2014 WorldGBC Awards announced

The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) held its annual awards last week, honouring individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the global sustainability movement.

The David Gottfried Global Green Building Entrepreneurship Award recognises those involved in the worldwide sustainable construction movement whose contributions have been particularly pioneering. This year, the award was presented to Nils Kok for his work at the intersection of sustainability and finance in the real sector.

An associate professor in Finance and Real Estate at Maastricht University, Kok is the co-founder and executive director of the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB). According to WorldGBC Chairman Bruce Kerswill, “Mr Kok’s groundbreaking work has helped large portfolio owners understand how they can protect and enhance the value of their buildings by embracing sustainability. He essentially cracked the code that has made the business case for sustainability a no-brainer.”

Chairman’s Awards were also presented to three individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the global sustainability movement.

Qiu Bao Xing, former Executive Vice Minister with the Chinese Government’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, was acknowledged for helping to elevate green building to the government policy agenda. Kerswill noted, “Mr Qui was responsible for the establishment of the ChinaGBC and drove the development of China’s 3 Star system.”

Australian Tony Arnel, global director of sustainability at NDY, was acknowledged for his contribution as the WorldGBC chairman from 2008 to 2012. In this role, said Kerswill, “Mr Arnel developed a clear council member development pathway, and the WorldGBC’s membership grew dramatically from just a handful of GBCs to 89 councils. He laid the foundations for a network that now exceeds 100.”

Alejandro Aravena, an architect and executive director of the firm Elemental, was celebrated for his work championing people-centred design. Kerswill said, “Mr Aravena leads the way in using the design process to engage people to create their own communities. His work demonstrates how community building is not just about government making decisions, but about communities deciding how they want to live.”

Kerswill concluded, “The WorldGBC was established in 2002 with just eight green building councils and today is the largest organisation influencing the global green building agenda in more than 100 countries. These four award recipients have made valuable and measurable contributions that will deliver more sustainable, productive and liveable built environments around the world.”