Four outstanding UK projects have won prestigious 2025 Structural Awards, with the engineering teams at Arup, Curtins, Structure Workshop and Webb Yates Engineers all recognised for their work. The winning entries include a major hospital remediation, a pioneering net-zero office, an intricate museum exhibit and a low-carbon community building.
The projects showcase the breadth of British engineering talent. They range from the complex RAAC remediation of Airedale General Hospital in Yorkshire and the ambitious retrofit of ‘The Acre’ in London, to the delicate, freestanding ‘Fern the Diplodocus’ skeleton at the Natural History Museum and the sustainable, community-focused welfare centre at The Heathland School in Hounslow.
Close-up of Fern – Copyright The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London
Judges praised the UK winners for demonstrating technical excellence across diverse challenges. The projects were celebrated for setting new benchmarks in critical infrastructure repair, large-scale sustainable retrofit, imaginative public art and the use of natural, low-carbon materials for community benefit.
Airedale General Hospital – Curtins 2025
6 other projects from the 34 strong shortlist were also recognised for their significant contributions to structural engineering, showcasing specific excellence, including innovation and social impact. High levels of sustainability where also regarded as a standout criterion, celebrating those projects which demonstrated the integration of environmentally friendly solutions, with a particular focus on reducing embodied carbon in construction.
The Acre – Copyright Arup, 2025
The winning firms represent some of the best-known names and emerging players in global structural engineering, comprising the likes of: Curtins, Aurecon and GHD Joint Venture (AGJV), Structure Workshop, Latéral, Fast + Epp Structural Engineers, schlaich bergermann partner (sbp), Arcplus Institute of Shanghai Architectural Design & Research Co., Ltd, Atelier One, Arup, Webb Yates Engineers and R.V. Anderson Associates.
This diverse mix not only showcases a wide variety of exceptional contributions to the field, but also how rich and vibrant the world’s structural engineering community is.
Professor John Orr, chair of the judging panel and chartered member of the IStructE, commented on this year’s winners:
“Yet again, this year’s awards recognised a wealth of other inspiring projects, all characterised by their intelligent use of materials, circular design principles, and low-carbon construction. Our judging framework, focused on key attributes, highlights how structural engineers are driving innovation towards a safer, more sustainable built environment.”
The winners were announced on 14 November 2025 during the awards ceremony in London.
Featured Image: Heathland School – Copyright Agnese Sanvito
About the Structural Awards
The Structural Awards are the world’s foremost celebration of structural engineers as innovative, creative design professionals and the guardians of public safety.
For over 50 years, the Structural Awards have showcased the world’s most cutting-edge engineering achievements. Past winners include iconic structures such as the Sydney Opera House, the Pompidou Centre and the Severn Bridge.
All entries are reviewed by a panel of world-renowned judges who are truly passionate about structural engineers’ contribution to society as design professionals.
For 2024, the judging criteria have evolved with project-specific categories replaced by value-driven ones. In full these four ‘attributes’ comprise:
Planet: Entries are judged on their holistic environmental impact, including the efficiency of design, sustainability, resilience, response to local conditions, regeneration, circular economic principles and alignment with UN Sustainable Development Goals.
People: Entries are judged on principles such as collaborative design and procurement, how they add community value and their positive impact on end users and wider society.
Process: Entries are judged on technical achievement and the role of innovation in achieving a successful outcome. This will focus on the originality and application of new and improved technologies and structural design procedures to deliver greater efficiencies and economies.
Profession: Entries are judged on how the project/project team has inspired others, raised standards of design and enhanced the reputation of the global structural engineering community.
About the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE)
The Institution of Structural Engineers dates back to 1908 and is now the world’s largest membership organisation dedicated to the art and science of structural engineering.
It has over 29,000 members working in 138 countries around the world
The Institution is an internationally recognised source of expertise and information concerning all issues that involve structural engineering and public safety within the built environment.
The core work of the Institution is supporting and protecting the profession of structural engineering by upholding professional standards and acting as an international voice on behalf of structural engineers.
Discover more from Specifier Review
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
