Zumtobel Group Award - another architectural award

The Austrian lighting manufacturer Zumtobel announced on June 29, 2007, the recipients of the first year of a new international award, which will now be awarded every two years to “creators of sustainable buildings and projects responsible to their surroundings”. In times of dramatic environmental pollution, the issue of sustainable development is becoming increasingly important. Architects and engineers have a significant influence on shaping the environment and should find solutions to the questions of today's society. The organizers of the award are Kristin Feireiss and Hans-Jürgen Commerell, directors of the Berlin Architectural Forum held by the renowned Aedes Gallery. The award will be given in two categories. This year's recipients are the Californian studio Thoma Mayne and the Stuttgart office Schlaich Bergermann Solar. The first category, "built environment," focuses on architectural, engineering, or urban planning projects implemented in the last two years that most closely correspond to the current requirements of a sustainable model of living. The award, subsidized with an amount of 80,000 euros, went to the Federal Building in San Francisco by Morphosis. The second category, called "research and innovation," is open for research work and other initiatives, which can be participated in by individuals, independent groups, non-governmental organizations, or universities. This award, subsidized with 60,000 euros, was awarded to the Schlaich Bergerman Solar office for the project "Solar Updraft Tower" - a one-kilometer-high power plant in Australia utilizing the potential of both wind and sun. This year's jury included, for example, Stefan Behnisch, Colin Fournier, Enrique Norton, or Kazuyo Sejima. Link>