Holcim and the Norman Foster Foundation have struck a partnership to rethink emergency shelters to turn them into sustainable and resilient homes.
Holcim will use its expertise in low-carbon innovative concrete-based solutions and affordable housing to design a concept for building 1,000 shelters and a medical facility in one day, according to a news release. The goal is to offer dignified and resilient accommodation to the world’s growing number of displaced people.
The collaboration will begin with a one-week workshop in June in Madrid, Spain. The aim is to create affordable shelters capable of disassembly, reuse, and recycling. Holcim will use its experience in building affordable housing and on innovations such as low-carbon concrete, lightweight prefabricated support structures, and green cements for soil stabilization. Holcim built Africa’s largest 3D-printed affordable housing project in Kenya, developed by its joint venture 14Trees in partnership with CDC Group, the UK’s development finance institution.
“Currently we have over 80 million people who have been forced to flee their homes around the world,” said Jan Jenisch, CEO, Holcim. “Emergency shelters can be more than just a roof over their head—they should offer people the dignity and safety of a home. We are excited to collaborate with the Norman Foster Foundation to put our solutions as well as our expertise in affordable housing to work to achieve this goal.”
Related Stories
Building Team Awards | Jun 1, 2016
Central utility power plant takes center stage at UC San Diego Jacobs Medical Center
An undulating roof, floor-to-ceiling glass, and façade scheme give visual appeal to a plant that serves the 10-story medical center.
Building Team Awards | May 31, 2016
Gonzaga's new student center is a bustling social hub
Retail mall features, comfortable furniture, and floor-to-ceiling glass add vibrancy to the new John J. Hemmingson Center.
Building Team Awards | May 27, 2016
Big police academy trains thousands of New York's finest
The Police Training Academy in Queens, N.Y., consists of a 480,000-sf academic/administration building and a 240,000-sf physical training facility, linked by an aerial pedestrian bridge.
Building Team Awards | May 26, 2016
Cimpress office complex built during historically brutal Massachusetts winter
Lean construction techniques were used to build 275 Wyman Street during a winter that brought more than 100 inches of snow to suburban Boston.
Building Team Awards | May 25, 2016
New health center campus provides affordable care for thousands of Northern Californians
The 38,000-sf, two-level John & Susan Sobrato Campus in Palo Alto is expected to serve 25,000 patients a year by the end of the decade.
Building Team Awards | May 24, 2016
Los Angeles bus depot squeezes the most from a tight site
The Building Team for the MTA Division 13 Bus Operations and Maintenance Facility fit 12 acres’ worth of programming in a multi-level structure on a 4.8-acre site.
Building Team Awards | May 23, 2016
'Greenest ballpark' proves a winner for St. Paul Saints
Solar arrays, a public art courtyard, and a picnic-friendly “park within a park" make the 7,210-seat CHS Field the first ballpark to meet Minnesota sustainable building standards.
Building Team Awards | May 19, 2016
Chinatown library unites and serves two emerging Chicago neighborhoods
The 16,000-sf, pebble-shaped Chinatown Branch Library was built at the intersection of new and old Chinatown neighborhoods. The goal is for the building to unite the communities and serve as a catalyst for the developing area.
Building Team | May 3, 2016
Piazza in San Francisco will feature a 92-foot stainless steel statue
Made of 2,500 seamlessly-welded panels, Venus will be the centerpiece of a new public piazza containing other works of art.
Building Team | Apr 6, 2016
Evaluating the value proposition of project vendors
CBRE Healthcare's Daniel Waters has a few pointers for Request for Proposal (RFP) writers and Project Managers when it comes to handling project vendors, including clearly defining performance expectations.
