Book announcement

Zurich/Switzerland, January 11, 2007. – In the first Holcim Awards competition for sustainable construction projects, over 3000 entries were submitted from 120 countries and USD 2.1 million in prize money was awarded to projects to be built in 21 countries. The book Sustainable construction – Holcim Awards 2005/2006 provides an overview of the competition and the winning projects in a contemporary snapshot of the global state of sustainable construction.

• Marc Angélil and Cary Siress, professors of architecture and urban design at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), trace the historic development of sustainable construction as documented by seminal books published since the 1960s.
  Five easy pieces (PDF, 1.9MB)
  
• Klaus Töpfer (Germany), former Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), discusses the urban, environmental, demographic, and energy issues that are shaping the world in which our grandchildren will live.
  Baby steps and giant leaps (PDF, 1.8MB)
  
• Yolanda Kakabadse (Ecuador), Joint Coordinator of the United Nations Millennium Project Task Force on Environmental Sustainability, asserts that traditional resources and the associated social values must play a role in solving modern problems, citing a valuable resource that deserves revival – bamboo.
   The essence of sustainable construction (PDF, 1.8MB)
  
• Hansjürg Leibundgut, professor of structural engineering at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), explains a pervasive global socioeconomic problem – the correlation between the dissipation of resources and the concentration of capital.
   Beyond dissipation and concentration (PDF, 1.8MB)
  
• Ashok B. Lall, Dean of Studies at TVB School of Habitat Studies in India, investigates the environmental consequences of social values and habits that shape cities and urban lifestyle.
   Urbanization of emerging economies (PDF, 1.8MB)
  
• Saïd Mouline, General Architect for the Moroccan government, explains that even basic needs are not simple, but involve the full range of concerns of sustainable development.
   Basic needs to cultural values and local identity (PDF, 1.8MB)
  
• Donald Bates, principal of LAB Architecture Studio in Melbourne, London, and Beijing, is an artfully illustrated and inspiring story about beginnings and ends, ideas and architecture, dreams and possibilities.
   An architectural fable (PDF, 5.1MB)
  

The stories of the winners Gold – Venezuela: The three female architects from Proyectos Arqui 5 CA in Venezuela are considered angels by the residents of San Rafael-Unido, one of the sprawling informal settlements of Caracas that the architects have been working to improve, not replace – the community is socially intact and is home to tens of thousands despite the virtually nonexistent urban infrastructure. Just upgrade it! - Upgrading San Rafael-Unido, Urban Integration Project, Caracas, Venezuela (PDF, 12.7MB) Gold – Germany: A radical design for the new main train station in Stuttgart, Germany has captivated Christoph Ingenhoven and his architecture office in Düsseldorf. Their monumental work of urban design will transform the city center from a complex dissected by rail yards into a beautiful and functional urban-scale place for people. Aesthetic of disappearance - Main Station Stuttgart, Germany (PDF, 7.9MB) Silver – Italy: Luigi Centola is leading an international team to realize his master plan for the renovation and adaptive reuse of a string of dilapidated mills along the Canneto River – a project designed to reinvigorate the local economy, preserve the historic structures, and conserve the cultural heritage of the Mulini Valley near Amalfi in Italy.   The power of water - Renewal Strategy for the Mulini Valley, Amalfi, Italy (PDF, 14.3MB) Bronze – Canada: Daniel Pearl and the architects of L'OEUF in Montreal, Canada have been comprehensively absorbed – socially, politically, financially, and architecturally – in their project to restore and improve an iconic residential neighborhood of Montreal. Their work certifies that the rare but highly valuable combination of low-cost housing and environmentally-advanced design is possible.   Green, social and complex - Greening the Infrastructure at Benny Farm, Montréal, Canada (PDF, 15.2MB)