Unearthing Futures

The second cohort of Holcim Foundation Fellows convened from across Latin America to engage with global and regional experts, academic leaders and industry innovators in tackling the pressing challenges affecting Latin American cities and communities. The Fellowship was hosted in collaboration with UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México).

The program’s central theme "Unearthing Futures" allowed participants to dive deeper into contextualized solutions, aligning with the Holcim Foundation’s commitment to low-carbon, circular and resilient construction. Fellows examined ways to integrate local materials, indigenous knowledge and interdisciplinary approaches to address Latin America’s unique socioeconomic, political, and environmental challenges.

The theme was explored through a variety of perspectives :

• Soil & Urban Development – Understanding the impact of urban expansion on soil degradation and exploring land restoration strategies for sustainable city growth.
• Water & Hydrological Resilience – Addressing water scarcity through nature-based solutions, sustainable infrastructure, and historical water management practices.
• Community & Social Equity – Engaging local communities in participatory design to improve public space, infrastructure, and socio-environmental resilience.
• Recycling & Adaptive Reuse – Encouraging urban recycling and the repurposing of existing structures to minimize extractivism and extend building lifecycles.
• Heritage & Identity: Balancing preservation with modern interventions in urban spaces as well as culturally and politically sensitive responses to community challenges.

The Fellowship was made possible through a collaboration with leading firms, and sustainability pioneers, including JSa, Locus, Riparia and Taller Capital. Their practical knowledge bridged academic knowledge and real-world applications. Highlights of the program included:

• The central theme was led and facilitated by Gabriela Carrillo and José Amozurrutia Cortes of Colectivo C733. 
• Leading design practitioners from across Latin America - David Barragan (Alborde), Marta Maccaglia (Semillas), Michael Smith (EntreNos) and Edgar Mazo (Connatural) - provided valuable insights and presentations about their own local contexts, practices and projects.
• Fellows visited an array of projects in Mexico City, including the UTOPIAS projects that deal with the pressing issues of water management in Mexican public spaces and the Condesa neighborhood which has retransformed into one of Mexico City’s most architecturally iconic hubs. The site visits allowed the Fellows to understand the complexities, challenges and opportunities that lay ahead as they navigate their early careers.
• Fellows formed teams to analyze the local context and realities of Mexico City and developed informed proposals that tackled various challenges in their home countries.
• In true Mexico City Fellowship spirit, participants enjoyed many moments of fun, laughter and reflection through group discussions, dinners, social activities and tours of Mexico City - fostering a deep exchange and professional networking.

As part of their projects, Fellows created a series of videos based on their experiences, observations and reflections for improving public spaces in Yuguelito, Iztapalapa. Groups of Fellows worked with specific topics (water, soil, materials and recycling) that informed their individual projects and were later tasked with generating ideas that could be related to their own local contexts across Latin America. 

Watch the Fellows' group videos here:

Material | Recycling | Soil | Water

Partnering Firms

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made this Fellowship possible, especially the team at UNAM, the facilitators Gabriela Carrillo and José Amozurrutia Cortes, and our partner firms—JSa, Locus, Riparia and Taller Capital—for generously sharing their expertise, actively engaging in insightful discussions, and guiding our Fellows in expanding their understanding of the nature around us and the opportunities it brings.