Top sustainable construction awards for resilient and contextual projects in Austria, France and Italy

The winning projects of the Holcim Awards 2014 for Europe illustrate how sustainable construction continues to evolve – developing more sophisticated and multi-disciplinary responses to the challenges facing the building and construction industry. An ecological reserve and remediation project in Southern Italy, a low-cost flexible university building in Paris, and a participatory urban neighborhood in Vienna won gold, silver and bronze.

A total of twelve projects including state-of-the-art designs from leading professionals as well as visions of the next generation were recognized and share more than USD 300,000 prize money. A jury of international experts led by Jean-Philippe Vassal (France) selected the winners using the “target issues” for sustainable construction that consider environmental, social and economic performance – while also highlighting the need for architectural excellence and a high degree of transferability.

Bold philosophical posture: Gold for an ecological reserve and remediation project in Saline Joniche, Italy

An environmental remediation project on the coast of Southern Italy that connects nature with the imprints of humanity won the top prize. Architects Francisco Leiva of Grupo aranea (Spain) and Marco Scarpinato of AutonomeForme (Italy) integrate the process of restoration in an area that has been degraded during the industrial age. The shape-shifting ecosystem generates a flooded landscape filled with flora and fauna, with a special focus on migrating birds.

At the prize handover event in Moscow, jury representative Arno Brandlhuber(Germany) applauded the Holcim Awards Gold winning project for its bold philosophical posture – investigating the roles of architecture, landscape design, and urban planning and their constraints through the necessity to allow human existence. “The project frames a discourse on potential forms of relationship between human activity and the natural environment, offering strategies for understanding architecture as a form of action in a symbiotic rapport with nature,” he said.

Remarkable merging of economics and aesthetics: Silver for a low-cost flexible university building in Paris, France

A building that will host a mix of activities including indoor and outdoor sports facilities, cafés, street terraces and a pedestrian square on the new university campus of Paris-Saclay received the Holcim Awards Silver. Gilles Delalex, Yves Moreau and Thomas Wessel-Cessieux from Muoto architects (France) have designed a minimal structure that uses rough materials, robust and long-lasting techniques, and vertical stacking to superimpose different activities above one another. The jury acknowledged the minimal deployment of architectural and technical means that is resilient and adaptable to future needs: “The elegant design merges economic and aesthetic considerations in such a way that the low-cost structure turns limitation into a quality”.

Holcim Awards 2014 prize-winning projects in Europe

Main category

Holcim Awards Gold 2014 – USD 100,000
Anthropic Park: Freshwater ecological reserve and remediation, Saline Joniche, Italy
Main authors: Francisco Leiva, Grupo aranea, Alicante,Spain; Marco Scarpinato, AutonomeForme, Palermo, Italy. Further authors: Marta García Chico, Grupo aranea; Lucia Pierro, AutonomeForme

Holcim Awards Silver 2014 – USD 50,000
Public Condenser: Low-cost flexible university building, Paris, France
Main authors: Gilles Delalex, Yves Moreau and Thomas Wessel-Cessieux, Muoto, Paris, France. Further authors: Igrec Ingénierie; Bollinger + Grohmann Ingenieure; Alternative Acoustic & Lighting Consulting, all Paris, France; Novorest Ingénierie, Montreuil, France

Holcim Awards Bronze 2014 – USD 30,000
The Commons: Participatory urban neighborhood, Vienna, Austria
Main authors: Enrique Arenas, Luis Basabe and Luis Palacios, Arenas Basabe Palacios arquitectos, Madrid, Spain. Further authors: Christian Seethaler, Mascha & Seethaler; Thomas Proksch, Land in Sicht Landschaftsarchitektur; Robert Korab, Raum & Kommunikation; Andreas Käfer, Traffix Verkehrsplanung, all Vienna, Austria

Honorable Mention 2014 – special recognition
Circular Voids: Energy-efficient office building, Holderbank, Switzerland
Author: Christian Kerez, Christian Kerez AG, Zurich, Switzerland

Holcim Awards Acknowledgement prizes 2014 – each USD 25,000

Aggregate Structure: Reusable aggregates requiring no binding agent, Stuttgart, Germany
Authors: Karola Dierichs and Achim Menges, Institute for Computational Design, University of Stuttgart, Germany

Material Flows: Construction materials recycling and logistics hub, Brussels, Belgium
Main authors: Ana Castillo, Jan Terwecoren, Lieven De Groote and Annekatrien Verdickt, TETRA architecten, Brussels, Belgium. Further authors: Bjorn Gielen, Landinzicht, Brussels, Belgium; Studieburo Mouton, Gent, Belgium; Henk Pijpaert, Henk Pijpaert Engineering, Oudenaarde, Belgium

“Next Generation” prizes

Holcim Awards “Next Generation” 1st prize 2014 – USD 25,000
X Marks the Spot: Socially-focused architectural design, Pujaire and Roquetas de Mar, Almería, and Madrid, Spain
Authors: Hani Jaber, Ricardo Mayor, Héctor Muñoz, and Ignacio Taus, DAT Pangea, Madrid, Spain

Holcim Awards “Next Generation” 2nd prize 2014 – USD 15,000
Net Point: Civic center virtual network, Sortavala, Russia
Authors: Aleksandr Veshniakov, Dimitry Ivanov and Natalia Mikhailova, Sodruzhestvo Construction association; Aleksandra Tyron, ASTAL Open company; Nadezhda Pavlova, Monolit Set Stroy company, all St Petersburg, Russia

Holcim Awards “Next Generation” 3rd prize 2014 – USD 10,000
Bio Ceramic: Moss-grafted clay tiles for green roofs, Barcelona, Spain
Author: Iker Luna, Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC), Barcelona, Spain

Holcim Awards “Next Generation” 4th prize 2014 – USD 7,500
De-Salination: Symbiotic water supply and landscape regeneration, Dublin, Ireland
Author: András Dankházi, University College Dublin, Ireland

Holcim Awards “Next Generation” 5th prize 2014 – USD 7,500
Vertical Restructuring: High-rise tower rehabilitation, Nantes, France
Author: Grégoire Arthuis, Paris, France

Holcim Awards “Next Generation” 6th prize 2014 – USD 7,500
Air-Shade: Responsive sustainable shading system, Vienna, Austria
Author: Nikola Znaor, Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, Austria

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