Holcim is a global concern, one of the world's leading manufacturers of building materials (in particular, cement and concrete). Since 2005, the Holcim Foundation has been holding a competition for the award: green projects in the field of individual and commercial construction, as well as urban development are evaluated once every three years, first at the regional level, and then in the “global standings”.
As the president of the Holcim Foundation, Edward Schwarz, said at a presentation in Moscow, the organizing committee of the award deliberately relies on architectural projects or projects under construction, and not already erected buildings. “We are interested in the technologies of tomorrow and their applicability in architecture,” explains Mr. Schwartz. - It is naturally easier to make changes and improvements to projects being developed at the moment, including from the point of view of energy efficiency, than to those already built. That is why the only condition for submitting a work to our competition is (in addition to the use of environmentally friendly technologies, of course) the timing of its implementation. In order to participate in Holcim Awards 2010, it is necessary that your project has not yet been implemented or that construction has begun not earlier than July 1, 2010”.
Saying that this is the only limitation, Edward Schwartz is not lying: you do not need to pay for participation, the prize has no national or age restrictions, as well as requirements for the typology or area of the objects presented. Strictly speaking, you don't even need to be an architect to become a nominee for the award - designers, engineers, builders and investors can also apply for the award. A separate category called "Next Generation" is open for projects developed within the framework of university programs of senior courses (from the 4th and higher, ie all project authors must have a bachelor's degree or higher).
The projects submitted for the competition are evaluated according to five main criteria. These are innovation and environmental friendliness of the materials used, the use of energy-saving technologies and preservation of the environment, economic efficiency, aesthetics and originality of architectural and design solutions, as well as "a reasonable desire to improve social and cultural living conditions." In order not to remain voiced, Edward Schwartz gave several examples of winning projects from previous years. Thus, the Holcim Awards Gold Prize in 2008 was awarded to the project for the restoration and cleaning of the Fez River in the city of the same name, carried out under the direction of the architect Aziza Chaouni (Morocco). The project involves the restoration of local tanneries, the creation of public and pedestrian zones, as well as the reclamation of swampy soils and the revival of the river microflora, which should transform the current fetid artery into a new natural landmark. Silver medalist in 2008 was the project of a university campus in the Vietnamese city of Ho Chi Minh (architects Kazuhiro Kojima, Daisuke Sanuke (Japan) and Trong Nhia Vo (Vietnam): in terms of resembling a giant green flower, it is located in such a way as to maximize the energy of the sun and The best green projects in Europe were recognized as the new government quarter in Budapest by architect Peter Janesch and the mountain house Monte Rosa Hut in the Swiss Alps (architects Andreas Deplazes and Marcel Baumgartner), capable of functioning completely autonomously.
In order to cover the maximum geography, Holcim Awards are held in five regions - the USA, Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe. The total number of participants is amazing: in 2005 there were about 3 thousand projects, in 2008 - already 5 thousand. True, the share of Europe here is rather modest: in 2008, only 520 projects from Europe applied for the Holcim Awards, and, alas, only 44 of them were developed in Russia. That is why Edward Schwartz came to Moscow for the Green Project festival to personally encourage Russian architects to participate in the competition. “Getting to know the festival's exposition and Moscow in general only confirmed my confidence that modern Russian architecture has great potential,” said Edward Schwartz at the presentation of the competition. “And the courage with which your designers go to experiment and use new technologies is the key to their success at Holcim Awards, and that is why we are so interested in attracting as many projects from Russia as possible.”
Applications for participation in the Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction competition are accepted through the competition's Internet portal until March 23, 2011. The official language of the competition is English, but in our country it has a coordinator - ALFA CEMENT OJSC, who is ready to provide Russian architects with all the necessary assistance.
