Environmental Respect Key In Naming Bulgarias 2008 Building Of The Year

Energy efficiency played a key role in naming the 2008 Building of the Year. The seventh annual awards were conferred at a ceremony at Ivan Vazov National Theatre in Sofia on December 15 2008.Winning this year's competition was the Sveti Toma holiday complex at Cape Houmata, near Arkoutino by the Black Sea. The facility also won the title of Vacation Complex of the Year, both awards coming largely due to the fact that its traditional Sozopol-style architecture blended harmoniously with the local environment, a press statement read. Constructed in a manner that respected its surroundings and fulfilled ecologically friendly standards, the complex has its own water-main and special water-supplying system. Personal vehicles are not permitted on-site.The cubist building called Jacqueline (Жаклин) on Boulevard Bulgaria in Sofia won the public choice award, with voting been done by the public via the internet. The structure also won in the category of residential buildings and complexes. Elsewhere, Jacqueline has been conferred with the European award for architecture.A special energy-efficient building of the year award was conferred to the office building for energy companies in Sofia; the building also won in the city buildings for business use category. The structure was described as being "unique for Bulgaria" in that it used renewable sources of energy. The roof was a photovoltaic central, the second-largest of the type in Europe.To re-inforce the importance of energy-efficient and green construction, organisers decided to award a second building in the green category - the administrative-warehouse building of Rehau Bulgaria, in the Kazichene borough of Sofia.Golf course and resort Club House BlackSeaRama, with its Gary Player-designed playing green, won the award for largest-scale project demonstrating harmonious combination of construction and environment.For the attraction and sport objects category, the winner was the multipurpose-sport-attraction hall in Samokov.Its interpretation of Bulgarian national architecture gave Park Hotel Pirin in Sandanski the award for vacation hotel of the year. Metropolitan Hotel Sofia won the title of city hotel.Commercial building of the year was named as the auto centre Overdrive in the village of Gorni Lozen, thanks to its original architecture and excellent execution. Named as production facility of the year was the logistics warehouse of Sopharma.The co-operative living residence Zaedno ("Together"/Заедно) in the village of Gourmazovo, the National Opera and Ballet in Sofia and Sveti Ivan Rilski Hospital in Stara Zagora all received an award for building with a special purpose.In total, more than 80 buildings and facilities around the country participated in this year's competition. The 18-member jury placed an emphasis on awarding buildings that respected the environment, followed ecologically friendly guidelines and were energy efficient, with the goal of encouraging more such construction in the future.The Building of the Year competition was created in 2002 by the weekly newspaper Stroitelstvo Gradut, with partnership of the Regional Development Ministry.