The VMZINC Award for Architectural Innovation and Creativity

LAUNCH OF THE 4TH EDITION OF THE ARCHIZINC TROPHY,

THE VMZINC® AWARD FOR ARCHITECTURAL INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY

This September, VMZINC® is launching the fourth edition of the ARCHIZINC TROPHY. This competition, which distinguishes architects from all over the world, is held every two years and awards prizes to the most beautiful projects for their architectural quality, the ease with which they blend into their surroundings and the way in which they highlight zinc as a material in innovative and original applications.

The Archizinc Trophy demonstrates VMZINC®'s commitment to promoting architecture and illustrates the strong relationship that has been forged between architects and the brand, between players in the building industry and zinc as a material.

Projects can fall into one of four categories of buildings: Individual Housing, Collective Housing, Public Buildings and Commercial Buildings. The jury will award certain projects with special prizes: the Special Jury's award, the Environment award, the Innovation award and the Tradition award.

To enter the competition, participants can download registration forms on www.vmzinc.com A hard copy of the registration form will be sent to architects when FOCUS ON ZINC n° 11 is distributed in October. VMZINC® publishes 70,000 copies of this international architecture magazine, which is distributed in French, English, German and Spanish to building professionals in over thirty countries. Architects travelling to the BATIMAT exhibition will find registration forms on the VMZINC® stand (Hall 1 - Aisle G - Stand 54).

Projects must be submitted by 31 December 2009 at the latest.

The jury is made up of 13 international architects and will meet in March 2010 to allocate the prizes. Numerous criteria are taken into consideration: innovative use of materials, elegance, functionality, respect for the environment, etc.

Prize-winners will be awarded the ARCHIZINC Trophy during a grand ceremony that will be held in June 2010 and their projects will feature in a special issue of FOCUS ON ZINC, which will be published in October 2010, and which presents winners with a unique opportunity to publicise their work throughout the world.

Almost 150 projects from seventeen different countries competed in the 2008 edition of the event.

VMZINC®, the international rolled zinc products brand. Manufactured and marketed by the Umicore Group Building Products Unit.