They include the 17-mile Thames Tideway ‘super sewer’ tunnel under the river bed from Barnes to the Isle of Dogs and the iconic 51-storey Bishopsgate Tower at Norton Folgate, whch overlooks Shoreditch and Spitalfields.
The schemes, such as the Natural History Museum’s garden in Kensington and the Ebury housing estate near Victoria station, are among the UK’s 14 “most inspirational projects” receiving awards from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.
The Tideway Tunnel, started in 2015, received the ‘infrastructure’ award, described as “the UK’s single greatest intervention” to tackle sewage pollution.
Construction is now complete with the process of ‘commissioning’ or handing over just beginning.
The office tower at 8 Bishopsgate opened in 2023 was ‘highly commended’ as a commercial development ‘project of the year’. The skyscraper is a mixed-use landmark tower at Norton Folgate with offices, shops and a public viewing gallery at level 50, at the eastern end of the ‘Tall Building Cluster’ development with its contemporary design “blended with the City of London’s historical context”.
The ‘RICS UK’ awards at the Hilton Park Lane on Thursday (Oct 16) put the spotlight on inspirational developments in real estate, construction and infrastructure.
“We visited each project and met the passionate teams behind them,” the awards’ national chair Kerry Gibbs said. “These projects play an integral role in communities.”
London surveyor Julian Lyon took home the coveted ‘lifetime achievement’ trophy after a career of 42 years, while TfL’s station enhancements team won ‘outstanding contribution’ award.
The Natural History Museum’s five-acre gardens took the ‘environmental impact’ award for their transformation into a biologically-diverse green space with outdoor galleries for researchers and scientists to learn about Earth’s changing diversity.
Their sustainable construction methods were also recognized with the ‘Silver Prize for Europe’ in 2023.
The Ebury regeneration project in Victoria has been “a significant contribution” to Westminster City’s housing needs.
The design has well-proportioned homes with good ceiling heights, layouts and “no single north-facing” flats.
New planting and retaining trees create a sustainable approach that makes this development “a benchmark for environmentally conscious regeneration”.
