192 projects, 37 countries, 3 categories – these are the key statistics of the Green Solutions Awards, recently awarded in France to international beacon projects of sustainable building. The aim of the competition, which is backed by the DGNB, is to highlight reproducible examples of sustainable solutions in the construction sector and urban development industry. Allow us to introduce you to the winners across the main categories.
There are four grand prizes and three main categories for projects: Buildings, Building Solutions, and Infrastructures & Urban Services. Within these categories, five projects were honoured with an award in the subcategories of Energy & Temperate Climates, Energy & Hot Climates, Low Carbon and Health & Comfort. A further 13 projects also received special mentions.
„We need to have a mentality to learn from each other, especially from the mistakes we make, instead of thinking in silos“ says @c_lemaitre_dgnb at the #GreenSolutionsAwards pic.twitter.com/nWY6DEqHaB
— DGNB (@DGNB_eV) November 4, 2019
Pioneers in sustainable building from all around the world converged on Paris for the award ceremony on 4 November 2019.
Projects that provide a lasting inspiration
An autonomous residential concept for hot climates
The grand prize for Sustainable Construction for new buildings went to a development called House B Autonomous in Morocco. The project – a semi-subterranean autonomous house that has been adapted to the particular environmental challenges of hot climates – was praised for outstanding performance in all aspects of sustainable development.
Greenpeace headquarters – a passive building
The grand prize for Sustainable Renovation was awarded to the Spanish headquarters of Greenpeace in Madrid. The building had to reflect the values of the NGO. Accordingly, renovations placed strong emphasis on using the right materials, energy efficiency, and the health and comfort of employees. Carbon emissions resulting from the project were offset through a reforestation project.
A new approach to urban planning in France
A project in France caught the jury’s imagination for the Sustainable District grand prize: Lyon-Confluence. As well as developing the existing district, the 150-hectare project involves construction on an additional one million square metres of land – without raising greenhouse gas emissions. The entire district is like a living laboratory of urban innovation. A large number of solutions have been developed for the project with an emphasis on sustainable travel, digital technology, and the health and well-being of residents.
Heating from abandoned mines
The grand prize in the Sustainable Infrastructure category went to the Mijnwater Heerlen project in the Netherlands. A district heating grid has been developed for the municipality of Heerlen by capturing geothermal energy released by water in disused mines and repurposing this energy to heat and cool buildings. One of the biggest benefits offered by the technology used for the project is that it can be adapted to all kinds of thermal energy.
A German project also featured among the international award winners. NEWTONPROJECT House 1 in Berlin was named the international winner of the Energy & Temperate Climates prize in the Sustainable Construction category.
Click here for an overview of all prize winners.
Construction21: a social media platform dedicated to sustainable building professionals
The award was set up by an expert platform called Construction 21. A founding member of the platform, the DGNB is responsible for the German area of the website. This social media network is aimed at anyone interested in sustainable building topics and stakeholders interested in disseminating and sharing knowledge. First and foremost, however, it showcases a variety of successfully completed projects, presented like case studies. Naturally, these include award-winning projects.
Have you also discovered a novel way to solve a particular problem? Would you like to share an inspiring story? Are you organising an interesting event? Share your know-how with the community in Germany and the rest of the world. Registration is free. Do you think your project could also become a role model for other developments? Introduce it to others and find out more about the award, which enter the next round in the autumn of 2020.