The Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction promotes thought leadership on a greener, smarter, circular, and more inclusive built environment. Holcim has unveiled its new Group identity as a milestone in its transformation to become the global leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions.

“Today marks a milestone for our company in our transformation to become the global leader in innovative and sustainable solutions. Our world is changing in many ways, with population growth, urbanization, and the climate challenge. We are determined to play our part to accelerate low-carbon and circular construction so that we build a net zero future and raise living standards for everyone,” says Jan Jenisch, CEO of Holcim and a member of the Board of the Holcim Foundation.

As an initiative of Holcim, the Foundation is delighted to reflect this evolution in our own identity – blending our focus on progress for people and the planet with the familiar icosahedron that has represented the Holcim Awards competition since its inception in 2003.

The golden ratio (or golden section) has been considered an example of divine proportion since antiquity. The ratio is found in nature, in art, in architecture – and in the symbol of the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction. The icon of the Foundation is this “reduced” icosahedron that represents its objectives. The Foundation promotes sustainability in the way we build by striving for balance and harmony – between today and tomorrow, between resources and consumption, and between needs and opportunities.

Holcim Awards competition

The Foundation conducts the Holcim Awards – the world’s most significant competition for sustainable design with total prize money per cycle of USD 2 million. The international competition showcases the important role that architecture, engineering, urban planning, and the building industry have in achieving a more sustainable future.

The Global Holcim Awards winners and 31 Main category winners from all five regions will be announced at special event at the 17th International Biennale of Architecture in Venice on November 13, 2021. The Main category winners from 25 countries will share in USD 1.65 million in prize money. The Awards trophies for exceptional projects in sustainable construction feature an icosahedron mounted on a block of ECOPactZERO concrete by Holcim.

Holcim Awards

Further initiatives of the Holcim Foundation

The Foundation also collaborates with some of the world’s leading technical universities, conducts the Holcim Forum tri-annual series of conferences on a specific topic of sustainable construction and Roundtables for expert discussions; and offers Research in Practice Grants to mentor and financially support emerging professionals to conduct leading edge, practice-related research in the field of sustainable construction. The next Forum will take place in Latin America in early 2023.

Holcim Forum