Energy performance does not seem to have been a priority for the judging Panel on this years (2021) RIBA House of the Year. This may be considered particularly surprising as it is two years since the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) declared environment and climate emergency and committed to developing the RIBA Ethics and Sustainable Development Commission’s action plan and made a pledge to support the government’s 2050 net zero emissions target.
The RIBA webpage states that:-
"RIBA Awards are regarded by both the public and profession as the most valued architecture awards with an unrivalled approach to the judging and promotion of good architecture ...
... RIBA Awards and prizes are the most rigorously judged awards for architectural excellence..."
Research shared with The Design Review Panel by by Hawkes Architecture, which can be seen below, indicates that none of the short listed contenders have an A-rated energy performance certificate (EPC). Surprisingly half were D-rated, and one project has not even had an EPC produced.
The 2021 RIBA House of the Year Longlist only includes one house (The Walled Garden, by McLean Quinlan) that achieved an A rating, and this project appears not to have been shortlisted.
The RIBA webpage states that:-
"RIBA House of the Year is awarded to the best example of a one-off house designed by an architect in the UK. The award celebrates excellence and innovation in home design."
This raises the question, can a bespoke one-off house be considered to demonstrate architectural 'excellence' and 'innovation' if it does not demonstrate the highest standard of energy performance?
It is noted that three of the long list projects are extension, renovation or conversion, however should projects such as these also need to demonstrate that they perform to the best possible standards within any existing constraints?
Whilst it is wonderful to see that the RIBA may be starting to give energy performance more weight, there does not seem to be any sense of 'emergency'. This appears to be evident by the UK Awards information and entry guidelines on the RIBA website, which states that the over the 'next few years' the awards criteria will be aligned to support the 2030 Climate Challenge and the measures articulated within the Challenge will 'increasingly' be used to define the standards expected of RIBA Award winning projects.
For the 2022 Awards all projects are expected to meet statutory targets in achieving sustainable outcomes and measures, and verify how they perform. Is meeting minimum statutory targets good enough for a project to be considered as demonstrating architectural 'excellence' and 'innovation'?
There is an opportunity for architecture and building awards to showcase the highest standards (excellence) that can be achieved, which may provide wider learning outcomes and inspire other professional built environment designers, as well as home owners and developers.
Post written by Jonathan Braddick, RIBA Chartered Architect and Manager of The Design Review Panel (www.designreviewpanel.co.uk)
Research and images provided by Hawkes Architecture