The 5th LafargeHolcim Awards opens for entries

PETALING JAYA: The 5th International LafargeHolcim Awards competition for projects and design concepts that focus on smart solutions for cities and the built environment is now open for entries from architects, urban design planners and engineers.

Organised by the LafargeHolcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction, the Awards offers US$2 million (RM8.35 million) in cash prizes.

Projects and concepts from the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, planning, technology, and civil and materials engineering are eligible for entry. Online submissions close on March 21, 2017.

Lafarge Malaysia Bhd president and CEO Thierry Legrand said the Awards is the most significant worldwide competition in sustainable design as it recognises innovative projects and future-oriented concepts on the regional and global levels.

He noted that the competition seeks projects that go beyond balancing environmental performance, social responsibility and economic growth.

“Projects should, in addition, exemplify architectural excellence, a high degree of transferability, and thereby extend notions of sustainable construction and design throughout all stages of a project’s lifecycle.

“We proudly support the Awards, and look forward to receiving winning entries from Malaysia,” Legrand added.

In 2012, Malaysian architect Datuk Ken Yeang’s ecologically-designed retail and commercial building in Putrajaya won the bronze award in the Asia-Pacific region, and was one of 15 finalists to compete for the Global Holcim Awards.

The LafargeHolcim Awards offers two categories — the main category and the Next Generation category.

The first category is open to architects, planners, engineers, students of related disciplines, project owners, builders and construction firms that showcase sustainable responses to technological, environmental, socio-economic and cultural issues within contemporary building and construction.

Projects must have reached an advanced stage of design, have a high probability of execution, and may not have started construction before July 4, 2016.

For the Next Generation category, the organiser is looking for “blue-sky” solutions by students and young professionals aged below 30 years old.

Participants are encouraged to submit their visionary concepts and bold ideas, irrespective of the probability of actual implementation.

Projects are evaluated according to the region which they are to be built, and are measured against five target issues for sustainable construction, namely progression (innovation and transferability), people (ethical standards and social inclusion), planet (resource and environmental performance), prosperity (economic viability and compatibility) as well as place (contextual and aesthetic impact).

Held every three years, the competition is divided into five geographic regions — each with its own jury of renowned specialists from science, business and society.

The juries are headed by Harry Gugger from Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL Lausanne), Switzerland (for Europe); Ray Cole from The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada (for North America); Angelo Bucci from Universidad de São Paulo, Brazil (for Latin America); Nagwa Sherif from American University in Cairo, Egypt (for Middle East, Africa); and Donald Bates from University of Melbourne, Australia (for Asia Pacific).

The regional winners will be announced at a series of five consecutive Awards ceremonies in the second half of 2017.

The 15 projects that receive Gold, Silver or Bronze in the regional level will automatically qualify for the Global Awards, which will be presented in mid-2018.

This story first appeared in TheEdgeProperty.com pullout on Oct 28, 2016, which comes with The Edge Financial Daily every Friday. Download TheEdgeProperty.com pullout here for free.