Five NZ entries in sustainable construction awards

Five New Zealand projects are amongst 255 entries received from Asia Pacific countries for a worldwide contest focused on innovative and future-oriented sustainable construction projects, organised by Switzerland-based Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction.

The awards, which have attracted more than 1,500 entries from 118 countries, recognise contributions to sustainable construction – regardless of scale – in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, civil and mechanical engineering, and related disciplines.

Entries have come from architects, engineers, students and developers, and when submitted, projects needed to be in an advanced design stage though prior to construction.

The awards will be judged at two levels, with an award ceremony for the Asia Pacific region being held in Beijing in September, and a global phase for the best entries from each region in 2006. Prize money totals US$220,000 per region – with a total of USD 2 million to be awarded throughout the competition.

The Holcim Foundation has defined five challenging target issues for sustainable construction: quantum change and transferability; ethical standards and social equity; ecological quality and energy conservation; economic performance and compatibility; and contextual response and aesthetic impact. These target issues serve as key criteria for judging the submitted projects.

The entries will be evaluated by independent jurors in close collaboration with the five partner universities of the Holcim Foundation: ETH Zurich, Switzerland; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, USA; Tongji University, Shanghai, China; University of São Paulo, Brazil; and the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Prof. Dr. Schalcher, a member of the Board of the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction and Head of the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), said: "The volume of interest shows the enormous importance that architecture, engineering, and construction have in achieving a more sustainable future. With participation from all continents and 118 countries - sustainable construction is truly of global interest," he said.

Holcim Ltd is one of the world's leading suppliers of cement, aggregates, concrete, and construction-related services. The Holcim Group has companies and affiliates in more than 70 countries.