USD 220,000 in prize money was awarded to the best entries in the Holcim Awards competition for sustainable construction projects from Latin America. The top prizes went to projects from Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela in a competition that aims to promote sustainable approaches to the built environment. The competition was created by the Swiss-based Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction in collaboration with five of the world’s leading technical universities including the University of São Paulo, Brazil.

The project is commended for advancing a strong tectonic initiative that promotes the particularities of the culture and significantly contributes to improving the degree of ethical standards and social equity in the region. The proposed use of indigenous materials is a commendable measure for considerably lowering implementation costs and for stimulating the local economy.

This library project from Colombia is given distinction for promoting the uniqueness of the local culture as well as for attempting to improve ethical standards and social equity in the greater region. The scheme is literally conceived as a means for educating the community, promising to raise awareness of the potential of sustainable construction while providing an aesthetically refined social attractor. Resource conservation and thermal comfort for the users are to be achieved through passive energy, which includes such features as a double-skin roof and walls.