Videos

“Cities have a lot of potential to materialize and accelerate the net zero vision we so desperately need” – Cristina Gamboa, CEO, World Green Building Council in a panel discussion “Net-zero construction in cities: a question of tools, performance, and materials?”

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Watch a 3-minute interview with architect Leopold Banchini and cultural curator Lukas Feireiss on an exhibition at the 17th international Biennale of Architecture in Venice that is an homage to Lloyd Khan’s self-built movement in the 1960s and 70s – and its holistic and organic understanding of green building.

“To create net zero cities, governments must act in four key areas: energy efficiency targets, renewable clean energy; using low carbon and circular materials; and promoting adaptive reuse rather than demolition.” Kate Ascher – Board of the Holcim Foundation, Happold Consulting and Columbia University in the City of New York.

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“It’s the business opportunity of the century to protect the environment!” – Bertrand Piccard, Founder of the Solar Impulse Foundation in a panel discussion “Net-zero construction in cities: a question of tools, performance, and materials?”

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“Green buildings must be available for every community. We need to keep things optimistic, simple and inclusive!” – Eduardo Pizarro, Holcim Awards Ambassador in a panel discussion “Net-zero construction in cities: a question of tools, performance, and materials?”

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Watch a 3-minute interview with Paola Viganò exploring the concept of the horizontal metropolis, making space for everyone, and moving towards a porous design. Paola Viganò is an architect, urbanist and professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) and the University of Venice (IUAV).

Expert panelists discussed pathways to building a net zero future at Climate Week NYC 2021.

• Kate Ascher, Board of the Holcim Foundation, Happold Consulting and Columbia University in the City of New York
• Cristina Gamboa, World Green Building Council
• Bertrand Piccard, Solar Impulse Foundation
• Eduardo Pizarro, Holcim Awards Ambassador in Latin America
• Deborah Wintraub, City of Los Angeles
• Nat Bullard, Bloomberg – Moderator
• Jamie Gentoso, Holcim – Host

Watch a 3-minute interview with Lina Ghotmeh on her installation at the 17th international Biennale of Architecture in Venice that showcases the creation of a socially inclusive habitat that has a deep connection to its context.

Watch a 3-minute interview with Hashim Sarkis on the Venice Biennale. With over 60 national pavilions, installations by international architects, and several collateral events, the Biennale is a platform for inquiry, exploration, and innovation in architecture.

Watch a 3-minute interview with Fabio Gramazio of Gramazio Kohler Architects on his contribution to the Venice Biennale. “Research as Architecture: A Laboratory for Houses, Homes and Robots” by Gramazio Kohler Research and NCCR Digital Fabrication is proudly supported by the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction.

Listen to a 4-minute interview with Dirk Hebel: “The construction industry should do more to reuse materials through harvesting existing buildings.”

It’s important to consider the environmental, social and economic impact of any building. Material performance and resource efficiency must be taken into consideration to determine the optimum blend for efficient building construction, use and recycling.

Reclaiming materials is economically and environmentally sensible. Resource extraction from decommissioned structures in cities can provide large quantities of mineral resources and metals. Urban mining reduces the rate of raw material extraction and the volume of landfill.

To reduce the amount of raw material extracted from the earth each year, we need to move from a wasteful take-make-throw model to a circular take-make-repeat economy. Increasing material efficiency, using byproducts and reusing resources can transform the materials supply chain.

Materials with only one function have short lifecycles and are discarded as waste after use. This is dangerous in a world with finite resources. A circular cradle-to-cradle approach redesigns building materials so they can be reused in loops that recover, reimagine and reconfigure indefinitely.

Using local materials and know-how has social and economic benefits. Local materials can reduce emissions from production and transportation, and capitalize on local resources, know-how and labor. Investing in local production makes a long-term positive change to material flows.

Most buildings have value in the future beyond their originally planned use. Designing structures for adaptation and cleverly converting buildings rather than replacing them entirely can extend building lifespans and preserve historic fabric, as well as make projects more interesting and sustainable.

This project reconverts of an area of Tampa Bay, Florida into a productive and attractive landscape. We look at Next Generation projects that are “Building Resilience Faster” – the theme of World Water Week 2021.

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This project envisions a multi-purpose facility to collect and recycle plastic trash and enhance the social and economic life in the Kroo Bay informal settlement of Freetown, Sierra Leone. We look at Next Generation projects that are “Building Resilience Faster” – the theme of World Water Week 2021. 

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This project reduces pollution from manufacturing using a ribbed tile system for microalgal bioremediation to clean polluted water and empower local communities in developing countries. We look at Next Generation projects that are “Building Resilience Faster” – the theme of World Water Week 2021.

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