Max Fordham were awarded both 'Soft Landings Practitioner of the Year' and 'Soft Landings Project of the Year - up to £20m' at the inaugural BSRIA Soft Landings Awards last Friday.

The awards were celebrated as part of the BSRIA Soft Landings Conference, at which Henry Pelly, who leads our Wellbeing service, gave a talk about the how Soft Landings ties in with Wellbeing.

Announcing the 'Soft Landings Practitioner of the Year' award, the judges explained “Max Fordham has shown great leadership in the implementation of Soft Landings principles across a good range of projects. This has consistently been driven by the target of achieving DEC A certification and informed by re-evaluation at appropriate milestones throughout a project’s lifecycle.”

"We see Soft Landings as a really important part of achieving truly low carbon buildings, delivering not only energy performance, but also the highest standards of occupant wellbeing. We are really happy to be have been recognised for this commitment with the award for BSRIA Soft Landings Practitioner of the Year." - Tom McNeil, Senior Building Performance Engineer

The award is a recognition of the practice's commitment to delivering better buildings and creating a more collaborative culture in the construction industry through the Soft Landings approach. 

Our second prize, 'Soft Landings Project of the Year - up to £20m', was awarded for our work on The Engine Shed in Stirling with Historic Environment Scotland. Presenting the award, the judges said: “This project is a great example of not only a sustainably constructed and operated building, but one that has been delivered through the preservation of the historic built environment. The project seeks to promote the value of sustainable construction, traditional craft and natural materials by itself being a practical example of these processes in action.”

"It's been a pleasure to be the Sustainability Consultant and Soft Landings Champion for The Engine Shed which is now coming to the end of a two year aftercare process. Historic Environment Scotland have been deeply committed to sustainability right from the start; appointing us to facilitate a sustainability brief-setting workshop to set bespoke sustainability targets which were tracked throughout the project through to a detailed aftercare process including a full Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE), which helped to minimise energy consumption and maximise comfort within the building." - Ingrid Berkeley, Senior Sustainability Consultant and Soft Landings Champion for The Engine Shed

BSRIA mentioned that they were extremely impressed by the standard of all entries it received and said the winners had to show excellence and distinction in a strong field, which makes our two awards even more of an achievement!

"We're delighted to have won these two awards. Net Zero Carbon buildings have (finally!) become a central topic of conversation and Soft Landings will be an essential part of achieving this." - Hero Bennett, Principal Sustainability Consultant