2024: Sustainable Construction in Action

We believe that impact in developing a better built environment begins with trailblazers who challenge the status quo. It is therefore our privilege to support innovative practitioners and to foster the next generation of changemakers who together will accelerate sustainable construction across the globe. Read on for a summary of the year, also highlighted in the video link below.

Spotlighting Inspirational Projects

For two decades the Holcim Foundation has supported people who are change accelerators for sustainable construction. In 2024, we elevated this mission by creating new platforms for connecting and learning from those leading the way in sustainable design.

We expanded our Holcim Foundation Awards activities by launching a monthly webinar series, giving a voice to our 2023 winning project teams. With over 2,000 participants across live and recorded sessions, the webinars covered innovative approaches to decarbonization in construction, equitable community design, and nature-based solutions.

Our Awards Talks events in Zurich, London and Berlin, brought these conversations into real-world contexts. Here, hundreds of guests visited completed winning projects and enjoyed public panel discussions with the project teams and industry experts.

For the first time, and thanks to collaboration with a number of talented filmmakers, we were able to offer intimate insights into the stories, designs, and teams behind past Holcim Foundation Awards winning projects. If you’re looking for inspiration over the holidays don’t hesitate to check out our Words with Winners short film series which will take you from resilient infrastructure projects in Istanbul and New York to innovative urban gardens in London without leaving your seat!

Creating Opportunities for the Next Generation

In 2024, we furthered our commitment to empowering future leaders with the first Holcim Foundation Fellowship in North America. For two weeks, 15 fellows selected from universities across Canada and the United States engaged in deep conversations around decarbonization at scale, hosted by leading architecture and engineering firms Henning Larsen, Arup, and SOM. The North American Fellowship was the first in a series that will continue in 2025, with further Fellowships already planned in Latin America, Europe, and Middle East & Africa.

Our Next Generation Ambassadors made significant progress in their Clinic of Care projects launched mid-2022. In Indonesia, a Joglo structure was re-purposed into a space for administrative work and dance rehearsals, preserving the heritage of traditional Topeng dance. In Tanzania, a maternity clinic expansion in Nkweshoo nears completion, delivering a 200-square-meter upgrade designed collaboratively with local stakeholders and students from France and Tanzania.

All these initiatives exemplify our efforts to equip young changemakers with the skills, knowledge, and network to drive positive change in their communities. I wish the very best to our LATAM Fellowship cohort, taking place this January in Mexico City in collaboration with UNAM, and encourage aspiring fellows to watch this space.

Looking Ahead to 2025 

As we prepare for the year ahead, we are excited to already see registrations from over 60 countries for the Holcim Foundation Awards 2025 competition, which closes on February 11, 2025. We are also delighted to have a wonderful panel of industry-renowned jury members who will evaluate the entries, and honor 20 winners at a special ceremony in Venice. This celebration will take place during the next Holcim Foundation Forum which will address one of the most pressing challenges of our time: how to build a flood resilient future. 

Thank You

Whether you’ve joined us for an event or found inspiration in the projects and initiatives we showcase, your ongoing interest in the Foundation’s work continues to drive us and the built environment forward. I extend my deepest thanks to all our partners and to our global community of followers which grew by over 11,000 in 2024 to reach a regular audience of 65,000 sustainable construction enthusiasts around the world. Please also join me in warmly thanking the Foundation team who once again demonstrated creativity and tenacity in bringing our mission to life.

We look forward to continuing this journey with you in 2025.

Wishing you all the best for this holiday season and for the new year to come. 

Warm regards,

Laura Viscovich