THE creators of two Oxford buildings have been honoured for their energy-efficient and sustainable approach to construction.

Pembroke College’s 2013 extension and the British Gas building on the Oxford Business Park have been commended for their environmentally friendly design.

The winners of the 2015 David Steel Sustainable Building Award were announced at a lunch at Oxford Town Hall.

British Gas and Goodman Business Parks came top in the non-residential category for British Gas’ building, in John Smith Drive, Cowley.

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The office block was designed to incorporate British Gas’ latest environmental technologies and features biomass boilers, which burn organic matter such as logs, pellets or wood chips, and solar panels for hot water and electricity.

It has an energy performance rating of A, the highest possible score for a building’s efficiency.

Oxford Mail:

The British Gas Business building.

Goodman Business Parks development director James Raven said: “We’re delighted to have won this prestigious award in recognition of our work at Oxford Business Park for British Gas.

“The development is one of the most environmentally sustainable of its class.”

Pembroke College, off St Aldate’s, was honoured in the residential category.

In 2013 it completed an extension to its main site, providing 110 ensuite student rooms, six onebedroom flats, seminar rooms, a 170-seat lecture theatre, cafe and art gallery.

The extension, linked to the main college site by a glass bridge over Brewer Street, was formally opened by the Duke of Kent.

Oxford Mail:

Part of the Pembroke College building.

Bursar John Church said sustainable aspects of the building’s design included solar panels and ground source heat pumps, which provide heating from the natural energy stored in the earth. Traditional materials such as brick and stone meant the structure was built to last.

He said: “Colleges tend to think in centuries. Our original brief to the architects, Berman Guedes Stretton, was to create a legacy building and we see sustainability as a key part of that legacy.

“The new buildings have already received a number of awards, and we are delighted to be nominated for the David Steel award.”

The award is named after the late city council officer David Steel, who died of pancreatitis in 2006, aged 55.

Mr Steel worked at the council for 31 years after completing a PhD in botany at Oxford University.

The Sustainable Building Award now runs every two years, with this year’s entrants needing to have been built between April 2012 and March 2014.

City council leader Bob Price said: “Our award is a recognition of the importance of raising the threshold for energy efficiency in all our contemporary buildings.

“I warmly applaud this year’s winners for the outstanding contributions they have made to the long-term viability of the community.”