Swiss architecture award for NEST unit
HiLo to win Arc Award
At the beginning of November, the renowned Arc Award of "Schweizer Baudokumentation" was awarded for the ninth time at the Trafo in Baden. The architecture award honors exceptional buildings in Switzerland. In total, 359 projects were submitted, which were evaluated by three independent expert juries. The criteria included architectural quality and exemplary use of resources.
Winner in the category Digitization
From all entries, eleven winner projects in as many different categories were awarded. Among them: the NEST unit HiLo, which was realized by the Block Research Group and the Architecture and Building Systems Group of ETH Zurich together with numerous industry partners. HiLo demonstrates how attractive architecture can be combined with energy- and resource-saving construction and operation – based on innovative digital solutions. This approach convinced the jury, which selected the project as the winner in the category Digitization. "Although HiLo is a digital project, it does not brag about it. The most important innovations are subtle and deep within its core. The material and structural innovations are systematic, ecological and poetic: They open up new horizons for the digital conception of architectural spaces that are both effective and affective," said juror Jeffrey Huang, Director of the Institute of Architecture at EPFL, in praise of the project during his laudatory speech to the roughly 500 guests in Baden.
