Since its launch in 2003, the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction has worked to advance sustainable construction worldwide. Through more than 350 winning projects in the Holcim Foundation Awards, initiatives supporting over 200 next-generation design professionals, and a recognised series of events and publications, the Foundation has helped shape global discourse and practice in the built environment — elevating sustainable construction and design from an emerging ambition to an industry benchmark.

Over the past two decades, our global community of academics and design practitioners has played a vital role in transforming that conversation. What began as a debate about what it means to design and build sustainably has evolved into a more ambitious and urgent question: how do we accelerate best-practice implementation and deliver impact at scale?

It is because of the strength and maturity of this community that we are entering a new chapter - one that seeks to amplify impact by connecting design excellence more directly to the partnerships, policies, finance, and delivery mechanisms that can bring transformative projects to life.

As global urbanisation accelerates and climate pressures intensify, the places where we build - and how we build - matter more than ever. Cities concentrate population growth, economic opportunity, and climate risk. Increasingly, the trajectory of cities will shape the trajectory of our planet, making sustainable urban transformation both an urgent necessity and a defining opportunity of our time.

In response, we are evolving our focus to responsible urban development. Our vision is to influence how cities are built, renewed, and cared for - advancing integrated urban development and placemaking that creates greener, healthier, and more resilient places for growing urban populations to live and work.

Guided by this vision, our refreshed mission is to support citymakers as change accelerators for sustainable construction, mobilising knowledge, partnerships, and practice to translate integrated urban thinking into tangible impact where it is most urgently needed.

This evolution builds on our historic strengths - community building, knowledge leadership, and innovation recognition - while placing greater emphasis on accelerating implementation in urban contexts. We will continue to support and convene our design community as critical agents of change, while expanding the networks that enable ideas to move from concept to construction.

An important first step in translating our renewed vision into action is our new partnership with C40 Cities through the C40 Reinventing Cities initiative. This collaboration bridges city governments, the private sector, and the next generation to drive low-carbon, resilient urban development worldwide.

Reinventing Cities will soon launch a new series of competitions for urban planning and design professionals, inviting the private sector to reimagine underutilised urban sites and transform them into beacons of sustainable architecture and innovative design that serve as models for the future of cities and the built environment.

Building on the success of previous editions and on the Foundation’s long-standing engagement with emerging talent, a new Students Reinventing Cities competition is now live. The program challenges students to transform neighbourhoods into green, thriving urban spaces - empowering young people with the skills needed to become the urban leaders of tomorrow. Students are currently invited to reimagine sites across 10 global cities: Amman, Barcelona, Bogotá, Bucharest, Chicago, Jakarta, Lagos, Lisbon, Nairobi, and Rome.

By connecting design ambition with city leadership, private-sector delivery, and real urban sites, this partnership reflects our belief that the next era of sustainable construction will be defined not only by ideas, but by their implementation at scale.

To steer this next chapter, the Foundation has renewed its Board of Trustees, increasing multidisciplinary representation across the urban ecosystem. In addition to existing Trustees Miljan Gutovic, Holcim CEO, and Carmen Díaz, Holcim Chief People and Sustainability Officer, we are pleased to welcome:

• James Cameron, Honorary Senior Research Fellow, Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment, Imperial College, who assumes the role of Chair of the Board
• Alice Charles, Director Cities, Planning & Design, Arup
• Signe Kongebro, Global Director for Future Resilient Design, Ramboll
• Thure Krarup, Head of Global Public Affairs and Policy, Urban Partners

Their combined expertise in sustainable finance, urban design, resilient infrastructure, and public policy will strengthen our ability to operate at the intersection of industry, cities, and global sustainability agendas.

We extend our sincere thanks to Maria Atkinson AM for her six years of dedicated leadership as Chair of the Board, and to the outgoing Trustees for their exceptional service and lasting contribution to the Foundation’s development.

As we move forward, our commitment remains clear: to work alongside our design community to foster dialogue, strengthen foresight, and accelerate the implementation of sustainable and regenerative built projects in the places where the greatest impact can be made.

We look forward to continuing this journey together.