Marrakesh hosts Holcim Foundation Awards 2025 jury for Middle East & Africa

The jury was chaired by architect Lina Ghotmeh, Founding Principal of Lina Ghotmeh – Architecture (France) and featured a multi-disciplinary field of experts:

• May al-Ibrashy – Founder & Chair of the Megawra-Built Environment Collective (Egypt)
• Christian Benimana – Co-Executive Director and Senior Principal of MASS Design Group (Rwanda)
• Driss Kettani – Lecturer at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University and Founder of Driss Kettani Architect (Morocco)
• Christophe Levy – Scientific Director at the Holcim Innovation Center (France)
• Tosin Oshinowo – Principal Architect of Ọshinòwò Studio (Nigeria)
• Albert Williamson-Taylor – Co-founding Director of structural engineering firm AKT II (United Kingdom)

Over two days of meetings, the jurors engaged in frank and open-minded debate to reach a consensus on the region’s four winning projects. With the group working across disparate parts of this region, with a wide range of professional experience in design, architecture, heritage preservation, engineering and construction, lively exchanges emerged as jurors looked beyond the projects themselves, grappling with broader local and national contexts in the evaluation process. 

Egyptian architect May al-Ibrashy (right) valued the diversity of perspectives, noting that each juror brought unique insights to the table noting how “the debate was very passionate, but at the same time everyone tried to understand each other’s point of view,” making the long hours of deliberation a rich learning experience.

The choice of Marrakesh as host city added a vivid backdrop to the proceedings. “Marrakesh is a city to learn from, both positively and negatively,” noted al-Ibrashy, a heritage expert based in Egypt. Jury members took time to explore the ancient medina, historic Jemaa el-Fnaa square and surrounding souks, drawing inspiration from the city’s legendary vibrancy and architectural heritage. 

In the deliberation process, they also reflected on Morocco’s contemporary challenges – from water scarcity to climate change – which made the location especially resonant. “These issues are very relevant in Morocco,” said Driss Kettani. “We have a strong heritage and knowledge of sustainable construction, but also urgent issues like climate change, social questions, and resource constraints.” 

A key theme throughout the evaluations was the importance of architectural approaches deeply grounded in local context and community needs. Jurors frequently returned to questions of social equity, appropriateness and human-centric design, rather than eye-catching spectacle. “We are sometimes in an era of show, of doing the most possible,” observed Kettani. “And we need something more serene, more human-centred… more poetic, that can bring emotion to people.”

Across the entries reviewed, the jury noted a clear emphasis on designs that engaged closely with local people and heritage, and that addressed urgent regional problems with pragmatic innovation. “It’s evident there’s a big drive toward sustainable solutions in the built environment,” said Benimana, citing the large number of proposals using local materials like laterite, rammed earth and other climate-appropriate techniques. “There’s definitely a shift in mentality towards sustainability… but we can’t claim victory yet. We need to continue pushing.”

The outcomes of the jury deliberations will be celebrated at the Holcim Foundation Awards Ceremony to take place in November in Venice, Italy.

Stuart Smith noted that seeing thoughtful urban planning and sustainable design in action offered the jury an energising lens for their deliberations, grounding conversations in the built realities of today and the long-term outcomes of past ambitions.

“Lyon’s La Confluence is a compelling example of how urban development evolves over time,” he said. “I visited 20 years ago at the very beginning of the project, and now you see the outcome—a thriving city, a revitalised neighbourhood that brings people together. It’s full of fantastic public spaces and reconnects the city with nature at the meeting point of two rivers. It’s a powerful case study in what sustainable urban transformation can look like.”

The outcomes of the jury deliberations will be celebrated at the Holcim Foundation Awards Ceremony to take place in November in Venice, Italy.