| Founder(s) | Holcim Ltd |
|---|---|
| Type | Educational, Promotional |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Location | Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction, Hagenholzstrasse 85, CH-8050 Zurich, Switzerland |
| Area served | Global |
| Mission | Promote Sustainable Construction |
| Employees | 5 |
| Motto | Building sustainable foundations for society's future |
| Website | http://www.holcimfoundation.org |
The Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction is a non-profit organization. Its goal is to raise awareness to the role that architecture, engineering, urban planning and construction have in achieving a sustainable built future. The organization encourages and rewards sustainable responses to the technological, environmental, socioeconomic, and cultural issues affecting building and construction. The two main initiatives of the foundation are the Holcim Forums (a series of academic symposia) and the Holcim Awards (a USD 2 million competition for sustainable construction projects and visions).[1]
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The organization was established in 2003 in Zurich, Switzerland with Holcim Ltd. as its sole sponsor. Holcim is a global supplier of cement and aggregates. The initiatives of the foundation operate in a three-year cycle.[2]
The Holcim Awards is an international competition that seeks projects and visions in sustainable construction. It offers USD 2 million dollars in prize money[3] in each three-year cycle. Eligible for entry are projects in: buildings and civil engineering works; landscape, urban design and infrastructure; and materials, products and construction technologies.[4] There are two categories: The main category of the competition is open to architects, planners, engineers, and project owners that showcase sustainable responses to technological, environmental, socioeconomic and cultural issues affective contemporary building and construction. The fifteen projects that receive Holcim Awards Gold, Silver or Bronze in the five regions are then qualified for the competition for the Global Holcim Awards.[5] The “Next Generation” category is open to student projects created within university programs at final year bachelor level or above (including masters and PhD). The first Holcim Awards took place from 2004 until 2006, the second Holcim Awards from 2007 until 2009. The third Holcim Awards cycle runs from 2010 until 2012.
The Holcim Forum is a series of symposia on sustainable construction. The event is an academic platform for architects, engineers, construction professionals and specialists. It supports sustainable construction in the scientific field, among experts in the construction sector, business and society, and promotes interdisciplinary dialogue, bring forward new ideas, and examine potential solutions.[6]
The Holcim Foundation measures and evaluates sustainable construction using five target issues. Three of these align with the triple bottom line concept of balanced social, environmental and economic performance. The rest cover contextual and aesthetic impact, and innovation and transferability.[7]
The project must demonstrate innovation at the forefront of sustainable construction. Breakthroughs and trend-setting approaches, irrespective of scale, must be transferable to a range of other applications.[8]
The project must adhere to the highest ethical standards and support social equity at all stages of construction, from planning and building processes to long-term impact on the fabric of that community. The project has to provide an advanced response in terms of ethical and social responsibility.[9]
The project must exhibit a sensible use and management of natural resources throughout its life cycle, including operation and maintenance. Long-term environmental concerns, whether pertaining to flows of material or energy, should be an integral part of the built structure.[10]
The project must prove to be economically feasible and innovative as far as the deployment of financial resources is concerned. Funding must promote an economy of means and be compatible with the demands and constraints encountered throughout the construction’s life span.[11]
The project must convey a high standard of architectural quality in the way it addresses cultural and physical factors. With space and form of utmost significance, the construction must have a lasting aesthetic impact on its surrounding environment. All “target issues” are explained in more detail on the Holcim Foundation website, including practical application of sustainable construction with reference to exemplary buildings from different regions of the world.[12]
Partner universities of the foundation host the Holcim Forums, define the evaluation criteria to be used for the Holcim Awards, and put together the panels that judge the competition entries. The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) leads the Technical Competence Center which provides academic and technical support.[14]