CIBSE Building Performance Award for ZERO Institute and Exeter College collaboration
A collaboration between Exeter, Lincoln and Wolfson Colleges, the University of Oxford’s ZERO Institute and the Department of Engineering Science has been recognised in the prestigious CIBSE (Charted Institute of Building Services Engineers) Building Performance Awards 2025 in the Learning and Development Category.
Over the past year, Exeter College has been working in collaboration with the University of Oxford’s ZERO Institute and the Department of Engineering Science to provide teaching and learning opportunities for Master of Engineering students studying decarbonisation and zero-carbon energy systems for buildings. Exeter, along with Lincoln and Wolfson Colleges, has been a key collaborator in the ZERO teaching and internship programme.
We are delighted that the programme won the CIBSE Building Performance Award in its category, Learning and Development. The judges were impressed by the programme and the potential significant impact on Oxford. They said the model could be scaled up to operate across more cities and communities. They also noted that the programme had received overwhelmingly positive feedback from students highlighting its effectiveness and relevance. The CIBSE BPAs are the only industry awards that focus on actual, measured performance outcomes, and not just design intent or performance specifications.
Exeter College provided the use of an accommodation site on Iffley Road, Stapledon House, as a case-study. This project saw Exeter’s Sustainability Officer, Juliet Tye, and Buildings Manager, Steven Cunningham, conduct tours of the properties, explain the buildings’ current energy systems, and provide past energy data from the buildings. By participating in this project, the College has helped equip students with hands-on experience, incorporating real-world case studies of properties transitioning to zero-carbon energy systems, while supporting Oxford’s local transition to net zero.
Juliet Tye says, “It has been a pleasure collaborating with the ZERO Institute on this project, providing them with Stapledon House as a case study. I am sure the final results from the students will provide important insights into how we can move forward in our transition to zero-carbon energy systems.”
Exeter College congratulates the whole team on their success and looks forward to further collaboration in our pursuit of net zero carbon.
Student visits to building case studies for energy diagnosis at Lincoln and Exeter Colleges, Oxford
