The Holcim Foundation conducts the Holcim Awards competition for projects and visions in sustainable construction in parallel across five regions of the world. Almost 5,000 projects from authors in 90 countries were submitted in the competition which aims to promote sustainable responses from the building and construction industry to technological, environmental, socioeconomic and cultural issues. The 15 winners of the gold, silver and bronze prize in each of the five regions automatically qualify for the global phase of the competition where a total of USD 650,000 in additional prize money is on offer.

The global Holcim Awards finalists include projects from Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Hungary, India, Morocco, Slovenia, Switzerland, UAE, Uganda, USA, and Vietnam, and involve additional project teams from Japan and Spain. The finalist projects are listed at the end of this release.

Each of the teams will now prepare a more extensive submission that will be evaluated by an independent jury headed by acclaimed Indian architect and planner Charles Correa and include renowned representatives from architecture, science, and business. The jury is supported by the Technical Competence Center of the Holcim Foundation (ETH Zurich, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Tongji University) and will evaluate the projects according to the “target issues” for sustainable construction developed by the Holcim Foundation in collaboration with its partner universities.

Results of the global phase of the Holcim Awards competition will be announced on May 8, 2009.

Exemplary buildings for sustainable construction

The Holcim Foundation launched two new books that explain sustainable construction in practice as part of an ongoing monographic series. Tsoga Environmental Center – Community center in South Africa illustrates how the triple bottom line can be achieved whilst at the same time defining a new vernacular architectural language. The building, which won the Holcim Awards Bronze 2005 for Africa Middle East, is a model for sustainable construction in low-income communities as architect Alastair Rendall points out – by employing local people, teaching trade skills, establishing local sources of affordable building materials and stimulating the local economy.

Development Alternatives world headquarters–Office building in India shows in detail how an office building in New Delhi provides a functional and aesthetic response to its unique setting, and proposes a low-cost model of sustainable urban building for emerging economies. Designer of the building Ashok B Lall, who has been a member of three Holcim Awards juries, explains how the building combines forms, materials, and elements of traditional Indian architecture with modern technology to exemplify the way regional design and simple means can adequately and durably meet the needs of most buildings in contemporary cities.

Discourse on urban transformation from eminent thinkers

The Holcim Foundation supported the launch of a collection of essays from eminent thinkers on the topic of sustainability and urban transformation inspired by the international Holcim Forum 2007 held in Shanghai. The 400 page publication considers urban transformation from many perspectives: seen through the eyes of more than 50 international architects, urban planners, politicians, and artists including Saskia Sassen, Robert Somol, Jean-Philippe Vassal, Eyal Weizman, Teddy Cruz, Rahul Mehrotra, and Enrique Peñalosa.

Global Holcim Awards 2009 finalists

(listed alphabetically by project country)

Brazil: Low-energy university mediatheque, Rio de Janeiro

Main author: Angelo Bucci, architect, SPBR architects, São Paulo, Brazil

Brazil: Solar water heating and rainwater tower, Florianópolis

Authors: Maria Andrea Triana, architect, Roberto Lamberts, engineer, and Marcio Antonio Andrade, engineer, LabEEE-UFSC, Florianópolis, Brazil

Canada: Living with Lakes Center for freshwater research, Sudbury

Main author: John Gunn, scientist, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Canada

China: Sustainable planning for a rural community, Beijing

Main authors: Yue Zhang, academic, Tsinghua University, School of Architecture, and Feng Ni, government officer, Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Planning, Beijing, China

Colombia: Urban integration of an informal area, Medellín

Main author: Gustavo Adolfo Restrepo, architect, Empresa de Desarrollo Urbano, Medellín, Colombia

Hungary: Contextual government quarter development, Budapest

Main author: Peter Janesch, architect, Team0708 Kft, Budapest, Hungary

India: Energy-efficient office complex, Hyderabad

Authors: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, New York, USA and Maytas Properties Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad, India

Morocco: River remediation and urban development scheme, Fez

Main authors: Aziza Chaouni, architect, Extramuro LLP, Fez, Morocco and Takako Tajima, urban planner, Los Angeles, USA

Slovenia: Temporary urban extension in a former landfill, Maribor

Main author: Belinda Tato, architect, ecosistema urbano, Madrid, Spain

Switzerland: Autonomous alpine shelter, Monte Rosa hut

Main author: Andrea Deplazes, architect, Studio Monte Rosa, DARCH, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), Zurich, Switzerland

UAE: Lighthouse tower with low-carbon footprint, Dubai

Author: Shaun Killa, architect, Atkins PLC, Dubai, UAE

Uganda: Low-cost school and home for HIV orphans, Rakai

Author: Koji Tsutsui, architect, Koji Tsutsui Architect & Associates, Tokyo, Japan

USA: Self-contained day labor station, San Francisco

Main author: Liz Ogbu, designer, Public Architecture, San Francisco, USA

USA: Solar 2 Green Energy, Arts and Education Center, New York

Main author: Christopher J Collins, Solar One Green Energy, Arts and Education Center, New York, USA

Vietnam: Low-impact greenfield university campus, Ho Chi Minh City

Main author: Kazuhiro Kojima, architect, Coelacanth and Associates Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan