McAleer & Rushe has been named as finalists in the 2024 Building Awards’ Housing Project of the Year category for two projects.
Taking place on 5th of November at the Grosvenor House Hotel, the Awards will be celebrating its 30th year of honouring excellence in the Construction Industry.
The projects shortlisted for Housing Project of the Year are:
- Canada Water Plot K1, London
- Exchange Square Phase 2, Birmingham
Canada Water Plot K1
Plot K1, also known as 7 Robert’s Close, is the first completed building of the 53-acre Canada Water Masterplan, uniquely located next to Russia Dock Woodland and Stave Hill Ecological Park. Developed by British Land in partnership with AustralianSuper, it provides 79 new affordable homes for Southwark Council, with 60 designated as council homes, helping to tackle the huge demand in the borough.
Achieving a Home Quality Mark Level 3 standard, the six-storey building is arranged in a C-shaped configuration around a central courtyard, offering dual-aspect views in every home and providing a communal garden for residents. Its façade design features a mix of precast brick slip panels in rich red tones with hand-laid white brick – symbolic of the area’s industrial heritage.
Sustainability is at the heart of Plot K1, achieving net zero embodied carbon and an astounding 866.4% Biodiversity Net Gain. The project is fully electric, water-efficient, and built to a zero-waste plan. The project created 70 local jobs and secured over 20 long-term employment outcomes, as well as providing two apprenticeships. Plot K1 exemplifies excellence in sustainable development, innovation, and community impact, setting a benchmark for future projects within the Canada Water Masterplan.
Exchange Square Phase 2
Located to face the future HS2 station, The Silver Yard at Exchange Square Phase 2 is a dramatic residential building standing tall at 34-storeys atop a podium with a basement & mezzanine below. Completed in February 2024, the building delivers 375 Build to Rent Grainger apartments in a mix of one, two and duplex apartments, along with generous amenity spaces that include a yoga studio, gym, fully equipped kitchen within a private dining room and a spacious resident lounge with co-working space complete with booths and meeting pods.
The project seamlessly blends innovative construction methods with carefully chosen materials to create an exceptional living environment. These included adjusting the critical path of the concrete frame and precast façade installation works into two phases, reducing the overall installation programme by almost half and accelerating the internal finishes critical path. The main concrete lift and staircore were also slipped ahead of the superstructure, thus derisking and reducing turnaround by three days per floor.
This project exemplifies precision engineering, innovation, and exceptional quality, highlighting the collaboration of all involved throughout the development lifecycle in partnership with local authorities.
