All you need to know to enter this year's awards
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Dedicated to promoting excellence in veterinary practice and design, the BVHA’s biennial design awards competition has proved highly successful since it was introduced in the 1990s, attracting many outstanding and innovative entries.
The awards are intended specifically to recognise – and reward – outstanding design. If, since 1st June 2021, you have opened new or revamped premises for a first opinion or referral practice or a combination of the two – whether a brand-new building or a conversion of a building previously used for some other purpose, refurbished your existing premises or come up with an innovative solution for an area of the practice, these design awards are for you.
The awards are open to any qualifying veterinary practice within the UK. The closing date for receipt of entries is 30th June 2023.
What the judges will look for…
• outstanding, practical design, demonstrating flair and innovation.
• clever and efficient use of space, with good flow of traffic, and first-class facilities and environments for clients, patients and staff.
• excellent value for money.
• outstanding features deserving of special notice, especially those relating to sustainability.
In particular, the judges look for “wow” factors in each practice.
Judging will be carried out during the autumn of 2023 by a panel representing the BVHA and The Veterinary Edge. The judges will compile a shortlist from the entries and visit the practices concerned.
The results will be announced after judging is completed and presentations made during a celebratory luncheon in London in December. The winners will be featured in The Veterinary Edge and elsewhere. The judges’ decisions will be final; no correspondence will be entered into (other than concerning eligibility).
THE CATEGORIES
1. New-build premises – starting from scratch on a vacant site.
2. Conversions of buildings previously used for other purposes.
3. Refurbishment of all or part of your practice premises.
In addition, there will be awards for:
• outstanding design features;
• sustainability and eco-friendly initiatives; and
• outstanding working environments.
To enter, please provide the following:
• Practice name, address, telephone number, email address and website.
• Type of practice (e.g. first opinion, referral, small animal, large animal, equine, mixed).
• Staff numbers: veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses, support staff (full- and part-time).
• Name, position and contact details of person submitting entry.
• Category: new build, conversion, refurbishment – with completion date of project.
• Square footage or metreage of premises.
• General information – number of parking spaces (including for disabled visitors), numbers of consulting rooms, theatres, kennels and cages, seating capacity in reception.
• Designer and/or architect’s details.
• Costs of project (e.g. purchase of property, costs of building work, equipment, furnishings and decoration, professional fees, etc.).
• In no more (or little more) than 800 words, list the overall design objectives and achievements, including details of obstacles which had to be overcome.
• List materials used for flooring, walls, ceilings, work surfaces, cabinets, etc.
• Describe any unusual or unique features of the finished project.
• Describe any environmentally friendly features incorporated.
Please provide a floor plan (can be architect’s drawing or a schematic plan) and up to 20 photographs (preferably jpegs or similar on a flash drive or USB stick) showing, with captions, the exterior, reception and waiting areas, merchandising, consulting room, operating theatre, pharmacy, laboratory, wards (including kennels and cages), isolation, imaging facilities, staff area(s), along with photos of especially notable features and one or two “before” shots if available.
Entries can be sent by post, email or electronic transfer to:
The Editor, The Veterinary Edge, 15 Chaseside Gardens, Chertsey, Surrey KT16 8JP; editor@theveterinaryedge.com.