A bold reinvention of a Grade II-listed office building on London’s South Bank has been named the Overall Winner at the Schüco Excellence Awards 2025. Designed by AHMM, 76 Upper Ground was selected by the judges for its outstanding architectural and environmental performance, as well as the high level of collaboration between the project team.
The annual awards, held in partnership with Architecture Today, took place at The Pelligon, Canary Wharf on 26th June. The event celebrated excellence in façade and building envelope design across nine project categories, along with a special People’s Choice award voted for on the day.
The 2025 judging panel, chaired by Architecture Today editor Isabel Allen, evaluated entries against four criteria: creativity, innovation, technical skill and creative collaboration. This year, AHMM’s transformation of 76 Upper Ground stood out across multiple categories and was ultimately chosen as the Overall Winner.
Originally designed by Sir Denys Lasdun and constructed in the 1980s as IBM’s marketing suite, 76 Upper Ground has been repurposed into a modern office building with exemplary sustainability credentials. The project, delivered by main contractor Multiplex and specialist contractor Dane Architectural Systems, achieves BREEAM Outstanding and features Schüco Ultra Low Carbon aluminium profiles – used for the first time in the UK – helping to reduce embodied carbon by over 100 tonnes.
The judges praised the scheme for “setting a new benchmark for what can be achieved in the transformation of a valuable but poorly performing heritage asset”, describing it as “an exemplar reinvention project” brought up to modern-day standards through close collaboration and technical excellence.
The People’s Choice award went to The Whiteley, a vibrant mixed-use development that has breathed new life into an iconic Grade II listed former department store in west London, designed by Foster + Partners and delivered by specialist contractor Propak Architectural Glazing.
Commenting on the awards, Dan Gleeson, Sales Director of Schüco UK and Ireland, said:
“The Schüco Excellence Awards have always been about recognising what’s possible when innovative design meets technical know-how and strong collaboration. 76 Upper Ground exemplifies that spirit – it’s a project that reinvents the past while looking firmly to the future. I want to congratulate all of this year’s winners, and thank our judges and everyone who submitted a project. The quality of work across all categories was exceptional.”
For full details of all the Schüco Excellence Awards 2025 winners, visit: https://www.schueco.com/uk/specifiers/schueco-events/excellence-awards-2025
