The Holcim Forum offered plenty of opportunities for informal exchange (l-r): associated university representative Vanderley John, Associate Professor, Dept of Construction Engineering, Polytechnic School, University of São Paulo (Brazil) and architect Bruno Stagno, Principal, Bruno Stagno Arquitecto y Asociados of San José (Costa Rica).
"Re-inventing Construction" – 3rd International Holcim Forum for Sustainable Construction
What is the status of sustainable construction today? How must architecture, engineering and construction evolve so that considerations of sustainability are automatically embedded in the way that the built environment is designed, constructed, used and recycled? Under the theme of “Re-inventing Construction” the 3rd International Holcim Forum served as a platform for 270 experts from 39 countries to investigate the issues further, and sparked a firework of future-focused ideas.
Every three years, the Holcim Foundation invites leading thinkers of the construction world to study and discuss the significance of – and opportunities to move toward – sustainable construction. The event also strengthens the Foundation’s network and builds the reputation of the Holcim brand. Experts from all continents collaborate in workshops, exchange ideas in panel discussions, listen to technical lectures, and search for ways to translate current approaches and forward-thinking approaches into practice.
High academic value
The host of the latest Forum, Universidad Iberoamericana (UIA) in Mexico City, is one of seven partner universities that collaborate closely with the Holcim Foundation, especially during the Holcim Awards competitions. Together with the Foundation and its Technical Competence Center, the team from the renowned UIA Department of Architecture managed to raise the bar once again: The second Forum held in Shanghai in 2007 increased the academic level beyond the first event held in Zurich in 2004 – and the third Forum in Mexico City truly propelled the symposium to new levels of impact and interchange.
One contributing factor might be the intensification in recent years of the intellectual study of sustainable construction. “It has indeed become easier for us”, explains global Holcim Awards winner Daniel Pearl (Canada) at the Forum: “We know increasingly more, and the clients have changed too – today they are genuinely concerned about sustainability.”
The heart of the Forum were the four workshops on key aspects of sustainability in construction.
Focused workshops
The academic investigation of sustainable construction at the Forum was enhanced also due to organizational changes. For the first time, the customary excursions in the environs of the Forum were explicitly linked to the workshop topics of: “Reduce CO2 - With technology to zero emissions”, “Mine the city - With logistics to circular metabolisms”, “Stimulate stakeholders - With incentives to implementation”, and “Play with complexity - With integral solutions to an economy of means”. These themes were explored in depth in the concurrent workshops that included papers elaborated by renowned experts, discussions and outstanding, real case studies from all over the world.
The Mobile Workshops (excursions), then illustrated questions related directly to each workshop theme in the Mexico City area. Thus the four workshop groups remained together longer which allowed for even more intensive discussions. The workshops themselves proved to be bustling arenas for lively and high-level discussions of the most important aspects of sustainable development in the context of construction – across all intervals of a structure’s lifespan.
The four Mobile Workshops used tangible examples around Mexico City to illustrate the key challenges discussed in each of the workshops.
Top-level academics down to earth
The presentations of selected experts also offered an inspiring yet practical array of ideas. Pre-eminent thinker on energy, Amory Lovins (USA) and engineer Werner Sobek (Germany) have been conducting successful research for years and developing innovations for everyday use. Luminary architects Thom Mayne (USA) and Michel Rojkind (Mexico) presented not a utopia – but proposals for bold, tangible, and above all reproducible solutions to pressing challenges of development.
Even the unmistakably cerebral sociologist and economist Jeremy Rifkin (USA) kept his highly-debated convictions regarding empathetic society down to earth. “There is no empathy in utopia because everything is perfect”, he says: “An empathic civilization is the exact opposite of utopia. It is based on our solidarity because we're imperfect and fragile creatures, because we're trying the best we can to flourish on this earth, and we try to show some solidarity with each other in the journey.”
Some 270 experts from 39 countries took part in the 3rd International Holcim Forum.
Networking – amongst professionals and with Holcim
Critical to the success of the Forum were not only the prominent speakers but also the participants, including 25 students of the Foundation's partner universities. An important goal was networking amongst professionals, who enthusiastically made use of the opportunity. The spirit of the Holcim Forum is also conducive to new steps towards sustainable construction behind the scenes; new contacts are established with professionals from other disciplines and regions, and new joint projects are conceived.
The participants respect the Holcim Group for its strong commitment to sustainable development and engagement beyond its immediate interests within the building product market. “Such events are enormously important”, says Yu Sing Lim from Indonesia: “We must disseminate the latest information – and openly discuss the burning issues, as this Forum allowed. I myself learned very much here.”
Website and two publications
Expert papers, case studies, photos, and further documents and information on the 3rd International Holcim Forum are available at:
 www.holcimforum.org.
A special edition of “Foundations”, the magazine of the Holcim Foundation, will be dedicated to the Forum.
Re-inventing Construction (picture book)
At the end of this year an academic publication on the topic "Re-inventing Construction" will be released. Based on the findings of the Forum, this book will investigate the (sustainable) future of construction.
Re-inventing Construction
Starting July 1, 2010, projects may be submitted in the 3rd cycle of the Holcim Awards competitions at:
 www.holcimawards.org.
June 21, 2010
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|  | Workshops included expert papers flanked by outstanding real case studies from all over the world.
Workshops
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|  | Four Mobile Workshops directly linked to the Workshop themes were conducted, involving visits to specific sites in Mexico City.
Mobile workshops
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|  | Read more about the scheduled release of a general publication and an academic publication following the Holcim Forum.
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