Congratulations to our Estates and Facilities Team who have won the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management's (IFWM) Impact Awards 2023 under the "Team of the Year: Public Sector" category.
The team at British Antarctic Survey provide facilities management to both the headquarters in Cambridge and to the five UK research stations in Antarctica and sub-Antarctic. The organisation's vision to be a world-leading centre for polar science and polar operations cannot be realised without the team's excellent facilities management and supportive infrastructure.
Pete Smith, Head of Polar Facilities at British Antarctic Survey said: "This is a hugely important award for the BAS Estates team. It represents the professionalism, commitment, and passion of the Polar and UK Teams. We are immensely proud of our people!"
Paul Dunn, Head of UK Facilities at British Antarctic Survey said: "We are delighted to have won this prestigious leadership award. It is recognition from the leading UK Facilities Management organisation that BAS has demonstrated an innovative and extensive facilities management practice and has provided first class service to enable leading science in the UK and Antarctica."
A shared goal
The team operate across the globe and a clear vision for delivery is therefore critical. Individual roles of team members are linked to create a shared goal of delivery for scientific research. For example, physical science collection in Antarctica is directly linked to its transport on the RRS Sir David Attenborough (e.g. transport aquarium) which returns this to BAS Cambridge facility for study.
The team recently successfully delivered the first stage of the new solar and energy plant at Bird Island Research Station in South Georgia, including the installation of solar panels. The skill and professionalism of the team allowed work to be replanned to meet any weather or external constraint.
Innovation
Our Estates and Facilities Team are always looking at new ways to innovate and are using a range of digital tools to manage their spaces, including Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Building Information Management (BIM).
The team are also developing a data driven estate through using the software Maximo
