The winners of the 3rd International Holcim Awards competition for sustainable construction projects and visions from Africa Middle East have been announced at a ceremony in Casablanca. A total of USD 300,000 was presented to ten outstanding projects submitted by architects, planners, engineers and project owners. The winning projects illustrate the broad scope of applying sustainable approaches in construction including school infrastructure, community renewal, urban redevelopment, and energy-efficient design. More information on the awards after the break.
The Holcim Awards Gold 2011 for Africa Middle East and USD 100,000 was awarded to Diébédo Francis Kéré, of Kéré Architecture in Berlin, for a school project in Burkina Faso that uses only solar and wind power to cool the classrooms. By routing air through underground tubes, planting vegetation, and using double-skin roofs and façades a significant thermal reduction is achieved.
Holcim Awards Silver went to a school refurbishment project in Palestine that improves natural ventilation and thermal insulation to create a comfortable climate and energy savings. Holcim Awards Bronze was presented to a sustainable construction training center in Morocco which concentrates on the use of local resources.
Four Acknowledgement prizes were shared for projects in Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. The “Next Generation” (student category) prize-winning projects are located in Ethiopia, Morocco and South Africa.
The Holcim Awards ceremony in Casablanca was the first of five events – others will follow in Milan, Buenos Aires, Washington DC and Singapore.
Details in English and French about all winners including the respective design teams, project submissions and images are available here.
