Fleming Award

Award Competition is held annually to commemorate the life and work of Dr Ken Fleming and to recognise excellence in the practical application of geotechnics in a project or a part of a project.

The competition is held at an evening meeting of the BGA each December, with entries being invited during the autumn of each year. The award recognises excellence in the practical application of geotechnics in a project or a part of a project, and is awarded to project teams who have worked on geotechnical projects that have been substantially completed within the two years prior to the award date of December. Each Team is expected to comprise between 3 and 6 people, at least one of whom must be a member of the BGA.

There is a prize of £1,000, donated by Cementation Skanska.

The call for submissions is now closed. Submissions open on 1 September 2025.

Information for Fleming Award submissions

  • Eligibility and Judging Criteria
    1. Entries are invited from Project Teams who have worked on geotechnical projects that have been substantially completed within the two years prior to the award date of December in the year of the competition.
    2. Each Team is expected to comprise between three and six people, at least one of whom must be a member of the BGA.
    3. Submitting teams typically include representatives from Clients, Main Contractors, Consulting Engineers, Specialist Contractors and so on. The award is presented to the Project Team which most demonstrates excellence in geotechnical design & construction.
    4. The judging criteria place significant emphasis on teamwork across the different disciplines involved in the project, innovation is also a strong consideration.
    5. The final of the competition will be held on December in the year of the award at the ICE, London. Each team will give a short presentation (20 minutes with 5 minutes questions afterwards). After the presentations have been completed, the judges will retire to consider their verdict. The judges will be selected from members of the BGA Executive Committee, previous winner(s) and industry leaders.
    6. Submissions should include a PDF document containing a brief description of the project (or section of a larger project) with illustrations/diagrams as appropriate. The text and illustrations should occupy no more than two A4 pages, i.e. four sides.
    7. The organisations and BGA individual or corporate members in the team should be identified, with contact details for one person to deal with correspondence from the BGA and listed on the accompanying completed Project Team Application Form.
    8. The submitting teams should have obtained permission from project clients and other parties for the project to be considered for the Fleming Award prior to submission.
    9. There is a prize of £1,000, donated by Cementation Skanska.
  • Make a Submission

    Submissions should take the form of a single PDF document including a brief description of the project (or section of a larger project) with illustrations/diagrams as appropriate. The text and illustrations should occupy no more than two A4 pages, i.e. four sides. The organisations and project roles should be identified

    The submitting teams should have obtained permission from project clients and other parties for the project to be considered for the Fleming Award prior to submission.

    Submissions should be made using the on-line form below.

Latest Winners

Year
Winners
Finalists
Keynote Speakers
2024Dunkettle Interchange Upgrade Scheme


  • Fehily Timoney and Company
  • Ramboll UK
  • John Sisk & Sons Holdings Limited
  • Menard UK
  • Transportation Infrastructure Ireland
A487 New Dyfi Bridge


  • Arup
  • Griffiths
  • Welsh Government
2 Finsbury Avenue


  • Cementation Skanska
  • Ramboll UK
  • Sir Robert McAlpine
  • British Land
  • Thomas Riccio, University of Dundee



    "Pile Installation Effects and Plugging in Soft Rock"

    • Previous Winners
      Year
      Winners
      Finalists
      Keynote Speakers
      2023Ground Suction Caisson Supported Offshore Wind Farm, North Sea


      • Ramboll
      • Seaway 7
      • SSE
      • GDG Limited
      • UWA
      • NGI
      • Ternan Energy Limited
      • Oxford University Innovation Limited
      • Dundee University
      76 Southbank - Foundation Re-use Scheme


      • HTS
      • Arup
      • Keller
      • Keltbray
      Hinkley Point C Tunnel Shaft Connections, GI Probing and Grout Team
      • Balfour Beatty
      • BAM Ritchies
      • Jacobs
      • EDF
      • BeMo
      David Richards, University of Southampton



      "Conservatism in Geotechnical Design"

      2022Ground Improvement for a Seismically Qualified Structure


      • BAE Systems
      • Atkins
      • Bachy Soletanche
      • Morgan Sindall
      HS2 Phase 1, Contract C1




      • HS2
      • Bouygues Travaux Publics
      • Jacobs
      • Rendel-Ingerop
      • Keller
      A Heat-Exchange Piled Foundation Solution at the Euston Station Welfare Facility for HS2
      • Keltbray Limited
      • City University
      • G-Core Limited
      • Wentworth House Partnership
      • Mace-Dragados
      • HS2
      Sergio Solera, Mott MacDonald





      "Design and construction of the Boston Barrier"

      2021Hinkley Point C Geotechnical Works



      • BAM Ritchies
      • NNB (EDF)
      • AECOM


      • Kier Bam JV





      1 Triton Square, London



      • Arup
      • Lendlease


      • British Land



      A63 Castle Street Improvements, Hull - Geotechnical Site Trials



      • Arup
      • Züblin
      • National Highways
      • Balfour Beatty
      • Geotechnical
        Experts
      • Coffey Geotechnics


      • AECOM











      David Wright, Jacobs

      "Fibre optic sensing – A distributed monitoring technology
      for earthworks?"

      202021 Moorfields - Piling through Moorgate Station, London



      • Cementation Skanska
      • Robert Bird Group
      • Mace
      • Geotechnical Consulting Group
      • Land Securities
      • London Concrete
      Analysis, Design and Construction of the Boston Barrier



      • Mott MacDonald
      • BAM Nuttall
      Robroyston Link Road, Glasgow



      • Tensar International Limited
      • Glasgow City Council
      • Park Lane (Scotland) Ltd
      • Luddon Construction Ltd
      • Foster Contracting (North) Ltd
      • GeoFEM
      Christopher Power, Mott MacDonald





      "Meeting the climate change challenge to transportation infrastructure geotechnical assets"

      2019Tunnelling through under ream piles for Bank Underground Station upgrade
      • Transport for London
      • Arup
      • The Worshipful Company of Grocers
      • Dragados UK
      • Dr Sauer & Partners




      Woodsmith Mine shaft, North Yorkshire
      • Bauer Technologies
      • Sirius Minerals plc
      • Arup
      • Datum
      • Geotechnical Experts Ltd




      Tideway East – Deptford Church Street chalk fissure investigation

      • Costain Vinci Bachy Soletanche JV
      • Tideway
      • Golder
      • Mott MacDonald
      • WJ Groundwater
      • SOCOTEC
      • European Geophysical Services
      • ChalkRock Ltd
      • Preene Groundwater Consulting
      • Imperial College London








      Rachel Monteith, BuroHappold

      "Viable sustainability"

      2018

      Claridges Hotel Basement, London


      • McGee Group Ltd
      • Arup
      • RKD Consultant Ltd


      Gardenstown Landslide Stabilisation - Gardenstown, near Banff, Aberdeenshire
      • Aberdeenshire Council
      • Atkins
      • BAM Ritchies




      A77 Cairnryan Slip Remediation -

      south-west Scotland


      • WSP UK Limited
      • Scotland Transerv
      • Raynesway
      • Transport Scotland



      Yvonne Ainsworth, JRL Civil Engineering

      "Pay Peanuts, Get Monkeys"
      2017The
      PISA Project

      • Oxford University
      • Imperial College
        London
      • DONG Energy
      • Carbon Trust
      • SOCOTEC UK (formerly ESG)
      • representing
        the many companies involved in the Project
      Garrion Gill Slope Remediation
      • Network Rail Infrastructure Projects Scotland
      • QTS Group Limited
      • COWI UK Limited
      • Cementation Skanska
      • Datum Group
      Pines Hotel Cliff Stabilisation Scheme

      • CH2M
      • Raymond Brown Construction
      • The Pines Hotel
      Toby Roberts, WJ Groundwater

      "Groundwater
      control for excavations in Cork, Ireland"
      2016

      Crag End Landslip Remediation

      • Volker Stevin
      • Atkins
      • Northumberland County Council
      • Keller

      Crossrail C300 &
      C410 Compensation Grouting

      • Crossrail
      • BAM Ferrovial Kier JV
      • Keller BAM
        Ritchies JV

      Farnley Haugh Emergency
      Works

      Renewals Collaborative Delivery Partnership (RCDP) – Network Rail, CML,
      AECOM

      Tony O'Brien, Mott MacDonald

      "Geotechnical
      Characterisation:

      Recent
      Developments and Applications"

      2015

      Chantry Lane Chalk Mines Remediation, Hatfield, Hertfordshire



      • BAM Ritchies

      • Welwyn and Hatfield BC

      • MACE

      • Arcadis Consulting (UK) Ltd



      Deep Basement for Exhibition Road Building, Victoria and Albert Museum, London



      • Arup

      • AL_A

      • Wates Construction



      Deep Basement for British Museum World Conservation & Exhibition Centre, London



      • Ramboll

      • Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

      • Mace

      • Arup

      • Bachy Soletanche

      • Keller

      • P J Carey

      • Rowecord

      • GIG Fassaden



      Duncan Nicholson, Arup


      “Developments in the Observational Method for Retaining Walls”


      2014

      Victoria Station Upgrade - Northern Tunnels



      • Taylor Woodrow BAM Nuttall (TWBN)

      • Mott MacDonald (MM)

      • Keller

      • London Underground Ltd



      Queensferry Crossing –A Collaborative Approach To Marine Foundation Construction



      • Transport Scotland

      • Arup

      • JV Ramboll



      Barcelona High Speed Railway Tunnel: Protecting World Heritage Buildings



      • UPC‐BarcelonaTech

      • Intecsa‐Inarsa

      • Sacyr

      • Sener

      • SPICC



      Tim Chapman, Arup


      “Explaining geotechnical risks to clients”


      2013

      Lee Tunnel, Abbey Mills, Stratford –Shaft F



      • MVB JV

      • AECOM

      • CH2M HIL

      • Bachy Soletanche

      • UNPS

      • Cambridge University



      Danube Bridge 2, “Vidin- Calafat” between Bulgaria and Romania



      • High Point Rendel and Ingerop JV

      • URS

      • Flint & Neil

      • Iberinsa JV

      • FCC Construccion S.A.



      Collaborative Value Engineering: Propping the Crossrail Tottenham Court Road Western Ticket Hall


      • Crossrail
      • Arup-Atkins JV
      • URS
      • BFK JV
      • Kier Engineering & Dam Structures


      Eur Ing David Norbury BSc MSc CEng MICE


      “EC7 – progress and myths”


      2012

      Construction on West Quay Collapse, Bridgewater



      • Somerset CC

      • Crestmoor Construction



      Kirklees



      • Coffey Geotechnics



      Field Road Coley District



      • Peter Brett Associates



      Dr Chris Menkiti, GCG


      “The Impact of Ground Movements due to Tunnelling – Two Uncommon Examples of Important Effects in a Hard Soil and a Soft Rock”


      2011

      Design And Construction Of The Toombul Jacked Box



      • Arup Geotechnics

      • Benaim – URS Scott Wilson

      • RD Geotech



      M74 Completion



      • Interlink M74JV

      • Jacobs/Atkins Design JV



      Tottenham Court Road Station Upgrade – The D-Shaped Pile



      • London Underground

      • Buro Happold

      • Bauer Keller JV

      • Taylor Woodrow Bam Nuttall JV



      Neil Smith, Applied Geotechnical

      “Progress on the UK Register of Ground Engineering Professionals (RoGEP) and related future developments”
      2010

      Use of Tyre Bales in A421 Foundations



      • Highways Agency

      • Balfour Beatty Major Civil Engineering

      • URS Scott Wilson



      St German’s Pumping Station Cofferdam



      • Costain

      • University of Southampton

      • Mott MacDonald



      Cannon Street Station Redevelopment –Micropiles & Associated Geotechnical Works



      • Hines

      • Laing O’Rourke

      • Expanded Piling

      • Foggo Associates

      • GCG

      • Byland Engineering



      Martin Pedley, Cementation Skanska


      “10 Decades of Geotechnical Engineering and Innovation: A History of Cementation”


      2009

      One New Change



      • Land Securities

      • Bovis Lend Lease

      • Hoare Lea

      • Arup

      • Cementation Skanska

      • Geothermal International



      Isle of Grain Pump House Cofferdam



      • Garassino Srl

      • Laing O’Rourke

      • Bachy Soletanche Limited



      First Street, Manchester



      • Ask Developments Ltd

      • Ove Arup & Partners

      • Celtic Remediation Ltd

      • Fraser Blair Associates

      • David Langdon LLP



      Tony O’Brien, Mott MacDonald


      “Pile group design for major structures – pitfalls and opportunities”


      2008

      Limerick Submerged Tube Tunnel Temporary Works



      • John Sisk & Son Ltd

      • Webber Associates

      • MLM Consulting Engineers



      Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham



      • BNHJV

      • White Young Green

      • Stent Foundations



      Brigg Line Freight Enhancement



      • Network Rail

      • Ove Arup & Partners

      • Carillion Civil Engineering



      Dinesh Patel, Arup


      “Deep basement scheme at Ropemaker Place, Moorgate”


      2007

      Amsterdam Central Station



      • ARCADIS

      • Combination Strukton Betonbouw van Oord ACZ

      • Movares Nederland B.V.

      • Royal Haskoning

      • Smet-Keller

      • RD Geotech



      Bow Bells House



      • Buro Happold

      • Stanhope

      • Stent



      Kings Cross Ticket Hall



      • ABBT

      • Morgan Bemo JV

      • Arup



      Jim Williams, English Heritage


      “From research guidelines – piling and archaeology”


      2006

      Govan Dewatering Scheme



      • Keller Ground Engineering

      • Strathclyde Partnership for Transport

      • Gifford and Partners

      • WJ Groundwater

      • Gallaghers

      • Arup Scotland



      Lyme Regis Coastal Defences



      • High Point Rendel

      • Carillion

      • West Dorset District Council




      Prof. Malcolm Bolton, Cambridge University


      “Foundation piles: advances in understanding and technology”


      2005

      Castlehaven Coast Protection and Slope Stabilisation Scheme, An Innovative Geotechnical Solution, Niton, Isle of Wight



      • High Point Rendel

      • Van Oord UK Ltd

      • TPGEO/Group Ress



      Ground Improvement Solutions for the M60 Orbital Motorway Widening Scheme around South Manchester



      • Highways Agency

      • AMEC

      • Alfred McAlpine JV

      • Halcrow

      • Pennine Vibropiling



      The UK’s largest soil mixed reactive barrier



      • Northampton Borough Council/ English Partnerships Joint Initiative

      • Halcrow Group

      • Mowlem Remediation

      • Mowlem Piling and Foundations

      • Envirotreat Technologies



      Tim Chapman, Arup Geotechnics


      2004

      Moorhouse Draught Relief Shaft for Crossrail, London



      • Arup Geotechnics

      • Geotechnical Consulting Group

      • Skanska UK Building

      • WJ Groundwater Ltd

      • Crossrail London Links Ltd

      • Arup Tunnelling

      • Skanska UK Tunnelling


      Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin

      • Bachy Soletanche
      • Mouchel Parkman
      • Environmental Protection
      • Agency
      • Dublin Docklands
      • Development Authority
      • Pierse Contracting





      The River Witham Phase 2/3 Contract, Lincoln



      • Bullen Consultants

      • Environment Agency

      • May Gurney





      Prof. John Burland, Imperial College


      2003

      Dublin Port Tunnel



      • Geotechnical Consulting Group

      • Dublin County Council

      • Nishimatsu/Mowlem/Irshenco JV

      • Haswell Consulting Engineers & University College Dublin


      World Trade Centre Recovery Effort



      • Mueser Rutledge

      • Consulting Engineers

      • Port Authority of New

      • York & New Jersey

      • Bovis Lend Lease

      • Nicholson Construction/Hayward Baker JV



      CTRL 250 Ripple Road Bridge Settlement Mitigation



      • Bachy Soletanche, Nuttall/Ways

      • Freytag/Keir JV

      • Donaldson Associates Ltd

      • Rail Link Engineering



      CTRL C320 Thames Tunnel



      • Rail Link Engineering,

      • Hochtief-Murphy JV

      • Amec-Spie

      • Keller Ground Engineering

      • Land & Water Services

      • WJ Groundwater


      Prof. Michael C R Davies, University of Dundee

      2002

      Heathrow Airside Road Tunnel



      • Mott MacDonald

      • BAA plc

      • Laing O’Rourke



      A542 Pentredwr Landslide



      • Wardell Armstrong

      • Denbighshire County Council

      • Wrexham County Borough Council

      • KM Construction (NW) Ltd

      • Rock Engineering Ltd.



      Aznalcóllar Slurry Trench Wall



      • Golder Associates (UK) Ltd

      • Soletanche Bachy (Rodio)



      Dr Hugh St. John, GCG


      “Ken’s Life and Work”


      2001

      Rail track Northwest Structure Alliance



      • Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick

      • Railtrack

      • Edmund Nuttall



      Large Diameter Piles at New Medway Crossing



      • Maunsell Limited

      • Highways Agency

      • WS Atkins

      • Mowlem Piling



      The South Steps Project



      • Building design partnership

      • Taylor Woodrow Construction

      • GCG

      • Tony Gee and Partners

      • John Doyle Construction

      • Royal Albert Hall



      Mike Putnam, Skanska UK


      “The Future of Geotechnics is Teamworking”


      2000

      The Copenhagen Metro –The observational method at Norreport station



      • Bachy Soletanche

      • Carillion

      • Maunsell

      • Comet



      Home Extension Project, Central London

      • Applied Geotechnical Engineering
      • CMCS
      • Berry Withers
      • R Durtnell & Sons
      • Symonds Travers Morgan


      Rainham Landfill –The KGRID Foundation Support System



      • Cleanaway
      • Keller
      • Halcrow


      Ken Fleming, Cementation Foundations

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