Five exceptional built environment projects from across the EMEA region have been announced as the finalists in the 2022 ULI Europe Awards for Excellence.

The awards recognise the whole project development process, from planning and construction to economic viability, management, and community impact, as well as design.

This year’s finalists include a variety of projects across different sectors and combination of uses, with a strong focus on combining different uses, sustainability, reuse and repurposing and placemaking and community building.

The overall winners will be revealed on October 12 as part of ULI Europe’s Decarbonisation Summit, with those projects automatically nominated for the 2022 ULI Global Awards for Excellence, which will be announced later in the year.

The full list of finalists selected by members of the jury are (alphabetically):

• HAMMERBROOKLYN Digital Pavilion, Hamburg, Germany (Developer: Art-Invest Real Estate Management GmbH & Co. KG. Owner: Hammerbrooklyn Immobilien GmbH. Architect: LP Spine Architects); sustainable digital hub and smart office building
• Latitude, Courbevoie (Paris), France (Developer and Owner: Générale Continentale Investissements. Architect: Studios Architecture); a remodelled and extended 1970’s office building
• MÉCA (Maison de l’Économie Creatives et de la Culture en Aquitaine) Bordeaux, France (Developer and Owner: Region Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Architects: BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group; FREAKS freearchitects; Lafourcade-Rouquette Architectes); a centre for contemporary art that loops together three institutions
• Norblin Factory, Warsaw, Poland (Developer and Owner: Capital Park Group. Architect: PRC Architekci); a multifunctional complex for state-of-the-art offices plus cultural, leisure and retail offerings
• Quai des Caps, Bordeaux, France (Developer: Fayat Immobilier & Pitch Promotion. Owner: Keys REIM, Caisse des dépô Architects: Chartier Dalix, Hardel et Le Bihan, Moon Safari et Marjan Hessamfar & Joe Verons, and Jacques Ferrier); an ambitious mixed-use complex located in the regenerated heart of a seaport.

The jury, which is composed of recognised real estate leaders drawn from across the sector, including architecture, commercial real estate, development, investment, property management, public-private partnership, and professional services, will next determine the overall winners for the EMEA region.

Sophie Henley-Price, Principal and Managing Director, STUDIOS Architecture and ULI Global Governing Trustee chairs the jury, which includes Clarissa Alfrink, Managing Director Germany, UnStudio; Theodore N. Charagionis, Executive Chairman, Acropole Charagionis S.A.; Marta Cladera de Codina, Managing Director, Head of Iberia, Nuveen Real Estate; Sigrid Duhamel, Global Chief Investment Officer and CEO France, BNP Paribas REIM; Manfred Guenterberg, Member of the Executive Board, Wolfsburg AG; Karolina Kaim, President of the Board, High Level Advisory; Tinka Kleine, Senior Director Private Real Estate, PGGM; Vanessa Muscara, Head of Research & Strategy, Europa Capital; and Petran van Heel.

“Best practice in equitable and sustainable land use is at the heart of our mission, and we believe that examples of this in practice should be both recognised and celebrated,” said Marnix Galle, Chair of ULI Europe. “There’s a lot we as an industry can learn from the delivery of transformative projects that push the envelope and have a positive impact on their communities or immediate context, and Europe is home to many examples of outstanding projects that have the potential to be replicated elsewhere and which can inspire us all.”

“As a jury, it has been hugely enjoyable and rewarding to be immersed in some truly exceptional real estate projects that are all making a significant impact across multiple criteria, from their architecture and design to planning and construction, and economics and management,” added Sophie Henley-Price, chair of the 2022 ULI Europe Awards for Excellence Jury. “We’ve selected five finalists, all of which demonstrate genuine ingenuity in real estate and in their respective categories.”

“This year, the standard and variety of entries has once again been exceptional,” said Lisette van Doorn, ULI Europe CEO. “The range of truly innovative real estate development projects that are being delivered in many parts of Europe provides a wealth of best practice examples and creative solutions that I think we can collectively benefit from when considering future development opportunities, and certainly such great work demands to be showcased in this way.”

The ULI Europe Awards for Excellence recognises superior development efforts across Europe, Middle East, and Africa in the private, public, and non-profit sectors. Projects and programmes are evaluated on the extent to which they:

• achieve marketplace acceptance/financial success;
• achieve a high standard of excellence in all areas—architecture, design, planning, construction, amenities, economics, and management, etc;
• demonstrate relevance to the contemporary and future needs of the community in which they are located;
• demonstrate innovation, through techniques, processes, or partnerships;
• have a positive impact in their communities and/or immediate context, e.g., by contributing to advancing equity and inclusion;
• exhibit environmental sustainability, stewardship, and resilience; and
• provide models, lessons, strategies, or techniques that can be replicated or adapted.

As well as selecting the overall winners, the jury will also consider “special mentions” for those projects that demonstrate excellence in a particular area such as affordable housing, social value, climate change / resilience / sustainability, life sciences, repurposing, creative placemaking / arts & culture / community engagement, health and wellbeing, and smart technology.