Holcim Awards 2014 – North America

Since 2004 the Holcim Foundation has given awards for sustainable construction to "innovative, future-oriented and tangible construction projects to promote sustainable responses to the technological, environmental, socioeconomic and cultural issues affecting building and construction on a local, regional and global level." In the second of five regional competitions this year, Holcim has awarded thirteen North American projects that share more than USD 300,000 in prize money. Previous awards were presented for Europe, and subsequent awards will be presented for Latin America, Africa and the Middle East, and Asia Pacific, with winners qualifying for the Global Holcim Awards 2015.

Below we highlight the winners, honorable mention, and awards acknowledgement prizes that were selected by the 9-strong jury* in June. They were asked to select winners based on "'target issues' for sustainable construction that consider environmental, social and economic performance – while also highlighting the need for architectural excellence and a high degree of transferability."

Holcim Awards Gold 2014 – USD 100,000
Poreform: Water absorptive surface and subterranean basin, Las Vegas, NV, USA
Main authors: Amy Mielke, Water Pore Partnership, New York, NY, USA; Caitlin Gucker-Kanter Taylor, Water Pore Partnership, Woodbridge, VA, USA
Further author: Keller Easterling, Yale School of Architecture, New Haven, CT, USA

Jury report: "The jury commends the project’s objective to conceive infrastructure as an architectural undertaking. Instead of considering infrastructure as a mere servant to utility, it is reclaimed as a truly public matter of concern and treated as equally social in scope and design – an untapped site for making and altering space. The proposal additionally foregrounds the need to treat water as a common good by proposing a modulated ground surface for water retention to prevent urban flooding. While designed for a specific site, the project offers a welcome answer to the general problem of water scarcity – a straightforward, but nonetheless beautiful proposition for a global challenge."

Holcim Awards Silver 2014 – USD 50,000
Rebuilding by Design: Urban flood protection infrastructure, New York, NY, USA
Main Authors: Bjarke Ingels, Thomas Christoffersen, Kai-Uwe Bergmann, Daniel Kidd and Jeremy Siegel, BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group; Laura Starr, Stephen Whitehouse, Andrea Parker and Melon Wedick, Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects & Planners; James Lima, James Lima Planning + Development; Steven Baumgartner, Buro Happold Engineering and Byron Stigge, Level Agency for Infrastructure, all New York, NY, USA; Matthijs Bouw and Ivo de Jeu, One Architecture, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Further authors: Christina Kaunzinger, Green Shield Ecology, Bridgewater, NJ, USA; Edgar J. Westerhof, ARCADIS, New York, NY, USA; Daniel Payne, AEA Consulting, Beacon, NY, USA; Prem Krishnamurthy, Project Projects, New York, NY, USA

Jury report: "To propose a large-scale flood protection system by means of a set of small-scale interventions was viewed by the jury as an ingenious solution that could easily be transferred to other similar conditions – in an age marked by climate change and rising global sea levels. The panel appreciates the project’s conceptual framework proposing to merge the requirements of a 'Robert Moses' type of hard infrastructure with the local community-driven sensitivity of 'Jane Jacobs.' Here, local neighborhoods actively engage in defining specific programs, functions, and public amenities along a line that acts as a civic infrastructure belonging to the public at large."

Holcim Awards Bronze 2014 – USD 30,000
Hy-Fi: Zero carbon emissions compostable structure, New York, NY, USA
Main author: David Benjamin, The Living architecture lab, New York, NY, USA
Further authors: Danil Nagy, John Locke, Damon Lau, Ray Wang, Jim Stoddart, Dale Zhao, Nathan Smith, Christo Logan and Dan Taeyoung, The Living architecture lab, New York, NY, USA; Matt Clark and Shaina Saporta, Arup engineering, New York, NY, USA; Eben Bayer, Sam Harrington and Garrett Scheffler, Ecovative Design, Green Island, NY, USA; Gina Albanese, Kristal Reid and Byron Trotter, 3M, St. Paul, MN, USA

Jury report: "The jury applauds the investigatory nature of the project, both in terms of its objective to research innovative construction materials and their architectural potential. Specifically valued is the idea to test the possibility of creating a structure that is made of a biodegradable substance. The organic bricks, made of a combination of corn stalks and fungal organisms, are carbon free and produce almost no waste at the end of the building’s lifecycle. Most interesting is the 'low-tech biotech' approach of the project, which offers great promise for applications at a larger scale. The design’s architectural expression appears to defy the force of gravity through a play of light effects and mesmerizing colors."

Holcim Awards Acknowledgement prizes 2014 – USD 25,000
Chrysanthemum Building: Affordable residential urban infill development, Boston, MA, USA
Main authors: Sheila Kennedy and J. Frano Violich, Kennedy & Violich Architecture, Boston, MA, USA
Further authors: Stratton B. Newbert and Michael Pang, Buro Happold Engineering, Boston, MA, USA; Karen J. Wynne, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Boston, MA, USA; Lucy Jen, Richmond So Engineers, Watertown, MA, USA

Heritage Reframed: University building renovation and extension, Toronto, ON, Canada
Main authors: Nader Tehrani and Katherine Faulkner, NADAAA, Boston, MA, USA
Further authors: Tas Candaras, A.M. Candaras associates, Woodbridge, ON, Canada; Claudina Sula, Adamson Associates Architects; Barry Charnish, Entuitive Corporation; Shaili Pytel, Mulvey & Banani International; Marc Ryan, Public Work; Phil Bastow, The Mitchel Partnership; David Rulff, MMM Group; Andrew Pruss, Era architects; Jim Broomfield, Eastern construction company, all from Toronto, ON, Canada; Erik Olsen, Transsolar, New York, NY, USA

Holcim Awards Acknowledgement prizes 2014 – USD 15,000
Divining LA: Digital tool for urban design and water-use planning, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Main authors: Peter and Hadley Arnold, Arid Lands Institute, Woodbury University, Burbank, CA, USA
Further authors: Ethan Dingwell and Karim Snoussi, Arid Lands Institute, Woodbury University, Burbank, CA, USA

In-Closure: Public park and interactive wall for urban revival, Seattle, WA, USA
Authors: Etienne Feher, Paul Azzopardi and Noé Basch, ABF-lab architects, Paris, France

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

*The Holcim Awards jury for region North America met at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, MA, USA in June 2014. L-R: Dana Cuff (USA), Jeffrey Laberge (Canada), Marc Angélil (Switzerland), Toshiko Mori (USA, Head of Jury), Sarah Whiting (USA), Guillaume Habert (Switzerland), Lola Sheppard (Canada), Alain Bourguignon (Switzerland) and Mark Jarzombek (USA, seated).