McAleer & Rushe have been shortlisted in the prestigious Ground Engineering Awards in partnership with Card Geotechnics Limited (CGL) for the 65 Crutched Friars project in London. They were appointed by developer Dominus Real Estate last year to deliver the purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) building.
The design and build contractor are shortlisted in the following category: UK Project with a Geotechnical Value of between £1m and £3m.
The Ground Engineering Awards celebrate the UK’s most exceptional achievements in the industry, recognising technical excellence, collaboration, and sustainable innovation.
Located in the heart of the City of London, the project involves the transformation of a former five-storey office block into a 21-storey mixed-use scheme for Dominus.
Once complete, the 3XN-designed scheme will provide 782 PBSA homes and a purpose-built, three-floor 30,000 sq ft space for a permanent home for London’s Migration Museum.
Working within a highly constrained urban site, the McAleer & Rushe and CGL teams demonstrated exceptional collaboration and innovation throughout the demolition of the office block.
By adopting a lean, pragmatic and sustainability-led geotechnical strategy, the basement design was optimised to eliminate 180 piles and 95 metres of perimeter piling, while reusing significant elements of the existing 1980s substructure, including basement walls and a 4m-deep raft foundation, resulting in 1,100 tCO₂e savings.
CGL’s innovative buttress-pile system and reuse of the existing ground floor slab as a crash deck enabled concurrent demolition and basement works, streamlining the programme while minimising environmental impact. The approach also facilitated early tower crane installation and seamless core slip-forming, all delivered within a safe and clutter-free site environment.
Targeting a BREEAM Outstanding rating, the scheme exemplifies McAleer & Rushe’s commitment to sustainable development, technical excellence, and heritage preservation.
The winners of the awards will be announced on 18 June 2025 during the awards ceremony which will be held at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel in London.
