Regional Holcim Awards winners announced in Marrakech
(Marrakech / Morocco) -- The winners of the second Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction from across region Africa Middle East were announced at a ceremony in Marrakech. Total prize money of USD 270,000 was presented to eleven projects that illustrated the broad scope for applying sustainable construction approaches to the built environment across public and private architecture, urban planning, and environmental remediation.
A remediation and urban development scheme for the river precinct in Fez, Morocco received the top prize of USD 100,000 and the Holcim Awards Gold 2008 trophy for combining a comprehensive socio-cultural and economic program within the core environmental remediation initiative. The landscape design by Moroccan architect Aziza Chaouni and American-resident Japanese planner Takako Tajima includes water quality improvement, remediation of contaminated sites, creation of open spaces and the enhancement of existing resources for economic development.
The Holcim Awards Silver was presented to the low-cost Mukwano Home in Rakai, Uganda created by Japanese architect Koji Tsutsui. The new homes reflect local social traditions and habits, provide shelter and offer health care, education spaces and leisure facilities. The long-term goal of the project is to provide the children with basic building skills and a chance of future work, and to develop effective social and contextual impact by providing a solid community for children orphaned by the impact of HIV/AIDS.
The submission by UAE-resident South African architect Shaun Killa for the iconic, 400m tall Lighthouse Tower in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) was commended for demonstrating in a convincing manner that high-rise buildings also have significant potential to be designed and constructed to meet sustainability targets. The 53-story building incorporates passive cooling, optimizes use of daylight through a responsive façade, and will include wind turbines and photo-voltaic panels to generate most of the energy needs of the building – and is therefore projected to achieve energy savings of around 50% compared to a conventional office tower.
Five submissions, three from South Africa and one each from Tanzania and the UAE received Acknowledgement prizes for their approaches to housing, infrastructure, and urban planning. An integrated theater and orphanage compound in Moshi, Tanzania and a mixed-used responsive urban planning strategy for the Xeritown development in Dubai, UAE were selected in addition to three projects from South Africa: a school infrastructure project in Vele and Vryheid, a stabilized earth visitors’ center in the Mapungubwe National Park and a low-impact environmentally-responsive private home in Cape Town.
For the first time, the Holcim Awards competition included a category for the visions of young architects and designers. Two innovative projects from Nigeria were both awarded equal First prize in the “Next Generation” category. A concept for amphibious dwellings which use low-lying and flood prone areas in informal settlements of Lagos to provide safe housing close to residents’ source of income by American-resident Nigerian architect Akinlabi Afolayan was selected for its fresh approach to improving squatter settlements. In addition, the First-prize-winning dune anti-desertification architecture created by Swedish architect Magnus Larsson received the top accolade for applying cutting-edge biotechnology to stop desert encroachment in Sokoto. A waterfront sustainable development project for Mombasa, Kenya by local architects Maranga Njoroge and Benedette Nthale also received a “Next Generation” prize and was applauded for its holistic intervention in the commercial development of a prime beach area.
Almost 5000 projects from 90 countries were entered in the second Holcim Awards competition. Submissions from Africa Middle East were evaluated by an independent jury hosted by the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg and headed by Joe Addo (Ghana). The Marrakech event was the fourth of five ceremonies. The results for Europe, North America and Latin America have also been announced, and the results for Asia Pacific are still to be celebrated in New Delhi. Gold, silver and bronze prize winners from each region automatically qualify for the global Holcim Awards competition. The projects will be further evaluated by a global jury and the winners proclaimed in Switzerland in 2009.
The Holcim Awards is an international competition of the Holcim Foundation which seeks innovative, future-oriented and tangible sustainable construction projects and offers prize money of USD 2 million per three-year competition cycle.
http://www.holcimawards.org
(Marrakech / Morocco) -- The winners of the second Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction from across region Africa Middle East were announced at a ceremony in Marrakech. Total prize money of USD 270,000 was presented to eleven projects that illustrated the broad scope for applying sustainable construction approaches to the built environment across public and private architecture, urban planning, and environmental remediation. A remediation and urban development scheme for the river precinct in Fez, Morocco received the top prize of USD 100,000 and the Holcim Awards Gold 2008 trophy for combining a comprehensive socio-cultural and economic program within the core environmental remediation initiative. The landscape design by Moroccan architect Aziza Chaouni and American-resident Japanese planner Takako Tajima includes water quality improvement, remediation of contaminated sites, creation of open spaces and the enhancement of existing resources for economic development.
The Holcim Awards Silver was presented to the low-cost Mukwano Home in Rakai, Uganda created by Japanese architect Koji Tsutsui. The new homes reflect local social traditions and habits, provide shelter and offer health care, education spaces and leisure facilities. The long-term goal of the project is to provide the children with basic building skills and a chance of future work, and to develop effective social and contextual impact by providing a solid community for children orphaned by the impact of HIV/AIDS.
The submission by UAE-resident South African architect Shaun Killa for the iconic, 400m tall Lighthouse Tower in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) was commended for demonstrating in a convincing manner that high-rise buildings also have significant potential to be designed and constructed to meet sustainability targets. The 53-story building incorporates passive cooling, optimizes use of daylight through a responsive façade, and will include wind turbines and photo-voltaic panels to generate most of the energy needs of the building – and is therefore projected to achieve energy savings of around 50% compared to a conventional office tower.
Five submissions, three from South Africa and one each from Tanzania and the UAE received Acknowledgement prizes for their approaches to housing, infrastructure, and urban planning. An integrated theater and orphanage compound in Moshi, Tanzania and a mixed-used responsive urban planning strategy for the Xeritown development in Dubai, UAE were selected in addition to three projects from South Africa: a school infrastructure project in Vele and Vryheid, a stabilized earth visitors’ center in the Mapungubwe National Park and a low-impact environmentally-responsive private home in Cape Town.
For the first time, the Holcim Awards competition included a category for the visions of young architects and designers. Two innovative projects from Nigeria were both awarded equal First prize in the “Next Generation” category. A concept for amphibious dwellings which use low-lying and flood prone areas in informal settlements of Lagos to provide safe housing close to residents’ source of income by American-resident Nigerian architect Akinlabi Afolayan was selected for its fresh approach to improving squatter settlements. In addition, the First-prize-winning dune anti-desertification architecture created by Swedish architect Magnus Larsson received the top accolade for applying cutting-edge biotechnology to stop desert encroachment in Sokoto. A waterfront sustainable development project for Mombasa, Kenya by local architects Maranga Njoroge and Benedette Nthale also received a “Next Generation” prize and was applauded for its holistic intervention in the commercial development of a prime beach area.
Almost 5000 projects from 90 countries were entered in the second Holcim Awards competition. Submissions from Africa Middle East were evaluated by an independent jury hosted by the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg and headed by Joe Addo (Ghana). The Marrakech event was the fourth of five ceremonies. The results for Europe, North America and Latin America have also been announced, and the results for Asia Pacific are still to be celebrated in New Delhi. Gold, silver and bronze prize winners from each region automatically qualify for the global Holcim Awards competition. The projects will be further evaluated by a global jury and the winners proclaimed in Switzerland in 2009.
The Holcim Awards is an international competition of the Holcim Foundation which seeks innovative, future-oriented and tangible sustainable construction projects and offers prize money of USD 2 million per three-year competition cycle.
http://www.holcimawards.org
No comments:
Post a Comment