Regional Holcim Awards 2011 Latin America winners announced!

The 2011 Regional Holcim Awards for Latin America were announced this past week at an awards ceremony in Buenos Aires! The Holcim Awards recognize excellence in sustainable design for buildings, infrastructure, renewable energy and master plans.
This year’s gold prize went to the Brazilian firm Urban Think Tank with its plans for an urban remediation and civic infrastructure hub for São Paulo, Brazil. The project consists of a terraced public space and urban agriculture precinct, equipped with systems for rainwater collection and grey-water re-use. The building includes sports facilities, public spaces, transportation infrastructure and even a concert hall.
 
The sustainable post-tsunami reconstruction master plan for Constitución, Chile by ELEMENTAL S.A. was awarded the Silver Award. Developed in the wake of the 2010 earthquake and tsunami, the plan includes planting trees in areas at risk of flooding, providing guidelines for ground floor areas in buildings as well as evacuation plans, and creating public open spaces along the river banks to favor rainwater runoff and recreation.
 
Bronze went to the urban regeneration master plan for Ciudad Juárez, Mexico by Mexican firm arquitectura 911sc. The project aims to consolidate the existing water retention basins to contain future flooding and transform them into public spaces. It also includes the construction of agricultural terraces, workshops, commercial lots, playgrounds, sports facilities, a skate park and housing.
 
Five acknowledgement prizes were also awarded for the following projects: an ecological awareness and recreation reserve in Banderilla, Mexico; a green university library in Santiago, Chile; a library with integrated community outreach in Rosario, Argentina; a recovery of the rail transport network in Oaxaca Valley, Mexico; and an urban transit corridor and river remediation master plan in Mexico City, Mexico.
"Next Generation" prizes for excellence in sustainable student design went to an energy self-sufficient water desalination facility in Córdoba, Argentina, reinvigorated waterways for transportation and sustainable development in Puerto Suárez, Bolivia, and a project for the densification and upgrade of university buildings in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which earned first, second and third prize respectively.
 

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