The Board of the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction has welcomed three new members to further support defining the strategies to encourage innovative approaches to sustainable construction. In addition, the Academic Committee (AC) of the Foundation has been augmented with a new member and a coordinator. The AC is based at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich/EPFL Lausanne) and provides support by developing, implementing, and monitoring initiatives of the Foundation.

The new appointments rejuvenate the coordinating bodies of the Foundation and continue their established geographic, gender and professional diversity. Magali Anderson, Chief Sustainability Officer, LafargeHolcim (Switzerland); Kate Ascher, Principal of Happold Consulting and Milstein Professor of Urban Development, Columbia University (USA); and Meisa Batayneh Maani, Founder and Principal Architect of Maisam Architects & Engineers (Jordan) joined the Board.

Marilyne Andersen (Member of the Board and of the AC) was appointed Head of the AC. She is Full Professor of Sustainable Construction Technologies and Head of the Laboratory of Integrated Performance in Design, EPFL Lausanne (Switzerland). Elli Mosayebi, Professor of Architecture & Structure at the Institute for Technology in Architecture, ETH Zurich (Switzerland) was elected to the AC as a new member. Architectural Engineer Luisa Pastore was appointed Coordinator of the activities of the AC.

The Holcim Foundation pays tribute to the contribution of the members of the Board who stepped down at the end of 2019: Marc Angélil, Professor Emeritus of Architecture & Design at ETH Zurich (Switzerland) who was a member of the Board and the AC for 13 years, and headed the AC since 2014. Jens Diebold, Head of Strategy Europe and former Head of Sustainable Development, Holcim (Switzerland), was a member of the Board for two years; and Enrique Norten, Principal and Founder of TEN Arquitectos, with offices in New York City and Mexico City, stepped down from the Board after serving for 15 years. Harry Gugger, Professor of Architectural & Urban Design and Head of the Laboratoire Bâle of EPFL (Switzerland) retired from the AC after nine years but remains a member of the Board.

The key activity of the Holcim Foundation is the USD 2 million Holcim Awards. The international Awards recognize innovative projects and future-oriented concepts – and is the most significant global competition for sustainable design. The 6th cycle of the international competition is open for entries until February 25, 2020 (14:00 UTC).

Profiles of new Board and AC members

Marilyne Andersen

Head of the AC, Member of the Board

Marilyne Andersen is Full Professor of Sustainable Construction Technologies and Head of the Laboratory of Integrated Performance in Design (LIPID) at the EPFL Lausanne, Switzerland. She was Dean of the School of Architecture, Civil & Environmental Engineering (ENAC) (2013-18) and is the Academic Director of the Smart Living Lab in Fribourg, Switzerland. She is author of over 150 refereed scientific papers, several of which have received distinctions. She was the first laureate of the Award for Daylight Research of the Villum & Velux Foundations (2016). She will be a member of all regional Holcim Awards juries (2020), and a member of the Global Holcim Awards jury (2021).

Magali Anderson

Member of the Board

Magali Anderson is Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) and a member of the Executive Committee of Holcim. She was appointed the first Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) in 2019, reflecting Holcim’s efforts to be the industry leader on decarbonization, circular economy, health and safety and corporate social responsibility. She was previously Head of Health & Safety at Holcim (2016-19), driving a program to reduce the number of incidents both on-site and on-road.

Kate Ascher

Member of the Board

Kate Ascher is the Milstein Professor of Urban Development at the Graduate School of Architecture, Preservation & Planning (GSAPP), Columbia University in New York City, USA. She teaches real estate, infrastructure and urban planning courses. She leads BuroHappold Engineering’s cities group, which specializes in urban planning and development. She has a track record of effective leadership in infrastructure, transportation, economic development and real estate in public and private sectors.

Meisa Batayneh Maani 

Member of the Board

Meisa Batayneh Maani is Founder and Principal Architect at Maisam Architects & Engineers, based in Amman, Jordan. She is experienced in multiple facets of design including architecture, planning, urban design and corporate and place branding. She has led multi-disciplinary teams on large-scale international and regional projects and is a member of the advisory committees of the Jordanian Ministry of Environment. She was a member of the 14th Aga Khan Master Jury (2019), and a member of the Global Holcim Awards Jury (2015 & 2021).

Elli Mosayebi

Member of the AC

Elli Mosayebi is Associate Professor of Architecture & Design at the ETH Zurich, Switzerland. She forges a close connection between practice, research and teaching. In her research she explores European residential construction since 1945, looking at the forms of housing found in model dwellings and examining the conditions under which they came into being. She is a co-founder of Edelaar Mosayebi Inderbitzin Architekten, based in Zurich (2004-). The architectural practice places particular emphasis on urban design and residential construction and won the Swiss Art Award in Architecture (2019).