Thai bird sanctuary wins gold at Holcim Awards

A bird sanctuary in Thailand, a locally adapted orphanage in Nepal, and a community library in Sri Lanka received the top prizes.

An independent jury led by Rahul Mehrotra of India selected the winners using the “target issues” for sustainable construction that include the “triple bottom line” of environmental, social and economic performance, and also recognise the need for architectural excellence and a high degree of transferability. A total of 13 projects to be implemented in nine countries in Asia-Pacific were recognised with a US$330,000 (Bt10.8 million) prize.

A bird sanctuary in northern Thailand that serves as both an educational facility and bird-rehabilitation centre won the gold medal. The integrated approach to bird conservation by Jariyawadee Lekawatana of Achitectkidd and Singh Intrachooto of Kasetsart University in Bangkok, together with Chak Cherdsatirkul of Kaomai Lanna Resort, Chiang Mai, simulates the natural habitat and includes a small hotel and bird-viewing tower. Palm fibre discarded from agricultural production is re-valued as a construction material for the building envelope, which provides additional habitat and food sources for all birds in the area.

At the prize-giving ceremony in Jakarta, jury member Donald Bates of Australia congratulated the Holcim Awards winners for their innovative approach to addressing the effects of bird trafficking on the survival of endangered wildlife. 

“The project’s stance is aligned with the principles advocated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and combines architectural qualities with conservation, education, research and eco-tourism in a complete and convincing way,” he said.

The Lali Gurans orphanage and library in Kathmandu by Hilary Sample and Michael Meredith of MOS Architects in New York won silver. The project addresses the needs of an under-served rural population in Nepal with a facility that uses low-technology renewable energy and material resources, thus significantly reducing operating costs. 

Vertical gardens and permaculture provide thermal insulation as well as food for cooking. The project addresses the isolation of the orphanage as an institution by integrating the needs of the nearby communities through a library accessible to the public and a seismically stable refuge area.

A project in the rural town of Ambepussa, Sri Lanka, by Milinda Pathiraja of Robust Architecture Workshop in Colombo was awarded bronze. The project aims to re-integrate former soldiers into post-civil-war society by providing training in building techniques through the construction of a community library. 

The slender building sits lightly in the landscape and wraps around an inner courtyard, taking full advantage of cross-ventilation and daylight use, while rammed-earth walls and recycled materials reduce the building’s ecological footprint.

Five Acknowledgement prizes were conferred for outstanding environmental and community-based projects in India, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati and Thailand, and five “Next Generation” prizes for inspiring visions of tomorrow were presented to projects by young professionals and students in Bangladesh, China and India.

The Holcim Awards ceremony in Jakarta for the Asia-Pacific competition region concludes a series of five events following Moscow for Europe, Toronto for North America, Medellin for Latin America, and Beirut for Africa and the Middle East. 

The projects that received Holcim gold, silver and bronze awards in each region automatically qualify for the Global Holcim Awards 2015.