One of the designs that won the Global Holcim Awards Gold in 2015. The project in Medellín, Colombia, centres on creating high quality public spaces inserted into low-income, dense neighbourhoods at a reservoir where two giant water tanks have been replaced by new infrastructure.
Lafarge Africa Plc has announced the commencement of the internationally renowned Holcim Awards for sustainable construction.
The Holcim Awards recognise and promote projects that combine sustainable designs and sustainable construction with architectural excellence. It is now open for entries.
The Holcim Awards are a competition organised by the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction, an independent non-profit organisation.
The leading building solutions company is therefore calling on professionals in Nigeria’s built and construction sector to participate in the 2023 edition of the awards, which is seeking real-world projects that are client-supported and exemplify sustainable construction.
To be eligible, the project must not have started construction before January 1, 2022, and must be at the following stages: detailed design, complete design, under construction, and completed construction.
According to the CEO, Lafarge Africa Plc, Khaled EL Dokani, the purpose of the global awards competition is to showcase and reward leading-edge thinking and real-world examples in practice that can accelerate the global movement for sustainable construction.
Speaking at the Holcim Awards media conference organised by Lafarge Africa in Nigeria and held on March 1, 2023, the Head of Sustainability and Corporate Brand, Titilope Oguntugua said: ‘The competition features a total prize money of $1 million and is open for projects in architecture, building and civil engineering, landscape and urban design, materials, products, and construction technologies.
The competition has two categories and is conducted as separate regional competitions across five regions: Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, Middle East Africa, and North America. $200,000 per region will be shared between winners of Holcim Awards Gold, Silver, Bronze and acknowledgement prizes in every region.
Lafarge Africa, therefore calls on all eligible engineers, architects, builders, planners, construction firms, and project owners to be part of the opportunity to make a mark in the global construction space by showcasing how their projects are contributing to a more sustainable built environment.
Oguntuga also noted that all entries will be evaluated by independent expert juries who would later nominate a shortlist of winners. Entries will be evaluated using the Holcim Foundation’s renewed goals for sustainable construction that serves as a framework to drive system change: uplifting places, a healthy planet, viable economics, and thriving communities.
The competition is open for entries until March 30, 2023. Winners from all regions will be invited to the prize announcement ceremony in November.
The juries will be chaired by Tatiana Bilbao, Founder, Tatiana Bilbao Estudio (for region Latin America), Craig Dykers, Founding Partner, Snøhetta (North America), Lesley Lokko, Founder, African Futures Institute (Middle East Africa), Manit Rastogi, Founding Partner, Morphogenesis (Asia Pacific), and Belinda Tato, Founding member, Ecosistema Urbano (Europe).
The Holcim awards, a pioneering global awards competition launched in 2004 has recognized over 250 prize winners from 30,000 entries in 130 countries, with six international competition cycles spanning two decades. The initiative has grown to be the most significant competition for sustainable construction.