Real estate professionals are continuously striving to create the “workplace of tomorrow” by raising efficiency, sustainability, and comfort standards. Their efforts will be celebrated with the 2nd Annual BOLD Awards, that recognizes Building Optimizers, Leaders, and Disruptors who are transforming the way real estate management professionals use technology in the built environment. Nominations are now being accepted through September 2, 2016.
Industry technology firms Aquicore, Comfy, Enlighted, and View have come together to host the awards, honoring changemakers who are making buildings smarter and more sustainable. This year’s judges’ panel includes Jigar Shah, Co-Founder of Generate Capital, Founder of SunEdison and co-host of Energy Gang Podcast; Dr. Nils Kok, CEO, GRESB B.V.; Cliff Majersik, Executive Director at IMT; and Gautami Palanki, Director of LEED Dynamic Plaque.
“We are excited to once again recognize the ‘best of the best’ who are at the forefront of enhancing communities by embracing cutting-edge technology,” said Logan Soya, Founder and CEO of Aquicore. “We believe it is crucial to call attention to their many accomplishments as they work to make the real estate industry smarter and more efficient.”
The BOLD Awards will recognize leaders in the following five main categories, including the new People’s Choice Award:
- The Mentor: Recognizes a senior leader whose support of innovative ideas, technologies, and programs that positively impacted the efficiency and sustainability of their built environment.
- The Innovator: Honors an individual who pioneered unique and creative programs or initiatives with the goal of increasing tenant engagement, satisfaction, and retention.
- The Champion: Celebrates a leader who developed creative and innovative systems or processes of a specific cutting-edge technology, solution, or strategy to solve difficult commercial real estate challenges.
- The Unsung Hero: Highlights an individual who is instrumental in accelerating the adoption of technology in buildings, but largely does so behind the scenes.
- The People’s Choice Award: The public is invited to vote for their favorite nominee from all of the above categories. Recipient will be selected based on the number of votes between September 12 and October 4.
Finalists will be announced September 28, 2016 and award winners will be celebrated on October 5, 2016 on the first night of the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Los Angeles.
Applications are available for individuals who work in the management and operations of the built environment. Submit a nomination now through September 2, 2016 on behalf of yourself, a colleague, or a friend in the industry.
The BOLD Background
As the exclusive media partner for the 2016 BOLD Awards, Facility Executive (FE) magazine spoke last week with Brendon O’Donovan, vice president of marketing for Aquicore, about the awards.
FE: What spurred Aquicore and its partners to launch The BOLD Awards in 2015?
O’Donovan: The numbers are stacked against us: we spend 87% of our lives indoors. Our buildings consume nearly half the total energy produced in the U.S., yet more than 30% of that energy is wasted by inefficient products and processes. As the cost of electricity, water, and gas, rises and the access to these resources dwindles, we are facing a growing problem.
Our built environment has a huge impact on our well-being and health, yet little attention is paid to individuals who work to advance the industry every day.
Technology and new innovations offer opportunities to improve comfort, sustainability, and efficiency in buildings, but change is never easy. The real estate industry has many stakeholders, and disrupting the system requires incredible leaders to align the interests of all parties. We felt it was important to honor these changemakers who impact all of us in the areas we take for granted: our offices and homes.
FE: Can you tell us about the inaugural award recipients in 2015? What are a few highlights of the projects for which the winners were recognized?
O’Donovan: Our 2015 recipients have done an incredible job of creating meaningful change, scaling innovation, and bringing overlooked issues to the forefront. While all of the 2015 recipients have made a tremendous impact, we’d like to specifically call attention to the work of Sara Neff and Bill Updike.
Sara Neff, VP of Sustainability at Kilroy Realty Corporation, created and scaled Kilroy Realty’s sustainability initiatives and programs, making the firm a nationally recognized sustainability leader in only four years.
Bill Updike, Chief of the Green Building & Climate Branch for the Government of the District of Columbia, raised the bar of energy efficiency standards with three key programs: the DC Green Construction Code, the DC building energy benchmarking law, and green affordable housing programs.
FE: Along with Innovation and Environmental Impact, The BOLD Awards focus on Human Impact as the third criteria when considering nominees. With the focus of the awards on technology and sustainability, why did the partners decide to include the human factor?
O’Donovan: When we look at a building, we look at the static pieces of it: the construction materials, the design, the internal structures. We sometimes forget that buildings are meant to serve real people. Striving to improve the general well being of the community is the only way to produce durable, impactful change.
Significant change cannot happen without incorporating the desires and values of occupants, coworkers, and stakeholders. Successful innovators know that to solve any specific issue, they will also improve occupants comfort, simplify processes for coworkers, and positively impact company KPIs along the way.
Submit a nomination for The BOLD Awards through September 2, 2016.