The winners of the 3rd International Holcim Awards competition for sustainable construction projects and visions from across Latin America have been announced. A total of USD 300,000 was presented to eleven outstanding projects at a ceremony in Buenos Aires. The winning projects mainly address the challenges of intensified urbanization – and range in scale from innovative community buildings through to broad master plans and infrastructure projects. 

The jury acknowledged the promising and clear traffic concept and its integration into an urban strategy. The feasibility of the concept is obvious as it takes advantage of the existing land ownership of the infrastructure corridor. Where the architectural potential of the project could be more developed, the strength of the technical strategy is recognized.

The project’s idea is the regeneration of the disused rail transport network in the Valley of Oaxaca – one of the poorest states of Mexico. The rail system had been an important transport element for more than a century until the tracks were decommissioned in the 1990’s after the urban area had grown. Facing the challenges of the future, the project proposes to insert a new electric low-floor train system to provide a safe and high quality public transport system that increases mobility in the area with little environmental disadvantages and reduces the dependence on individual transport.