Hilary Sample of MOS Architects received a Global Finalist 2015 certificate for “Children’s Ziggurat”, the Lali Gurans orphanage and library in Kathmandu, Nepal. The project for a locally-adapted earthquake resistant structure addresses the needs of an under-served rural population with a facility that uses low-technology renewable energy and material resources, thus significantly reducing operating costs. As part of the celebration of the Global Awards Bronze prize in New York City, the certificate was handed over by Marc Angélil, member of the Global Awards jury 2015 and member of the Board of the Holcim Foundation. 

Marc Angélil, Professor of Architecture & Design at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), praised the project for managing to combine a social framework with a physical one in a seemingly seamless way. The structure has commenced construction and even before completion, provided a seismically stable location with toilets, water and living area for 20-30 local people who have been displaced from their homes, following the 7.8-magnitude quake in April 2015 that destroyed buildings in Kathmandu and severely affected rural areas across the region.

Hilary Sample announced that the Colorado-based “Seeds of Change Foundation” (SOCF) established by Christopher Gish to support the project has been granted charity status that will assist the organization in financing the project to completion. She confirmed the team’s conviction to ensure the project would be finalized, and also presented the project to the Awards Lab where 53 “Next Generation” winners of the Awards competition in 2014 gathered to exchange ideas about the future of sustainable construction prior to the Global Awards Bronze hand-over and dinner.