Holcim Foundation Awards 2025 Jury Meetings Conclude in Medellín

The jury was chaired by architect Sandra Barclay, Principal of Barclay & Crousse Architects, Peru, and included a distinguished panel of experts:

• Loreta Castro Reguera, Design Director & Founder, Taller Capital and Professor of Architecture, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
• Loreto Lyon, Principal, Beals & Lyon Architecture, Chile
• Ricardo Pérez Schulz, Vice President, Sales & Integral Solutions, Holcim Mexico, Mexico
• Jorge Pérez-Jaramillo, Founder, MDE Urban Lab, Colombia
• Federico Torres, Americas South Leader, Arup, Colombia
• Gustavo Utrabo, Founder, Estúdio Gustavo Utrabo, Brazil

Loreto Lyon spoke about the challenges of designing good architecture in an urban setting, noting that the four selected projects each represent a distinct and effective way of addressing these complexities.

Gustavo Utrabo praised the impressive quality of the projects and the diverse composition of the jury, which brought together a broad range of perspectives on architecture.

The Holcim Foundation Awards are the world’s most significant competition for sustainable design, celebrating innovative projects that accelerate the shift to circular and net-zero construction. Bringing together leading voices from architecture, engineering, and sustainability, the Latin America jury evaluated each project through the lens of the Foundation’s principles: uplifting places, a healthy planet, thriving communities, and viable economics.

As part of their meeting, the jury visited the former Holcim Foundation Awards prize-winning project UVA de la Imaginación in Medellín, Colombia. This urban intervention exemplifies creative adaptive reuse, transforming inactive water tanks into accessible public facilities without disrupting existing systems. Today, it is recognised as a symbol of urban renewal and public space reactivation. The programme also included visits to Parques del Río and the Metrocable, both key elements of a broader masterplan to redevelop and reconnect the city.

The outcomes of the jury deliberations will be celebrated at the Holcim Foundation Awards Ceremony in November 2025 in Venice, Italy. Since its launch in 2003, the Holcim Foundation has been a pioneer of the sustainable design and construction movement, serving as a beacon of thought leadership for the global building industry.