LafargeHolcim Awards 2017 – Europe

Every three years the LafargeHolcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction gives out USD 2 million in awards in what they consider "the world's most significant competition in sustainable design." The fifth iteration of the international competition drew 5,085 entries by authors in 121 countries – 792 valid projects in Europe alone. With so many entries, the competition is carried out in five regions, as in previous years; awards in the first regional category were given out for Middle East Africa and the second are focused on Europe. Subsequent awards will be made for North America, Latin America, and Asia Pacific. All winners qualify for the Global Holcim Award 2018 to be decided in March 2018.

Below we highlight the two Gold winners and the Bronze winner selected by the nine-member jury at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) in Lausanne, Switzerland, in June. They were asked to select winners based on five "target issues" that "aim to clarify principles for sustaining the human habitat for future generations."

Gold ex aequo: Clever waste management, Brussels, Belgium
Author: TETRA architecten

Jury report: "The design’s adaptable framework as well as its minimal deployment of architectural and technical means was considered a remarkable contribution to sustainable construction by the members of the jury panel. The proposed scheme’s twofold approach to the task at hand – offering a careful urban integration of the facility as well as providing a non-specific structure that can accommodate future needs – was greatly appreciated as the discussions unfolded. Particularly valued was the design’s underlying premise to re-integrate logistics infrastructures in the inner city (such as those needed for garbage collection), rather than displacing them to peripheral locations and keeping them out of sight, so to speak. Bringing infrastructure to the fore, the design merges economic and aesthetic considerations, offering a form of resilient architecture that turns limitations into a quality."

Gold ex aequo: Integration of a concrete plant, Brussels, Belgium
Author: BC architects and studies

Jury report: "The range of architectural moves gives credence to the ambition to combine what at first sight might have seemed improbable: the literal cohabitation of otherwise incompatible functions."

ZEDpods: Zero Energy Development units on parking lots, London
Author: Bill Dunster, ZEDfactory

Jury report: "Praising the idea of building above existing parking spaces, the jury fully endorsed the author’s vision of an architecture that is socially responsible, ecologically sound, and economically affordable. Considering in addition that the project is both innovative and transferable, proof is undoubtedly offered that the design indeed meets the 'target issues' set forth by the LafargeHolcim Foundation – at least for the most part, as noted by the jury during the deliberation process. The scheme’s qualities and benefits notwithstanding, some jury members nonetheless raised the question as to whether aesthetic considerations were consciously addressed or whether architectural expression was simply considered a result of technical and material exigencies. Criticism aside, the design intelligently manages to translate a vision into reality, one that could undoubtedly benefit from the project’s foresightedness."

Visit the Holcim Awards website for more information on the winning projects and to see the four winners of the Acknowledgement Prizes and the four recipients of the "Next Generation" prizes for young architects and students.