Sustainable Tulip Award 2023

We are proud to announce that Equinox International Kft. has been honored with the Sustainable Tulip Award 2023 for the Equinox-System™, our circular, low-carbon building methodology. This recognition celebrates outstanding achievements in advancing circular economy principles and sustainable design in the built environment.

Words by Kata Ramocsai

08 October 2025

About the awarding organization

The Sustainable Tulip Award was established by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Hungary in 2023 to recognize SMEs, start-ups, corporates, and not-for-profit organizations demonstrating outstanding sustainable performance in their industry. The award theme changes annually, for example “Sustainable and circular construction,” and applications are assessed by a distinguished jury of sustainability leaders and industry experts. For the first time, the Circular Economy Summit hosted the award ceremony.

equinox wins sustainable tulip award 2023
Source: hvg.hu

Why the Equinox-System™ stood out

The jury recognized the Equinox-System™ for its holistic circular approach, integrating design, construction, and building lifecycle management to minimize embodied and operational carbon.

Key achievements included:

  • Replacing concrete foundations with ground screws in the Ligetszépe project – cutting embodied carbon by 28–68%
  • Maximizing renewable materials – sustainably sourced timber represents over 70% of all building components
  • Reuse and material storage – investing in an industrial property (“Hangar”) for storing, repairing, and reusing materials across projects
  • Lean design principles – minimizing unnecessary elements such as screws, paints, or finishes; optimizing CLT structures to reduce metal use by 8%
  • Bioclimatic strategies – advanced building simulation tools ensure high passive performance and energy-positive buildings, like the Júlia House (–9.08 kWh/m²a annual energy demand)
  • Circularity targets – at least 90% of materials designed for reuse without loss of value
  • Maintenance service – long-term stewardship of Equinox buildings to keep materials in circulation at their highest value
equinox wins sustainable tulip award 2023

What the award means for us

Winning the Sustainable Tulip Award affirms our mission:

  • To create carbon-neutral, affordable, and circular housing accessible for all
  • To demonstrate that regenerative design principles are not only possible but financially sound
  • To scale our Equinox-System™ across Europe, amplifying both social and environmental impact

This recognition strengthens our commitment to designing for adaptability, disassembly, and long-term resilience.

Learn more about the Equinox-System™

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