AtkinsRéalis and Sellafield won the Best Application of Technology category, sponsored by Digital Construction North, at the Digital Construction Awards 2026 last night (18 March).
Sellafield, one of the UK’s most complex nuclear sites, wanted to demonstrate real-time visibility, integrated emergency response and collaborative tools. Strict compliance and security requirements made digital change risky. The site needed to address three issues: how could technology boost safety and response times; could facility data be collected and analysed live; and how could any new solution remain secure and manageable?
What the judges said
“The Industry X project provides a tangible and scalable blueprint that demystifies digital transformation for the hyper-secure nuclear industry, delivering a step-change in safety, operational visibility and efficiency.”
AtkinsRéalis, with robotics manufacturer ICE9 and emerging sensor tech company Createc, built Industry X: a demonstrator that fuses IoT sensors, robotics, AI and cloud services into a single Azure-hosted web platform.
The dashboard allows operators to explore site maps, view live temperature, humidity and radiation readings, watch pan-tilt-zoom camera feeds and control robots such as Boston Dynamics’ Spot and CARMA2.
A Raspberry Pi‑based telemetry data relay encrypts sensor streams to the cloud, while an Edge PC (Jetson Orin Nano) processes data locally for continuity during network loss. An AI‑driven LLM assistant answers procedural queries and can trigger alerts or open reports. Emergency‑scenario scripts automatically raise alerts, display sensor data, provide checklists and launch Microsoft Teams collaboration – all within the same interface. End‑to‑end encryption, UK‑based Azure hosting and secure edge gateways ensure a stringent security regime.
Other finalists
- Digital estate management platform | Danske Bank/RLB Digital
- Digitising site operations at scale | Hill Group/innDex
- Halve the Half: the no- and low-cost opportunity to reduce cost and carbon | Cardiff Metropolitan University
- Kier Construction’s use of Fuzor 4D construction sequencing on the Haleon Innovation Facility
- Mynydd Isa Campus – delivering net-zero in operation school campus | Arup/IESVE
- Oxford Science Park | Tarmac/J Coffey Construction/Mace
- Powering safer sites: applying Microsoft Power Platform to transform daily briefings | Laing O’Rourke
- Reality capture at scale in response to the BSA | Morgan Sindall Construction/Oculo AI
- Transforming workforce management through digital integration | MSite
Advanced technology available to all
Industry X delivered a unified, user‑friendly control centre that eliminated the need for multiple disconnected systems, improving situational awareness and decision‑making during incidents.
The intuitive interface made advanced technology accessible to all staff, while automated alerts and AI assistance accelerated emergency response. Edge resilience ensured operations continued during internet outages.
A recent Sellafield research, development and innovation review estimated that the potential annual savings could exceed £130m.
The success of Phase 1 has already led to Phase 2, which will introduce AI-driven analytics, XR integration and autonomous data collection.
The Digital Construction Awards are organised by Digital Construction Week, the Chartered Institute of Building, CM and Digital Construction Plus. Read about the rest of the winners.
To find out more about the Awards and enquire about sponsorship or entering next year’s event, visit digitalconstructionawards.co.uk.
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