The 5th International “Sustainable Architecture” Award 2008

By Editorial Staff - 7 January 2010

Now in its fifth edition, the International Sustainable Architecture Award is the result of a partnership between Ferrara University’s Architecture Faculty and Fassa Bortolo. Geared to re-examine how construction processes relate to building quality, the competition stimulates research into sustainable development of a sector that heavily impacts the environment. The yearly Award is open to individual professionals or architecture and engineering practices for work located in Europe and completed in the last five years.
The 2008 Jury was chaired by Thomas Herzog and examined 42 projects from 11 countries. This year the quality of entries was such that a total of 10 submissions received prizes - 5 winners and 5 special mentions. It was seen that the sustainability constraint does not have to mean boring sameness. Projects were wide and varied, their excellent solutions not really comparable, given their highly contextual specificity.
Among the works that tied for first place was the new National Trust central office in the UK, designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios. Based on a repeatable module generating ample volumes to host a range of functions, the building is also equipped with photovoltaic panels that cut energy bills.
Another office building was among the winners: the Lufthansa Aviation Center in Frankfurt, designed by Ingenhoven Architekten. Spatial distribution has been ingeniously arranged, making for occupier-friendly office and public spaces. Luminosity-regulation and sun-shading systems protect glazed façades while integrated natural air circulation keeps energy consumption down. The construction techniques adopted have reduced structural material to a minimum.
Two awards were given to renovation projects. A senior citizens and social services center in Madrid designed by Gil Torres Carmen fits well in its urban setting. State-of-the-art technological components and innovative materials combine with architectural variety for a...