Elysium Construction marks ten years with gala dinner at the Institution of Civil Engineers
London-based contractor celebrates a decade of growth, from a single-person start-up in 2016 to principal contractor on nationally significant energy infrastructure
Elysium Construction, the London-based civil engineering and construction contractor, is celebrating its tenth anniversary with a gala dinner at the Institution of Civil Engineers, One Great George Street, Westminster, on Friday 9 October 2026. The evening brings together the clients, partners, suppliers and employees who have supported the company since it was founded in 2016.
Elysium was founded by Managing Director Elson Bajrakurtaj, a civil and structural engineer with a master's degree in structural engineering from Imperial College London. After almost ten years in structural design, progressing from graduate engineer to lead engineer, he established Elysium to take responsibility for delivering projects as well as designing them.
The company's first commission set the standard for its work: a six-metre-deep basement constructed immediately beside a Grade II listed building, with effectively no measurable movement permitted. Since then, Elysium has built its reputation on technically demanding projects, including a hotel in central Romford and a substation in Dagenham that marked its entry into the energy sector.
"We started small, but we did not start simple," said Elson Bajrakurtaj, Managing Director of Elysium Construction. "That first project challenged us to manage risk carefully and find an elegant solution to a difficult engineering problem. It defined who we are, and that approach has stayed with us ever since."
When the Covid pandemic paused construction activity in 2020, Elysium chose to invest in its future. The company strengthened its systems, health and safety policies and marketing, and began tendering for larger and more complex projects.
That strategy led to its breakthrough appointment as principal contractor on the Slough Multifuel energy-from-waste facility, a Tier 1 project of national importance. Despite contaminated land, underground unknowns and live services, Elysium delivered the works safely, to quality, within budget and on programme, at times ahead of schedule.
The company has since supported the energy-from-waste facility at Grangemouth in Scotland, joining at a critical stage and helping to bring the project to successful completion. The facility is now fully operational.
"Slough showed that we could compete and deliver at Tier 1 level," said Bajrakurtaj. "Grangemouth showed that we could step into a project under pressure, take responsibility and help restore confidence in its delivery."
Elysium attributes its growth to a people-first culture and long-term client partnerships. Every member of the team is given equal respect regardless of role, along with the trust, tools and support to succeed. The company is committed to inclusion, giving people the opportunity to contribute regardless of background, and aims to complete every project with client relationships as strong as on the first day.
"Our success begins with how we treat people, both within our team and with our clients," said Bajrakurtaj. "We are not interested in short-term commercial games. We are known for keeping our word and finding elegant solutions to difficult problems, and many of the clients joining us to celebrate have an even stronger relationship with us today than when we began."
Looking ahead, Elysium plans to build on its track record in energy infrastructure and complex civil engineering, taking on larger and more challenging projects in its second decade.
"Ten years on, our ambition is greater than ever," Bajrakurtaj added. "Our journey shows that the size or background of a business does not determine the scale of what it can achieve."
