Every three years, the Holcim Foundation invites leading thinkers of the construction world to study and discuss the significance of – and opportunities to move toward – sustainable construction. The event also strengthens the Foundation’s network and builds the reputation of the Holcim brand. Experts from all continents collaborate in workshops, exchange ideas in panel discussions, listen to technical lectures, and search for ways to translate current approaches and forward-thinking approaches into practice.

High academic value

The host of the latest Forum, Universidad Iberoamericana (UIA) in Mexico City, is one of seven partner universities that collaborate closely with the Holcim Foundation, especially during the Holcim Awards competitions. Together with the Foundation and its Technical Competence Center, the team from the renowned UIA Department of Architecture managed to raise the bar once again: The second Forum held in Shanghai in 2007 increased the academic level beyond the first event held in Zurich in 2004 – and the third Forum in Mexico City truly propelled the symposium to new levels of impact and interchange.

One contributing factor might be the intensification in recent years of the intellectual study of sustainable construction. “It has indeed become easier for us”, explains global Holcim Awards winner Daniel Pearl (Canada) at the Forum: “We know increasingly more, and the clients have changed too – today they are genuinely concerned about sustainability.”

Focused workshops

The academic investigation of sustainable construction at the Forum was enhanced also due to organizational changes. For the first time, the customary excursions in the environs of the Forum were explicitly linked to the workshop topics of: “Reduce CO2 - With technology to zero emissions”, “Mine the city - With logistics to circular metabolisms”, “Stimulate stakeholders - With incentives to implementation”, and “Play with complexity - With integral solutions to an economy of means”. These themes were explored in depth in the concurrent workshops that included papers elaborated by renowned experts, discussions and outstanding, real case studies from all over the world.

The Mobile Workshops (excursions), then illustrated questions related directly to each workshop theme in the Mexico City area. Thus the four workshop groups remained together longer which allowed for even more intensive discussions. The workshops themselves proved to be bustling arenas for lively and high-level discussions of the most important aspects of sustainable development in the context of construction – across all intervals of a structure’s lifespan.

Top-level academics down to earth

The presentations of selected experts also offered an inspiring yet practical array of ideas. Pre-eminent thinker on energy, Amory Lovins (USA) and engineer Werner Sobek (Germany) have been conducting successful research for years and developing innovations for everyday use. Luminary architects Thom Mayne (USA) and Michel Rojkind (Mexico) presented not a utopia – but proposals for bold, tangible, and above all reproducible solutions to pressing challenges of development.

Even the unmistakably cerebral sociologist and economist Jeremy Rifkin (USA) kept his highly-debated convictions regarding empathetic society down to earth. “There is no empathy in utopia because everything is perfect”, he says: “An empathic civilization is the exact opposite of utopia. It is based on our solidarity because we're imperfect and fragile creatures, because we're trying the best we can to flourish on this earth, and we try to show some solidarity with each other in the journey.”

Networking – amongst professionals and with Holcim

Critical to the success of the Forum were not only the prominent speakers but also the participants, including 25 students of the Foundation's partner universities. An important goal was networking amongst professionals, who enthusiastically made use of the opportunity. The spirit of the Holcim Forum is also conducive to new steps towards sustainable construction behind the scenes; new contacts are established with professionals from other disciplines and regions, and new joint projects are conceived.

The participants respect the Holcim Group for its strong commitment to sustainable development and engagement beyond its immediate interests within the building product market. “Such events are enormously important”, says Yu Sing Lim from Indonesia: “We must disseminate the latest information – and openly discuss the burning issues, as this Forum allowed. I myself learned very much here.”

Website and two publications

Expert papers, case studies, photos, and further documents and information on the 3rd International Holcim Forum are available at: www.holcimforum.org.

A special edition of “Foundations”, the magazine of the Holcim Foundation, will be dedicated to the Forum.

At the end of this year an academic publication on the topic "Re-inventing Construction" will be released. Based on the findings of the Forum, this book will investigate the (sustainable) future of construction.