This Holcim Awards winner originates from a collaboration between Michael Sorkin Studio and non-profit Blacks In Green. Their shared vision to transform a problematic neighbourhood of Chicago into a “sustainable square mile” focusses on improving housing affordability and empowering collaboration between residents.

Project description by jury

House as Garden originates from a collaboration with a non-profit organization, Blacks in Green, to transform a problematic neighborhood of Chicago into a new sustainable district – a “sustainable square mile”. The project consists of a residential complex including eight flexible housing units and a number of internal and external shared areas, including a guest bedroom, spaces for collective recreation and green areas for on-site agriculture. The provision of community spaces that serve different functions fosters a sense of shared empowerment by encouraging self-sustainment and collaboration between residents.

As a Main category prize winner in the regional Holcim Awards 2020, House as Garden in Illinois, USA automatically qualified as a finalist in the Global Holcim Awards 2021.

View Global Holcim Awards Entry – House as Garden in Illinois

The built environment has a significant role to play in addressing climate change and enabling the transition to a net-zero and more inclusive future. The Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction global winners showcase the cutting edge of approaches to sustainable design, green architecture, and materials innovation. In the 6th competition cycle, the predominant focus of the entries in the North America region was the sustainable improvement of quality of life. The global prizes were presented at a handover ceremony at the International Architecture Biennale in Venice, Italy. The regional Holcim Awards Main category winners for North America were recognized at the same event.

Sustainability is for Everyone: A Building Block for Community Development and Growth

The idea of sustainability is both privileged and confused. While best practices - natural ventilation, rational orientation and openings, thermal mass, use of renewables, net zero construction - can be found in traditional architectures, environmental culture in the USA remains both exotic and contested. The comfortable find it superfluous. Others think it’s a foible of the organic Chardonnay-drinking, Tesla-driving, rich. Our national government believes climate change is a hoax. We don’t. And, we see the environmental burden very unevenly shared, with the poor, the elderly, and communities of color disproportionately afflicted. Our project is grassroots: a battered community remakes and sustains itself via the tools of home-grown, green systems, buildings, practices, and habits.

To achieve net negative, materials are sourced for lowest embodied and emitted carbon. Engineered lumber structure sequesters 35 tons of CO2 and reduces greenhouse emissions vs. alternative materials by 75 tons for a 110-ton total benefit. Heating and cooling energy from metered photovoltaic array (estimated at 40,000 KWh/hour/year) and hot water from direct solar. Transport and manufacturing CO2 reduced by on-site fabrication and low-energy construction methods. Robust insulation with carbon negative dense-pack cellulose reduces emissivity on supply and demand sides. Low impact concrete/CMU foundations and retaining walls further cut via green mix, long cure, CO2 injection, light weight, reduced cement, non-fossil fuel SCM and are offset by net negative output of other systems and materials.