Discover the Green Building Solutions Awards 2015 vintage
Check out the 106 buildings running for the Green Building Solutions Awards 2015! Most of them are located in countries covered by the Construction21 network, but some new countries made their way into the contest.
To participate, the contestants had to choose at least one category:
- Net Zero Energy Buildings
- Low Energy Renovation
- Bio-based & Recycled Materials
- Renewable Energies
- Smart Buildings
- Health & Comfort
With those categories, the Green Building Solutions Awards aim to highlight and reward the various possible solutions to create sustainable buildings contributing to the fight against climate change. With 53 candidates, the "Net Zero Energy buildings" appear to be the big trend for 2015.
Another significant trend: Health & Comfort. 47 buildings and their solutions applied for this category, proving that energy efficiiency is not the only goal to be pursued anymore. Professionals are also concerned about users and inhabitants!
Renewable energies attracted 37 applications, when bio-based materials received 28 and smart buildings 19. Surprisingly, only 18 buildings applied for the Low Energy Renovation category, even though renovation is one of the greatest challenges in the fight against climate change.
A multitude of solutions
The name of the contest says it all, each participant had to present one sustainable solution or more. This year, the Green Building Solutions Awards will display more than 220 products, systems and processes contributing to energy efficiency and environmental performance of the competing buildings. Presented solutions are extremely varied:
- Innovative materials,
- Renewable energiy systems,
- Reuse of materials,
- Smart management of buildings,
- Natural ventilation...
And many more that you'll discover by browsing the case studies of the contest.
An international mobilisation
The Construction21 network called out to its users to make the Green Building Solutions Awards 2015 a great success. The number of candidates and solutions - 106 buildings and 225 solutions - is in itself a remarkable achievement. It shows how involved Construction21 countries are in the dissemination of best practices and innovations. France, Spain and Belgium are the three biggest contributors of the contest in terms of candidates. But the quality and the diversity of the competing buildings is impressive in all participating countries. No doubt that the winners will make a real impression when presented during the COP21.
In terms of innovation, Luxemburg set a record: the greatest number of solutions presented for one building. The Neobuild Innovation Center alone offers 16 solutions.
Scandinavian countries make their entrance
The 3rd edition of the awards attracted professionals out of the Construction21 network. Lebanon proposes the « Maison Notre Dame du Mont », while Andorra presents « Edificia Aconcagua ». But the surprise came from Sweden and Denmark with their remarkable entrance in the contest. 4 Scandinavian buildings entered the Green Building Solutions Awards :
- Green Solution House (Denmark)
- Kuggen, Ecopilot, energenious building automation system (Sweden)
- Green Lighthouse (Denmark)
- Neonatal Department at Central hospital in Karlstad (Sweden)
Next steps: online votes and juries
September will be all about selecting the best candidates in each country. Expert juries will select the national champions for each category, while you, Construction21 users, will elect your favorite building in France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Romania, Luxemburg, Morocco, and also on the international platform. "Champions" will be announced on October 13th at World Efficiency and will access the international finals of the awards. The final winners will be presented during the COP21, at the Galerie des Solutions, on December 3rd.
How to vote for your favorites? It's very simple: from September 1st to 30th, go to the awards participants page, after logging into your Construction21 account (or after creating your accound if you don't have one already). Browse case studies, and vote for your favorite buildings by "liking" them just like on Facebook. You can vote only once for a building, but you can vote for as many buildings as you want. The building with the greatest number of votes will represent its country for the second step of the contest, the international finals.
About the Green Building Solutions Awards
The Green Building Solutions Awards are organised by Construction21 with the support of Ademe and the COP21. The contest is also sponsored by the following companies: VELUX, Terreal, Rabot Dutilleul, Sillia. Read more about the partners [lien]