21.11.2025
We are honored to announce that Urban Drafters , in collaboration with Rafi Segal A+U, ORG Permanent Modernity, and Studio Rev, has been awarded the Grand Prize for Europe at the 2025 Holcim Foundation Awards for Sustainable Construction for the Art-Tek Tulltorja project. The Grand Prize recognizes projects that exemplify the highest standards of sustainability, innovation, and lasting impact within their region, distinguishing this work as a leading model for regenerative design in Europe.
Selected from a global shortlist of 20 awardees and celebrated at the Holcim Foundation ceremony in Venice, this Grand Prize highlights the project’s transformative potential — reimagining an abandoned brick factory in Pristina as a dynamic cultural and entrepreneurial hub. The European jury commended the design for its integrated approach to circular construction, clean energy solutions, and community-led programming, underscoring its capacity to serve as a catalyst for social, economic, and environmental renewal in post-conflict urban landscapes.
The Holcim Grand Prize for Europe affirms OUD+ and its partners’ leadership in sustainable architectural practice on the world stage. This milestone achievement reflects a decade of dedication to excellence, resilience, and meaningful public engagement, and sets a new benchmark for how architecture can contribute to regenerative futures across Europe and beyond.
The Jury Appraisal for the Project:
The Holcim Foundation Awards jury for Europe praised Art-Tek Tulltorja as a catalyst for sustainable urban revival. Jurors noted that in post-conflict Kosovo, this project’s holistic vision – spanning environmental remediation, cultural programming, and economic development – could have an outsized impact. They deemed its multi-layered approach to adaptive reuse, clean energy, and community inclusion exemplary of the Foundation’s sustainability goals. Rather than relying on an architectural ‘wow factor’” the design emphasizes transforming the site and empowering the people of Pristina. While the jury noted the visual renders of the submission could have used a more sophisticated design to convey the value of this project, ultimately, they were convinced it was deserving of the Special Recognition Award – hoping the recognition will spur its implementation and inspire similar regenerative initiatives in emerging urban centers.
About the Project
A former brick factory in Pristina is reimagined as a creative and tech program, combining clean energy, circular construction, and community-led programming to drive cultural, social, and economic regeneration in post-conflict Kosovo.
Art-Tek Tulltorja transforms a derelict brick factory in Prishtina into an art and technology hub, championing adaptive reuse and cultural regeneration in a post-conflict context. The project emphasizes sustainability through extensive solar energy, recycled industrial materials, carbon-storing timber structures, and abundant greenery, enhancing air quality and biodiversity. A vibrant, community-centered space, Tulltorja offers maker studios, educational facilities, and public parks, addressing youth employment and social cohesion. Strategically linking Prishtina’s city center with historically underserved neighbourhoods, the redevelopment aims to rehabilitate a former industrial site into a 16-hectare “bricks to bytes” urban oasis. It positions itself as an ecological, economic, and socially inclusive landmark for Kosovo, offering a transferable model for urban revitalization and sustainable growth across similar European contexts.
The link to the Holcim Awards video on Tulltorja can be viewed here.
