S P EC I A L R E P O R T
'Being less bad is simply not good enough' Highlights from the 6th International LafargeHolcim Forum Leading Architecture & Design editor Graham Wood attended the 6th International LafargeHolcim Forum in Cairo this April. These are some of the highlights of the forum.
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he LafargeHolcim Forum is a tri-annual series of conferences on the topic of sustainable construction, conducted by the Foundation. The multi-day Forum, including workshops and site visits, is an academic platform for architects, engineers, construction professionals and specialists of all generations to exchange information on creating a sustainable built environment and thus advancing sustainable development. Speakers included internationally-renowned ‘star’ architects such as Lord Norman Foster, Foster + Partners, United Kingdom; Christine Binswanger, Herzog & de Meuron, Switzerland; Anne Lacaton, Lacaton & Vassal Architectes, France; and Francis Kéré, Kéré Architecture, Germany. The American University in Cairo (AUC) hosted the 6th International LafargeHolcim Forum.
LORD NORMAN FOSTER, FOSTER + PARTNERS, UNITED KINGDOM Norman Foster addressed the proposition “How much does your building weigh, Mr Foster?” with illustrations of how design is inseparable from nature. Using examples of his work, including Apple Park, the Corporate Headquarters of Apple Inc, California, USA and Bloomberg’s European Headquarters in London, he showed the interconnection between design and the selection of materials. “Sustainability is inseparable from energy, and inseparable from the process of recycling,” he said.
CHRISTINE BINSWANGER, HERZOG & DE MEURON, SWITZERLAND Christine Binswanger explored the theme of “Make it desirable” and ways of ensuring buildings with higher sustainability attain greater public support. Projects such as the REHAB Basel Centre for Spinal Cord & Brain Injuries, Switzerland, and the new Children’s Hospital (Kinderspital Zürich) in Switzerland were used to illustrate “designing for adaptability – how to minimise the amount of materials that can’t be modified in the future. Visual impact is an important element, but social impact is intrinsic to sustainable design,” she said.
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ANNE LACATON, LACATON & VASSAL ARCHITECTES, FRANCE Anne Lacaton presented how “Never demolish, always transform” is at the heart of the design process of Lacaton & Vassal, including the renovation program of more than 500 dwellings in the Cité du Grand Parc in Bordeaux, France, originally constructed in the early 1960s. The renovation strategy not only extends the usable lifespan of the building, but also delivers multi-layered social, aesthetic and economic benefits. “The existing building is tomorrow’s new building material,” she said.
FRANCIS KÉRÉ, KÉRÉ ARCHITECTURE, GERMANY To conclude the series of keynote addresses on day one of the forum, Francis Kéré reflected on the theme “Embed know-how”, including examples from his work building a school in his birthplace village of Gando, Burkina Faso. He advocated education, learning from history, and making information more accessible as key components of ensuring success. “We need to deconstruct preconceived ideas – embracing innovation and locally-sourced materials,” he said.
