John Connell Awards 2025

The Local Authority Award recognises Local Authority Environment and Planning teams dealing with the challenges of neighbourhood noise and promoting sustainable placemaking. It commends innovative services, campaigns and initiatives that show strong community engagement and creative approaches to reducing excessive noise and shaping healthier sounding environments.

Winner: Bradford Metropolitan District Council 

Bradford Metropolitan District Council has won the John Connell Local Authority Award 2025 for its strong and coordinated response to anti-social behaviour across the district. The council’s proactive approach, including the extension of its Public Space Protection Order until 2028, demonstrates a clear commitment to improving safety and quality of life for residents. This initiative empowers enforcement against nuisance driving, illegal street racing, and unauthorised car meets, helping to curb dangerous and disruptive activity on local roads. Most impressive was Bradford Council’s recent work tackling noise nuisance, illegal parties, street racing, and off-road biking through a collaborative, multi-agency approach. The Local Authority recognises the council’s sustained leadership in addressing anti-social behaviour and promoting safer, more
peaceful communities.

Highly Commended: Oxfordshire County Council and Thames Valley Police

For their effective handling of noise nuisance and anti-social motorbike use across Oxfordshire, the John Connell Local Authority 2025 Highly Commended went to Oxfordshire County Council and Thames Valley Police. In addition to initial engagement efforts, teams were required to coordinate multi-agency enforcement operations, including targeted patrols and the issuing of warnings and fines to address persistent and disruptive riding. This commendation highlights the partnership’s dedication to tackling complex neighbourhood noise problems, protecting residents’ wellbeing, and promoting safer, more peaceful communities. Their actions demonstrate the impact of collaborative approaches in resolving challenging environmental health issues.

The Institute of Acoustics (IOA) is inviting young people to dive into the fascinating world of acoustics – the science of sound – and show the world why sound matters in daily life. For more information about the IOA Young Persons Award please see: https://www.ioa.org.uk/news/sound-unleashed-discover-create-inspire-ioa-2025-young-persons-competition

Winners: Brooke Gill and Isha Patel (Category for Ages 13 – 16), Ash Natelson-Carter (Category for Ages 17 – 25)

The IOA has run two competitions each year since 2021, one for primary school-aged children and one for secondary school-aged children, to encourage children to think about sound and the soundscapes around them. This year, however, the competition for older children was expanded to include young adults, and four categories were created: UK and International categories for 13–16-year-olds and the same for 17–25-year-olds. This year’s Young Persons’ Competition received a revamp, with the Institute asking entrants to make a short, engaging video showing why sound is so important in our everyday lives and how it impacts people in meaningful ways.

The Quiet Mark Young Engineers Award, kindly sponsored by S&P UK Ventilation Systems, recognises early-career engineers who are developing innovative, practical solutions to reduce noise pollution and improve sound design. Celebrating creativity, technical skill, and real-world impact, the award highlights tangible outputs such as prototypes or products that advance quiet engineering in everyday environments.

Winner: Team Marigold, Imperial College London

Team Marigold from Imperial College London, has won the Quiet Mark Young Engineer’s Award 2025 for their innovative AI-powered solution supporting individuals with misophonia. The team developed a Chrome extension that uses machine learning to filter specific trigger sounds from online media, helping users manage distress caused by everyday noises. Through extensive user testing and collaboration with support communities, the project demonstrates technical skill, creativity, and tangible impact in reducing noise-related challenges in everyday environments. The award recognises the team’s practical and innovative approach to quiet engineering.

The John Connell Sustainable Development Award, kindly sponsored by the Association of Noise Consultants (ANC) and ANV Measurement Systems (ANV), recognises innovative and/or novel products, services, and solutions that reduce noise and/or enhance sound quality. This award recognises advancements that benefit society, the environment and the economy and highlights impactful approaches leading to quieter, health promoting, and sustainable placemaking.

Winner: Sustainable Acoustics Ltd and Mason UK 

Sustainable Acoustics Ltd and Mason UK have won the John Connell Sustainable Development Award 2205 for their project: Acoustics for a Sustainable Future: The Carbon Benefits of Isolating Retrofits. In collaboration with Mason UK, they converted a six-story 1890s building above London’s Northern Line into 90 residential apartments, applying innovative structural isolation to reduce structure-borne noise to levels suitable for restorative sleep. The approach cut carbon emissions by 80% compared with traditional box-in-box methods, preserved the historic building fabric, and enabled economically viable urban housing. This project demonstrates how acoustic innovation can support sustainable development, enhance health and wellbeing, and deliver environmental and economic benefits, setting a benchmark for retrofit solutions in urban environments.

Highly Commended: Natural Resources Wales, Noise Consultants Limited and Land Use Consultants

Natural Resources Wales, Noise Consultants Limited and Land Use Consultants have won the Highly Commended John Connell Sustainable Development Award 2025 for Tranquillity and  Place – A National Resource for Wales, a nationally consistent dataset mapping and assessing tranquil areas across Wales. By combining acoustic principles, visual assessment, and stakeholder engagement, the project provides an evidence-based resource to inform policy, planning, and environmental decision-making. The project enhances soundscapes, encourages sustainable land management, and fosters public awareness of the value of quiet spaces. Integrated into Welsh Government reporting and planning processes, the resource contributes to healthier, more sustainable, and economically vibrant communities across Wales.

Innovation is the key to solving noise and improving the sound environment for the benefit of all. This award, kindly sponsored by the Institute of Acoustics, recognises original thinking, products and solutions when faced with particularly challenging acoustic issues.

Winner: Thames Tideway Tunnel Independent Compensation Panel

The Thames Tideway Tunnel Independent Compensation Panel has won the John Connell Innovation Award 2025 for its innovative management of noise and vibration during construction of London’s major sewer project. Alongside extensive physical mitigation and continuous noise monitoring, the project introduced a Non-statutory Off-site Mitigation and Compensation Policy, providing tailored solutions for affected residents, including sound insulation, temporary rehousing, respite days, and noise-cancelling measures. This approach minimised long-term noise impacts, improved wellbeing for thousands of residents, and set a new benchmark for proactive, human-centred noise management in complex, high-exposure construction projects.

Highly Commended: Silencio Network

Silencio Network has won the Highly Commended John Connell Innovation Award 2025 for its innovative approach to understanding and mapping noise across the globe. By transforming smartphones into a distributed network of sound sensors, Silencio captures real-time, hyper-local dB(A) measurements in streets, neighbourhoods, workplaces, and public spaces. This crowdsourced methodology has produced the largest and most dynamic noise dataset ever assembled, providing actionable insights for individuals, urban planners, and policymakers. This innovative combination of technology, community engagement, and data-driven insight turns an invisible problem into something measurable that can improve public health, city planning, and sustainability.

The Quiet Mark Built Environment Award, kindly sponsored by ROCKWOOL, recognises shining examples of acoustic design and construction excellence incorporating high performance acoustic materials within the built environment.

Winner: Network Rail, Gatwick Airport, SYSTRA, Costain & Mima Group

For transforming Gatwick Airport Station Second Concourse into a modern, quieter transport hub, the Quiet Mark Built Environment Award 2025 went to Network Rail, Gatwick Airport, SYSTRA, Costain, and Mima Group. This collaborative project brought together architects, engineers, contractors, and client teams to redesign Gatwick Airport Train Station Second Concourse that accommodates growing passenger numbers while reducing noise and enhancing the acoustic environment. By combining high-performance acoustic materials, innovative construction techniques, and meticulous sound management, the team created a station that is both functional and significantly quieter for passengers and staff. The project highlights how multi-organisation collaboration can deliver excellence in acoustic design and set new standards for noise-conscious construction in high-traffic public spaces.

Highly Commended: Apex Acoustics, Peninsular Acoustics and University of Bologna

For their innovative Equivalent Area methodology addressing sound insulation for partially open windows, the Quiet Mark Built Environment Award 2025 Highly Commended went to Apex Acoustics, Peninsular Acoustics, and the University of Bologna. By aligning acoustic and thermal modelling, the team provided a single metric that allows new homes to achieve natural ventilation without unnecessary mechanical systems. This collaborative solution has been adopted in the IOA/ANC Approved Document O Noise Guide and is estimated to benefit approximately 77,000 new homes annually, saving £73 million and preventing 2.8 million kg of carbon dioxide each year. The project highlights the power of multi organisation collaboration in delivering practical, sustainable solutions to complex noise and building design challenges.

The John Connell Soundscape Award, kindly sponsored by Anderson Acoustics, recognises and encourages the development and advancement of soundscape projects demonstrating practical ‘real world’ applications to improve/support health, mental health, wellbeing, aural diversity and sustainability in indoor and outdoor spaces.

Winner: Institute of Acoustics (IOA) and the Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering (IEDE), University College London

For delivering the first certified training course of the landmark educational framework that embeds soundscape thinking into professional environmental practice, the John Connell Soundscape Award 2025 went to the Institute of Acoustics (IOA) and the Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering (IEDE), University College London. Through the Certificate Course in Soundscape Assessment (CCSA), the IOA Course Development Committee have created the first formal training programme equipping practitioners, regulators, and researchers with the skills to deliver evidence-based, ISO-aligned soundscape assessments. This pioneering collaboration bridges science, policy, and design, advancing health, wellbeing, and sustainability in line with emerging UK soundscape legislation. The Course Development Committee, chaired by Dr Chris Barlow (KP Acoustics) with members from Apex Acoustics, the University of Salford, the Noise Abatement Society, the Welsh Government, the Open University, the University of Surrey, and the Institute of Acoustics, is recognised for its expert contribution and commitment to advancing the field.

Highly Commended: Limerick City and County Council and Noise Consultants Limited

For their Castletroy Greenway Pilot Acoustic Study, Limerick City and County Council and Noise Consultants Limited have won the Highly Commended John Connell Soundscape Award 2025 for introducing a soundscape-led approach to Quiet Area designation. The project combines innovative acoustic measurement, psychoacoustic analysis, and citizen engagement to map and enhance Castleroy Greenway’s acoustic environment. Through nature-based interventions, such as strategic tree planting to enrich natural sounds, the study improves urban tranquillity, supports community wellbeing, and provides a scalable model for sustainable soundscape planning across Ireland.

Highly Commended: Stantec

For their Real-Time Noise at Work Risk Management System for the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Choirs, Stantec won the Highly Commended John Connell Soundscape Award 2025. This innovative system transforms traditional noise monitoring by providing real-time acoustic assessment across rehearsal and performance spaces, enabling immediate interventions to protect musicians’ hearing. By combining bespoke microphone arrays, software algorithms, and dynamic tracking, the system allows immediate intervention to reduce harmful noise exposure, improves acoustic management, and ensures regulatory compliance. This innovative solution sets a new benchmark for noise risk management in high-performance sound environments and demonstrates a practical, scalable approach to enhancing wellbeing and sound quality.

The Quiet Mark Logistics Award, kindly sponsored by Rolltek International Ltd, recognises advances in low noise technology in the logistics industry to facilitate quieter delivery and servicing especially in urban areas and near sensitive receptors (e.g. schools and hospitals).

Winner: Kuehne+Nagel & Renault Trucks

For developing the first heavy-duty electric freight truck to cross the English Channel, the Quiet Mark Logistics Award 2025 goes to Kuehne+Nagel and Renault Trucks. The challenge facing the teams was to demonstrate that a 40-tonne electric truck could operate efficiently on a major international freight route while reducing noise and emissions. Successfully completing the Dover-Calais journey, the truck proved that electric logistics vehicles can deliver freight quietly, sustainably, and reliably, even on demanding routes. The initiative not only reduces noise impact in urban and sensitive areas but also sets a new benchmark for low-emission, acoustic-friendly freight transport, showing how innovation in vehicle design can transform the logistics industry.

The Quiet Mark Commercial Award recognises companies which have been highly inventive in the marketing of their Quiet Mark product to support health, mental health and wellbeing.

Winner: NIBE Energy Systems Ltd

The judging panel commended this company for the exemplary use of its Quiet Mark certification to highlight low-noise performance as a defining attribute within the UK and European communications for its eligible heat pump range. By combining powerful, energy-efficient performance with exceptionally low sound levels, the company reinforces its commitment to noise reduction and demonstrates how its heat pumps can transform the home into a sanctuary of comfort and tranquillity.