LONDON (June 16, 2014) — Twenty-three outstanding developments from around the world, including five in Europe, 11 in North America, and seven in Asia, have been selected as finalists in the 2014 ULI Global Awards for Excellence competition, widely recognised as one of the land use industry’s most prestigious recognition programmes.  From this select group, a jury representing the many fields of real estate development expertise will choose a group of winners that will be announced in October at ULI’s 2014 Fall Meeting in New York City.

“The 2014 Global Awards for Excellence finalists demonstrate high-quality, innovative land use and building design. In addition, many involve historic preservation, public-private partnerships, environmental sustainability, and creative financing,” said jury chair M. Leanne Lachman, president of real estate consulting firm Lachman Associates in New York, N.Y.  “This group of diverse projects is a timely reminder of how thoughtful design plays a central role in community health and longevity.”

The competition, now in its 36th year, recognises real estate projects that achieve a high standard of excellence in design, construction, economics, planning and management.  The programme, open to all and not just to ULI members, is viewed as the centrepiece of ULI’s efforts to identify and promote best practices in all types of real estate development.

The finalists (developers and architects in parentheses) are:

• 77 H, Washington, D.C., USA (Developer: The JBG Companies, The Bennett Group; Designer: Mushinsky Voelzke + Associates) – A residential and retail mixed-use development that focuses on community integration and strengthening the urban corridor.

• 300 East Randolph, Chicago, IL, USA (Developer: Walsh Higgins & Company; Goettsch Partners) – A two-phased, vertically expanded office tower located in the city’s East Loop district.

• Cedar Gateway Apartments, San Diego, CA, USA (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.

• CityWay, Indianapolis, IN, USA (Developer: Buckingham Companies; Designer: Oz Architecture, et al) – A progressive and innovative mixed-use complex redevelopment of a significantly underutilised site in the heart of downtown.

• Columbarium and Garden of Remembrance at Kiu Tau Road, Hong Kong, China (Developer: Hong Kong Government SAR; Designer: Architectural Services Department, HKSAR) – An architecturally unique complex that provides an innovative approach to creating a columbarium and gardens for the public integrating remembrance into the city.

• Corvin Promenade, Budapest, Hungary (Developer: Futureal Group; Designer: Rév8, IN-VI, M_hely Zrt.) – Regeneration project in the heart of Budapest, creating a civic centre for the city’s 8th district.

• Danish Maritime Museum, Helsingør, Denmark (Developer: Maritime Museums Byg A/S; Designer: BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group) – An innovative, subterranean museum built within and around an unused dry dock.

• Far East Square and AMOY, Singapore (Developer: China Classic Pte Ltd; Designer: DP Architects Pte Ltd) – A preservation, mixed-use project that renovates old shop houses into modern retail and entertainment outlets.

• 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, CA, USA (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.

• MetraMarket, Chicago, IL, USA (Developer: U.S. Equities Realty; Designer: Cannon Design) – A mixed-use urban development in downtown that provides a unique and effective, high-traffic marketplace for small local artisans and purveyors.

• Sixty London, London, UK (Developer: Bath House Developed Limited; Designer: Kohn Pedersen Fox) – Commercial office space that incorporates one of the area’s historic stone gatehouses.

• SteelStacks Art and Cultural Campus, Bethlehem, PA, USA (Developer: Bethlehem Redevelopment Authority; Designer: KostowGreenWood Architects, 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 government buildings along the city’s water front and harbour.

• The Brewery, Portland, OR, USA (Developer: Gerding Edlen; Designer: GBD Architects Incorporated) – A sustainable mixed-used project that renovates an urban community through a new neighbourhood in a deteriorating warehouse district.

• The Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA, USA (Developer: Wilson Meany; Designer: EHDD Architecture) – An environmentally friendly development project on a historical site that now houses an internationally renowned museum of science.

• The MixC in Shenyang, Shenyang, China (Developer: China Resources Land (Shenyang) Co., Ltd.; Designer: RTKL Associates Inc.) – A mixed-use environmentally conscious office, residential, and commercial complex that maintains harmony in its overall design.

• The Ninety, Toronto, Canada (Developer: Harhay Developments; Designer: CORE architects, II by IV Design) – An innovative refurbishment project that transforms an old office building into a residential project.

• Tjuvholmen, Oslo Norway (Developer: Tjuvholmen KS/AS; Designer: HRTB as Arkitekter Mnal et al) – Renovation of the city’s waterfront through a new development project.

• Via6, Seattle, WA, USA (Developer: Pine Street Group LLC; Designer: GGLO, Hewitt) – A vertical, sustainable residential project that aims to connect through design its residents to create a neighbourhood.

• Xintiandi Hotels, Shanghai, China (Developer: Shui On Land Ltd; Designer: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, et al) – A sustainable, luxury hotel project that incorporates the designs from adjacent historical buildings.

• Zuellig Building, Makati City, Philippines (Developer: Bridgebury Realty Corporation; Designer: Skidmore, Owing & Merrill LLP, et al) – A sustainable, office development designed as rental property for multi-tenant use.

The competition is part of the Institute’s Awards for Excellence programme, established in 1979, which is based on ULI’s guiding principle that the achievement of excellence in land use practice should be recognised and rewarded. ULI’s Awards for Excellence recognise 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 programme’s history, all types of projects have been recognised for their excellence, including office, residential, recreational, urban/mixed-use, industrial/office park, commercial/retail, new community, rehabilitation, and public projects and programmes.

In addition to jury chairman Lachman, other 2014 awards jury members are:  Glenn Aaronson, managing partner, Aevitas Property Partners; chairman, Forum Turkey Fund, Amsterdam, Netherlands; William Bonstra, partner, Bonstra Haresign Architects, Washington, D.C.; Terrall Budge, principal and owner, Loci, Salt Lake City, Utah; Michael Covarrubias, chairman and chief executive officer, TMG Partners, San Francisco, Calif.; David Dixon, urban design leader, Stantec Consulting, Ltd., Boston, Mass.; Dr. Sujata S. Govada, managing director, UDP International, Hyderabad, India; Jason Hellendrung, principal, Sasaki Associates, Watertown, Mass.; Jeff Kingsbury, managing principal, Greenstreet Ltd., Indianapolis, Ind.; Jacinta McCann, executive vice president, AECOM, San Francisco, Calif.; Steve Navarro, executive vice president, President and CEO, the Furman Co, Greenville, S.C.; and Trini M. Rodriguez, principal, Parker Rodriguez, Inc., Alexandria, Va.