How can aesthetic living in the Alps be combined with caring for nature? The "Constructive Alps" architecture prize, offered by the Swiss government in January 2013, intends to provide the answers. The search is on for new and renovated structures - in industry, leisure, and services, private or communal residential buildings, and public buildings - completed in the Alps between 2008 and 2012.
The aim of the prize is to turn the Alps into a model region for climate protection issues and to implement the climate action plan agreed upon by the Alpine states in 2009. Liechtenstein was the first in 2011 to offer and support an Alpine-wide architectural prize for sustainable building and renovation, just as it is now together with CIPRA supporting Switzerland in the "Constructive Alps" project.
Submissions for the two-stage selection procedure are possible until 19 February 2013. In addition, two photos are required and a short explanation of why the building represents effective climate protection. The structures will be assessed by an international jury according to aesthetic aspects and sustainability criteria, for instance a building's links to the public transport network, the choice of ecological and regional building materials or energy-efficient building methods.
On 30 August the Swiss Environment Minister, Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard, will announce the winners at the Alpine Museum in Bern. The 25 best buildings will then be presented to the public via such methods as a travelling exhibition, as well as in a special issue of the architecture magazine "Hochparterre".
Source and further information: www.constructivealps.net