Source: Holcim Foundation

On May 8, the Holcim Foundation of Sustainable Construction announced the winners of its worldwide competition out of thousands of submissions from all continents. The Gold winner was for a river remediation and urban development scheme in Fez, Morocco. The remediation of heavily polluted river Fez would revitalize the ancient heart of the city. The approach includes a series of interventions to renovate traditional tanneries, create public spaces and pedestrian zones, and restore wetlands as well as biodiversity. 

The Holcim Awards Silver went to a low-impact greenfield university campus in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The project avoids massive land reclamation on an island in the Mekong Delta and aims for harmony with all elements of the surrounding ecosystem: flooding rice fields, mangroves, winds, and seasonal changes. A rural planning design for a suburban village in Beijing, China received the Global Holcim Awards Bronze. 

The “Innovation” prize was awarded for a self-contained day labor station in San Francisco that establishes informal stations where day laborers can meet and wait for casual work. The “Innovation” prize is a global recognition for a project that demonstrates a strong element of creativity or inspiration.

The winners share $2 million in prize money and were selected from 15 finalists from all continents, following a series of five regional competitions with almost 5,000 sustainable construction projects and visions from 121 countries. The Holcim Awards aim to promote innovative, future-oriented, and tangible sustainable construction projects and reinforce stakeholder awareness of the importance architecture, engineering, and construction have in achieving a more sustainable future. More information on the winning entries can be found at www.holcimfoundation.org.