Rising to the challenges
Welcome to the fifth annual Building Services Awards, now established as the leading awards to recognise excellence in m&e engineering. This year, our judges have once more faced the difficult task of sorting the best of the best from our many exciting, imaginative and innovative entries.

The industry today faces many challenges, not least one of leading the way in showing that buildings can be sustainable and energy efficient. New regulations, and proposed rules from Europe are making clients more aware of these issues too, and engineers should be there to offer timely, informed and experienced advice.

It's up to our sector to show what can be done. And it's up to every engineer to ensure that they know the latest legislation, and understand its potential impact on clients' buildings. It is also engineers who should be grasping the initiative in programmes such as the Emissions Trading Scheme and Enhanced Capital Allowances.

This year's entries show that the best firms have dramatically improved their business processes in response to the challenges laid down by Sir John Egan. Supply team integration, partnering and a greater focus on health and safety are just some of the results.

No small feat, but our winners tonight show that far from taking a back seat in the construction process, engineers are pushing forward with determination to be at the front of new ways of approaching construction; inventing products which can change the way buildings work; and adding their own important contribution to landmark buildings.

The judges

Chairman: Sir Michael Latham

Julian Amey
Chief Executive, CIBSE
Adrian Blumenthal
Senior team member, M4I
Andrew Brister
Editor, Electrical & Mechanical Contractor
Eddie Brown
Consultant, ECA
Andrew Eastwell
Chief Executive, BSRIA
Karen Fletcher
Editor, Building Services Journal
Robert Higgs
Director, HVCA
Martin Long
Project Director, Stanhope
Mary Mitchell
Consultant, Confederation of Construction Clients
Dr Judy Payne
Coordinator, Building Services Best Practice Programme
David Warriner
Managing Director, BRE Environment

Apprentice of the year judging panel
Simon Bartley
R&D Muliplan
Andrew Brister
Editor, Electrical & Mechanical Contractor
Keith Brooker
Director, Group Markets & Products, City & Guilds
Philip Buckle
Head of Technical Services, ECA