Designing Incentives for Change

This in-person intensive two-week course with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) hosted in Brussels sought to foster a curiosity and solutions-driven mindset through a series of actions — open dialogue, consultation, exploration, and reflection — and created a dynamic feedback loop that leads to transferable and scalable outcomes.

ETH Zurich will hosted the fourth cohort of the Holcim Foundation Fellowship in Brussels in September 2025. Open to students enrolled at universities across Europe, this fellowship enabled participants to collaborate with lecturers, tutors, and industry partners working in the field of adaptive reuse—the renovation and transformation of existing buildings rather than their demolition and reconstruction.

Throughout the fellowship, students will engaged with a broad range of stakeholders, including architects, clients, developers, investors, construction firms, industry representatives, and politicians: Learned about their methodologies, engaged in dialogue about key challenges, observed projects on site, and analyzed the underlying processes and dependencies. By critically examining existing norms, narratives and systems, participants developed interdisciplinary strategies for designing incentives that drive change.

The fellows produced final projects that were presented as part of a public event during the fellowship and documented in a digital publication to become a reference for future students and professionals worldwide. Upon completion of the program, selected Fellows were chosen to take part in the next step of the journey—the Holcim Foundation Emerging ChangeMakers.

• Expose final year professional degree students within the built environment to realities of practice on building sites and the end-user’s experience – bridging the gaps between academia, the profession and society.
• Foster the adoption of a humble posture of learning among professionals and students as a way to close the knowledge and execution gap.
• Empower students by equipping them with the skills required to succeed as catalysts for industry transformation in their studies and future careers.
• Support career development, continued learning, mentorship, and collaboration through future participation in Holcim Foundation international programs, events and networking opportunities.

• 15 candidates from across Europe were selected as Holcim Foundation Fellows to take part in this unique program – September 1-12, 2025 hosted in Brussels, Belgium by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich).
• Participants engaged in focused lectures, discussions and talks on relevant themes, led by ETH Zurich faculty and other guest interdisciplinary experts, lecturers and building industry practitioners.
• Participants selected for the Fellowship were provided with housing and travel assistance for the duration of the program and received full tuition for the course.
• Learnings were shared in discussions with professionals aligned with Holcim Foundation’s goals and principles.
• Selected participants embarked on the next phase of the journey as a Holcim Foundation Emerging ChangeMaker and open the door to a transformative experience that could shape their future and contribute to the transformation of the industry.

Partnering Firms

Site visits of real projects provided an immersive experience, exploring user needs, planning requirements and innovative construction methodologies, in collaboration with &bogdan, Democo Group, noAarchitecten, 51N4E, Whitewood and inputs by ACE (Architects’ Council of Europe) and SHL (Schmidt Hammer Lassen).