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Concrete Innovation

Whiteleys redevelopment wins Concrete Society’s top honour

By Richard High, 14 November, 2024
Lots of men in a line wearing black tie celebrate winning the Concrete Society’s annual Awards for Excellence in Concrete 2024 at The Royal Lancaster London The winners of the Concrete Society’s annual Awards for Excellence in Concrete celebrate at last night's awards ceremony at The Royal Lancaster London.

The Concrete Society’s annual Awards for Excellence in Concrete took place on 13th November 2024 at The Royal Lancaster London, celebrating projects that demonstrate outstanding concrete craftsmanship, innovation, and sustainability. Hosted by comedian Hal Cruttenden, the event highlighted impressive applications of concrete across the UK.

Whiteleys redevelopment

The Whiteleys Redevelopment project in Bayswater, London, won the prestigious overall award. The redevelopment, rated as BREEAM 'Excellent', transformed the historic Whiteleys shopping centre into a mixed-use residential and retail space, preserving the building’s Grade II-listed façade. The project involved constructing a deep, three-level basement and a ten-storey superstructure with extensive use of in-situ concrete. The judges praised the engineering, stating that “the permanent engineering on this project was only possible using concrete as a building material.”

The judges highlighted the complex “top-down” basement construction technique, which allowed building above ground while excavation continued below, speeding up the process on the congested site. "The speed of construction on the constrained site – all while retaining the Grade II-listed Portland stone façade, central dome, and grand staircase – was a feat all of its own,” the judges noted.

Project Team
Client: Finchattan
Contractor: Laing O’Rourke
Concrete Supplier: Tarmac
Architect: Foster and Partners
Concrete Specialist: Explore Manufacturing
Structural Engineer: AKT II 

The Whiteley is the large‐scale reimagining of the former Whiteleys shopping centre in London’s Bayswater. This huge restoration project includes the construction of a deep three‐level basement and a ten‐storey superstructure mixed residential and retail space, set behind a retained and refurbished Grade II-listed façade.

Highly Commended projects

Several projects received high commendations, showcasing concrete’s versatility:

TTP Campus, Melbourn: Recognised for its single-storey, collaborative design, the TTP Campus maximised openness and natural light through flat-slab construction. Judges commended the razor-thin beams, blade columns, and uniform finishes, calling the concrete “some of the best and most consistent we have ever seen.”

The single‐storey TTP Campus has been shaped around the company’s values of non‐hierarchical, collaborative working. The use of concrete was central to the client’s aspirations and its vision of a high‐tech building that would stand the test of time.

Lost Shore Surf Resort, Edinburgh: This project created Europe’s largest wave pool within a 10,500m³ reinforced concrete structure. The judges praised the collaboration with Heriot-Watt University to create a floating concrete slab designed to resist shrinkage. The project successfully removed over two million tonnes of carbon from its final concrete mix.

Craigpark Quarry, Edinburgh, was an infilled quarry that had been partly remediated into a country park. The accessible location has now been redeveloped to provide a leisure resort and Europe’s largest wave pool – 23,500m3 in area – in a 10,500m3 water-resistant reinforced concrete structure.

Reciprocal House, Hampstead, London: This four-storey house retained an industrial feel while achieving a refined finish. The exposed aggregate floors, sloping walls, and passive design were highlights, with the judges admiring how the design “blends into the surrounding area while offering privacy and access to light.”

This new four‐storey house was designed to complement Foster Associates’ lightweight single‐storey structure of steel, concrete blocks and large‐span glazing. The industrial character has been retained with the elemental quality of the new house, evident in the highly effective palette of timeless materials – primarily concrete, aluminium and glass.

The Peninsula London: A new luxury hotel in central London, the project used top-down basement construction and post-tensioned concrete slabs to achieve high-quality finishes. The judges noted the attention to detail, especially in the façade’s precast stone panels.

The Peninsula London is a project of exceptional quality, delivering the most significant hotel and residences in London in recent times. Concrete was the material of choice for the structure of the building from very early in the design process. The project embraced top‐down construction for the basement areas, post-tensioned concrete slabs for the upper floors and precast concrete for the façades.

Everton FC Stadium, Bramley Moore Dock: Everton’s new stadium received acclaim for its high-quality precast terracing units. The judges noted the units’ durability and appearance, adding that the “brick cladding reflects the surrounding historic structures.”

Rising from the banks of the River Mersey at Bramley‐Moore Dock, the new 52,888‐seater stadium comprises over 13,000 precast concrete units – from innovative double‐terracing to the columns, beams, twin walls, lattice slabs and façade panels. Combining meticulous BIM and innovative precast, the end result is a once-in-a-generation stadium.

Supporting Industry Awards

The Concrete Repair Association also presented an award at the event, recognising RH Partnership Architects, Cemplas, and Mapei for their work on Saltdean Lido.

This complex heritage project involved restoring the iconic 1930s Grade II-listed building, which had suffered extensive concrete corrosion from its coastal location and the use of sea-dredged aggregate. The project’s guiding principle was to retain and repair as much of the original fabric as possible while authentically replicating key components.

This stunning restoration project brought a derelict Grade II listed structure back to life, retaining and repairing as much of the existing building fabric as possible. New and sustainable concrete repair technologies to reduce future maintenance and extend the building’s lifecycle included corrosion inhibitors and modern protective coatings suitable for the harsh marine climate.

This year’s awards showcase concrete’s essential role in the UK’s most challenging and innovative construction projects, from residential homes to large-scale infrastructure, highlighting both sustainable practices and complex engineering feats.

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