Submissions in the world’s most significant competition for sustainable design close soon! Entries in the 6th International LafargeHolcim Awards for sustainable construction will close on February 25, 2020. The competition seeks projects by professionals as well as bold ideas from the Next Generation that combine sustainable construction solutions with architectural excellence. 

The Awards foreground projects and concepts from architecture, engineering, urban planning, materials science, construction technology, and related fields.

Holcim Awards North America ceremony, Toronto, Canada. Winners of the Holcim Awards (l-r): David Benjamin, The Living, New York – winner of Holcim Awards Bronze for “Hy-Fi: Zero carbon emissions compostable structure”; Caitlin Taylor and Amy Mielke, Water Pore Partnership, New York – winners of Holcim Awards Gold for “Poreform: Water absorptive surface and subterranean basin”; and Kai-Uwe Bergmann – BIG Bjarke Ingels Group, New York and Matthijs Bouw - One Architecture, Amsterdam – members of the consortium winning Holcim Awards Silver for “Rebuild by Design: Urban flood protection infrastructure”.

The competition takes place in parallel across five geographic regions – each with its own jury of renowned and independent specialists. The regional juries are headed by Jeannette Kuo, Karamuk Kuo Architects (Europe), Reed Kroloff, Illinois Institute of Technology (North America), Loreta Castro Reguera, Taller Capital (Latin America), Mariam Kamara, atelier masōmī (Middle East Africa) and Nirmal Kishnani, National University of Singapore (Asia Pacific).

The main category of the competition is open to architects, planners, engineers, project owners, builders and construction firms showcasing sustainable responses 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 January 1, 2019.

The LafargeHolcim Awards is described as "the world's most significant international competition for sustainable design".

In addition, students and young professionals (aged 30 years or younger) may submit visionary concepts and bold ideas in the Next Generation category of the competition. Submissions may be at an early stage of design – including research and design studio work.

Francis Kéré on the stage for the LafargeHolcim Awards

Submissions are evaluated according to five "target issues" for sustainable construction – that aim to clarify principles for sustaining the human habitat for future generations. 

The winners will be announced in the second half of 2020 at Awards ceremonies in each region. The main winners then compete for the Global LafargeHolcim Awards in 2021, to be evaluated by a global jury headed by Hashim Sarkis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA and curator of the 2020 Venice Biennale of Architecture. 

Useful Links

Watch Video introduction to Awards.

See Step-by-step guide on entering the Awards.

See Awards entry form.

See Previous winners (more than 250 projects).

All images courtesy of The LafargeHolcim Foundation

> via The LafargeHolcim Awards