CUBE Design Competition, Commercial buildings Architecture Contest, Net zero UK energy efficiency
CUBE Design Competition 2022
6 December 2022
6 months in, CUBE competition saves enough energy to power over 3,000 Homes
- The UK’s first competition to challenge energy efficiency in commercial buildings has already saved 15GWh in energy – enough to power over 3,000 homes for a year
- Features the likes of Landsec, Stanhope, Savills, and The Howard de Walden Estate with average competitors projected to reduce costs by 12-15%
CUBE Design Competition News
CUBE is the UK’s first competition to tackle the dual challenges of energy efficiency improvement and occupier engagement in commercial buildings. It’s an innovative approach that brings landlords, building managers and occupiers together and, through gamification, mobilises them to reduce their consumption – i.e. the logical first step to net zero. With monthly rankings and an annual awards ceremony, the challenge mirrors a sports season.
Walkie Talkie Building, 20 Fenchurch Street
photo © Adrian Welch
The UK’s first edition of the competition includes 30 participants – ranging from grade II listed buildings to iconic skyscrapers like the “Walkie-Talkie” and the “Cheesegrater”.
The Cheesegrater, 122 Leadenhall Street:
photograph © Adrian Welch
The current energy crisis has increased the urgency of finding energy saving solutions, which is why so many players in the built environment are already taking steps in the right direction. We expect that as more commercial buildings join the movement even more energy will be saved. 6 months into its first season, the results are in and collectively CUBE participants have made 15 GWh in energy savings, reduced expenditure by £4m and are on track to save 12-15% in costs by the end of the competition, with some top performers even on course to save over 30%.
Mark Bruno, Chief Ambassador of CUBE, had this to say: “When we set up CUBE we wanted to create a pathway for landlords and occupiers to work collaboratively and creatively to achieve net zero. This is only CUBE’s inaugural year but already we’ve signed up some of the biggest names in the built environment, which is really encouraging as it shows just how much landlords and investors are now prioritising ESG solutions.
“What’s also remarkable is the amount of energy we’ve already collectively managed to save. With the savings reported to date, you could completely power over 3,000 UK homes for a year, which is no small feat during an energy crisis. We’re now ramping up for the 2023 competition, so we expect these numbers to keep rising as we look forward to the second year of the competition.”
Set up for landlords, building managers and occupiers, CUBE is a community of businesses which understands that achieving net zero starts with reducing energy use in their buildings. It is based on encouraging behavioural change and simple building reprogramming, supported by quarterly events where participants share experiences, ideas, and push each other to do more. For users and employees, it engages everyone in a friendly, fun and collaborative competition to facilitate improved energy performance – one building at a time.
About CUBE
CUBE is a sector-led initiative to help commercial building users efficiently reduce their energy consumption.
It’s a competition organised by Ampersand Partners alongside founders A4MT who have been operating CUBE for six years across 12 countries.
If you would like to find out more, please follow us on social media, we’re on Twitter @UKCUBEComp and LinkedIn: @CUBECompetition
Previously on e-architect:
15 July 2021
Workplace Energy Waste Reduction
Net Zero Week
With Net Zero Week taking place from 17-23 July, restrictions lifting on 19 July and businesses across the UK getting ready for a return to the office, now is the opportune time to acknowledge how much energy we waste in our workplaces and take steps to address it, as a matter of urgency.
UK office buildings waste £60 million worth of energy every year, according to the Green Alliance, and the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) issued a report this month saying the cost of making buildings net zero by 2050 could be nearly £400bn.
We need initiatives to help engage everyone in this effort, not least because the World Economic Forum has said three-fifths of measures needed to get to “net zero” require behavioural and social change. Management consultancy Ampersand and A4MT launched CUBE in June, an innovative competition to drive energy use reduction in commercial buildings through gamification and changing human behaviour. Occupiers, landlords and building managers have until October to register their buildings to take part.
Already established in France, CUBE has delivered energy and equivalent annual cost savings by an average of 12% and up to 55% for the likes of BNP Paribas and Orange – through simple interventions and without significant investment. More than 1,459 buildings have participated to date and the competition has shown, year after year, that it delivers tangible results.
Greg Borel, managing partner of Ampersand, said: “We need to look at net zero carbon as a responsibility but also as an investment that will pay back, and make buildings healthier in the process. We also need to change the nature of the landlord and tenant relationship so it’s not about ‘imposing’ green leases but embracing them in the spirit of working together for mutual benefit.”
Kristin Marin, who runs CUBE in the UK, said: “The statistics can be daunting but they, along with awareness campaigns like Net Zero Week, highlight the scale of the challenge and the importance of all of us taking on our fair share of tackling emissions to stop global warming. We have launched CUBE so our commercial buildings can become greener. We help landlords and occupiers take the first step and help them change how we behave to make energy savings. And we do that in an engaging, fun way that gets all employees returning to the office involved and united by a goal that will help us mitigate the impact of climate change.”
Set up for landlords, building managers and occupiers, CUBE is a community of businesses that embarks on a programme to encourage behavioural change and make energy savings. It sets a baseline based on the previous one to three years of energy consumption data, then collects utility bills monthly to assess performance and improvements. Once the competition is underway, entrants receive their monthly ranking, based on the data, and the top performers are published, with awards given for the best results over 12 months.
Registration is now open with the competition getting underway from October.
29 June 2021
CUBE Design Competition 2021 News
New competition set to deliver significant energy savings in commercial buildings launches in the UK
CUBE, an innovative competition that enables commercial buildings to make a genuine contribution to net zero, has launched in the UK. Organised by Ampersand Partners alongside founders A4MT, the competition introduces gamification for energy consumption, cutting energy usage and equivalent costs by an average of 12% and up to 55% in a single year.
Set up for landlords, building managers and occupiers, CUBE is a community of businesses which understands that achieving net zero starts with reducing energy use in their buildings. It is based on a programme that encourages behavioural change alongside events where participants share ideas, leveraging existing investment in energy savings and pushing each other to do more. For users and employees, it engages everyone in a friendly, fun and collaborative competition to facilitate improved energy performance – one building at a time.
Originally developed by leading real estate experts A4MT in France, the competition has had widespread industry support and made a huge impact over six years – saving the equivalent of £10.5 million in costs and enough energy to power almost 27,500 UK homes for a year. Successful participants include BNP Paribas, Carrefour and Orange, the latter recouping its entire investment in just four months.
CUBE is about simple interventions that make a big difference. It sets a baseline based on the previous one to three years of energy consumption data, then collects utility bills monthly to assess performance, improvements and highlight successes. With a range of support, tools and ideas from previous competitions, it helps firms identify how to continue to slash energy use.
In the UK, office buildings lose a staggering £60 million in wasted energy every year so every organisation that signs up can only benefit from participation. Once the competition is underway, each entrant receives a monthly ranking, based on the data. The 10 best results are published on a monthly basis and an annual award ceremony celebrates top overall performers.
Greg Borel, Managing Partner at Ampersand, said: “The climate crisis needs urgent attention. CUBE is the only competition that can mobilise the UK business community to positively contribute to achieving net zero from day one. By engaging landlords, building managers and occupiers in a positive programme that requires no significant financial investment, its potential to reduce energy use through changing our behaviour alone is enormous.”
Kristin Marin, who runs the competition in the UK, added: “The magic behind CUBE is the community it creates. By collaborating, everyone wins and many achieve great things, which others then learn from. As a competition, it brings out our competitive streak, injects fun and inspires action. CUBE is a positive force for change, so we urge every business across the country to take the first step and join in – there’s nothing to lose!”
Registration is now open with the competition getting underway from October: https://www.cubecompetition.co.uk/
Save energy, cut carbon, reduce cost.
CUBE Design Competition 2021 images / information received 250621
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