The Youth Center ‘Most Mira’ (Bridge of Peace) project in Bosnia, by architect Vernes Causevic and peace activist Kemal Pervanic, received the prestigious international Lafarge Holcim Award for Sustainable Construction.

The Holcim Foundation Award was presented as part of the 17th International Venice Biennale of Architecture.

Applications were reviewed by prestigious international experts, members of independent juries. The award includes a trophy and financial support of 50,000 US dollars, which will financially contribute to the construction of the Center, planned to start in 2022.

The project “Youth Center Bridge of Peace” is the only awarded project from Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also from the wider region of Southeast Europe. This project is also the winner of the Certificate of Appreciation as a finalist of the global award given by the same foundation, ‘Cycle 2021’ as it represents a beacon of peace and sustainability in the Balkans.

The project is located between two ethnically separated villages in Prijedor: Kevljan and Petrov Gaj, near the former Omarska concentration camp. Over the past twelve years, the Bridge of Peace has gathered more than 1,500 young people and volunteers of all nationalities at this location through the organization of art festivals and other programs.

“The project originates from a collaboration between the architects and the “Most Mira” (Bridge of Peace) charity, that has operated in Bosnia & Herzegovina for more than a decade to help divided communities reconnect while respecting cultural differences,” the Holcim Foundation said.

It said that the proposal’s objective is to give Most Mira a permanent physical location by salvaging and transforming a war-ruined house into “a vibrant public facility for cultural and reconciliation activities.”

The building, which includes an art studio, theatre, and a craft workshop on the ground floor and houses up to 14 people on the first floor, is principally made of rammed earth which uses recycled waste material, including material derived from the demolition of the ruins, as well as loam and clay from local quarries and an iron ore mine nearby, according to the Holcim Foundation. The environmental design strategies also include rainwater collection and reuse.

“The Holcim Awards jury Europe highly commended the ethical premises at the core of the proposal which is the result of a remarkable participatory design process conducted over many years with the local communities. The ambition of the project to bridge ethnic diversities in favour of a respectful coexistence has a high social value. On the one hand, the building provides new stimulating cultural spaces to support the young generations living in the region, on the other hand, its construction becomes a learning and educational experience for the locals to whom new social and working skills are transferred. All in all, the project represents a remarkable example of sustainable social, environmental and economic practices,” the foundation said.