Panasonic has announced the winners of its inaugural Panasonic PRO Awards, which celebrates excellence across Europe in the design, specification, installation and commissioning of projects where Panasonic heating and cooling systems were installed.

PRO Partners from the UK and Ireland were awarded prestigious prizes in four categories, including Best Residential Project in a Multi-dwelling, Best Residential Project in Social Housing, Best Restaurant Project and a Special Award for Best Contribution.

Ireland-based distributor, Heat Merchants was awarded Best Residential Project in the multi-dwelling category for the Mulberry Properties’ Straffan Manor Development in Kildare, Ireland. Installed by Mick O’Shea Heating and Plumbing, the project is a great example of how heat pumps and PV can work together to deliver energy savings.

South East renewables company, Ecosphere Renewables was awarded Best Residential Project in the Social Housing category for its ambitious Wealden District project. Education and communication with tenants lead to the success of the project, as Ecosphere Renewables ensured that the benefits of heat pump systems were widely known within the community.

The Best Restaurant Project award was bestowed to FWP UK Ltd and Oceanair, for their innovative project at Carluccios Italian restaurant chain in which the installation they delivered was noted for its “simple, intelligent and effective” solution.

A Special Award for Best Contribution was awarded to PRO Partner, Tech Refrigeration and Air Conditioning in Ireland for their three outstanding entries in the Commercial Air Conditioning category; the Smurfit Kappa, Savills HQ Dublin and Google Block R projects.

The winner of each category has receive a once in a lifetime trip to Japan, which includes a visit to the Panasonic global Headquarters and to the ground-breaking Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town. Fujisawa SST, as it’s known, is a model for an environmentally-minded urban area. Located 37 miles from Tokyo, with about 400,000 residents, the smart town-within-a-city is built on the vacant lot of a former Panasonic factory and its infrastructure and services are driven by sustainable sources. The development demonstrates energy efficiency measures such as solar power generation and battery storage systems, and showcases the synergies between cutting-edge technology and a ‘greener’ way of living, making it a fascinating and unique place to visit.

Commenting on the announcement, Marc Diaz, UK and Ireland Country Manager for Panasonic Heating and Cooling said: “We were hugely impressed with the high standard of entries received from PRO Partners across Europe, which showcase real passion for sustainable design and renewable energy. The winning entries demonstrated imaginative use of technology, great integration skills and commitment to delivering effective, bespoke solutions which result in best-in-class projects. We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate everyone who entered the Panasonic PRO Awards.”

The winners were carefully selected by an independent international judging panel, made up of experts from across Europe covering areas of architecture, building services and the heating/cooling industry. Together they decided which projects demonstrated the most flair and innovation, as well as showcasing sustainable design, efficiency, cost effectiveness and aesthetics.

The PRO Award winners in full:

• Best Residential Project (single dwelling)
• Procyon, Poland – H3 Grande
• Best Residential Project (multi-dwelling)
• Heat Merchants,Ireland – Straffan Manor Development
• Best Residential Project (social housing)
• Ecosphere Renewables, UK – Wealden District
• Best Hotel Installation
• BS-Klima, Germany – Hotel Europa Park
• Best Retail Project
• Hydra Ingenieria SL, Spain – Lo + Fit
• Best Restaurant Project
• FWP and Oceanair, UK – Carluccios
• Best Commercial Air Conditioning Project
• Vini Thermo Consulting, France – Maîtrise des Temp Vinicole
• Special Award for Best contribution
• Tech, Ireland – Smurfit Kappa, Savills HQ Dublin & Google Block R

For more information on Panasonic, please visit www.aircon.panasonic.eu