Global Holcim Awards Bronze prize 2009 winners Ni Feng and Zhang Yue holding the Holcim Awards trophy and certificate at the hand-over ceremony (l-r): Ding Wowo, Dean of the School of Architecture, Nanjing University and member of the jury for Asia Pacific in 2008; Peter Head, Director of Arup and member of the Global Holcim Awards jury; Ni Feng, Senior Engineer, Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Planning; Rolf Soiron, Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Holcim Foundation; and Zhang Yue, Associate Professor, Deputy Chair of Urban Planning Department, Architecture School, Tsinghua University.
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Global Holcim Awards Bronze presented to a plan addressing China’s priorities for sustainable development
Beijing – June 19, 2009 – A project in a rural community in Beijing’s district of Shunyi that increases land use efficiency, improves living conditions and reduces the community’s ecological footprint received the Global Holcim Awards Bronze 2009 and USD 100,000 in prize money. The project led by architect Yue Zhang and government officer Feng Ni in collaboration with Tsinghua University, Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Planning, and the Institute of Architectural Design. The winning project, selected out of thousands of submissions worldwide in the competition for sustainable construction projects, was celebrated at a prize hand-over event hosted by Huaxin Cement. Internationally-renowned leader in the sustainable development of cities and member of the Awards jury, Peter Head, presented the prize at the Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall.
The Sustainable planning for a rural community project intelligently addresses the national priorities for sustainable development policy of China in three critical ways. Firstly, the project uses precious land resources more efficiently by increasing living density and gradually lifting quality of life. Secondly, living conditions for rural communities are improved in a harmonious and balanced approach to urban development. Finally, the ecological footprint is reduced through improved resource management and the use of renewable energy sources.
“Solid research and a step-by-step approach”
The project qualified for the global level of the competition by winning the Holcim Awards Gold for Asia Pacific in 2008. The project impressed the jury principally for its in-depth research and sequential approach: “An outstanding element of the approach is the deep analysis of the existing physical and cultural situation including numbers of people, density of buildings and the quality of existing biodiversity. A step-by-step approach is then used for the revitalization including energy and water efficiency, improved infrastructure for waste management, water and sewage, improved public spaces and the use of recycled and local materials”, the jury stated.
Director and Head of Planning and Integrated Urbanism of Arup, Peter Head, was one of the six-member jury. The director for the planning and development of the Dongtan Eco-city near Shanghai praised the project for the strong level of public participation in planning and decision making. “This project incorporates field surveys and door-to-door interviews and through public participation is able to avoid forced evictions and accommodate changes to the status of land rights,” he said.
This celebration is the second time Beijing has hosted the Holcim Awards – the regional Holcim Awards ceremony for Asia Pacific in 2005 took place at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. The Holcim Foundation also conducted its second international symposium on sustainable construction in China. The Holcim Forum 2007, Urban_Trans_Formation, was held at Tongji University in Shanghai.
Further global prizes for projects in Morocco, Vietnam and the USA
Almost 5,000 sustainable construction projects and visions from 121 countries entered the five regional Holcim Awards competitions in 2008. Winners of the Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards in each region automatically qualified for the Global Holcim Awards competition in 2009. The jury was headed by Charles Correa (architect, India) and included Peter Head (structural engineer, UK), Enrique Norten (architect, Mexico/USA), Saskia Sassen (sociologist, USA), Hans-Rudolf Schalcher (civil engineer, Switzerland), and Rolf Soiron (economist, Switzerland). The other Global Holcim Awards prize winners for 2009 are:
Gold for River remediation and urban development scheme in Fez, Morocco
A project centered upon restoration of the river through the UNESCO World Heritage listed Medina of Fez was awarded the top prize of USD 300,000 and the Global Holcim Awards Gold. An international project team led by architect Aziza Chaouni (Morocco) and urban planner Takako Tajima (USA) are remediating the heavily-polluted river Fez to revitalize the ancient heart of the city. The approach includes a series of interventions to renovate traditional tanneries, create public spaces and pedestrian zones, and restore wetlands as well as biodiversity.
Silver for Low-impact greenfield university campus in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
The Global Holcim Awards Silver with USD 200,000 in prize money was awarded to a new campus for the University of Architecture in Ho Chi Minh City, designed by architect Kazuhiro Kojima (Japan). The project avoids large-scale land reclamation on an island in the Mekong Delta and aims for harmony with all elements of the surrounding ecosystem: flooding rice fields, mangroves, winds and seasonal changes.
“Innovation” prize for Self-contained day labor station in San Francisco, USA
A flexible bus-shelter-like structure that offers shelter, benches, washrooms, a kitchen and an education/training space for day laborers in San Francisco, USA received the Global Holcim Awards “Innovation” prize and USD 50,000. The project designed by Liz Ogbu (USA) and John Peterson (USA) uses green and recycled materials to minimize the environmental footprint and economic cost of each facility.
International finalists illustrate broad scope of sustainable construction
The Global Holcim Awards finalists illustrated a broad scope of approaches to sustainable construction from all regions of the world. Rolf Soiron (Switzerland), who represented the sponsor of the Awards as Chairman of the Board of Holcim Ltd in the jury, commented that the enormous challenges of sustainable construction demanded many innovative contributions adapted to local needs. “The intrinsic values and merits of the projects show that all have unique features which, in their specific environments, do contribute and bring something new to the table,” he said.
Along with the Holcim Awards, the Holcim Foundation leads a range of sustainability initiatives. The next Forum will be held in Mexico City in April 2010 on the theme of Re-inventing Construction. The third Holcim Awards competition cycle will open for entries July 1, 2010.
The Holcim Awards competitions seek innovative, future-oriented and tangible construction projects to promote sustainable responses to the technological, environmental, socioeconomic and cultural issues affecting building and construction on a local, regional and global level. The competitions are run by the Swiss-based Holcim Foundation, offer USD 2 million in prize money per three-year cycle, and are sponsored by Holcim Ltd – one of the world’s leading suppliers of cement and aggregates – and its Group companies in more than 70 countries. In China, Holcim is represented by Huaxin Cement Co. Ltd and Holcim Management Services (China) Co. Ltd.
Media contact
Dominik Baumann, Communications Manager, Holcim Foundation
Phone +41 58 858 8292, Mobile +41 76 347 7901, info@holcimfoundation.org
Holcim Foundation, Hagenholzstrasse 85, CH-8050 Zurich/Switzerland |  | |  | Download high-resolution photos from the prize hand-over ceremony, Beijing, China - June 19, 2009.
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