This Holcim Awards prize-winner is fulfilling a double mission: rebuilding infrastructure following a powerful volcanic eruption and strengthening ties within a village community affected by the destruction.

The winners of the global Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction showcase the cutting edge of approaches to sustainable design, green architecture, and materials innovation. In the 6th cycle of the world’s most significant competition for sustainable design, offering prize money totaling USD 2 million, most of the global prizewinning projects came from the Asia Pacific and Middle East Africa regions; one top prize each also went to Colombia and Switzerland. The prizes were presented at a handover ceremony at the International Architecture Biennale in Venice, Italy.

Project description by regional jury

Chã das Caldeiras is a small community established in 1917 in the crater of the active Pico do Fogo volcano on the island of Fogo, Cabo Verde. At 1,700m asl, it is the highest village in Cabo Verde. After a disastrous eruption in 2014, the national government promoted the realization of a masterplan for a sustainable rebuilding and redevelopment of the village. As part of the plan, this project proposes an educational complex whose construction is considered to be a catalyst for the reactivation of community life. Based on a participatory approach, the school is built through the involvement of local people previously trained on specific construction techniques. On-site workshops are organized for the production of building elements, such as bricks and prefabricated slabs.

As a Main category prize winner in the regional Holcim Awards 2020, Rebuilding Erupts in Cabo Verde automatically qualified as a finalist in the Global Holcim Awards 2021.

View Global Holcim Awards Entry – Rebuilding Erupts in Cabo Verde

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. The 6th cycle of the competition saw three entries in the Middle East Africa region win prizes at both the global and regional levels, including a project in Morocco that won a Global Holcim Awards Bronze and two projects that were recognized with a Global Commendation. 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 Middle East Africa were recognized at the same event.

An on-site workshop: collaborative construction methods

The project begins with the participation of the local population in the construction works. The people of Chã das Caldeiras were involved in a training process that enabled them to practice specific construction procedures for the site. This was consolidated as an on-site workshop acting as a production centre for pre-built elements (e.g. bricks, slabs). The workshop is of strategic importance to the project because, in addition to supplying locally produced materials, the population quickly realised the advantages of using them in their own buildings. This positive implication throughout the community was proved; it has been implement throughout the retrofitting of 40 family homes in a process where each family is directly involved in the construction, assisted by the M_EIA’s team