The winners of the 4th Global Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction have been decided – the trophies and US$350,000 prize money go to projects in Colombia, Sri Lanka and the USA. "All three prizes recognise architectural interventions that deliver tangible benefits to local communities," according to a statement by Holcim.
Gold
A project for a public park in Medellín, Colombia, that creates urban spaces around a series of water tanks to form a “socio-technical” landscape of magnificent beauty won the gold prize.
The design by Mario Camargo and Luis Tombé of Colectivo720 in Cali together with Juan Calle and Horacio Valencia of EPM Group (Empresas Públicas de Medellín), all Colombia opens up hidden infrastructure within the city to create a civic space at the intersection of architecture, landscape, infrastructure, and urban design.
The public space and pre-existing elements are transformed to create an outdoor auditorium and venues for a range of community activities that highlight the value of water as an important resource of urban life.
To see project details, click here.
Silver
Silver was awarded to a project in the rural town of Ambepussa near Colombo that aims to reintegrate soldiers into post-war Sri Lankan society. The community library by Milinda Pathiraja and Ganga Ratnayake of Robust Architecture Workshop in Colombo is made of rammed-earth walls and recycled materials. With the support of the army, young men were coached in building techniques through the construction process.
To see project details, click here.
Bronze
A large-scale, integrated flood protection system to address the vulnerability of New York City to coastal flooding won the Global Holcim Awards Bronze. The “Dryline” project by a consortium headed by BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group (Copenhagen/New York) and One Architecture (Amsterdam) proposes a protective ribbon in Southern Manhattan using a series of raised berms and other measures to create public spaces along the water’s edge. The infrastructural barrier incorporates a range of neighborhood functions that foster local commercial, recreational, and cultural activities.
To see project details, click here.
About the Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction
The international Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction competition seeks innovative, future-oriented and tangible construction projects to promote sustainable responses to the technological, environmental, socioeconomic and cultural issues affecting building and construction.
The next competition will open for entries in mid-2016.
