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Philippe Block appropriates the past and incorporates parametrics in manner far beyond aesthetics. He utilizes modern technology, software and digital fabrication tools, to re-explore historic construction techniques and generate new types of forms. In his interview with L’Architecture d’Aujourd’hui (AA magazine), he explains how circular construction economy strategies should build for longevity and adaptability – while at the same time reducing the volume and embodied carbon coefficient of the materials used.

L’Architecture d’Aujourd’hui (AA) magazine caught up with Julia King, Architectural Designer and Urban Researcher at LSE Cities, London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE). The recognition of winning a Holcim Awards Next Generation prize in 2011 enabled the project to move from being a speculative project to something that eventually was built.

Francis Kéré has become one of the world’s most distinguished contemporary architects, celebrated for his pioneering communal approach to design and his commitment to incorporating sustainable materials and modes of construction. In his interview with L’Architecture d’Aujourd’hui (AA magazine), he explains his approach to sustainable design to ensure his projects deliver a positive and lasting contribution to the physical and social environment.

Striatus is an arched, unreinforced masonry footbridge composed of 3D-printed concrete blocks assembled without mortar. The 16x12-metre footbridge is the first of its kind, combining traditional techniques of master builders with advanced computational design, engineering, and robotic manufacturing technologies.

The Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction promotes thought leadership on a greener, smarter, circular, and more inclusive built environment. Holcim has unveiled its new Group identity as a milestone in its transformation to become the global leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions.

Stuart Smith is emphatic: we must extend the lifecycle of individual components rather than systematically discarding entire structures. He cites a recent anecdote about his coffee machine to illustrate his point: when the appliance suddenly stopped working, he could buy a new one – but this option would send the old machine with all its valuable materials to a scrap heap when a single faulty part was probably to blame. In the same way, we must move beyond the discard/demolish approach to buildings.

The sixth LafargeHolcim Awards competition cycle is coming to a close: 21 projects by students and young practitioners around the globe have been awarded. They show that members of the next generation are concerned with the sustainable future of construction on many levels – and that they are prepared to go completely new ways to achieve it.

The LafargeHolcim Awards are the world’s most significant competition for sustainable design. The Next Generation category recognizes the visionary concepts and bold ideas of young professionals and students. Due to the high quality of the entries in the competition region of Asia Pacific, the jury selected not four but five projects to receive Next Generation prizes. The winning projects from India, Thailand, and Indonesia all share a strong focus on social sustainability.

The LafargeHolcim Awards are the world’s most significant competition for sustainable design. The Next Generation category recognizes the visionary concepts and bold ideas of young professionals and students. In the competition region of Middle East Africa, the jury selected four entries to receive Next Generation prizes. The winning projects from Uganda, Jordan, Sierra Leone, and Iraq have one thing in common: an intrinsic optimism about the future.

The LafargeHolcim Awards are the world’s most significant competition for sustainable design. The Next Generation category recognizes the visionary concepts and bold ideas of young professionals and students. Excelling in the competition region of Latin America were four projects in Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Columbia that sensitively deal with fundamental aspects of sustainability.

The LafargeHolcim Awards are the world’s most significant competition for sustainable design. The Next Generation category recognizes the visionary concepts and bold ideas of young professionals and students. In the competition region of North America, the jury selected four entries to receive Next Generation prizes. The winning projects all address fundamental issues and challenges.

The LafargeHolcim Awards are the world’s most significant competition for sustainable design. The Next Generation category recognizes the visionary concepts and bold ideas of young professionals and students. In the competition region of Europe, the jury selected four entries to receive Next Generation prizes. The winning projects from Switzerland, Spain, Belgium, and the United Kingdom each highlight a different aspect of sustainable construction.

Philippe Block pushes boundaries. He calls into question the very postulates underlying design and what is currently considered feasible and desirable in construction. He urges all actors in the industry to “produce leaner” and move from a wasteful take-make-throw model to a circular take-make-repeat economy. This transition to circular construction can be achieved systematically by taking into consideration aspects including raw material consumption, environmental impact of a material over its lifecycle, as well as the structural geometry of building design.

Part workspace, part archive, part exhibition gallery, the Archaeological Center Augusta Raurica represents the first headquarters for a significant cultural institution safeguarding the largest Roman site in Switzerland. Phase one of construction of the excavation center in the village of Augst near Basel, Switzerland of 4,200 square meters is completed – and a further 5,200 square meters are currently being added as phase two of the LafargeHolcim Awards prize winning project by Karamuk Kuo Architects from Zurich.

Celebrated for placing sustainability and humanity at the heart of their practice, Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal are the prestigious Pritzker Prize for Architecture laureates of 2021.

At a time when construction is still generating almost 40% of all waste to landfill globally, and when governments are recognizing the challenges of resource efficiency in the push to achieve sustainability goals, their maxim of “never demolish, always transform” strikes a resounding note in favour of circular construction.

The New European Bauhaus is an environmental, economic and cultural project, aimed at combining design, sustainability, accessibility, affordability and investment. The project help to deliver the European Green Deal – a set of policies set out by the European Commission to make Europe climate neutral by 2050.

The LafargeHolcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction has been selected to become an Official Partner of the New European Bauhaus and will act as a promoter and key dialogue stakeholder throughout the initiative.

Construction is a ten-trillion-dollar industry that underpins economies and worker productivity. Yet despite its importance, construction sector productivity has been flatlining – and practices that have transformed other sectors, including automation and lean principles, have not yet been adopted. Marginal Gains in Construction (MaGIC) brings together multiple programs of work that examine mainstream construction, rather than its glamorous extremes, to achieve maximum impact.

Anne Lacaton and Jean-Phillipe Vassal have been selected as 2021 Pritzker Architecture Prize laureates and are acclaimed for their work on public housing and sustainable design. Under the mantra of “Never demolish, never remove or replace, always add, transform, and reuse!” – their approach pursues economic, social and environmental performance that addresses the challenges of building smarter, greener and for all.

The jury of nine experts are currently selecting the global prize winners in the 6th International LafargeHolcim Awards for Sustainable Construction. The 33 finalist projects from 25 countries are displayed as a poster exhibition in Zurich and are also made available via an online platform for jury members who were unable to travel due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the effort to halt and reverse climate change, the embodied carbon of building materials matters more than anyone had thought. We are in technological reach, within a generation, of creating buildings and cities that generate more energy than they use, reverse the emissions engine, cool the climate and make nicer places to live and work.