The Holcim Foundation is committed to the “triple bottom line” concept, which asserts that long-term and sustainable progress requires the balanced achievement of economic growth, ecological balance and social progress. It confirms that the benefit to society in terms of environmental quality, social progress and well being outweigh the efforts undertaken to achieve them. Based on this concept and to make sustainable construction easier to understand, evaluate and apply, the Holcim Foundation and its partner universities have identified a set of five “target issues” for sustainable construction, which serve as the basis for the adjudication process of the Holcim Awards and as a framework for other activities of the Holcim Foundation:

Quantum change and transferability
Ethical standards and social equity
Ecological quality and energy conservation
Economic performance and compatibility
Contextual and aesthetic impact

Three of the target issues for sustainable construction are the same as the three goals of sustainable development: balanced environmental, social, and economic performance. One applies specifically to building: the creation and improvement of good buildings, neighborhoods, towns, and cities. And one recognizes the global urgency of sustainable construction: the need for significant advancements that can be applied on a broad scale.

The descriptions also include a demonstration of how each criteria is applied using the example of the Holcim Costa Rica office building. We didn’t pick this building because it’s a Holcim building – we picked it because it’s a recognized example of sustainable construction.

The Mexican Society of Architects named this building one of the outstanding projects of 2005 and published it in their Ninth Report on Architecture in Mexico and Latin America (1). It has been featured in many international publications, such as RE, and was published by the Spanish National Centre for Renewable Energy (CENER).

In February 2005, the Spanish version of GEO magazine (2) singled out five pioneering sustainable buildings on the planet and the Holcim Costa Rica office building was one of them. The building is significant because it is a prime example of sustainable construction and also has great visual impact. It has the power to draw attention to sustainable construction.