Videos

Watch a summary of statements by the authors of the Holcim Awards prize winning projects in Europe: What contribution does my project make to sustainable construction? 

The regional Holcim Awards 2014 Jury Europe met at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), Switzerland in June 2014 to select the winning projects. We wanted to know what they are looking for in an outstanding sustainable construction project. In this video: Hiromi Hosoya (Switzerland), Marc Angélil (Switzerland), Antón García-Abril (Spain/USA), Jean-Philippe Vassal (France, Head of Jury), Holger Wallbaum (Sweden), Hrvoje Njiric (Croatia) and Arno Brandlhuber (Germany).

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.

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.

An urban design project in Vienna that identifies a set of rules for establishing a sustainable urban neighborhood received the Holcim Awards Bronze. The urban plan by Enrique Arenas, Luis Basabe and Luis Palacios of Arenas Basabe Palacios arquitectos (Spain) uses a framework of gardens for the project’s physical and social development.

A competence center including research labs, office space and training facilities, with a state-of-the-art energy concept received the first-ever Holcim Awards Honorable Mention. Designed by Swiss architect Christian Kerez, the perfectly circular atria cut through ceilings and floors crisscross the building, creating opportunities for employees and visitors to meet one another while also providing a sense of the building’s size from within.