We are delighted to have had our best-ever year at the Greater Cambridge Design and Construction Awards – taking home 11 awards.

Our projects were named the winner of four out of eight categories at the awards which celebrate the best in local construction, engineering and design, and received seven commendations.

Judges visited shortlisted projects in early February to examine the buildings and experience the spaces first-hand.

Our award-winning projects were as follows:

The Entopia Building

• Winner - Best conservation, alteration or extension of an existing building (over £2m construction costs)
• Winner - David Mackay Award for engineering and sustainability
• Commendation – Craftsmanship Award

The Entopia Building is a world first for a deep retrofitted sustainable office building, setting new standards for low energy use, carbon emissions and impact on natural resources as well as user experience and wellbeing.

"This is a clear winner, showing how retrofit and refurbishment can, with determination and skill, achieve extraordinarily high environmental standards. All parties: the client, architect and contractors are commended for not only setting but maintaining the vision for an exemplary and game-changing approach. The aim from the start was to feel normal while being deep green. The process has been recorded and operating standards are being closely monitored with the aim that others can both copy and better it.” - Judges

Homerton College Dining Hall

• Winner - Best New Building (over £2m construction costs)
• Winner - Craftsmanship Award
• Commendation - David Mackay Award for engineering and sustainability

The striking new dining hall for Homerton College in Cambridge features sustainability standards that far exceed best practice.

"This stunning addition to Cambridge's now largest college provides a benchmark for what can be done through an ambitious multi-dimensional brief, a sympathetic and visionary architect, a deeply engaged client and a highly skilled construction/delivery team. The use of colour both externally and internally is bold and striking throughout and there are stunning views into and out of the building in all directions. The building glows at night. Homerton wants to be recognised both as a Cambridge College and a college like no other, and the Hall reflects that vision well." – Judges

Lucy Cavendish College

• Commendation - Best New Building (over £2m construction costs)
• Commendation - David Mackay Award for engineering and sustainability
• Commendation - Contractor Award

This Passivhaus student accommodation offers future-proof and accessible homes for Lucy Cavendish College. An all-electric, Passivhaus-certified project, the building acts as the sustainable heart of the college campus.

"There was evidently close and positive collaboration between the client, architect and contractors throughout this project, resulting in a building that was good value for money, whilst delivering certified Passivhaus." – Judges

St. Catharine’s Dining Hall

• Commendation - Best conservation, alteration or extension of an existing building (over £2m construction costs)
• Commendation - David Mackay Award for engineering and sustainability

This project included the refurbishment of the College's social spaces while improving access to the 18th-century Sherlock Library, and creating a new home for the college’s rare books and special collections. We provided MEP and sustainability, lighting and acoustics services for the project until the end of RIBA Stage 3. 

"We highly commend this project, which has radically improved the way the college operates, replaced an unsatisfactory dining hall with a beautiful new space, and created a much more coherent and accessible means of circulation in St Catharine’s College. The pre-existing dining hall had been built as part of a 1960s extension, which had never functioned well, with the kitchens isolated from the rest of the college and huge logistical challenges in circulation. Gort Scott have devised an extremely ingenious solution, replacing the hall, connecting the kitchens and opening up new avenues of circulation by the installation of an atrium." - Judges