After extensive deliberation from the judging panel, the finalists of the AIRAH Awards 2015 have been chosen. The impressively high standard of nominations presented the judges with the difficult task of selecting the best of the best – the finalists – for the AIRAH Awards 2015. “The projects and individuals nominated for the AIRAH Awards this year were impressive once again,” according to AIRAH CEO Phil Wilkinson. Winners of the AIRAH Awards 2015 will be announced at a presentation dinner held at Luna Park in Sydney on November 26, 2015. The AIRAH Future Leader Awards finalists are Abraham Corona from Global Pacific Imports (Vic); Leon Wurfel, from BUENO Systems (NSW); Chris King fromBosch (Vic); Jonathan Ramajoo from AE Smith (Qld); and Brett Saunders, from Hiflow Industries (Qld). AIRAH’s Award for Excellence in Innovation honours the outstanding improvements in Australian HVAC&R achieved through innovation. Finalists for 2015 are Lendlease/A.G. Coombs’ prefabrication approach at Barangaroo (NSW), Steensen Varming’s work on the Bankstown Library and Knowledge Centre (BLaKC) project (NSW), and WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff’s Perth Arena. AIRAH’s Award for Excellence in Sustainability celebrates a crucial area of HVAC&R. Finalists for 2015 are Fusion HVAC’s constant-throw, variable-air-volume, sidewall diffuser installation at the Blue Mountains Community and Civic Centre; Crown Melbourne Limited’s Melbourne Complex energy-efficiency upgrade; Programmed Sustainable Solutions/Airmaster’s energy efficiency upgrade works at 114 William St (Melbourne); the work by Steensen Varming on the University of Technology Sydney’s Thomas Street Building; and Norman Disney & Young’s energy modelling at Australia Post’s Surry Hills Headquarters (NSW). Finalists in the Best HVAC&R Retrofit or Upgrade category sees Aurecon’s air conditioning improvements at 175 Eagle St, Brisbane, go head-to-head with Refrigeration Innovations, MB Refrigeration, Heatcraft Australia, and Emerson Climate Technologies’ San Remo IGA refurbishment project. A new award for 2015, the Product of the Year, honours the top Australian-developed, designed and manufactured products. Assessed for features such as innovation, energy efficiency, sustainability, originality and industry need, this year’s finalists are the BuildingIQ 4.0 cloud-based platform, Conserve It’s PlantPro BMS, and Aira Pty Ltd’s FTC Titan. For more information about the AIRAH Awards 2015, go to www.airah.org.au/awards
