Handré de la Rey and Inge de Beer of DG Architects, Pretoria, have secured top honours in the prestigious Jacques Rougerie Foundation – Institut de France’s – Academy of Fine Arts annual architectural awards. The Jacques Rougerie Foundation recently bestowed three international Grand Prizes and a Special Prize for ‘Lab Architecture and Innovation,’ each valued at 10 000 euros.
These awards celebrated exceptional biomimetic and multidisciplinary architectural projects that aim at promoting carbon neutral designs.
Every year, the Jacques Rougerie Foundation acknowledges daring and visionary architects, designers, engineers, artists and urban planners worldwide. The 2023 awards ceremony, held at the Grand Hall of the Palais de l’Institut de France on November 29, honoured de la Rey and de Beer. Their groundbreaking project, The Solar Cell, received both the Grand Prize and the Lab Special Prize ‘Architecture and Innovation for the Sea.’
The Solar Cell stands as a pioneering model for alternative resource provision, prioritising environmental preservation and study. This innovative design integrates natural elements, harnessing the energy-saving potentials of salt and sunlight, offering a self-sustaining living space with freshwater, electricity, and crop provisions. It aims to leave a zero carbon footprint.
Handré de la Rey and Inge de Beer, the architect and director of DG International Architects, brings a wealth of expertise to their projects, which are aimed at shaping sustainable design that has a global impact.
