Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction
Encyclopedia
The Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction is a non-profit organization. Its goal is to raise awareness to the role that architecture, engineering, urban planning and construction have in achieving a sustainable built future. The organization encourages and rewards sustainable responses to the technological, environmental, socioeconomic, and cultural issues affecting building and construction.
The two main initiatives of the foundation are the Holcim Forums (a series of academic symposia) and the Holcim Awards
(a USD 2 million competition for sustainable construction projects and visions).
. as its sole sponsor. Holcim is a global supplier of cement and aggregates. The initiatives of the foundation operate in a three-year cycle.
is an international competition that seeks projects and visions in sustainable construction. It offers USD 2 million dollars in prize money in each three-year cycle. Eligible for entry are projects in: buildings and civil engineering works; landscape, urban design and infrastructure; and materials, products and construction technologies.
There are two categories: The main category of the competition is open to architects, planners, engineers, and project owners that showcase sustainable responses to technological, environmental, socioeconomic and cultural issues affective contemporary building and construction. The fifteen projects that receive Holcim Awards
Gold, Silver or Bronze in the five regions are then qualified for the competition for the Global Holcim Awards
. The “Next Generation” category is open to student projects created within university programs at final year bachelor level or above (including masters and PhD
). The first Holcim Awards
took place from 2004 until 2006, the second Holcim Awards from 2007 until 2009. The third Holcim Awards cycle runs from 2010 until 2012.
concept of balanced social, environmental and economic performance. The rest cover contextual and aesthetic impact, and innovation and transferability.
All “target issues” are explained in more detail on the Holcim Foundation website, including practical application of sustainable construction with reference to exemplary buildings from different regions of the world.
, and put together the panels that judge the competition entries. The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich)
leads the Technical Competence Center which provides academic and technical support.
The two main initiatives of the foundation are the Holcim Forums (a series of academic symposia) and the Holcim Awards
Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction
The Holcim Awards is an international competition that seeks projects and visions in sustainable construction – irrespective of scale. A total of USD 2 million dollars in prize money is awarded in each three-year cycle....
(a USD 2 million competition for sustainable construction projects and visions).
History
The organization was established in 2003 in Zurich, Switzerland with Holcim LtdHolcim
Holcim is a Swiss-based global company supplying cement and aggregates . The company also supplies ready-mix concrete and asphalt including associated construction services.-Holcim Group:...
. as its sole sponsor. Holcim is a global supplier of cement and aggregates. The initiatives of the foundation operate in a three-year cycle.
Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction
The Holcim AwardsHolcim Awards for Sustainable Construction
The Holcim Awards is an international competition that seeks projects and visions in sustainable construction – irrespective of scale. A total of USD 2 million dollars in prize money is awarded in each three-year cycle....
is an international competition that seeks projects and visions in sustainable construction. It offers USD 2 million dollars in prize money in each three-year cycle. Eligible for entry are projects in: buildings and civil engineering works; landscape, urban design and infrastructure; and materials, products and construction technologies.
There are two categories: The main category of the competition is open to architects, planners, engineers, and project owners that showcase sustainable responses to technological, environmental, socioeconomic and cultural issues affective contemporary building and construction. The fifteen projects that receive Holcim Awards
Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction
The Holcim Awards is an international competition that seeks projects and visions in sustainable construction – irrespective of scale. A total of USD 2 million dollars in prize money is awarded in each three-year cycle....
Gold, Silver or Bronze in the five regions are then qualified for the competition for the Global Holcim Awards
Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction
The Holcim Awards is an international competition that seeks projects and visions in sustainable construction – irrespective of scale. A total of USD 2 million dollars in prize money is awarded in each three-year cycle....
. The “Next Generation” category is open to student projects created within university programs at final year bachelor level or above (including masters and PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
). The first Holcim Awards
Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction
The Holcim Awards is an international competition that seeks projects and visions in sustainable construction – irrespective of scale. A total of USD 2 million dollars in prize money is awarded in each three-year cycle....
took place from 2004 until 2006, the second Holcim Awards from 2007 until 2009. The third Holcim Awards cycle runs from 2010 until 2012.
Holcim Forum for Sustainable Construction
The Holcim Forum is a series of symposia on sustainable construction. The event is an academic platform for architects, engineers, construction professionals and specialists. It supports sustainable construction in the scientific field, among experts in the construction sector, business and society, and promotes interdisciplinary dialogue, bring forward new ideas, and examine potential solutions.Past Forums
- 2004: Inaugural Holcim Forum on “Basic Needs” at ETH ZurichETH ZurichThe Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich or ETH Zürich is an engineering, science, technology, mathematics and management university in the City of Zurich, Switzerland....
in Switzerland - 2007: 2nd International Holcim Forum on “Urban_Trans_Formation” at Tongji University in ShanghaiTongji UniversityTongji University , colloquially known as Tongji , located in Shanghai, has more than 30,000 students and 8,000 staff members . It offers degree programs at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels...
, China - 2010: 3rd International Holcim Forum on “Re-inventing construction” at Iberoamericana in Mexico City, MexicoUniversidad IberoamericanaThe Ibero-American University is a Mexican private institution of higher education sponsored by the Society of Jesus...
Target issues for sustainable construction
The Holcim Foundation measures and evaluates sustainable construction using five target issues. Three of these align with the triple bottom lineTriple bottom line
The triple bottom line captures an expanded spectrum of values and criteria for measuring organizational success: economic, ecological, and social...
concept of balanced social, environmental and economic performance. The rest cover contextual and aesthetic impact, and innovation and transferability.
Innovation and transferability – “Progress”
The project must demonstrate innovation at the forefront of sustainable construction. Breakthroughs and trend-setting approaches, irrespective of scale, must be transferable to a range of other applications.Ethical standards and social equity – “People”
The project must adhere to the highest ethical standards and support social equity at all stages of construction, from planning and building processes to long-term impact on the fabric of that community. The project has to provide an advanced response in terms of ethical and social responsibility.Environmental quality and resource efficiency – “Planet”
The project must exhibit a sensible use and management of natural resources throughout its life cycle, including operation and maintenance. Long-term environmental concerns, whether pertaining to flows of material or energy, should be an integral part of the built structure.Economic performance and compatibility – “Prosperity”
The project must prove to be economically feasible and innovative as far as the deployment of financial resources is concerned. Funding must promote an economy of means and be compatible with the demands and constraints encountered throughout the construction’s life span.Contextual and aesthetic impact – “Proficiency”
The project must convey a high standard of architectural quality in the way it addresses cultural and physical factors. With space and form of utmost significance, the construction must have a lasting aesthetic impact on its surrounding environment.All “target issues” are explained in more detail on the Holcim Foundation website, including practical application of sustainable construction with reference to exemplary buildings from different regions of the world.
Advisory Board of the Holcim Foundation
- Rolf Soiron (Chairman of the Advisory Board), Chairman, Holcim LtdHolcimHolcim is a Swiss-based global company supplying cement and aggregates . The company also supplies ready-mix concrete and asphalt including associated construction services.-Holcim Group:...
, Switzerland - Yolanda KakabadseYolanda KakabadseYolanda Kakabadse Navarro is a conservationist from Ecuador.After studies in Educational psychology at the Catholic University of Quito, she became involved in environmental issues. She was a founder of the Fundación Natura in Quito and was its executive director from 1979 to 1990. At the Rio...
, President of WWFWorld Wide Fund for NatureThe World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
and Chair of the Advisory Board of Fundación Futuro Latinoamericano, Ecuador - Amory LovinsAmory LovinsAmory Bloch Lovins is an American environmental scientist and writer, Chairman and Chief Scientist of the Rocky Mountain Institute. He has worked in the field of energy policy and related areas for four decades...
, Chairman and Chief Scientist, Rocky Mountain InstituteRocky Mountain InstituteRocky Mountain Institute is an organization in the United States dedicated to research, publication, consulting, and lecturing in the general field of sustainability, with a special focus on profitable innovations for energy and resource efficiency. RMI was established in 1982 and has grown into a...
, USA - Enrique NortenEnrique NortenEnrique Norten, Hon. FAIA, is a Mexican architect and principal of the design firm TEN Arquitectos . Norten was born in Mexico City in 1954 where he graduated from the Universidad Iberoamericana with a degree in architecture in 1978. He obtained a Master of Architecture from Cornell University in...
, Principal and Founder, TEN Arquitectos, Mexico/USA - Klaus TöpferKlaus TöpferKlaus Töpfer is a German politician and environmental politics expert. From 1998 to 2006 he was executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme ....
, former Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and former German environment minister, Germany - Simon UptonSimon UptonSimon David Upton, QSO is a former New Zealand politician and member of Parliament from 1981 to 2001, representing the National Party.-Early life:...
, Director of the OECD Environment Directorate, New Zealand/France - Muhammad YunusMuhammad YunusMuhammad Yunus is a Bangladeshi economist and founder of the Grameen Bank, an institution that provides microcredit to help its clients establish creditworthiness and financial self-sufficiency. In 2006 Yunus and Grameen received the Nobel Peace Prize...
, Founder, Grameen BankGrameen BankThe Grameen Bank is a microfinance organization and community development bank started in Bangladesh that makes small loans to the impoverished without requiring collateral...
, and 2006 NobelNobel PrizeThe Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
Peace Prize Laureate, Bangladesh
Technical Competence Center and Partner Universities
Partner universities of the foundation host the Holcim Forums, define the evaluation criteria to be used for the Holcim AwardsHolcim Awards for Sustainable Construction
The Holcim Awards is an international competition that seeks projects and visions in sustainable construction – irrespective of scale. A total of USD 2 million dollars in prize money is awarded in each three-year cycle....
, and put together the panels that judge the competition entries. The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich)
ETH Zurich
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich or ETH Zürich is an engineering, science, technology, mathematics and management university in the City of Zurich, Switzerland....
leads the Technical Competence Center which provides academic and technical support.
Partner universities
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich)ETH ZurichThe Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich or ETH Zürich is an engineering, science, technology, mathematics and management university in the City of Zurich, Switzerland....
, Switzerland - Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, USA
- Universidad Iberoamericana (UIA)Universidad IberoamericanaThe Ibero-American University is a Mexican private institution of higher education sponsored by the Society of Jesus...
, in Mexico City, Mexico - Ecole Supérieure d’Architecture de Casablanca (EAC), in Casablanca, Morocco
- Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Bombay)Indian Institute of Technology BombayThe Indian Institute of Technology Bombay , popularly known as IIT Bombay or IITB, is a public research university located in Powai, Mumbai...
, in Mumbai, India
Associated universites
- Tongji University in ShanghaiTongji UniversityTongji University , colloquially known as Tongji , located in Shanghai, has more than 30,000 students and 8,000 staff members . It offers degree programs at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels...
, China - Universidade de São Paulo (USP) in São Paulo, Brazil
- University of the WitwatersrandUniversity of the WitwatersrandThe University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University...
, in Johannesburg, South Africa