Low-carbon building pioneers Hemcrete Projects, Demand Logic and the German firm Kéré Architecture have been named as finalists in this year's Ashden Awards, the internationally recognised green energy prize.
The winners will be revealed at a ceremony at the Royal Geographical Society on 22 May. Each winner will receive an award worth up to £20,000 and will have a national platform to promote their work.

Demand Logic and Hemcrete Projects are competing for the Weston Ashden Sustainable Buildings Award. Kéré Architecture is up for the international Ashden Award for Sustainable Buildings.

Hemcrete Projects aims to bring the dream of zero carbon buildings closer to reality with its mess-free, speedily installed, sustainable building panels made with hempcrete. 'Hembuild' panels not only offer great thermal properties and the ability to stabilise humidity, but are made-to-measure off site and slotted together like a jigsaw puzzle to form the building's walls at building sites later.

Demand Logic has created a simple device to give building managers accessible displays and energy-saving tools via a web browser, to help them run their buildings as efficiently as possible. The device can quickly spot whether boilers, chillers or pumps are running when they shouldn't be, or whether equipment is faulty, which can lead to huge savings.

Francis Kéré, originally from Burkina Faso, designed and built a school in his home village that, with a ventilated roof and other clever design features, gives a much cooler environment for children to study in. The school was built by local people, largely with local materials. Since then Kéré Architecture has designed and built over 20 innovative naturally cooled public buildings in Africa.

Now in their 14th year, the Ashden Awards champion practical, local energy solutions that cut carbon, reduce poverty and improve people's lives in the UK and developing world.

For more information on the awards visit www.ashden.org/2014_awards