Home > News > ZERO Institute and Wolfson College Shortlisted for CIBSE Awards 2025
Published on:
Thursday 9 January 2025
Category:
Sustainability

ZERO Institute and Wolfson College Shortlisted for CIBSE Awards 2025

We’re thrilled to announce that the ZERO Institute and Wolfson College, has been shortlisted for the prestigious CIBSE Building Performance Awards 2025 in the Learning and Development category.

This recognition celebrates an innovative and impactful partnership between the ZERO Institute, the Department of Engineering Science, and three Oxford Colleges—Wolfson, Exeter, and Lincoln. The collaboration is centred on a pioneering teaching and internship programme launched during the 2023-2024 academic year, which is dedicated to advancing zero-carbon energy systems for buildings.

Coordinated by Professor Jesus Lizana, Governing Body Fellow at Wolfson College, the programme introduces groundbreaking courses in Building Services Engineering as part of the Master of Engineering (MEng) degree at Oxford. The initiative equips future engineers with the knowledge and skills to design and implement zero-carbon energy solutions for buildings. With hands-on learning at its core, the programme integrates real-world case studies while actively contributing to Oxford’s transition to net zero.

The initiative benefits from the expertise of leading academics in the energy sector at Oxford, including Professors David Wallom, Dr. Scot Wheeler, Dr. Branoc Richards, Dr. Zeynep Tekler, and Laurence Peinturier. Their combined knowledge provides students with cutting-edge insights into sustainable energy systems.

Wolfson College, alongside Exeter and Lincoln, plays a vital role in supporting this programme by granting students access to existing building data that they can use as case studies, facilitating visits to energy facilities and systems, and offering valuable insights into the real-world challenges and constraints faced by the building industry. At Wolfson, key contributors include Home Bursar Chris Licence and Estates Manager Ray Upton, who have been instrumental in fostering a practical, real-world focus for the students’ learning.

The nomination for this award underscores the importance of collaboration in driving innovation and education for a sustainable future. It also serves as an invitation for industry leaders to join hands in supporting and funding these transformative activities, ensuring a robust pipeline of skilled professionals ready to tackle the challenges of the zero-carbon transition.

Looking ahead, the ZERO Institute plans to expand the programme to other graduate and postgraduate courses, incorporating more activities on sustainability and net-zero practices. Plans include the development of summer internships, funded by colleges, local institutions, and companies, to provide students with invaluable hands-on experience in the net-zero energy sector.

The winners of the CIBSE Building Performance Awards 2025 will be announced on Thursday, 27 February 2025, at Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, London. For more information or to support the ZERO Institute’s initiatives, please contact zero@eng.ox.ac.uk.

Wolfson College congratulates the entire ZERO Institute team on this outstanding achievement and their continued commitment to a sustainable future.

Photographs capturing the teaching sessions with students visiting Wolfson College, drawing on the insights gained from the recent zero-carbon energy intervention, Oxford.

Photographs during student visits to building case studies for energy diagnosis at Lincoln and Exeter Colleges, Oxford.