Fwd: Latin American winners of Holcim Awards competition announced in Buenos Aires

[George Arabbu]

Sustainable construction as a key to better urban life

The Holcim Awards Gold 2011 for Latin America and USD 100,000 was awarded to a team led by Alfredo Brillembourg of Urban Think Tank for a multifunctional public building in a favela of São Paulo, Brazil. The structure prevents further erosion and dangerous mudslides and provides social infrastructure to a community that is effectively separated from the formal city.

Holcim Awards Silver went to a strategic response to the earthquake and tsunami risk in the coastal city of Constitución, Chile. Instead of considering a construction ban or a massive barrier along the risk zones, the project led by Alejandro Aravena of ELEMENTAL S.A. recommends planting forests along the flood-prone areas to dissipate the energy of waves through friction.

Holcim Awards Bronze was presented to a master plan designed by Jose Castillo of arquitectura 911sc for the northwest sector of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, which provides space for economic, educational and recreational activities, and strengthens community networks.

Five Acknowledgement prizes were shared between projects in Argentina, Chile and three winning projects in Mexico. The top two prizes in the "Next Generation" (student category) were awarded to project teams from Argentina with an additional prize to a team from Brazil.

Details in English, Spanish and Portuguese about all winners including the respective design teams, project submissions and images are available at: www.holcimawards.org/latam

The Holcim Awards ceremony for Latin America in Buenos Aires follows the presentation of winners in Milan and Casablanca. The series of events will continue to Washington DC and conclude in Singapore.

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Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction
in...@holcimfoundation.org | www.holcimawards.org