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From smart ideas to real-world practice
A showcase of projects that contribute to the transformation of the building sector
The Holcim Foundation has collected leading-edge examples on how the best ideas in sustainable design can be transformed into real-world examples of sustainable construction, including through the Holcim Awards competition.
We share these examples to bridge individuals and expert communities from across different disciplines and different regions of the world so that best practice and emerging ideas for a sustainable built environment can be more rapidly shared and implemented.
Focus on solutions of interest using the filters below:
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Idea
Browse our array of solutions across critical themes related to sustainable design and construction.
Country
Take a tour around the world for different perspectives that blend local needs in a highly contextual approach.
Browse across key concepts in sustainable construction
Updates on the leading-edge thinking and best practice solutions that are building a better world
Resource efficiency & circularity
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Circular materials
Keeping materials in the loop by improving durability, flexibility of use, and enabling disassembly and re-use decreases pressure on our resources.
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Circular design
Design is an essential element of developing a circular economy to eliminate waste and prioritize efficiency.
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Urban metabolisms
By understanding the flows of energy and materials within cities we can create more sustainable urban systems.
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Embodied carbon
With rapid urbanization, reducing the emissions from producing building materials and the construction process is critical to mitigating the effects of climate change.
Ecosystem resilience & restoration
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Biomaterials
These renewable resources can be sustainably produced over the long-term and naturally absorb carbon to contribute to climate change mitigation and have improved performance during use.
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Regenerative buildings and districts
An approach to design whereby buildings and infrastructure are holistically conceived to be deeply rooted in their natural/social context and does not generate waste.
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Nature-based solutions (NBS)
Approaches that sustainably manage and restore natural/modified ecosystems and simultaneously provide human well-being and biodiversity benefits.
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Ecosystem restoration and urban requalification
Addressing urban decay by upgrading the fabric of cities and reinstating quality of life by implementing innovation that allows a conscientious approach to resources, emissions, and humans.
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Responsibly sourced materials
Local sourcing of materials and labor is a powerful strategy to unlock carbon and energy reduction, circularity and regeneration, and improved integration of a structure within its context.
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Housing and infrastructure needs
Designers, policy makers and stakeholders involved in housing development aim to deliver dignified living conditions, and to plan and advocate for quality housing.
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Economic and social empowerment
Design can unlock opportunities through a built environment that transform the way people interact with the economy, afford dignified living conditions, and improve sanitation, energy use and infrastructure.
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Inclusion
Including diverse stakeholders in the decision-making process triggers participatory design and more democratic design practices that enables a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Social equity