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Faculty win International Holcim Awards

Overview of the design of the Southern Cities Project
The Southern River Parks Project, Madrid, Spain
November 19, 2025
BY Emily capdeville

Margarita Jover and Dean Iñaki Alday, through their practice aldayjover architecture and landscape, have won an international Holcim Foundation Award.

The Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction has announced 20 winning projects for the 2025 Holcim Foundation Awards, spanning Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, and North America. With a prize pool of USD 1 million, the Awards are among the world’s most significant and generous honors in sustainable architecture.

Rendering of the Gavia Stream
A rendering of the Gavia stream, integrating public use and the environment


The Awards recognize sustainability across all scales, from an intimate 200-square-meter semi-permanent school in a Kenyan forest to large and mega-scale urban regeneration projects serving millions of people in cities such as Madrid, Dhaka, and Shenzhen.

Laura Viscovich, Executive Director of the Holcim Foundation, says the winning entries, which were required upon entry to be in development, but not complete, provide a modern definition of best practice in sustainable design.

"This year’s 20 winners use the right materials in the right places, bring communities into the process from day one, and design with nature as an ally. The projects are inspiring because the solutions they offer are replicable and implementable - they set a credible path forward for industry," Viscovich said.

Map of the rivers in the Madrid Southern Parks system
Map of the plan for the Southern River Parks

Across 20 winning projects, distinct trends emerged that demonstrate the construction sector's evolving approach to environmental, social, and economic challenges: Resilient Infrastructure Working With and For Nature; Design as a Healing Tool; Low-carbon, Circular Approaches

Jover and Alday's project, The Southern River Parks in Madrid, Spain is a large-scale restoration of the city's southern riverbanks which turns degraded land into resilient green infrastructure, using native planting, water reuse, and community-led design to address climate, biodiversity, and social challenges.

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