“Target issues” for sustainable construction – Introduction

Sustainability drivers for the built environment

The LafargeHolcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction is committed to the underlying principles of sustainability, which assert that long-term development of the built environment requires a balanced interplay of responsible economic, ecological, and social agendas.

To achieve this objective, the LafargeHolcim Foundation and its associated universities have identified five “target issues” that aim to clarify principles for sustaining the human habitat for future generations. These “target issues” serve as criteria for projects submitted for the LafargeHolcim Awards and as a road map for all other related activities of the Foundation.

• Innovation and transferability – Progress
• Ethical standards and social inclusion – People
• Resource and environmental performance – Planet
• Economic viability and compatibility – Prosperity
• Contextual and aesthetic impact – Place

Defining sustainable construction

“Sustainability” is one of the most talked about but least understood terms. The article “Understanding sustainable construction” provides an insight into the definition set out by the LafargeHolcim Foundation. 

Reflections on the mission of the LafargeHolcim Foundation

Marc Angélil and Cary Siress explore why sustainable development, so many years after the 1987 Brundtland Report, remains but a hopeful aspiration at best in “Sustainable Construction: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow”.