Foundations 23, the magazine of the LafargeHolcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction, is dedicated to the 6th International LafargeHolcim Forum, which took place in Cairo, Egypt. It is an engaging review of how the enormous challenges of re-materializing construction can be tackled – compiled from a top-notch group of international experts who attended the Forum.

Star architect Lord Norman Foster (United Kingdom) outlines the responsibility of the construction sector concisely. “Materials are forever stretching the boundaries of what is possible – and in the future we must do ‘more’ with ‘less’”, he said. Foundations 23 brings the Forum experience to life through summaries of lectures and panel discussions, the exchange of ideas in workshops, and expanding knowledge on excursions.

The symposium focused on the importance of radical and innovative solutions for the use of building materials, bringing together some 350 leading thinkers from architecture, engineering, planning, and the construction industry from 55 countries. The richly illustrated 90-page Foundations 23 captures the key themes, activities and encounters in summaries, quotes, and photos – sharing valuable insights beyond the Forum’s participants.

The publication condenses the compelling keynote addresses of Christine Binswanger, Herzog & de Meuron (Switzerland), Michael Braungart, EPEA Internationale Umweltforschung (Germany), Lord Norman Foster, Foster + Partners (United Kingdom), Laila Iskandar, former minister (Egypt), Mitchell Joachim, Terreform ONE (USA), Francis Kéré, Kéré Architecture (Burkina Faso/Germany), and Anne Lacaton, Lacaton & Vassal (France). In his summary, Rt Hon Simon Upton, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (New Zealand) illustrates the complexities of creating change – urging decision-makers and knowledge-bearers to exchange ideas and “accept that the planet won’t give us much time.”

Foundations 23 reports on the four concurrent expert workshops and field visits in the vicinity of Cairo. The publication includes a full list of attendees with individual portraits, and a group photo taken at The American University in Cairo. The emerging ideas of young architects and engineers are also given a dedicated platform with some 25 teams from universities in all world regions exhibiting their ideas in the Student Poster Competition that was evaluated by the participants of the LafargeHolcim Forum.

Foundations 23 (88 pages. 208 x 296mm) is published by the LafargeHolcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction, Hagenholzstrasse 83, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland. ISBN 978-3-9524971-1-1

Forum 2019 – Re-materializing Construction (flip book)