Overall winner
2025 Overall Winner
Located adjacent to the National Theatre on London’s South Bank, 76 Upper Ground was designed by Sir Denys Lasdun as an office and client marketing suite for IBM. Although the building was Grade II-listed in 2020, it no longer met modern-day occupier requirements in terms of spatial and environmental performance.
AHMM’s BREEAM Outstanding refurbishment and extension scheme retains more than 80 per cent of the existing structure, aligning with a low-carbon, fabric-first ethos. An additional 11,000 square metres of flexible and sustainable office space is paired with 4,400 square metres of landscaped terraces, promoting occupant wellbeing and delivering a 200 per cent biodiversity uplift.
The development also achieves an Urban Greening Factor of 0.3 in accordance with the London Plan. Undertaken by specialist contractor Dane Architectural Systems, the façade refurbishment includes 3,800 square metres of curtain walling and punched windows, 55 automatic doors, and 580 linear metres of rainscreen cladding. One of the main problems to overcome was the gradual settlement of the building over time. This had caused the structure to slowly shift toward the River Thames creating problematic level changes. To maintain visual consistency, Schüco curtain walling was specified to span full storeys, subtly accommodating the fall, while also aligning with flat-panel soffits overhead. This demanded precise tolerances and advanced engineering to retain the building’s crisp, modernist lines. Additional complications arose from the site’s constrained riverside setting, with deliveries having to be carefully scheduled to meet borough regulations and avoid disruption.
To align with the project’s sustainability targets, Schüco Ultra Low Carbon aluminium profiles were used for the first time in the UK. They have a footprint of just 2.27kg CO2e per kg, and contributed to carbon savings of more than 100 tonnes compared to standard aluminium profiles.
The project wowed the judges with its environmental ambition and understated – yet highly effective – architectural response. They acknowledged the key role played by the Schüco Ultra Low Carbon profiles in contributing to BREEAM Outstanding certification, and the overall aesthetic success of the refurbished façades.
"76 Upper Ground is an exemplar reinvention project, which has been brought up to modern-day performance standards under the stewardship of AHMM and the wider consultant team. The use of proprietary Schüco façade solutions, installed by Dane Architectural Systems Holdings, adds to both the visual success and embodied carbon credentials of the scheme"
"This exemplary regeneration project makes use of Schüco Ultra Low Carbon aluminium extrusions – for the first time in the UK – to dramatically reduce embodied carbon, ameliorate challenging structural conditions, and enhance the character of the Grade II listed building"
"Long considered too difficult to deal with, the repurposing of Sir Denys Lasdun’s Grade II listed building sets a new benchmark for what can be achieved in the transformation of a valuable but poorly performing heritage asset. Its new Schüco façade integrates seamlessly into the retained fabric delivering a high performing best practice envelope combined with architectural good looks"
Overall winner
