Lou Bedocs (left) with CIBSE president Peter Y Wong.
CIBSE president Peter Y Wong presented the medals at the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) President’s Awards 2017.
Born in Hungary in 1942, Mr Bedocs came to the UK in 1956 as a teenage refugee, finding employment with Smart and Brown and Ferguson. From there he undertook an electrical apprenticeship, sparking his interest in light and lighting. On completion of his training he joined Atlas Lighting - later to become Thorn Lighting - where he worked for 30 years, becoming technical director in 1991.
He has been a vice president of CIBSE, and chaired the Lighting Division (now the Society of Light and Lighting). Mr Bedocs has received two Leon Gaster Medals and the SLL Lighting Award, and was made honorary president of the Lighting Industry Federation in 2010.
Meanwhile, Geoffrey Brundrett’s 55-year career has included contributions to the industry at regional, national and international levels. He has gained a worldwide reputation for his contribution to the understanding of the control of legionella, and has contributed to a number of CIBSE guidance titles.
Mr Brundrett was also on the editorial committee of Building Services Engineering, Research and Technology, published by CIBSE. He was CIBSE President in 1997-98.
Since retiring as head of the Environment and Buildings Division at the Electricity Council research centre, Mr Brundrett has been senior fellow at the University of Wales and visiting professor at the University of Liverpool. He was elected to represent engineers on the Council of the Royal Society of Health, of which he was subsequently chairman.
Silver medals were also awarded in recognition of outstanding service to a further three CIBSE members. Paul Ruffles, lighting engineer and CIBSE member for over 39 years, was once chair of the Lighting Division (SLL) and member of the Professional Practices Committee.
Stuart MacPherson, member and chair of CIBSE Scotland Committee for over 17 years, also received a silver medal. He is currently CIBSE treasurer and honorary professor of Building Services Engineering at Heriot-Watt University.
The final recipient, Colin Wilson, has been a member of the CIBSE Yorkshire committee for 41 years in different posts, including chair of the region. He is a STEM ambassador, and implemented the first Region Mentoring System.
The CIBSE President’s Awards recognises and rewards industry talent and achievement, showcasing both newly qualified and experienced engineers.
Other awards presented on the night were:
CIBSE President’s Undergraduate Prize
Patrick Tanner of London South Bank University, won the CIBSE Undergraduate Award, and a prize of £500 for his final year project ‘Investigation into potential C02 and energy savings due to specification of electrical cabling based on energy efficiency criteria’.
The award, sponsored by Hays Building Services, has been in existence for over 20 years and is designed to encourage students to develop their potential and aim for excellence. It is awarded to students in their final year of a building services course accredited by CIBSE, and recognises their academic achievements.
Happold Brilliant Award
The award recognises excellence in the teaching of building services engineering, and was this year presented to MidKent College.
Technical Awards
Ian Knight of Cardiff University won the Carter Bronze Medal for his paper ‘Operational energy use and power demands in European HVAC components.’
Dr Matthew Eames, from the University of Exeter, won the Napier Shaw Bronze Medal for his paper entitled ‘An update of the UK’s design summer years: Probabilistic design summer years for enhanced overheating risk analysis in building design.’
The Carter and Napier Shaw Bronze Medals are awarded by CIBSE annually to celebrate the high quality research carried out in the building services industry. They are presented to the highest rated papers of the year on application and research respectively, published in the Building Services Engineering Research and Technology (BSER&T) Journal.