Hand-over presentation to the winners of the global Holcim Awards Silver prize (l-r): Masaaki Gokura, Representative of the Consul General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City; members of the winning team: Kazuko Akamatsu and Kazuhiro Kojima, architects, Coelacanth and Associates Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan; Daisuke Sanuki, architect, Daisuke Sanuki Architectural Design Office, Tokyo, Japan; Vo Trong Nghia, architect, Vo Trong Nghia Co. Ltd, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and Holcim representatives: Gérard Letellier, Area Manager of Holcim, Switzerland; and Aidan Lynam, CEO of Holcim Vietnam, Vietnam.
 Xin đọc tiếp (tiếng Việt)
Global Holcim Awards Silver presented to project for a low-impact greenfield university campus in Vietnam
July 3, 2009 - A new university campus that aspires to achieve harmony with both people and the environment in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta received the Global Holcim Awards Silver 2009 and USD 200,000 in prize money. Designed by architect Kazuhiro Kojima (Japan) with further contributions from architects Daisuke Sanuki (Japan) and Vo Trong Nghia (Vietnam), the project was selected from almost 5000 sustainable construction plans and visions from 121 countries entered in the competition. Indian architect and representative of the Holcim Awards juries, Ashok B Lall, and Chair of the OECD Round Table on Sustainable Development, Rt Hon Simon Upton, presented the prize at a celebration in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) hosted by Holcim Vietnam.
The Low-impact greenfield university campus for the HCMC University of Architecture (HUA) on an island in the Mekong Delta aims for harmony with all elements of the surrounding ecosystem: flooding rice fields, mangroves, winds and seasonal changes. The project uses Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to develop an energy-efficient passive cooling design and to model the movement of people on the site through computer-simulated tests of a wide range of design and operational parameters.
“Slipping into nature”
The project impressed the jury principally for its sensitivity to ecological quality and energy conservation and also for its consideration of the site’s social function of enabling exchange between students and academics: “The gently curved and intertwined ovals which characterize the layout of the buildings and their intersections allow scholars and students to communicate and network in many ways, and the university to organically organize itself along changing ideas and needs to come”, the jury stated.
Principal and founder of Ashok B Lall Architects of New Delhi, Ashok B Lall (India), represented the Holcim Awards juries at the hand-over ceremony. The internationally-acclaimed architect praised the project for exhibiting the sensible use and management of natural resources throughout its life cycle. “The project avoids massive reclamation of land and emulates traditions of Southeast Asian agricultural civilization. This project blends into the context of light, wind and water to allow its ecological footprint to be minimized,” he said.
Electricity consumption is reduced through using solar lighting and photo-voltaic cells. Rainwater is harvested for gray water use and cooling through vaporization. A time-honored local construction method of brick-filled concrete frames with a façade of porous bamboo or mangrove timber enhances ventilation.
“Broad scope of sustainable construction”
The Global Holcim Awards illustrate the broad scope of approaches to sustainable construction from all regions of the world. CEO of Holcim Ltd, Markus Akermann (Switzerland), who represented the sponsor of the Awards and chaired the prize hand-over ceremony in his capacity as Chairman of the Management Board of the Holcim Foundation, commented that the competition entries reflected the importance of international cooperation in developing solutions to the demanding challenges of sustainable construction. “Exploring sustainable approaches for the built environment is best achieved through innovation and leveraging the broad perspectives of international project teams – as this project clearly illustrates,” he said.
“Global perspectives and local action”
Chair of the OECD Round Table on Sustainable Development, Rt Hon Simon Upton (New Zealand), provided a keynote address at the handover event and commended the Holcim Awards competition for promoting critical interdisciplinary and long-range perspectives – and showcasing a range of projects that demonstrate sustainable construction in practice. “The basic needs of society in terms of the build environment must be identified at a local level, but that doesn't prevent the exchange of good ideas, experience, and know-how”, he said. Simon Upton is a founding member of the Advisory Board of the Holcim Foundation.
Further global prizes for projects in Morocco, China and the USA
The hand-over event in Ho Chi Minh City celebrated Vietnam’s first prize-winning project in the Holcim Awards competition. The project qualified for the global level by winning the Holcim Awards Silver for Asia Pacific in 2008. The jury evaluated all award-winning projects from five regions of the world and 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 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.
Bronze for Sustainable planning for a rural community in Beijing, China
A rural planning design for a suburban village in Beijing, China received the Global Holcim Awards Bronze and USD 100,000 for effectively combining heritage preservation, traditional knowledge, local materials, modern technology, and professional project management. The urban planning strategy led by Zhang Yue (China) and Ni Feng (China) improves logistics, public utilities and services while meeting stringent ecological and energy-saving targets for new buildings.
“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.
Holcim Forum and next Holcim Awards competition
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 Holcim Awards competition encourages architects, planners, engineers and project owners to go beyond conventional notions of sustainable construction in their work and to harmonize ecological, social and economic concerns. The third Holcim Awards competition cycle opens for entries July 1, 2010.
The Holcim Awards competition is run by the Swiss-based Holcim Foundation and offers USD 2 million in prize money per three-year cycle. The competition is sponsored by Holcim Ltd – one of the world’s leading suppliers of cement and aggregates – and its Group companies in more than 70 countries, including Holcim (Vietnam) Ltd. based in Ho Chi Minh City.
Media contact
Dominik Baumann, Communications Manager, Holcim Foundation
Phone +41 58 858 8292, Mobile +41 76 347 7901, info@holcimfoundation.org
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