, and the 170,000 sq ft Four Pancras Square building in the King’s Cross area of London. The buildings team was also involved in the redevelopment of Centre Point, one of London’s best known landmarks.
Sweco operations director and BREEAM accredited professional, Alexander Drysdale, said: “This is the third occasion Sweco has been awarded the prestigious BREEAM Assesor Company of the Year Award. The accolade highlights our sustained success in embedding sustainability within our building designs and our ability to engage early with clients to acknowledge sustainable principles, steer design decisions and present cost effective proposals which ultimately add value to the resulting building asset.
“As a BREEAM Associate company, a large number of our buildings experts are well versed in the core principles and aims of BREEAM and, as a result, we are able to offer a wider appreciation and clear communication to clients and other project team members of the key sustainable drivers throughout each design stage.
“Our clients appreciate our ability to be creative and innovative and ultimately to deliver sustainable projects, without adding significant capital expenditure as a consequence, and provide a positive contribution to the environment in which they are built, benefiting the people that use them.”
Sweco launched in the UK in April 2016, following its acquisition of Grontmij in October 2015. The consultancy employs 800 people in the UK and advises on a wide range of projects. Sweco has its headquarters in Leeds and consults nationwide via its network of offices in Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Maidenhead, Manchester, Newcastle, Peterborough and Solihull.