2014 Zumtobel Group Award Winners

John Hill

25. September 2014

Applied Innovations winner: "SolarLeaf" (Photo: © Colt, SSC, Arup)

Lighting group Zumtobel AG has selected three projects in as many categories for its biennial architectural awards "promoting sustainability and humanity in the built environment."

2014 is the fourth Zumtobel Group Award – Innovations for Sustainability and Humanity in the Built Environment, but the first time for the Applied Innovations category; previous awards were limited to Built Environment and Research & Initiative categories. Per Zumtobel, the award "honors contemporary realized or conceptual works of exceptional innovative content, design, technology and construction. Submissions must make a significant contribution to greater humanity and sustainability in the built environment."

Further, "the Zumtobel Group Award aims to:

• address challenges and opportunities in sustainable architecture, engineering and urban planning;
• identify and discuss expectations and interests around humanity and sustainability in the built environment;
• encourage research into and implementation of new sustainable and socially beneficial perspectives in the built environment;
• stimulate innovations that promote sustainability and humanity in the built environment; and
• foster interdisciplinary communication, knowledge exchange and networking strategies in this field."

As in previous years, Kristin Feireiss and Hans-Jürgen Commerell of Aedes Architecture Forum in Berlin acted as a first-line jury, selecting 14 projects in each category from among the submissions. Subsequently, the 7-person jury* shortlisted 5 projects per category and then selected the winners, as highlighted below.

Applied Innovations

Winning project:

Arup Deutschland GmbH for “SolarLeaf” in Hamburg (DE) – photo-bioreactor façade system

Applied Innovations winner: "SolarLeaf" (Photo: © Colt, SSC, Arup)

A short video with jury comments:

Nominated Projects:

Future Cities Laboratory, Singapore / ETH Zurich (CH), for “Bamboo Reinforced Concrete” – innovative renewable building material

Lehm Ton Erde Baukunst GmbH, Schlins (A), for “Re-Innovation of Rammed Earth by Prefabrication” – use of rammed earth as a building material

KONE, Espoo (FN), for “Kone UltraRope” – elevator technology

James Ramsey, New York (USA), for “The Lowline” N.Y. – fibre-optic technology to capture sunlight underground

Applied Innovations winner: "Solarleaf" (Photo: © Colt, SSC, Arup)

Buildings

Winning project:

Studio Tamassociati Architects, Venice (IT), for “Port Sudan Paediatric Centre” – children’s hospital

Building winner: "Port Sudan Paediatric Centre" (Photo: Courtesy of Massimo Grimaldi and Emergency ngo)

A short video with jury comments:

Nominated projects:

Urban-Think Tank, Zurich (CH), for “Vertical Gymnasium Santa Cruz Del Este”, Caracas (VE) – sports and recreation facility for urban upgrade

RMA Architects, Mumbai (IN), for “Corporate Office for Infrastructure Company” – office building employing the idea of a double skin

Lacaton & Vassal architectes, Paris (FR), for “House Transformation”, Saint-Nazaire, La Chesnaie (FR) – social housing block transformation

Rural Urban Framework, Hong Kong (CN), for “House for all Seasons”, Shija Village (CN) – Housing prototype for rural regions in China

Building winner: "Port Sudan Paediatric Centre" (Photo: Courtesy of Massimo Grimaldi and Emergency ngo)

Urban Delevopments & Initiatives

Winning project:

Elemental, Santiago (CL), for “Pres Constitution” – sustainable reconstruction master plan

Urban Developments & Initiatives winner: "Pres Constitution" (Photo: © Elemental, Chile)

A short video with jury comments:

Nominated projects:

ArchiAid, Sendai (JP), for “Architect Network to Support Reconstruction” – following the tsunami in Japan

UNITYDESIGN / Chiba University / Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (JP) / Universitas Indonesia (RI), for “Megacity Skeleton” – housing prototype project aiming to improve the living environment of high density residential areas

Turenscape, Beijing (CN), for “Qunli Stormwater Park”, Qunli New Town (CN) – a green sponge for a water-resilient city

Burgos & Garrido Arquitectos / Porras La Casta / Rubio & Á._Sala / West 8, for “Madrid Río”, Madrid (ES) – locating the ring road underground and redesigning the urban landscape