The shortlisted projects, products, and initiatives show how far the UK’s construction industry is innovating in terms of addressing operational and embodied carbon, and improving occupant health and wellbeing, getting ever closer to the goal of genuinely sustainable buildings.

The Awards require entrants to demonstrate that the buildings perform as designed, as evidenced by monitoring data, and aim to recognise the energy use of buildings, the embodied carbon of the materials used to build them, and occupant health and well-being. From modest self-builds to large-scale social housing retrofits and university buildings, the shortlisted projects demonstrate that healthy and low-carbon buildings can be delivered in the UK.

Leading-edge products that combine high energy and comfort performance and minimal embodied carbon are also shortlisted in the awards. The Initiatives shortlist showcases a range of problem-solving solutions that support the delivery of exemplar sustainable buildings.

Small projects finalists

Abhainn, Hamilton

Abhainn is a development of three detached dwellings certified to the Passivhaus Classic standard. Strong efforts were made to reduce the embodied carbon of building materials on the development, resulting in the project meeting RIBA 2030 metrics. The homes also comply with the exacting Gold higher level of sustainability in Section 7 of the Scottish Technical Standards. The development’s aims for cost-effective construction was achieved, with the homes delivered for a below-market average cost.

The Seed, Dundee

Replacing a derelict building, The Seed is a co-living home for two households in a woodland garden near Dundee. Reducing embodied and in use energy and carbon was a primary driver of the design and construction of the building. The home is almost entirely timber and meets both Passivhaus Classic standard and RIBA 2030 embodied carbon requirements.  It offers a shining example of how Passivhaus can work in locations with difficult site constraints and restricted solar gain.

Retrofit projects finalists

Niddrie Road, Glasgow

Niddrie Road is a deep retrofit of a Glasgow social housing pre-1919 sandstone tenement. The project was modelled in PHPP and designed, but not certified, to the EnerPHit standard with high levels of insulation and airtightness combined with new heating and ventilation systems. The success of the project has been demonstrated through building performance monitoring, which is showing drastically reduced energy bills for the tenants, with up to 90% savings, while optimising occupant health and comfort.

Judges’ view

Mark Lynn, Eden Renewable Innovations Ltd, said: “The judging process has opened my eyes to the sheer variety of innovations and established technologies at our disposal for buildings and product choices. It’s reinforced my belief that the time to build cost effectively and sustainably is now.”

Nick Grant, Elemental Solutions, added: “I am always interested in the fact that whilst judges reach consensus on some projects, other entries split us like Marmite. We almost certainly demand more hard evidence than other awards, but there is still plenty of room for subjective opinion and value judgements, even when judging hard data.”

Award ceremony 

Developed to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Sustainable Development Foundation (SDF), the awards are delivered in partnership between the Passivhaus Trust (PHT), Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP), and SDF. The awards have been sponsored by gold sponsor Ecological Building Systems, and silver sponsors Lamilux UK Ltd, MEAD Consulting, natureplus, & Futurebuild.

The Awards will culminate in a celebratory event on 24 June 2025 in London, hosted by Introba, to mark the SDF’s 20th anniversary. 

The Exemplar Sustainable Buildings Awards Ceremony on Tuesday 24 June is free and open to all to attend online, and gives attendees the chance to vote for their winning entry. Visit the website to learn more.