Holcim Awards 2010:

Sustainable construction to be feted

Ramani KANGARAARACHCHI

Sustainable construction is crucial to Sri Lanka as there are signs of the impact of climate change which could assume serious proportions by 2025.

Holcim Sri Lanka Sustainable Construction Vice President Rathika De Silva told Daily News Business that the construction industry can contribute to global sustainability because everything that is built shapes the way people live today and in the future.

"Sustainable construction helps people to live with much less," De Silva said.

He said sustainability requires that the present generation meets its needs without limiting opportunities of future generations.

"For an approach to enable long term viability, it must integrate economic, environmental and social impacts the three elements of the triple bottom line," he said.

De Silva said Sri Lanka has a large number of potential people. He invited local engineers , architects and all in the construction industry to participate at the forthcoming Holcim awards competition which celebrates innovative, future-oriented and tangible sustainable construction projects and visions from around the globe.

The competition provides prize money of USD two million per a three-year competition cycle.

The Holcim Awards (main) category of the competition is open to architects, planners, engineers, project owners, builders and construction firms showcasing sustainable responses to technological, environmental, socioeconomic and cultural issues affective contemporary building and construction.

The projects are eligible for competition if they have reached an advanced stage of design and construction (or commercial production in the case of materials, products and construction technologies) had not started before July 1, 2010.

The Holcim Awards seeks visions and ideas for the next generation (student) category which is open to student projects created within university programs at final year bachelor level or above including master's and PhD.

The third Holcim Awards competition cycle is currently open for entries until March 23, 2011.

Holcim Foundation General Manager Edward Schwatz said the Awards competition encourages sustainable responses to the technological, environmental, socioeconomic and cultural issues affecting building and construction" regionally as well as globally.