Civic has been shortlisted in four categories at the AJ Retrofit & Reuse Awards 2026, which recognise excellence in the adaptation of buildings and the reuse of materials and structures in response to the climate crisis. The nominations cover residential and office adaptive reuse and decarbonisation at scale across Yorkshire, the North West and London.

Campfield, Manchester – Adaptive reuse into office (up to £10 million): A pair of Grade II-listed Victorian market halls has been retrofitted to create Upper and Lower Campfield, a campus of flexible workspaces in the St John's district. Working with Project 3 Architects for Allied London, the scheme repurposed old floorboards for walls and partitions and reused historic steelwork in the public realm. Detailed analysis enabled retention of the original substructures to support new internal mezzanine floors. The mezzanine is non-intrusive and not connected to the existing frames, reducing impact on the listed fabric and allowing future changes without scarring the building.

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Sutton Estate, London – Decarbonisation at Scale: The retrofit of the 100-year-old purpose-built social housing estate in Chelsea, delivered with HTA, transformed four blocks of small, outdated studios into spacious, future-ready homes that are sustainable, affordable and low-carbon. The project enhances estate-wide drainage, green space and accessibility, adding landscaped courtyards, play trails and places to sit. It previously won an ICE London award for 'best project – asset resilience', was shortlisted at the Pineapples Awards and Building Awards, and was highly commended at the Susdrain Awards for excellence in retrofit.

Civic Centre, Wigan – Adaptive reuse into office (up to £10 million): The 1960s former Council offices have been transformed into BREEAM Excellent workspace, dubbed 'Civic'. Civic served as structural and civil engineers alongside Shedkm for Capital&Centric and Wigan Council. Vacant since 2018, the building was retrofitted to create aspirational office space with lasting social impact, complemented by communal amenities including a gym, mini-cinema and a ground-floor coffee shop. Works included repairing the exposed reinforced concrete frame and structural alterations to form new office and amenity areas. The project was named best refurbished workspace at the BCO Northern Awards 2026.

Cocoa Works, York – Adaptive reuse into residential: The landmark Rowntree's Factory has been converted into an £80m residential scheme, The Cocoa Works, with Civic providing structural and civil engineering design alongside Weedon Architects for Latimer, the development arm of Clarion Housing Group. The redevelopment delivers 279 apartments, 30 per cent of which are affordable homes. It is also shortlisted for an RTPI Yorkshire Award for Planning Excellence 2026 and at the RICS Awards 2026 in the refurbishment/revitalisation and residential categories.

Winners of the AJ Retrofit & Reuse Awards 2026 will be announced at a ceremony on 24 September. The full shortlist can be viewed on the awards website.