The Purpose of the GLOBAL AWARD The notion of sustainable development is steadily gaining acceptance. Across the globe, sustainability is one of the cornerstones of a new rationalism in the construction process. The purpose of the GLOBAL AWARD FOR SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE is to honour annually five living architects who move towards sustainability. Their work offer clear insights into the search for a rational contemporary architecture which is:     - fully in step with the ethical, civil and social concerns of today     - innovative in the areas of ecology, energy, materials and technology     - progressive in its search for new standards for both housing and public facilities The very fundamentals of a project: functionality, structure and materials are being readdressed in the search for both an approach and an aesthetic which address people’s new concerns. The industrial and social transformation which has led to this change – from a society of plenty to one in which energy is becoming both harder to find and more expensive to use – represents a decisive break with the twentieth century. Both globally and locally, a post-industrial society is emerging with not only new priorities (a more sustainable use of resources) but also new hopes (for a more cooperative approach to development and more urban harmony) which are driven by a new, improved relationship with the environment.