2021 Next Generation Winners

The Next Generation prizes are one half of the LafargeHolcim Awards, which also consists of the Main category projects "that are ready for implementation," per the Foundation. In total, the sixth cycle of the awards received 4,742 submissions, roughly half of them entered into the Next Generation category. Jan Jenisch, CEO of LafargeHolcim, considers the category "a catalyst to amplify the best ideas by giving a stage to the brightest minds in sustainable design and construction." 

Each region had its own jury that looked at all of the projects (about half) that passed the pre-evaluation stage. The jury chairs were Jeannette Kuo (Europe), Reed Kroloff (North America), Loreta Castro Reguera (Latin America), Mariam Kamara (Middle East Africa), and Nirmal Kishnani (Asia Pacific). They generally described the submissions as "thoughtful and forward looking," "hopeful." and "a window into the youth of today."

The 21 winners are listed and illustrated below in order of when the regions made their announcements, which happened between June 14 and June 18. Winners in the Main category of the LafargeHolcim Awards will be announced in mid-November, during a hybrid event being held in conjunction with the Venice Architecture Biennale. Hashim Sarkis, curator of the Biennale, also serves as head of the Global LafargeHolcim Awards Jury for 2021.

Accumulating Shelter in Spain – Dune reconstructive bayside infrastructure

"A project where the forces of nature are harnessed by creative landscape design and iconic architecture to regenerate the northern coastline of Cádiz."

Winner: Javier Estebala Alández, architect, Madrid, Spain

Thermal Processor in Switzerland – Waste energy recovery for residential use

"A project to convert the waste heat from a data center in Zurich into “free” energy for heating and cooling."

Winner: Yufei He, architect and scientific assistant, ETH Zurich, Switzerland

Transforming Collectivity in Belgium – Community housing for socially empowered living

"A social housing concept for Brussels where transformation, sharing and support are the premises for more sustainable and socially empowered living."

Winner: Annik Keoseyan, architect and urban designer, Mexico City, Mexico

Tessellated Cleansing from the United Kingdom – Bioremediation tiles for water purification

"A ribbed tile uses microalgal bioremediation to clean polluted water and empower local communities in developing countries."

Winner: Shneel Malik, architect & biodesign researcher, Bio-Integrated Design Lab, Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, London, United Kingdom

Unmaking Architecture, New York – Management tool for reusing salvaged materials 

"An artificial-intelligence-based tool to optimize the reuse of demolition rubble."

Winner: Daniel Marshall, Teaching Fellow (2019/2020), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA

Off the Wall, Canada – Making building components from food-processing byproducts

"A smart production system uses byproducts from agriculture and aquaculture to make elegant building components."

Winners: Daniel Francisco Gonzalez, student, and Noor Shaikh, consultant, IXIM Bioproducts Inc., Waterloo and Toronto, Canada

Performative Landscapes in Florida – Contextual reconversion of an industrial site

"A design for converting an impacted site on Tampa Bay into a productive and attractive landscape."

Winner: Samuel Clovis, architect, Los Angeles, USA

Pure Inhale, Connecticut – Plant-based design module research

"A research-based project deploys vegetation to tackle environmental, health, and social challenges in urban areas."

Winner: Phoebe Mankiewicz, Ph.D. student, Yale Center for Ecosystems in Architecture, New Haven, CT, USA

Buoyant Housing in Brazil – Riverside living and community complex

"A housing project inspired by indigenous vernacular architecture to empower riverside communities of Manaus."

Winner: Danielle Gregorio, student at the University of São Paulo, Brazil

Fluid Buffer in Argentina – Urban flood mitigation and recreation infrastructure

"Water-management infrastructure in Resistencia transforms floodwater into a resource for the community."

Winners: Gimena Ponce Abba, María Florencia Ruiz Cabello, and María Rosario Ruiz Cabello, students at the National University of Córdoba, Argentina

Improving Market in Mexico – Urban commercial rejuvenation and capacity building

"A retrofit intervention for a market offers new environmental, economic, and social growth opportunities in Mexico City."

Winner: Pablo Goldin Marcovich, student at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City

Protective Canopy in Colombia – Landscape revitalization and botanical pavilion

"A botanical pavilion in Bogotá heals landscape from human activities and offers new pedagogical and recreational public space."

Winners: Lina Fernanda Valencia Lozano, Juan Camilo Muñoz, and Jhon Salazar Ruiz, students at the University of Valle, Cali, Colombia

Connective Infrastructure in Uganda – Inter-scale design for community integration

"A multi-scale design project for a neighborhood in Kampala to foster social interaction and economic vitality."

Winner: Priscilla Namwanje, architect, Kampala, Uganda

Living Memorial in Jordan – Cemetery reconfiguration for urban greening

"A project that attributes new public character to cemeteries in Amman, conserves land, and enhances the value of urban green space."

Winner: Tala Shelbayh, student, German Jordanian University, Amman, Jordan

Plastic Extractor in Sierra Leone – Multipurpose recycling facility

"A multipurpose facility to collect and recycle plastic litter and enhance social and economic life in an informal settlement in Freetown."

Winner: Evgenii Varlygin, student, Technical University of Munich, Germany

Earthen Education in Iraq – School reinterpreting vernacular architecture

"An educational complex in Basra to revive the architectural and cultural value of Mesopotamian Marshes."

Winner: Noor Marji, architect/student, Amman, Jordan

Recovered Foreshore in India – Waterfront sanitation and community infrastructure

"A project that brings social and economic legitimacy to waterfront districts of Mumbai through a new network of sustainable infrastructure."

Winner: Soledad Patiño, architect and urban designer, Harvard Graduate School of Design, MA, USA

Towers of Strength in India – Multifunctional amenities and services in informal settlements

"An acupunctural design intervention to improve the sustainability of Mumbai’s informal settlements."

Winner: Lorenzo Fernandes, architect, Mumbai, India

Mangrove Recovery in Thailand – Coastal erosion and economic enhancement

"A proposal to tackle the coastal erosion and ecosystem threats in the northern Gulf of Thailand while promoting sustainable fishing and tourism."

Winner: Dolathep Chetty, graduate in architecture from Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand

Buoyant Amenity in Indonesia – Floating sanitation facility upgrade

"A project that upgrades vernacular river sanitation systems in Jakarta to reconcile ecosystems with the local community."

Winners: Rionaldi Gunari, Nicholas Rodriques, and Gani Wiratama, students, Parahyangan Catholic University, Bandung, Indonesia

Cultivated Envelope in India – Vernacular green facade system

"A multifunctional green facade system implemented in Pune coherently responds to environmental, cultural, and economic concerns."

Winner: Divya Jyoti, architect, PMA madhushala, Pune, India