12 May 2005
New Zealand projects among entries for Global Sustainable Construction Awards
Five New Zealand projects are amongst 255 entries received from Asia Pacific countries for a worldwide contest focused
on innovative and future-oriented sustainable construction projects, organised by Switzerland-based Holcim Foundation
for Sustainable Construction.
The awards, which have attracted more than 1,500 entries from 118 countries, recognise contributions to sustainable
construction – regardless of scale – in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, civil and mechanical
engineering, and related disciplines. Entries have come from architects, engineers, students and developers, and when
submitted, projects needed to be in an advanced design stage though prior to construction.
The Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction will be judged at two levels, with an award ceremony for the Asia Pacific
region being held in Beijing in September, and a global phase for the best entries from each region in 2006. Prize money
totals USD 220,000 per region – with a total of USD 2 million to be awarded throughout the competition.
The Holcim Foundation has defined five challenging target issues for sustainable construction: quantum change and
transferability; ethical standards and social equity; ecological quality and energy conservation; economic performance
and compatibility; and contextual response and aesthetic impact. These target issues serve as key criteria for judging
the submitted projects.
The entries will be evaluated by independent jurors in close collaboration with the five partner universities of the
Holcim Foundation: ETH Zurich, Switzerland; Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT), Boston, USA; Tongji University (TJU), Shanghai, China; University of São Paulo (USP),
Brazil; and the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Johannesburg, South Africa.
Prof. Dr. Schalcher, a member of the Board of the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction and Head of the
Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich),
said: "We are extraordinarily pleased with the overwhelming response to the first Holcim Awards competition."
"The volume of interest shows the enormous importance that architecture, engineering, and construction have in achieving
a more sustainable future. With participation from all continents and 118 countries - sustainable construction is truly
of global interest," he said.
An independent foundation, the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction, based in Switzerland, is an initiative of
Holcim Ltd, one of the world's leading suppliers of cement, aggregates, concrete, and construction-related services. The
Holcim Group has companies and affiliates in more than 70 countries.
More information – see www.holcimawards.org
…/ ENDS