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HONG KONG (October 24, 2012) — Fourteen exceptional developments have been selected as winners of the 2012 Urban Land Institute (ULI) Global Awards for Excellence competition, widely acknowledged as the land use industry’s most prestigious recognition program. The winners were announced during ULI’s Fall Meeting in Denver and include three outstanding developments from Asia taken from Australia (Darling Quarter and Commonwealth Bank Place), China (Life Hub @ Jinqiao) and Vietnam (Saigon South New City Center).

The competition, now in its 34th year, is the centerpiece of ULI’s efforts to identify and promote best practices in all types of real estate development. Each of the winning projects, selected from nearly 200 entries throughout the world, has been successful in achieving a high standard of excellence in design, construction, economics, planning, and management.

According to jury chairman Randall K. Rowe, chairman of Green Courte Partners, LLC, Lake Forest, Ill., this year’s winners demonstrate ingenuity, innovation, and long-term thinking that can be embraced in other scenarios. “This year’s 14 ULI Global Award winners are from eight countries and represent a broad array of property types and uses. They are dramatic examples of the application of ULI best practices to real estate development and their enduring impact on diverse communities across the globe,” Rowe said.

ULI began the Awards for Excellence program in 1979 with the objective of recognizing truly superior development efforts. The criteria for the awards involve factors that go beyond good design, including leadership, contribution to the community, innovations, public/private partnership, environmental protection and enhancement, response to societal needs, and financial success. Winning projects represent the highest standards of achievement in the development industry, standards that ULI members hold worthy of attainment in their professional endeavors. 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, public, and heritage projects, as well as programs and projects that do not fit into any of these product categories.

John Fitzgerald, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific, ULI said “The winning projects represent the highest standards of achievement in the development industry and I extend my congratulations to all of them. A defining question the jury debates when evaluating the nominees is; ‘is the project worthy of emulation?’. The winning projects represent the high standards that ULI members strive to achieve when embarking on development projects. In 2012, for the first time the awards honor development projects from across the globe in a single competition, rather than awarding winners within separate geographic regions. The three Asian winners from Australia, China and Vietnam respectively represent world-class examples of creativity, innovation and long-term planning. The whole program reminds us again of the important role that responsible land use development can make, in terms of longevity and overall community sustainability.”

The Asian developments joining the other 11 winners at 2012 Global Awards for Excellence (developers and primary design teams in parentheses) were:

• Darling Quarter and Commonwealth Bank Place, Sydney, Australia (Developer: Lend Lease; Architects: fjmt, ASPECT Studios) – Major transformation of the public domain, integrating large-scale commercial development, a highly articulated playground, and public space.
• Life Hub @ Jinqiao, Shanghai, China (Developer: Shanghai Edmonton Real Estate Co., Ltd.; Architect: Palmer & Turner Consultants Ltd.) – Retail-anchored mixed-use development project articulating an integrated environment.
• Saigon South New City Center, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (Developer: Phy My Hung Corporation; Architects: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, Kenzo Tange Associates, et al.) – Large master-planned community retaining local character with a sustainable approach.

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 partnership, environmental protection and enhancement, response to societal needs, and financial viability.

Over the years, the Awards for Excellence program has evolved from the recognition of one development in North America to an international competition with multiple winners. The ULI Awards for Excellence: Europe was added in 2004, followed by the ULI Awards for Excellence: Asia Pacific and the Global Awards in 2005. In 2012, ULI combined the separate regional programs into a single global competition. 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 Rowe, 2012 competition jury members are: Glenn Aaronson, chairman, Forum Turkey Fund, and managing partner, Aevitas Property Partners, Amsterdam, Netherlands; Michael S. Balaban, president, Lowe Enterprises Real Estate Group, Eastern Region, Washington, D.C.; William Bonstra, partner, Bonstra Haresign Architects, Washington, D.C.; David Dixon, principal, Goody Clancy, Boston, Mass.; Kenneth H. Hughes, president, Hughes Development, LP, Dallas, Texas; Mark Johnson, president, Civitas, Inc., Denver, Colo.; Christopher W. Kurz, president and chief executive officer, Linden Associates, Inc., Baltimore, Md.; David Malmuth, president, David Malmuth Development, San Diego, Calif.; Jeff Mayer, chief executive officer, Jeff Mayer + Partners, LLC, Irvine, Calif.; Raj Menda, co-owner and managing director, RMZ Corporation, Bangalore, India; and John B. Slidell, executive vice president, The Bozzuto Group, Greenbelt, Md.

The remaining 11 winners at 2012 Global Awards for Excellence (developers and primary design teams in parentheses) include:

• Accident Fund Holdings, Inc., New National Headquarters, Lansing, Mich., USA (Developers: Christman Capital Development Company; Architects: HOK, Quinn Evans Architects, et al.) – Historic preservation partnership for the repurposing of a power plant for higher-end office use.
• Armstrong Place Senior and Family Housing, San Francisco, Calif., USA (Developer: BRIDGE Housing Corporation; Architect: David Baker + Partners) – Affordable and senior housing as a catalyst for revitalization.
• Atlantic Wharf, Boston, Mass., USA (Developer: Boston Properties; Architect: CBT Architects) – Mixed-use green waterfront skyscraper integrated with the harbor and surrounding neighborhood.
• Levine Center for the Arts, Charlotte, N.C., USA (Developer: Childress Klein Properties; Architects: TVSDesign, Machado and Silvetti Associates, Mario Botta, et al.) – Cultural complex as an urban experience, generating a vibrant and high-energy arts district.
• Manitoba Hydro Place, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (Developer: Manitoba Hydro; Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects, et al.) – Public/private partnership to generate a downtown, state-of-the-art, energy-efficient office structure.
• Mirabella at South Waterfront, Portland, Ore., USA (Developer: Pacific Retirement Services; Architect: Ankrom Moisan) – High-rise retirement community enabling engagement with the greater downtown lifestyle.
• Red Oak Park, Boulder, Colo., USA (Developer: Boulder Housing Partners; Architect: Coburn Development) – Urban infill redevelopment of a mobile home park into highly sustainable affordable housing.
• The Avenue, Washington, D.C., USA (Developer: Boston Properties; Architects: Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects LLP, Hickok Cole Architects, et al.) – Complex mixed-use development of a city block reintegrating diverse urban functionality.
• The Fitzrovia Apartments, London, UK (Developers: Ridgeford Properties Ltd. and Manhattan Loft Corporation; Architect: HOK) – Mixed-use high-end development including an affordable component and a public/private partnership to redevelop a medical facility.
• Tour First, Paris, France (Developers: Altarea-Cogedim, AXA REIM, and Beacon Capital Partners; Architect: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates) – Refurbishment and modernization of a pioneering skyscraper, enhancing its presence and impact on the surrounding area.
• Valletta Waterfront, Malta (Developer: Valletta Cruise Port; Architect/Designer: David Drago, EDSA, Inc.) – Regeneration of derelict ferry terminals in a historic core offering a new amenity model.

About the Urban Land Institute
The Urban Land Institute (www.uli.org) is a nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the Institute has nearly 30,000 members worldwide representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines.