USD 220,000 in prize money was awarded to the best entries in the Holcim Awards competition for sustainable construction projects from Latin America. The top prizes went to projects from Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela in a competition that aims to promote sustainable approaches to the built environment. The competition was created by the Swiss-based Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction in collaboration with five of the world’s leading technical universities including the University of São Paulo, Brazil.

The project proposes a convincing and innovative renovation of an existing structure to increase its overall environmental, functional, and aesthetic performance. A solution is explored to increase energy efficiency by the clever combination of a green roof, green external walls, and an advanced window design.

This entry calls for the innovative renovation of an existing structure to increase its overall environmental, functional, and aesthetic performance. Multiple solutions are explored to increase energy efficiency, most notably through the use of a green roof, green facades, and a technologically advanced window design. Such measures promise a significant decrease in energy consumption while also serving to buffer the building from its noisy surroundings.