​Eleven winners for LafargeHolcim Awards 2017's Middle East + Africa competition

The LafargeHolcim Awards 2017 are in full swing, and the winning projects for the Middle East and Africa regional competition were recently announced in Nairobi. A total of US$330,000 in prize money was awarded to 11 sustainable-construction projects and ideas that presented compelling, visionary solutions.

The gold, silver, and bronze awards went to three different projects, while four more projects received Acknowledgement Prizes. Another four projects by students and young professionals (up to age 30) won in the Next Generation category. In the coming weeks, the winners for the Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, and Latin America competitions will also be revealed.

Read more about the Middle East - Africa winners below.

Gold Award: “Legacy Restored”
Main authors: Mariam Kamara - atelier masomi, Providence, USA; Yasaman Esmaili - studio chahar, Seattle, USA

Project summary: “Reinterpretation of traditional local construction for a new mosque and community center in Dandaji, Niger, creating a space in the village open to all. The proposed new mosque as well as the restoration of an existing house of worship are accordingly conceived as test beds for sustainable research, exploring new techniques pertaining to the use of renewable resource.”

Silver Award: “Weaving and Stamping”
Main author: Fatima-azzahra Bendahmane - Ecoactiva, Casablanca, Morocco

Project summary: “This learning complex in the village of Aït Benhaddou in Morocco uses architecture, form, and space to claim artisanship and handiwork as living and modern traditions. The project incorporates local rammed earth construction and also uses local wool and cane weaving as screens and canopies to shade the facades and exterior common spaces. The woven screens are produced by local women.”

Bronze Award: “Pavilion Re-claimed”
Main authors: Joana Dabaj - CatalyticAction, Tripoli, Lebanon; Riccardo Conti - CatalyticAction, London, United Kingdom; Matteo Zerbi - CatalyticAction, London, United Kingdom
Additional authors: Elena Brunete - CatalyticAction, Madrid, Spain; Ronan Glynn - CatalyticAction, London, United Kingdom

Project summary: “Located in an informal settlement for Syrian refugees, the project creates a dignified school environment from the leftover materials of a temporary pavilion in a collaborative and smart reassembly of its components. By reusing a temporary structure for a humanitarian purpose, the project contributes to sustainability through re-appropriation and calls attention to the opportunity for architectural structures to be re-used beyond their originally intended purpose.”

Acknowledgement Prize winners:

“Wonjoon Han, Sookhee Yuk and Gahee Van from South Korea developed new architectural structures to enhance the viability of shea butter processing in Ghana. TAMassociati from Italy is giving the African continent an artistic voice that will be heard around the world through their building for Maisha Film Labs in Kampala, Uganda. For the Miracle for Africa Foundation campus in Lilongwe, Malawi, Steven Holl from the USA proposes a new library that would be built by the local workforce. For the last Acknowledgement Prize, Andrew Amara from Uganda is planning a new children’s department in the Center for Nodding Disease in Odek, Uganda.”

Next Generation winners:

“First prize went to Heidi van Eeden, from the University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa, who is developing new sustainable methods of brick-making in a township in South Africa. 2nd prize went to Nour Madi, Jad Melki and Ghaith Ghanem in Lebanon who are investigating ways of rebuilding war-ravaged Aleppo in Syria using the rubble of destroyed buildings. Nada Nafeh received 3rd prize with her project that aims to improve living conditions in Cairo's informal settlements. Fourth prize went to Noor Marji, who proposes a monumental terraced learning center in Amman, Jordan.”

Check out the Acknowledgement Prize and Next Generation-winning entries in the gallery below. You can read more about all the winning projects on LafargeHolcim's website.