The Holcim Foundation has announced the three winners in its Global Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction. The international competition, now in its fourth year, celebrates projects that “deliver tangible benefits to local communities.” This year, the winners will collect a total $350,000 between them, and each walk away with a trophy. Take a look at the gold, bronze, and silver winners below.
Articulated Site. (Courtesy Juan Calle and Horacio Valenci, EPM Group (Empresas Públicas de Medellín) in Colombia)
Gold Prize
Articulate Site, Colombia
By Mario Fernando Camargo Gómez and Luis Orlando Tombé Hurtado of Colectivo 720
From the architects:
Post-war collective. (Courtesy Sri Lanka Army – Sinha Regiment)This project for a public park centers on creating spaces around and above a series of water reservoirs. Architectural form takes inspiration from the site’s history, surrounding topography, and structure of the existing tanks and pools, resulting in an intervention with minimal environmental impact. Special attention is given to water management, using recycling technologies involving rainwater and grey water harvesting through simple systems for irrigation of the park.
Silver Prize
Post-War Collective, Sri Lanka
By Milinda Pathiraja and Ganga Ratnayake of Robust Architecture Workshop
From the architects:
The Dryline. (Courtesy BIG, One Architecture, and Starr Whitehouse)With the aim of reintegrating former soldiers into post-civil war society, young men from underprivileged backgrounds are trained in building techniques through their involvement in the construction of public buildings – such as this Community Library. The slender building sits lightly in the landscape and wraps around an inner courtyard, taking full advantage of cross ventilation and daylighting. Rammed-earth walls and recycled materials reduce the building’s ecological footprint.
Bronze Prize
The Dryline, New York City
By BIG, One Architecture, and Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects and Planners
From the architects:
The Dryline (or BIG U) project addresses the vulnerability of New York City to coastal flooding and proposes a protective ribbon in Southern Manhattan. The master plan uses a raised berm to create a sequence of public spaces along the raised bank at the water’s edge. The infrastructural barrier incorporates a range of neighborhood functions and as a result offers multiple design opportunities, fostering local commercial, recreational, and cultural activities.
