New publication describes sustainable approaches to social, economic, and aesthetic elements of an innovative expansion of the IUCN Conservation Centre.
Zurich / Switzerland – June 4, 2010: The Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction has produced on behalf of Holcim and IUCN a comprehensive book to document the “creation of a sustainable building” – IUCN Conservation Centre in Gland – perhaps the most sustainable one of its kind currently in Switzerland.
The book presents an overview of how the IUCN Conservation Centre provides innovative solutions in terms of its environmental, economic and social performance, in addition to creating a truly aesthetic and functional built environment. Detailed information on the architectural concept; mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering; structural engineering; and building exterior and interior of the building provide a further insight into this leading-edge building.
The book also shows how the IUCN Conservation Centre lives up to the “target issues” for sustainable construction applied by the Holcim Foundation and its partner universities to measure sustainability in construction
The structure of this building is a veritable showcase of modern and emerging concrete technology, featuring CO2-reduced concrete, recycled concrete, prestressed concrete, insulating concrete, precast concrete, and of course ready-mix concrete. Concrete is used as load-bearing material, thermal mass, lateral stiffener, finished surface, and architectural accent. The project illustrates many green concrete practices.
“A new direction in building design”
Marc Angélil, member of the Management Board and Technical Competence Center of the Holcim Foundation is also a Partner in architectural firm agps.architecture who designed the building that clearly reflects the values of IUCN. The criteria of sustainable construction were used to determine the urban, architectural, and functional qualities of the Conservation Centre.
Specifically, social responsibility, economic performance, and environmental stewardship are realized through a high-quality and adaptable work environment, moderate construction cost, low operating and maintenance costs, responsible resource use, energy efficiency, and rigorous control of emissions.
Hansjürg Leibundgut, member of the Technical Competence Center of the Holcim Foundation, Chair of Building Systems, ETH Zurich, and is also a Partner in Amstein + Walthert who provided innovative mechanical engineering solutions and devised an ingeniously efficient energy concept.
He says it will soon become a mainstream practice: “We are moving in a new direction in building design – away from creating prototypes and towards creating high-efficiency systems ready for industrialization. This high-efficiency system has been developed and proven through a series of buildings, and it is fully integrated with the architecture.”
 IUCN Conservation Centre in Gland, Switzerland – English (PDF, 6.5MB)
 Le Centre de la conservation de l'UICN à Gland, en Suisse - Français (PDF, 6.1MB)
 order hardcopy of publication online
All photos shown below can be downloaded in high-resolution (print quality). To download an image, click on the link below any picture. Free copyright for publishing under condition that images source is mentioned at least as: Holcim Foundation. For assistance or clarifications, a wider selection of images, or to provide links to publications please contact info@holcimfoundation.org. |  | | Floating over a north-south folded rooftop sea of photovoltaic collectors is the Holcim Think Tank, a separate and special meeting place in an iconic green building destined to become a new and powerful symbol of IUCN. | |
|  | | The Holcim Think Tank, literally and figuratively the high point of the building is designed to accommodate meetings and events hosted by IUCN, featuring a stupendous view of the French Alps across Lake Geneva. | |
|  | | The IUCN Conservation Centre incorporates a wide array of energy-saving features and systems fully integrated into the building design reducing energy running costs to 20% of that for standard buildings of comparable size. | |
|  | | Interior view: the health and well-being of building users are central to the design of the IUCN Conservation Centre. The building offers a comfortable, healthful, and stimulating indoor environment. | |
|  | | IUCN Conservation Centre entrance foyer: "Effective collaboration has been at the core of building the IUCN Conservation Centre." - Julia Marton-Lefèvre, Director General, IUCN. | |
|  | | Light-filled atrium: "This is an exemplary green building which offers a great deal to learn from." - Markus Akermann, CEO, Holcim Ltd and Chairman, Management Board of the Holcim Foundation. | |
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Table of contents
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| Teamwork and commitment
Foreword by Julia Marton-Lefèvre, Director General, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Gland, Switzerland
|  | An inspiring achievement
Foreword by Markus Akermann, CEO of Holcim Ltd and Chairman of the Management Board of the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction, Zurich, Switzerland
| | Sustainable construction
Quantum change and transferability - Ecological quality and resource conservation - Ethical standards and social equity - Economic performance and compatibility - Contextual and aesthetic impact | | Pas de cinq
About energy, materiality, economy, use, and space, by Marc Angélil, Sarah Graham, Reto Pfenninger, Manuel Scholl, and Hanspeter Oester, agps.architecture, Zurich, Switzerland | | The new IUCN Conservation Centre
Lofty aspirations and extraordinary teamwork - The building site - Architectural concept - Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering - Structural engineering - The building exterior - The building interior - A story of walls
| | Epilogue
Certified green buildings |  | Project and technical data, Addresses
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IUCN Conservation Centre in Gland, Switzerland
Produced by Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction for Holcim Ltd and IUCN, 2010
ISBN 978-3-7266-0088-4 (English)
ISBN 978-3-7266-0089-1 (French)
IUCN Conservation Centre in Gland, Switzerland – English (PDF, 6.5MB)
Le Centre de la conservation de l'UICN à Gland, en Suisse - Français (PDF, 6.1MB)
order hardcopy of publication online |  | |  | The new IUCN Conservation Centre has won the Swiss Solar Energy Prize 2010.
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|  | IUCN’s new Conservation Centre aims to be the first office building in Europe to obtain LEED Platinum certification and Swiss MINERGIE Eco-P standard. (l-r) Julia Marton-Lefèvre, Director General, IUCN; Ashok Khosla, President of IUCN; Micheline Calmy-Rey, Swiss Foreign Minister; and Swiss Balloonist, Bertrand Piccard.
read more
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|  | Holcim signed a global agreement with IUCN in 2007 with three strategic objectives and collaboration on a variety of local initiatives.
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|  | Download PDF or order hardcopy booklets from the Holcim Foundation's series that showcases outstanding examples of sustainable construction.
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| Holcim Foundation
for Sustainable Construction
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Switzerland
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