The LafargeHolcim Awards is one of the most significant global competitions in sustainable design. It seeks leading projects of professionals as well as bold ideas from the next generation that combine sustainable construction solutions with architectural excellence. Organized by the LafargeHolcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction, the competition identifies the ideas with the highest potential to tackle today’s challenges to increasing urbanization and to improve quality of life. Projects and concepts from the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, planning, technology, and civil and materials engineering are eligible to be entered online in the USD 2 million Awards competition. Entries must be submitted by March 21, 2017.
The competition’s main category is open to architects, planners, engineers, students of related disciplines, project owners, builders and construction firms that showcase sustainable responses to technological, environmental, socioeconomic and cultural issues within contemporary building and construction. Projects must have reached an advanced stage of design, have a high probability of execution, and may not have started construction before July 4, 2016.
Participants up to 30 years of age can also submit visionary concepts and bold ideas in the competition, irrespective of the probability of actual implementation of the project. The Next Generation category specifically seeks “blue-sky” solutions by students and young professionals.
The competition is divided into five geographic regions each with its own jury of renowned specialists. Projects are evaluated according to the region in which they are to be built, and are measured against the five “target issues” for sustainable construction which look at a project from a holistic perspective and takes its entire lifecycle into account. The criteria cover innovation and transferability; ethical standards and social inclusion; resource and environmental performance; economic viability and compatibility; and, contextual and aesthetic impact.
Details on “target issues” for sustainable construction can be found here.
The juries are headed by Harry Gugger (for region Europe), Ray Cole (North America), Angelo Bucci (Latin America), Nagwa Sherif (Middle East Africa) and Donald Bates (Asia Pacific). A full list of jury members.
Entry into the competition is free and must be made in English using a web-based form to provide information on authorship, a project summary, technical details, as well as project images or illustrations. A comprehensive “Step-by-step” guide explains the evaluation criteria in detail and gives instructions on how to prepare an entry. Here is the Awards entry form 2016/17.
Global Winners in the Previous Awards Cycle
More than 6,000 projects were entered in the previous Awards cycle. In 2015 three global prizes were conferred to: Gold Award for Collectivo720 and EPM Group for Turning a decommissioned water reservoir into a public park in Medellín, Silver Award to Milinda Pathiraja and Ganga Ratnayake of Robust Architecture Workshop for rebuilding social fabric through a community library in Ambepussa following Sri Lanka’s civil war, and the Bronze Award to BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group and One Architecture for creating public zones and flood-protection for the island of Manhattan.
LafargeHolcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction
Since 2003 the Foundation advances the discourse on sustainable construction through its international Awards competitions, academic Forums, and publications. The Foundation is supported by LafargeHolcim, the world leader in the building materials industry, but remains independent of commercial interests.
For more information please visit LafargeHolcim Foundation.
News Via LafargeHolcim Foundation.
