USD 220,000 in prize money was presented to the best entries from North America in the first Holcim Awards competition for sustainable construction projects. The competition run by the Swiss-based Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction in collaboration with five of the world’s leading technical universities aims to promote sustainable approaches to the built environment.

While deceptively simple in how it gives expression to materiality, the project merits distinction for its careful handling of issues pertaining to sustainable architectural construction. The collaborative scheme displays particular innovation, for example, in articulating a roof shape determined by wind forces as well as by proposing a movable patio that is responsive to seasonal changes in sunlight.

Although deceptively simple in its outward expression, the project is merited for its insightful deployment of sustainable construction techniques. The collaborative scheme between the US Department of Energy and a polytechnic university in Spain is particularly innovative, for example, in proposing a roof shape determined by wind forces as well as a movable patio that is responsive to seasonal changes in sunlight.