The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) has recognised innovators and pioneers at its annual awards ceremony.
The founder of Middle Eastern sustainability advocacy initiative, Carboun, has been presented with the third annual WorldGBC David Gottfried Global Green Building Entrepreneurship Award.
Karim Elgendy has worked tirelessly to spread the sustainability message in the Middle East. Through innovative use of accessible articles and infographics, Carboun has communicated the importance of sustainable design in a fresh way that has reached new and diverse audiences.
Inaugural winner David Gottfried commended the active researcher and sustainability advocate, saying, “Karim’s focus on communicating the importance of resiliency through reduced energy, water and resource use is vital to the future survival for the region and the world. We are so fortunate to have leaders like him.”
Two WorldGBC Chairman’s Awards were also presented to recognise outstanding contributions to the green building movement.
Cameron Sinclair is the co-founder of Architecture for Humanity, a charitable organisation that aims to develop architecture and design solutions for humanitarian crises and provides design services to communities in need. Mr Sinclair is bringing socially relevant building into academia, and serves on a number of advisory boards. The winner of the TED prize in 2006, Mr Sinclair used this grant to launch ‘World Changing’, the world’s first open source community dedicated to using innovative and sustainable design to improve living conditions.
Dr Ray Cole is a respected expert on green building rating systems and a professor and former director of the University of British Columbia School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. He has been teaching about environmental issues in building design for more than 35 years. Mr Cole is a founder of Green Building Challenges, an organisation which began delivering green building conferences and assessments internationally as far back as 1998, making him one of the pioneers of the green building movement.
The awards were presented by WorldGBC Chairman Rick Fedrizzi and Chief Executive Officer Jane Henley at the WorldGBC Congress in Cape Town, South Africa.
“Our award winners’ efforts have been instrumental in advancing the sustainability movement and raising awareness of the challenges the world faces,” said Ms Henley. “We are pleased to have this chance to recognise their vision and leadership.”
DAVID GOTTFRIED GLOBAL GREEN BUILDING ENTREPRENEURSHIP AWARD
The David Gottfried Global Green Building Entrepreneurship Award was named in honour of the inaugural winner, one of the founders of the WorldGBC and the U.S. Green Building Council. The award was first presented in 2011 to David Gottfried, and is now an annual award honouring lifetime achievement and contributions to the development and growth of the green building industry through leadership, dedication and innovation.
WORLDGBC CHAIRMAN’S AWARDS
First launched in 2011, the World Green Building Council Chairman’s Awards are given to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the global sustainability movement.
WORLD GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL
Working in nearly 100 countries around the globe, the WorldGBC is the world’s largest organisation influencing the sustainable built environment. We connect the leaders of the green building movement and, through the 25,000 organisations we represent, we are creating sustainable buildings, communities and cities. We foster the growth of green building councils by providing them with the systems and strategies to transform their local markets. We drive collaboration between international governments and not-for-profit organisations, advocate green building policies and provide a common voice for a growing industry. We strive to ensure we unlock the potential of our sector to reduce carbon emissions while also delivering affordable housing, energy security, job creation and better lives for people around the world.
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