The Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction has revealed the 20 winning projects for its prestigious 2025 Holcim Foundation Awards, recognizing groundbreaking contributions to sustainable design and construction practices worldwide. The winners span five major regions including Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, and North America, showcasing the global reach and diversity of contemporary sustainable architecture.
This year's selection demonstrates remarkable diversity in both scale and scope, ranging from a compact 200-square-meter semi-permanent school nestled in a Kenyan forest to massive urban regeneration projects transforming cities like Madrid, Dhaka, and Shenzhen. The varied projects reflect the multifaceted nature of sustainable architecture and its ability to address different environmental and social challenges across diverse geographical contexts.
A significant change in the awards program this year is the introduction of a new Grand Prize format, which replaces the traditional Gold, Silver, and Bronze ranking system. Under this new structure, each of the five regions will honor one Grand Prize winner, emphasizing excellence without direct comparison and acknowledging the diverse regional approaches to sustainable construction practices.
The evaluation process continues to be guided by the Holcim Foundation's four core goals: Uplifting Places, Healthy Planet, Thriving Communities, and Viable Economics. Additionally, projects are assessed based on three fundamental principles of being Holistic, Transformational, and Transferable. Distinguished regional jury chairs include renowned architects Sou Fujimoto for Asia Pacific, Kjetil Trædal Thorsen for Europe, Sandra Barclay for Latin America, Lina Ghotmeh for the Middle East and Africa, and Jeanne Gang for North America.
The winners will be celebrated at the highly anticipated 2025 Holcim Foundation Awards Ceremony scheduled for November 20, 2025, in Venice. This prestigious event will bring together leading figures from architecture, design, and construction industries worldwide, with the announcement of the five regional Grand Prize winners serving as the evening's centerpiece.
ArchDaily has partnered with the Holcim Foundation as the official media partner for this year's ceremony and will host a live stream broadcast. This partnership will provide a global audience with the opportunity to watch the award announcements in real time and learn about the groundbreaking sustainable construction projects being recognized.
Among the notable winners in the Asia Pacific region is the Gelephu Mindfulness City in Bhutan, a Bhutanese-inspired sustainable city designed by BIG Bjarke Ingels Group that integrates heritage and ecology. The project includes an airport arrival hall with sustainable design that incorporates traditional craft for decorating locally sourced structural members. Other regional winners include the Healing Through Design community health center in Bengaluru, India, and the transformation of Pingshan River into a 40-kilometer sustainable recreational corridor in Shenzhen, China.
European winners showcase innovative approaches to adaptive reuse and rural sustainability. The Art Tek Tulltorja project transforms a former brick factory in Pristina, Kosovo, into a sustainable art and technology hub featuring solar energy and recycled materials. The School in Gaüses in Girona, Spain, demonstrates sustainable rural education design with passive cooling and biodiversity-focused gardens, while Denmark's Crafts College combines passive design with recycled materials on Herning's urban fringe.
Latin American projects emphasize community participation and climate resilience. The Barrio Chacarita Alta Housing project in Asunción, Paraguay, represents a participatory approach to housing and public space upgrades, incorporating incremental construction and stormwater-managed parks. Brazil contributes two significant projects: flood-resilient schools in Porto Alegre with elevated classrooms and multipurpose rooftop terraces, and the Sesc Parque Dom Pedro II cultural center in São Paulo, which reclaims a derelict site with terraced public facilities.
The Middle East and Africa region highlights projects that blend traditional techniques with modern sustainability principles. The Brookside Secondary School in Asaba, Nigeria, utilizes locally made clay bricks and traditional vaulting techniques, while the Qalandiya project in Palestinian Territory revitalizes a historic village center using traditional stone masonry and native materials. The Waldorf School in Nairobi, Kenya, represents the compact end of the scale spectrum with its 200-square-meter modular classrooms integrated within a protected forest setting.
North American winners demonstrate leadership in mass timber construction and ecological restoration. The Buffalo Crossing Visitor Centre in Winnipeg, Canada, features triangular mass-timber design with Passive House principles and Indigenous collaboration. The Portland International Main Terminal expansion showcases mass-timber construction with passive daylighting and biophilic design to enhance passenger experience while reducing carbon impact.
Registration for accessing the live feed of the Holcim Awards 2025 Ceremony is now available to the public, offering architecture enthusiasts and professionals worldwide the opportunity to witness the recognition of these innovative sustainable construction projects. The ceremony promises to highlight the evolving landscape of sustainable architecture and construction practices across different cultural and geographical contexts.
