Thirteen real estate developments from around the globe, including six in North America, four in Europe, and three in Asia, have been selected as winners in the 2014 Urban Land Institute (ULI) Global Awards for Excellence competition, widely recognized as the land use industry’s most prestigious recognition program.
The competition, now in its 36th year, recognizes real estate projects that achieve a high standard of excellence in design, construction, economics, planning, and management. The program, open to all ULI members and not limited to them, is viewed as the centerpiece of the Institute’s efforts to identify and promote best practices in all types of real estate development.
According to jury chair M. Leanne Lachman, president of real estate consulting firm Lachman Associates in New York City, this year’s finalists and winners all “demonstrate high-quality, innovative land use and building design. In addition, many involve historic preservation, public/private partnerships, environmental sustainability, and creative financing. This group of diverse projects is a timely reminder of how thoughtful design plays a central role in community health and longevity,” Lachman added.
The winners (developers and architects in parentheses) are as follows:
- 300 East Randolph, Chicago, Illinois, United States (developer: Walsh Higgins & Company; designer: Goettsch Partners)—A two-phased, vertically expanded office tower located in the city’s East Loop district.
- Cedar Gateway Apartments, San Diego, California, United States (developer: ROEM Development Corporation and Squier Properties LLC; designer: Silber Architects)—An environmentally friendly, multifamily apartment complex constructed in contemporary design to complement adjacent downtown buildings.
- Corvin Promenade, Budapest, Hungary (developer: Futureal Group; designer: Rév8, IN-VI, M_hely Zrt.)—Regeneration project in the heart of Budapest, creating a civic center for the city’s eighth district.
- GLP Misato III, Misato City, Japan (developer: Global Logistic Properties; designer: Global Logistic Properties, et al.)—A state-of-the-art, environmentally conscious logistic facility that aims for both business efficiency and environmental awareness.
- Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse, Long Beach, California, United States (developer: Long Beach Judicial Partners LLC/Meridiam Infrastructure; designer: AECOM)—An environmentally friendly public building delivered through an innovative public/private partnership.
- Mercado do Bom Sucesso, Porto, Portugal (developer: Urban Market Company et al.; designer: Ferreira de Almeida, Arquitectos Lda.)—A renovated mixed-use public building that incorporates its original function as a fresh goods market with retail, hotels, and commercial space.
- Sixty London, London, United Kingdom (developer: Bath House Developed Limited; designer: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates)—Commercial office space that incorporates one of the area’s historic stone gatehouses.
- SteelStacks Art and Cultural Campus, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States (developer: Bethlehem Redevelopment Authority; designer: WRT, et al.)—A renovated public arts–focused campus that incorporates the city’s old steel works.
- Tamar Development Project, Hong Kong, China (developer: Chief Secretary for Administration’s Office, HKSAR Government; designer: Rocco Design Architects Ltd.)—An intricate complex facility that incorporates various governmental buildings along the city’s waterfront and harbor.
- The Brewery Blocks, Portland, Oregon, United States (developer: Gerding Edlen; designer: GBD Architects Inc.)—A sustainable mixed-use urban community that renovated and created a neighborhood in a deteriorating warehouse district.
- The Exploratorium, San Francisco, California, United States (developer: Wilson Meany; designer: EHDD Architecture)—An environmentally friendly development project on a historical site that now houses an internationally renowned museum of science.
- Tjuvholmen, Oslo, Norway (developer: Tjuvholmen KS/AS; designers: HRTB AS Arkitekter MNAL et al.)—A new development project that renovates and recovers the city’s waterfront.
- Zuellig Building, Makati City, Philippines (developer: Bridgebury Realty Corporation; designers: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP et al.)—A sustainable office development designed as rental property for multitenant use.
The competition is part of the Institute’s Awards for Excellence program, established in 1979, which is based on ULI’s guiding principle that the achievement of excellence in land use practice should be recognized and rewarded. ULI’s Awards for Excellence recognize the full development process of a project, not just its architecture or design. The criteria for the awards include leadership, contribution to the community, innovations, public/private partnerships, environmental protection and enhancement, response to societal needs, and financial viability. Throughout the program’s history, all types of projects have been recognized for their excellence, including office, residential, recreational, urban/mixed use, industrial/office park, commercial/retail, new community, rehabilitation, and public projects and programs.
In addition to jury chairman Lachman, other 2014 awards jury members include: Glenn Aaronson, managing partner, Aevitas Property Partners, and chairman, Forum Turkey Fund, Amsterdam; William Bonstra, partner, Bonstra Haresign Architects, Washington, D.C.; Terrall Budge, principal and owner, Loci, Salt Lake City; Michael Covarrubias, chairman and chief executive officer, TMG Partners, San Francisco; David Dixon, urban design leader, Stantec Consulting Ltd., Boston; Sujata S. Govada, managing director, UDP International, Hyderabad, India; Jason Hellendrung, principal, Sasaki Associates, Watertown, Massachusetts; Jeff Kingsbury, managing principal, Greenstreet Ltd., Indianapolis; Jacinta McCann, executive vice president, AECOM, San Francisco; Steve Navarro, executive vice president, president, and CEO, the Furman Co., Greenville, South Carolina; and Trini M. Rodriguez, principal, Parker Rodriguez Inc., Alexandria, Virginia.
