Lafarge Africa encourages Nigerians to enter for $2m LafargeHolcim 2017 awards
The management of Lafarge Africa Plc., has called on Nigerian professionals to key into the ongoing entries for LafargeHolcim Award 2017 which opened since July last year. Entries will close on March 21, 2017.
Addressing journalists during a press conference in Lagos weekend, Head of Communications at Lafarge Africa Plc., Mrs. Temitope Oguntokun said “This edition of the sustainable construction competition is seeking smart solutions for cities and the built environment”.
She said engineers, architects, builders, planners, construction firms, project owners, students and NGOs are eligible.
The 2017 LafargeHolcim Awards are being contested by students and professionals in 90 countries where the Group operates including Nigeria. It seeks to recognize and reward high profile projects from professionals as well as bold ideas from students and upcoming professionals in the built environment sector that combine sustainable construction solutions with architectural excellence.
She hinted that already, 26 entries from Nigeria made up of 14 professionals and 12 students have so far been submitted for the 5th International LafargeHolcim Awards and encouraged more Nigerians to avail themselves the opportunity to raise their games in sustainable construction.
Oguntokun explained that “winning the award is very important to Nigeria, a country of over 170 million that is urbanizing rapidly and projected to be the third biggest country in the world by 2050”.
“As at 2016, the combined population of Abuja, Benin City, Ibadan, Kaduna, Kano, Lagos, Onitsha and Port Harcourt was 31.4m; their number is expected to grow to 54m by 2030, according to UN Habitat. There is a pressing need for sustainable urban design and construction in Nigeria.
In his remarks, Lafarge Africa Plc’s group managing director, Michel Puchercos who expressed delight that more Nigerians are tapping into the golden chances offered by the award, said “Nigerian professionals and students participating in the competition live and work in some of the fastest growing cities in the world”.
“The competition is therefore an opportunity to address the myriad challenges of urbanization as it develops.
“In Nigeria, like many other emerging economies, urbanization is outstripping the pace at which homes, offices, roads and bridges are being built.
“An infrastructure deficit and a low degree of industrialization coupled with the amount of natural resources required to highlight the important role which the construction industry will play in the socio-economic and environmental future of Nigeria,” Puchercos noted.
Additional details show that the competition seeks projects of ideas and innovations that embody the target issues for sustainable construction which include the 5Ps vis: Progress, Planet, Prosperity and Place, provides the opportunity to institute the principles of sustainability for future constructions.
Oguntokun further explained that entries submission is free and more details on how to send entries can be found at lafargeholcim-awards.org.
Business Hilights recalls that in 2014 edition, a Nigerian, Kunle Adeyemi won the LafargeHolcim Acknowledgement Prize which came with prize money of $20,000. His project was the famous Chicoco Radio scheme in Port Harcourt swamp residential area.
