Latin American winners of the 2014 Holcim Awards have been revealed

Twelve winning projects were announced for the Latin American element of the Holcim Awards 2014 at a prize giving ceremony in Medellín, Colombia. The awards recognise sustainable construction projects that consider environmental, social and economic performance, whilst also emphasising ‘the need for architectural excellence and a high degree of transferability’.

A total of US$330 000 in prize money was up for grabs across three categories: Main Category (Gold, Silver, Bronze); Holcim Awards Acknowledgment Prizes; Next Generation Prizes.

The jury was hosted by the Institute for Tropical Architecture (Costa Rica). The expert panel comprised Bruno Stagno (head of jury, Costa Rica), Marc Angélil (Switzerland), Tatiana Bilbao (Mexico), Alfredo Brillembourg (Venezuela), Angelo Bucci (Brazil), Fernando Diez (Argentina), Harry Gugger (Switzerland), Vanderley John (Brazil) and Andreas Leu (Switzerland).

Main category

Gold: Mario Camargo and Luis Tombé, Colectivo 720, won ‘Gold’ for Articulated Site, a landscape and urban design project in Medellín, Colombia. Commenting on the project, Bruno Stagno said: “Within the project, aesthetic, social, economic and environmental concerns are combined to form a sophisticated ensemble of public spaces and create a ‘socio-technical’ landscape of magnificent beauty”.

Silver: Mexico’s PLUG Architecture received ‘Silver’ for Arboreal Platform, a low-impact timber structure that serves as the headquarters for Fundación para el Desarrollo de la Cordillera Volcánica Central in Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, Costa Rica.

Bronze: the Children’s House project, led by Mexico’s AT103, involves a self-built school design for a building in San Andrés Payuca.

Acknowledgment prizes

• Breathing Envelope: Vertically-stacked convention centre and public spaces in Bogotá, Colombia, by Daniel Bermúdez, Daniel Bermúdez y Cía, Colombia, and Juan Herreros, Estudio Herreros, Spain.
• Harvesting Agriculture: Community centre for water harvesting and agriculture in Matacos, Formosa, Argentina, by Damian Fernandez and Joaquin Trillo, Fundacion Red Comunidades Rurales, Argentina, and Vicky Gonzalez, Manos de Hermanos, Lote 8, Argentina.
• Indoor-Outdoor: Site-responsive school in Jacmel, Haiti, by Kamil Rusinek and Maciej Siuda, architects, Poland; Katarzyna Dabkowska, Jerzy Mazurkiewicz, Marta Niedbalec and Lukasz Piasta, architects, Poland.
• Rural Campus: University campus for community regeneration in Mexico, by Oscar Hagerman, architect, Universidad del Medio Ambiente, Mexico, and Arturo Farías, scientist, Universidad del Medio Ambiente, Mexico; Juan Carlos Cano and Paloma Vera, Cano Vera Arquitectura, Mexico; Federico Llamas and Francisco Bonilla, Universidad del Medio Ambiente, Mexico; Miguel Campero, Centro Viva, Mexico.
• Under Construction: Restoring an urban historical centre in Ecuador, by David Barragán, Pascual Gangotena and Esteban Benavides, Al Borde Arquitectos, Ecuador.

Next generation prizes

• 1^st – Fruit Salad: Riverside urban infrastructure redeployment in Brazil, by Alejandro Alaniz, Ivan Baez, Christian Barrera and Patricio Francisco Cuello, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina.
• 2^nd – Laguna Chapel: Recycled timber church and community centre in Mexico, by Lazbent Escobedo and Andres Soliz, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico.
• 3^rd – Den-City: Urban regeneration through densification in Argentina, by Maya Wilberger and Lucía Zunino, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina.
• 4^th – Plaza Mediateca: Library and media centre in Costa Rica, by Fabricio Mora and María Emilia Sanchez, Universidad Latina de Costa Rica; Adrián Castro, Universidad Hispanoamericana, Costa Rica.

Further information about the winning projects can be found here.

Adapted from press release by Louise Fordham

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/the-americas/06102014/holcim-announces-latin-american-winners-of-2014-holcim-awards-617/