The Holcim Awards are open to anyone involved with construction or related technical projects – architects, planners, engineers, or project owners. All building projects are eligible for the competition if construction had not started before June 1, 2007. A special category is open for visions and ideas of students and young architects.

A step-by-step guide to entering the competition is available for download in eight languages – covering the conditions of entry, adjudication process and tips on completing the online entry form. Entries are submitted using a web-based form at www.holcimawards.org in English only.

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) professor of engineering, and Head of the competition’s Technical Committee, Dr Hans-Rudolf Schalcher explained that sustainable construction is a critical part of addressing climate change. “The OECD estimates that buildings account for more than forty percent of energy consumption in developed countries – making sustainable buildings a cornerstone for securing long-term environmental, economic and social viability”, he said.

Measuring up to target issues for sustainable construction
Submissions in the Awards competition are evaluated by independent juries using a five-point definition of sustainable construction. The ‘target issues’ serve to compare each submission and cover environmental, social, and economic performance. One target issue applies specifically to building and a further target issue recognizes the need for quantum change and transferable approaches.

Jury panels of international experts

The juries will be headed by internationally-renowned architects and academics: Harry Gugger, Professor of Architecture, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, EPFL), Switzerland (region of Europe), Adèle Naudé Santos, Dean of Architecture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA (North America), José Luis Cortés, Dean of Architecture, Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico (Latin America), Joe Addo, architect, Ghana (Africa Middle East), and Ashok B Lall, architect, India (Asia Pacific). Charles Correa, architect, India, will chair the jury of the global Holcim Awards competition.

The results of the competition will be announced in five regional ceremonies in late 2008 in Madrid, Montréal, Mexico City, Marrakech and New Delhi. Winners of the gold, silver and bronze awards from each of the five geographic regions will then progress to the global Holcim Awards in 2009.

Supported by world-renowned technical universities

To carry out the competition the Holcim Foundation works closely with leading technical universities: the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), Switzerland; the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, USA; Tongji University in Shanghai, China ; Universidad Iberoamericana (UIA) in Mexico City, Mexico; and the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil, is an associated university of the Holcim Foundation.

Progress in sustainable construction

The previous Holcim Awards competition in 2005/06 attracted more than 3,000 submissions from 120 countries. Construction of many of the prize-winning projects has progressed. Details about all 46 prize-winning projects and the Holcim Foundation are available at www.holcimawards.org.

The Holcim Awards competition is an initiative of the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction, which is supported by Holcim Ltd but is independent of its commercial interests. Holcim Ltd is one of the world's leading suppliers of cement and aggregates (crushed stone, sand and gravel) as well as downstream activities such as ready-mix concrete and asphalt including services. The Holcim Group holds majority and minority interests in more than 70 countries on all continents.