SAWA wins Architizer A+ Sustainability Awards

SAWA has been selected as the Popular Choice winner in the 2023 Architizer A+ Sustainability Award. A prestigious jury of leading sustainability experts from around the world evaluated all submitted projects and selected five finalists in the “Unbuilt Sustainable Residential Project” category. Thousands of votes cast by Architizer readers from May 1 to 12 were counted for the award, and SAWA was designated as the top project.

The latest collection of A+ Awards winners is a dynamic tribute to the world's most innovative and impactful contemporary design. To reflect the essential work of architects in the fight against the climate crisis, the program of the 11th annual Architizer Awards introduced a new series of Sustainability Awards this year. We are proud that Mei architects and planners, the architect of SAWA, has been awarded this prize on behalf of the entire SAWA project team.

View the full list of Architizer A+ Awards winners here

First in Europe: fully timber & circular

Even before the construction of SAWA is completed, the accolades for this revolutionary design continue to flow. This distinction is the 9th award following the project's success at, among others, the World Architecture Festival, the Architecture Masterprize, MIPIM / Architectural Review Future Project Awards, Iconic awards for Innovative Architecture, and Green Good Design Awards.

SAWA was developed with the drive and high ambition to create a zero-carbon building that contributes to solving the climate crisis and fostering a healthy future. The realization of SAWA represents a significant step towards international sustainability goals and demonstrates that construction can be done differently. SAWA, also known as “the healthiest building” in the Netherlands, adds value to the neighborhood and city in the broadest sense. These “shared values” relate to CO²-storage through timber construction, strengthening biodiversity, communal spaces including the rooftop vegetable garden, and creating a circular building with affordable housing, where people care for each other and for nature. The project comprises 109 homes, with spacious green terraces averaging 40 m² per dwelling, of which 50 are mid-segment rental homes. The residential concept is enriched by various shared functions – such as shared mobility, tools, and a vegetable garden on a public deck – fostering a vibrant and caring community. The technical innovation lies in the certified Nice building system, of which SAWA is the first demonstrable and realized example. This makes SAWA the first entirely timber-constructed and circular residential building of 50 meters high in Europe.

About the A+ Sustainability Awards

The Architizer A+ Awards is the largest awards program dedicated to encouraging and celebrating the best architecture of the year. This year, Architizer introduced the new A+ Sustainability Awards. The design and construction industry is responsible for nearly 40% of global carbon emissions. While most architects and developers agree that we must work towards more sustainable building practices, establishing a universal benchmark for architectural sustainability worldwide remains a challenge. There are many ways a building can be considered “green,” and a wide range of definitions for “sustainable design,” depending on numerous factors, including geography, national and local government regulations, local climate and environmental characteristics, socioeconomics, community culture, and more.

The new A+ Sustainability Awards honor architecture and design firms actively working towards a more sustainable built environment, focusing on distinguishing projects that push boundaries and set a positive precedent for greener building practices in their specific region and the rest of the world. A prestigious jury of leading sustainability experts from around the world evaluated all submitted projects and selected five finalists, including SAWA, in the “Unbuilt Sustainable Residential Project” category.