McAleer & Rushe has celebrated a notable double triumph at the 2025 Green Apple Environment Awards, with the accolades recognising the contractor's sustained focus on sustainable development, environmental stewardship and sector-leading practice.

Selected from more than 1,000 entries worldwide, the company earned a Gold Environment Award for its Smugglers Way scheme and a Silver Environment Award for Taxi House. The prizes were conferred at the House of Lords, Westminster Palace, London, on 17 November 2025, at a ceremony hosted by Phil Williams.

Gold Award | Smugglers Way, Wandsworth (Environmental Improvement)

Judges commended the project as “an exemplary model of environmental improvement within a major residential-led brownfield regeneration”. Delivered for Legal & General, the programme has turned a former contaminated industrial site into a highly sustainable neighbourhood within Wandsworth’s emerging New Acres district, providing 554 homes across 13 buildings with landscaped communal areas, roof gardens and new public amenities, designed to BREEAM Excellent and Home Quality Mark 4 standards.

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The scheme posted standout performance on carbon and resource efficiency: residential emissions were reduced by 54% versus the Part L baseline and site-wide emissions fell by 45%, surpassing Greater London Authority expectations. The outcomes were underpinned by 100% renewable electricity, trials of HVO fuel, hybrid power systems, reuse of 3,000 tonnes of site-won material and 99% diversion of construction waste from landfill, securing significant carbon and cost savings.

Biodiversity uplift was a key success, with an independently verified 490% Biodiversity Net Gain achieved through biodiverse roofs, native planting and a landscape-led approach that markedly enhanced ecological value. A collaboration with the Royal College of Art also repurposed construction offcuts into public art, exhibitions and installations.

Silver Award | Taxi House, Westbourne Park (Carbon Reduction)

Praised by judges for "redefining sustainable urban redevelopment", Taxi House has reimagined the former London Taxi Drivers’ Association HQ as a dynamic canalside destination. Delivered for Cheyne Capital, the development comprises 332 modern serviced accommodation rooms alongside retail and commercial space, a wellness centre and more than 15,000 sq ft of affordable workspace for local organisations and enterprises.

A fabric-first strategy, passive design measures, high-performance materials and efficient air-to-water and air-to-air heat pumps delivered a 60% cut in operational carbon emissions — double the requirement set by the Greater London Authority. During construction, the use of post-tensioned concrete, recycled-content materials and canal barge deliveries reduced transport emissions by 45% and diverted 99.8% of waste from landfill. Designed to achieve BREEAM Outstanding, the project exemplifies how early carbon leadership, collaborative design and responsible construction can generate enduring environmental and social value.