Five Easy Pieces
Prof. Dr. Marc Angélil
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ), Switzerland
Member of the Board of the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction
The issue of sustainability transcends professional borders, reframing many disciplines, including engineering and architecture. While engineers redirect their efforts to define standards of performance and evaluation that bear upon the built environment, architects are driven by the idea of a new sustainable aesthetic – thus providing both fields with a new raison d’ être. Countless competitions and awards fuel the never-ending quest for innovation and creativity.
The lecture will focus on one of these competitions, the Holcim Awards, sponsored by the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction, a non-profit organization promoting sustainable development within the construction industry worldwide. The competition process is organized in two successive phases.
The first phase is held in the five geographic regions of Africa Middle East, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and North America.
The second phase is global in scope. Irrespective of scale, projects at an advanced stage of design, but not yet under construction, are eligible for submission. Entries need to demonstrate proof of sustainability according to five target issues as defined by the foundation and its partner universities.
The criteria address the need for a quantum leap in ecological, economic, social, and aesthetic performance.
Quantum Change and Transferability: The project must demonstrate innovation at the forefront of sustainable construction, a quantum leap in comparison to conventional procedures. Breakthroughs and trend-setting approaches, irrespective of scale, must be transferable to a range of other applications.
Ethical Standards and Social Equity: The project must adhere to the highest ethical standards and support social equity at all stages of construction, from planning and building processes to long-term impact on the communal fabric. The project is to provide an advanced response vis-à-vis ethical and social responsibility.
Ecological Quality and Energy Conservation: The project must exhibit a sensible use and management of natural resources throughout its life cycle, including operation and maintenance. Long-term environmental concerns, whether pertaining to flows of material or energy, should be an integral part of the built entity.
Economic Performance and Compatibility: The project must prove to be economically feasible and innovative as to the deployment of financial resources. Funding must promote an economy of means and be compatible with the demands and constraints encountered throughout the construction’s life span.
Contextual and Aesthetic Impact: The project must convey a high standard of architectural quality as to the manner in which it addresses its cultural and physical context. With space and form of utmost significance, the construction must have a lasting aesthetic impact on its surrounding environment.
Marc Angélil
Dr. sc. techn., Dipl. Arch. ETH/SIA/BSA
Marc Angélil is Professor at the Department of Architecture of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH). His research at the Institute of Urban Design of the competence center Network City and Landscape (NSL) addresses recent developments at the periphery of large metropolitan regions. Emphasis is placed on strategies to support sustainable urban processes – with attention given to the forces involved in the formation and transformation of cities. He is the author of several books, including Inchoate, An Experiment in Architectural Education on methods of teaching and Indizien on the political economy of contemporary urban territories.
He received his architectural degree from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology where he also completed his doctoral dissertation. He taught at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University and subsequently at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
He practices architecture with his partners Sarah Graham, Reto Pfenninger, Manuel Scholl, and Hanspeter Oester –agps.architecture, an architectural cooperative with offices in Los Angeles and Zurich. Their built projects include the new Midfield Terminal at the airport of Zurich, the town center and light-rail station of Esslingen, as well as the remodelling of a factory for housing and commercial uses. Current projects include the headquarters extension of The World Conservation Union (IUCN) in Gland-Geneva, the Children’s Museum of Los Angeles (CMLA), an infrastructure project in Portland, Oregon, the Zurich International School, as well as sports facilities for adidas in Herzogenaurach, Germany. Their work has been included in exhibitions and publications in Argentina, Australia, China, England, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, United States, and Switzerland.
Marc Angélil is a member of the board of the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction.