The World Green Building Council has announced the winners of its prestigious Chairman’s Award and the David Gottfried Award at a ceremony held in the Golden Hall of Stockholm City Hall, the venue of the annual Nobel Prize banquet.
Rick Fedrizzi, the outgoing CEO of the US Green Building Council and incoming CEO of The International WELL Building Institute, received the WorldGBC Chairman’s Award, together with Mayor Gregor Robertson and Deputy Mayor Andrea Reimer of the City of Vancouver.
The Chairman’s Award is given to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the global green building movement, and this year WorldGBC’s new Chairman, Tai Lee Siang, took the unusual step of giving three awards, in honour of the impressive achievements made by these individuals.
Pierre-André de Chalendar, CEO of Saint Gobain, was awarded the David Gottfried Award which is given to individuals whose contribution to the global green building movement has been shown to be unique, innovative and entrepreneurial. David Gottfried was an entrepreneur who originally founded the World Green Building Council and the US Green Building Council.
Tai Lee Siang, Chairman of WorldGBC, said:
“This year’s winners have played truly outstanding and often diverse roles in championing green building around the world. Rick Fedrizzi’s role in helping to found the green building movement globally, the City of Vancouver’s leadership on implementing ambitious and inspirational green building policies, and Pierre-André de Chalendar’s innovative approach to a business-led green building strategy are all helping to create a better world.
I congratulate all four individuals and wish them all the success for the future as they continue on our collective journey to green buildings for everyone, everywhere.”
The Awards were held as part of the WorldGBC Congress 2016, with Sweden Green Building Council and the City of Stockholm.
Rick Fedrizzi
As the CEO and Founding Chair of the US Green Building Council, Rick Fedrizzi has helped to catalyse the global green building movement and set a market standard for sustainability achievement. Rick was instrumental in setting up WorldGBC which would serve countries and GBCs all over the world. His personal mentorship of individual GBCs over the years, as well as his leadership and significant support to WorldGBC as Chair from 2012 to 2013, has enabled us to create a powerful and strong movement, while LEED has established certification as a significant lever in directing the market towards green building.
City of Vancouver – Mayor Gregor Robertson & Deputy Mayor Andrea Reimer
Mayor Gregor Robertson and Deputy Mayor Andrea Reimer have together shown inspirational leadership on green building in the City of Vancouver. Their recent adoption of the Zero Emissions Building Plan is directly in line with WorldGBC’s Advancing Net Zero project to ensure that all new buildings the world over are net zero emissions by 2030, which will help keep global warming within 2 to 1.5 degrees. The city has also provided valuable support to the green building movement, particularly its hosting of WorldGBC’s Sustainable Cities tour in 2015, Deputy Mayor Reimer’s inspiring talk at the WorldGBC Hong Kong Congress in 2015, and its continued collaboration with Canada Green Building Council.
Pierre-André de Chalendar
Pierre-André de Chalendar joined Saint-Gobain in 1989, and has been CEO since 2010. WorldGBC and the global green building movement has been inspired by his own personal commitment to green building, and his leadership in directing a major global corporation to pursue profitability and growth while also embedding green building across the organisation. Mr de Chalendar’s leadership at COP21’s Buildings Day demonstrated that a commitment to combatting climate change is a moral imperative as well as good business. Saint Gobain has ambitious emissions targets, numerous programmes dedicated to improving building for people, and works, globally and locally, with GBCs in over 35 countries.
