How a Bengaluru Health Centre Used Construction Waste to Create an Award-Winning Design

In Bengaluru, a health centre built from thrown-away stones and timber just won the global Holcim Foundation Award 2025. A unique sanctuary inspired by Kintsugi — the Japanese art of mending broken pieces with gold.

Conceptualised by The Agami Project and A Threshold, led by Avinash Ankalge and Chloé Zimmermann, 'Healing Through Design' is a masterclass in sustainable urban development.

Initially planned for homeless patients, 'Healing Through Design' grew through workshops, community conversations, and model-building with recycled materials. Locals helped shape every detail.

Compact and vertical, the building maximises urban space. Its façade is alive: stone remnants from construction waste became planter boxes; repurposed pinewood transformed into doors, furniture, and partitions.

The living façade of native plants doesn’t just look green — it's a functional climate solution. One that cools interiors naturally, filters air, muffles the outdoor noise, reduces the AC needs, and attracts birds and bees.

It's a social sustainability model. Street-level amphitheatre encourages cultural exchange and recreation. A women-run café provides livelihoods. Safe public spaces offer inclusion for women, youth, and families.

The world has taken notice. Holcim Foundation Award 2025 has hailed it as "an outstanding example of architectural resourcefulness". Proof that doing more with less isn't just possible — it's powerful.

In India’s crowded cities — where waste piles up, concrete rises, people get forgotten — this little centre whispers a different possibility: reuse, respect, renewal.