Award winners
A new era unfolded for the CIBSE Young Engineers Awards (YEAs) in London last month. For the first time, Global YEN members Max McCone and Zoe Dickson took the stage as hosts, succeeding Ewen Rose and Tim Dwyer FCIBSE after their remarkable 30-year run organising the awards.
There was also a new format, with a drinks interval after the CIBSE ASHRAE Graduate of the Year presentations, which allowed the audience to mingle and chat with shortlisted young engineers.
The CIBSE ASHRAE Graduate of the Year winner was Serra Ardor, of HTA Design. She was one of 10 finalists who presented on the topic ‘How should building services engineers evolve to actively shape AI’s impact on ensuring a truly sustainable future?’
George Stephens-Clark, of the University of Portsmouth, was named CIBSE Undergraduate of the Year after submitting a 450-word abstract and three-minute video on his final-year project.
The CIBSE Apprentices of the Year were Nadia Husen, of Hawden MEP, for Level 3-4, and Melissa Riggs, of Troup Bywaters + Anders, for Level 5-7. These awards were presented on the basis of finalists’ three-minute videos on AI.
Hoare Lea won the overall Employer of the Year prize, as well as triumphing in the large company category, while SI Sealy & Associates won in the small employer category and Atelier Ten in the medium category.
Ardor’s winning Graduate of the Year presentation had a compelling message: AI-driven sustainability must be built on a foundation of equity and accessibility. She opened by challenging the audience to imagine a sustainable home; while we easily picture efficient building fabric, solar panels and heat pumps, we often forget the most important element, she noted: ‘the person living in the home’.
Ardor highlighted how different occupants have vastly different needs. She argued that AI presents an opportunity to make ‘invisible experiences visible’ through sensors and data processing. This can reveal how homes are actually used, where overheating persists and how people interact with systems.
There are two key responsibilities for engineers, Ardor added: moving ‘from designing for averages to designing for diversity’, recognising that buildings can meet energy targets on paper while failing the actual residents; and shifting ‘from predicting performance to learning from lived experience’ through continuous feedback loops where AI helps engineers improve outcomes.
Runner-up Sasha Green, from FairHeat, argued that while AI increases efficiency, it also puts ‘our diversity of thought at risk’. She highlighted AI’s limitations in creativity and curiosity, noting that AI learns from existing data, which ‘isn’t perfect’ and ‘often contains gaps and biases’. Some perspectives may be underrepresented, Green added, including ‘those of women, minority groups or people living in different social and economic contexts’.
Second runner-up Sebastian Taylor Aguilar, a building services engineer at Red Engineering Design, delivered a presentation on how AI is impacting early career opportunities in the building services industry and the urgent need for apprenticeships to ensure a sustainable future for the profession.
His concluding message was clear: engineers should evolve to shape AI’s impact on a truly sustainable future ‘by committing to more of us’.
CIBSE would like to thank headline sponsor Daikin, and S&P Ventilation Systems for sponsoring the drinks reception
Individual winners
CIBSE ASHRAE Graduate of the Year winners
Finalists presented to a live audience on the topic ‘How should building services engineers evolve to actively shape AI’s impact on ensuring a truly sustainable future?”
Winner: Serra Ardor, UCL and HTA Design (left)
2nd place: Sasha Green, UCL and FairHeat
3rd place: Sebastian Taylor Aguilar, LSBU & MCA Consulting Engineers
Sponsored by Swegon
CIBSE Undergraduate of the Year winners
Winning undergraduates submitted a 450-word abstract and a three-minute video of their final-year project
Winner: George Stephens-Clark, University of Portsmouth (left)
2nd place: Jamison Boll, University of the West of England
3rd place: Precious Fabamifobee, University of Nottingham
Sponsored by Georg Fischer
CIBSE Apprentice of the Year: Level 3-4 winners
Winning apprentices submitted a three-minute video on the topic ‘How do you think digital tools and automation, including AI, could support building services engineers in delivering more energy-efficient and sustainable buildings in the future?’
Winner: Nadia Husen, Hawden MEP (left)
2nd place: Austin Riches, DPL Group
3rd place: Bekim Fejzullai, Cundall
Sponsored by Troup Bywaters + Anders
CIBSE Apprentice of the Year: Level 5-7 winners
Winning apprentices submitted a three-minute video on the topic ‘What responsibilities do engineers have when adopting AI and digital tools to support sustainable design?’
Winner: Melissa Riggs, Troup Bywaters + Anders (left)
2nd place: Harvey Dean, Arup
3rd place: Ieuan Newton, Stantec
Sponsored by Troup Bywaters + Anders
Employer of the Year winners
Hoare Lea won overall Employer of the Year
Overall and Large Employer of the Year: Hoare Lea
Small Employer of the Year: SI Sealy & Associates
Medium Employer of the Year: Atelier Ten
Sponsored by CIBSE Patrons
Hoare Lea impressed the judges with its long-standing investment in developing young engineers. Its ethos that employers have a responsibility not just to recruit talent, but also to help create it, was evident in its Steam work: the company reached 63 education organisations in the past year.
SI Sealy & Associates puts training and development of its own talent at the core of its business, with a structured personal development plan, secondment arrangements with a partner consultancy, and a policy of promoting from within.
Atelier Ten has a clear track record of investing in talent, creating clear pathways into the profession and providing opportunities for career development.
