Project of The Year: Manchester Airport Terminal 2 Reconfiguration

Architect: Pascall + Watson
Structural Engineer: Buro Happold
Steelwork Contractor: Leach Structural Steelwork Ltd
Main Superstructure Contractor: McCrory Holdings
Client: Manchester Airport Group

Judges Comment: "A major upgrade to the existing 71,000m2 Terminal 2 structure, all within a live operational environment. Incredibly complex structural modifications have transformed the departure, security and arrivals areas and created a state-of-the-art passenger experience. Bespoke steel connections were devised to limit disruption and maintain separation between landside and airside boundaries. Over 1,000t of steelwork for the inside of the building had to be wheeled in without a single crane lift and lifted into position using rigging and winching."

Special Judges' Award: TBC.London

Architect: Stiff + Trevillion and ECE Architecture
Structural Engineer: Webb Yates Structural Engineer (Donor Site): Civic
Main Contractor: Willmott Dixon M&E Engineer: Atelier Ten
Client: FORE Partnership

Judges comment: "The UK’s first major commercial building to incorporate large-scale reuse of pre-war steel, TBC.London has redefined what is possible in circular construction, challenging industry norms and proving that ambitious carbon reduction can be achieved at commercial scale. It inspired the creation of The Engineers Reuse Collective, championing reuse across the built environment, creating a legacy of collaboration, innovation and industry-wide change."

38 Berkeley Square, London

Architect: Piercy & Co
Structural Engineer: Elliott Wood
Steelwork Contractor: ASD Westok
Main Contractor: Mace Group Limited
Client: Berkeley Estate Asset Management

The Judges’ comment: ”This was an exemplary project using a hybrid steel and CLT frame, setting a benchmark for future low-carbon construction. The judges praised the team’s collaboration and industry leadership, engaging Building Control, the London Fire Brigade and insurers, helping to shape the Commercial Timber Guidebook. Its success was driven by both a forward-thinking client and a highly committed design team."

Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool

Architect: BDP Pattern
Structural Engineer: Buro Happold
Steelwork Contractor: Severfield
Main Contractor: Laing O'Rourke
Client: Everton FC 'The People's Project'

The Judges’ comment: “Built over a historic dock which was infilled with sand from the adjacent River Mersey, the striking low-profile, barrel form of the roof encloses a stadium with unusually high sustainability credentials. The steel has been very carefully designed and detailed, and its installation painstakingly planned to maximise efficient use of temporary works. A truly first-class stadium.”

Fortnum & Mason Double Helix, London

Architect: Ben Pentreath Ltd
Structural Engineer: Format Engineers Ltd and Ramboll
Main Contractor: Portview Fit-Out Ltd
Client: Fortnum & Mason

The Judges’ comment: “This three-storey double-helix staircase is a joy! Combining modern analysis and fabrication techniques for the hidden steel and immaculate craftsmanship for the finishes. The construction challenge was significant, working in a live shop but minimising any impact on customers. The delighted client confirmed the intervention’s commercial success, increasing footfall to upper levels while creating a beautiful and memorable architectural feature.”

Gairnshiel Jubilee Bridge

Architect: Moxon Architects Ltd
Structural Engineer: Arcadis
Steelwork contractor: J&D Pierce
Contracts Ltd
Main Contractor: Wills Bros Civil Engineering Ltd
Client: Aberdeenshire Council

The Judges’ comment: “This new bridge is located close by to the 18th century listed stone structure it replaces, and the design thoughtfully responds to its context. The slender, 35m long weathering steel structure with its ‘recycled’ stone parapets integrates effortlessly into the Highland landscape. Carefully detailed, this bespoke structure is elegant, efficient and designed for minimal ongoing maintenance.”

Download the 2026 SSDA Brochure here

Manchester Airport Terminal 2 Reconfiguration

Architect: Pascall + Watson
Structural Engineer: Buro Happold
Steelwork Contractor: Leach Structural Steelwork Ltd
Main Superstructure Contractor: McCrory Holdings
Client: Manchester Airport Group

The Judges’ comment: “This project is an exemplar for the flexibility of structural steelwork as a framing material. The designers and sub-contractor teams had to be creative and agile, carrying out hugely complex alterations whilst working in a fully operational international airport. The result is the transformation of a tired airport terminal into a truly superb world-class facility."

334 Oxford Street, London

Architect: Allford Hall Monaghan Morris
Structural Engineer: AKT II
Steelwork Contractor: Severfield
Main Contractor: Bovis
Client: Capital Real Estate Partners

The Judges’ comment: “Breathing new form, function and life into a very tired old department store, this impressive project showcases how, through intelligent analysis and site investigation, new and existing steelwork can combine on a large scale to create a new look, flexible and holistic building at the heart of a heavily constrained site.”

BAE Govan, Glasgow

Architect: Corstorphine & Wright Architects
Structural Engineer: Robert Bird Group
Steelwork Contractor: Severfield
Main Contractor: McLaughlin & Harvey
Client: BAE Systems

TBC.London

Architect: Stiff + Trevillion and ECE Architecture
Structural Engineer: Webb Yates
Structural Engineer (Donor Site): Civic
Main Contractor: Willmott Dixon
M&E Engineer: Atelier Ten
Client: FORE Partnership

The Bakery Building, Dublin

Architect: AHMM
Structural Engineer: CORA
Steelwork Contractor: Steel & Roofing Systems
Main Contractor: PJ Hegarty & Sons
Client: Google Ireland Ltd

    The Judges’ comment: “With two additional floors and a new façade, this latest transformation of a 1940s bakery now provides a hi-tech facility for Google. An impressive 85t of steel was disassembled, tested and reused in creating this most imposing building.”

Vyshhorod Bridge, Kyiv, Ukraine

Structural Engineer: Ukrainian State Road Research Institute
Steelwork Contractor: Cairnhill Structures Limited
Main Contractor: Dogus Insaat UK Limited
Client: Ministry of Regional Development and Construction of Ukraine

The Judges’ comment: “An object lesson in ‘bridge building’ in most senses of those words, this project has enormous physical, social and emotional significance to the communities that it reconnects. UK Government funding, British fabrication, Turkish engineering and Ukrainian technical delivery operated seamlessly and the teamwork was exemplary. A remarkable achievement.”

The Ribbon, London

Architect: Orms Architects
Structural Engineer: Heyne Tillett
Steel Steelwork Contractor: Billington Structures Limited
Main Contractor: Wates Construction
Client: CBRE

The Judges’ comment: “The Ribbon is a beautifully coordinated example of exposed steel design, creating a 12-metre clear span on an exceptionally constrained site. Every element was carefully considered, from the self-supporting façade to concealed fixings and refined level changes. Strong collaboration between architect, engineer and fabricator has delivered an elegant, high-quality space."

PUMA Flagship Store, London

Architect: Johnson Pinney Architects
Structural Engineer: Eckersley O'Callaghan
Main Contractor: Goodman Hichens PLC
Steelwork Contractor: Malci Construction
Project Management: Mett Build
Client: PUMA UK Ltd

The Judges’ comment: “Retention of the structural steel supporting four storeys of occupied offices above was made possible through intelligent analysis and painstaking in-situ remodelling of structural members and connections.”

Stonecutter, London

Architect: TP Bennett
Structural Engineer: Thornton Tomasetti
Steelwork Contractor: William Hare Limited
Main Contractor: Mace Group Limited
Client: Ivanhoé Cambridge & Pimco Real Estate and CO-RE

The Judges’ comment: "Through close collaboration in sourcing steel, stringent material specification and reuse of many existing piles, the project demonstrates how ambitious embodied carbon targets can be achieved alongside commercial value..."

Tan House Footbridge, Berkshire

Designer: Format Engineers Ltd
Structural Engineer: Format Engineers Ltd and WSP
Main Contractor: Balfour Beatty
Client: Network Rail

The Judges’ comment: "The project combines innovation, efficiency and architectural quality, creating an elegant, visually porous fan-shaped structure using repurposed steel with the design adapted to suit available sections."

The Whale on the Wharf (Skyscraper), London

Artist: StudioKCA
Structural Engineer: Thornton Tomasetti
Geotechnical Engineer: A-squared Studio
Main Contractor: DiveCo Marine Ltd
Client: CWG

The Judges’ comment: “This project combines thoughtful engineering, innovative low-carbon design and a compelling environmental story...”

Sandyford House, Newcastle upon Tyne

Architect: GT3 Architects
Structural Engineer: JC Consulting and WB Engineers
Main Contractor and Client: Jomast

The Judges’ comment: “This workmanlike piece of logical design and construction within tight budgets has resulted in a building that has new life and a positive identity”

81 Newgate Street, London

Architect: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates
Structural Engineer: AKT II
Steelwork Contractor: Severfield
Main Contractor: Mace Group Limited
Client: Pella Real Estate

The Judges’ comment: “81 Newgate Street is a retrofit at a substantial scale. Retaining over 70% of the original structure, the former BT building has been extended by over 50%, creating significant value within the same footprint and a high-quality new headquarters for HSBC.”

First Street, Manchester

Architect: Jon Matthews Architects
Structural Engineer: Ramboll
Steelwork Contractor: Elland Steel Structures Ltd
Main Contractor: BAM Construction Ltd
Client: Ask Real Estate Ltd

The Judges’ comment: “Utilising long-span steel beams, this development features a column-free interior providing highly flexible, top-quality office accommodation. Notable features include a fibre-reinforced composite deck floor and carefully designed façade to minimise solar gain, contributing to the very strong sustainability credentials.”

Greycoat Stores, London

Architect: SPPARC and Veretec
Structural Engineer: Mason Navarro Pledge Limited
Client: LaSalle Investment Management

The Judges’ comment: “This tired 1880s-built structure has been transformed through a sympathetic renovation into a premium work, leisure and retail facility. Structural steel was the only practical framing solution given the spans required and the irregular geometry of the existing structure."

The Bolt of Lightning, Warrington

Architect: Peter W Naylor
Structural Engineer: WSP
Main Contractor: D Morgan plc
Client: Miller Developments

The Judges’ comment: “Set on the former RAF Burtonwood site, wartime base for the USAF Lightning P-38s, this sculpture represents the plane soaring skywards on curved cantilevered box sections, with integrated bespoke mass dampers to minimise vibration. A striking memorial achieved through good teamwork and careful planning.”

The Jellicoe, London

Architect: Piercy & Company
Structural Engineer: Arup
Steelwork Contractor: Severfield
Main Contractor: McLaren Construction
Client: The King’s Cross Group

The Judges’ comment: “One of the final King’s Cross masterplan plots, this mixed-use scheme creates offices and homes with a shared podium, basement and garden. The lightweight steel frame enabled The Jellicoe to achieve BREEAM Outstanding whilst managing impact on adjacent shallow brick-built rail tunnels.”