Leading design & build contractor McAleer & Rushe has been shortlisted in the prestigious BCO Regional Awards (Northern) 2026 in the Commercial Workplace category for City Square House, Leeds, a landmark Grade A office development for MRP.
Taking place on 6 May at the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, Manchester, the Northern BCO Awards celebrate the region’s leading office developments and the teams behind them. The shortlisting reflects the quality and ambition behind City Square House, a significant 140,000 sq ft workplace that has transformed one of Leeds’ most prominent long-vacant gateway sites into a future-ready commercial development.
City Square House
City Square House has transformed a long-vacant site beside Leeds Station into a landmark Grade A office development in the heart of Leeds. Built by McAleer & Rushe for MRP, the 12-storey scheme provides large, flexible floorplates designed to meet the needs of modern occupiers, while bringing architectural quality, commercial strength and sustainability leadership to one of the city’s key gateway locations.
Defined by its trapezoidal form, high-quality limestone and glass façade, and generous recessed entrance, CSH creates a bold civic presence while responding sensitively to its surrounding context. The project combined technical innovation with high-quality delivery, including deep basement construction, a highly coordinated steel frame and an offsite-manufactured unitised façade system that supported precision, quality and programme efficiency.
Designed with occupier wellbeing and long-term performance in mind, CSH offers clear-span floorplates, 2.9m floor-to-ceiling heights, strong natural daylight, CO2-responsive ventilation, smartphone-enabled access and best-in-class end-of-journey facilities. The building has achieved BREEAM Excellent, EPC A and WiredScore Platinum, reflecting its high standards in sustainability, connectivity and workplace quality.
Fully electric and supported by air-source heat pumps, a 160 m² photovoltaic array, regenerative lifts and smart controls, the development also achieved a 50% reduction in embodied carbon and a 98.5% recycling rate during construction. Commercially, the scheme achieved 84% pre-let during construction, while its wider social impact included £13.8 million in local spend, 9 apprenticeships, 13 work placements and engagement with 154 young people.
Delivered through strong collaboration across the project team, City Square House combines design quality, construction excellence and leading sustainability credentials to create a landmark workplace with lasting value for Leeds.
