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s many as 6,000 ongoing projects from 152 countries have submitted entries to the upcoming Holcim Awards.

Initiated by Holcim Foundation, a non-profit organization managed by the Holcim Group, the fourth Holcim Awards will announce the winners at awards ceremonies from September to November this year, in Russia (for the region of Europe); Toronto, Canada (North America); Medellin, Colombia (Latin America); Beirut, Lebanon (Africa-Middle East); and Jakarta, Indonesia (Asia Pacific).

All the participating projects have at advanced stages of their designs and construction had to have commenced before July 1, 2013.

The submission deadline was at the end of March this year. The objective of this big accolade is to promote the creation of environmentally sustainable properties.

Holcim defines environmentally and sustainable through its so-called 5P criteria: Progress, people, planet, prosperity and proficiency.

In essence, the criteria measures how far the building designs incorporate aspects such as ethical and social responsibility, natural resource preservation, economic contribution to the society and impact to surrounding environment.

The total prize money for award winners amounts to US$2 million. And the accolade will comprise two categories: the Holcim Awards Main Category and the Next Generation.