Aireavu wins Smart Building Project of the Year for our work with Portakabin

A double win at the Building Innovation Awards 2026, which also saw Aireavu named Best Use of Remote Monitoring Technology, recognises AI that cut user-driven energy waste in modular buildings by up to 87%.

Site accommodation, temporary classrooms and relocatable modular offices are amongst the most challenging buildings to run efficiently due to user behaviour. Heating gets left on in empty rooms, windows get opened with the heating running, and nobody on site has time to watch the controls. In many modular buildings, up to 70% of energy use is wasted this way.

That is the problem Aireavu has been recognised for solving. At the Building Innovation Awards 2026 on 29 September, Aireavu won Smart Building Project of the Year for the Aireavu & Portakabin Smart Building Project. The ceremony was held at the National Conference Centre in Birmingham on the opening night of UK Construction Week. The Aireavu platform also won Best Use of Remote Monitoring Technology.

The winning project put Aireavu's AI in charge of monitoring and controlling occupied Portakabin buildings across the UK.  We successfully cut user-driven energy waste by up to 87%. Comfort was maintained or improved, and occupants kept full control of their settings throughout.

The work was carried out with innovation support from InnovateUK and in collaboration with University College London, Verv and d-fine. d-fine, an AI assurance specialist, independently evaluated the system and found it transparent, reliable and trustworthy, so operators can automate their buildings and still see what the AI is doing.

The Smart Building Project of the Year shortlist also included One Broadgate by Sir Robert McAlpine. Beating large commercial schemes shows that modular and relocatable buildings can get the same benefits from smart technology: lower energy bills and emissions, and better conditions for the people inside.

Nic Shulman, CEO of Aireavu, said:

" With Portakabin, we've shown that trustworthy AI can remove most of the energy people waste in these buildings, while keeping them comfortable and in control. Winning a second award for remote monitoring on the same night is a credit to the whole Aireavu team." 

Aireavu helps operators of site accommodation, education, healthcare and office estates run energy-efficient modular buildings, finding and removing wasted energy across whole portfolios from one dashboard.

The award-winning Portakabin project cut user-driven energy waste by up to 87%. What could your buildings save? Book a free consultation and Aireavu will show you where your modular buildings are wasting energy, what it's costing you, and how much you could save.